Chapter 634: Chapter 634: Demanding Repayment for Past Kindness
Kressiel’s skin type is different from the people of S Country, and her burns are severe, incomparable to ordinary scars.
Therefore, the scar removal cream Ann Vaughn previously developed is not suitable for her. It is necessary to formulate a cream suitable for her specific skin type.
Last night, Kressiel sent her original skin test report to Ann Vaughn. Ann looked down at the data, pondering the ingredients and their proportions for the formula.
Bzzz—
The screen suddenly switched to an incoming call notification. Ann put down her pen and got up to leave the ward and answer the call.
"Hello?"
"Miss Vaughn, the Third Master is now in the examination room here waiting for you. Could you come over?"
The examination room was not far, and there were bodyguards around the ward, so after a few seconds of thought, Ann agreed.
However, upon reaching the examination room, Ann discovered that Henry Hawthorne was just a guise; the one truly waiting for her was Laura Quinn.
"What do you want from me?" Ann’s delicate eyebrows turned cold as she stood at a distance from Laura, looking at her calmly.
Laura sat in a wheelchair, her face looking rosy and normal, but her hands were extremely thin, placed weakly on the armrest.
Seeing Ann deliberately maintaining distance, Laura smiled slightly, and under Ann’s wary gaze, she silently removed the mask from her face.
In no time, a face Ann was incredibly familiar with was revealed.
It was the face of the woman who had given Ann the Bone-removing Vine!
A streak of surprise crossed Ann’s bright eyes. Although she had guessed earlier, seeing it with her own eyes was even more shocking and unbelievable.
Laura Quinn was indeed the flower-selling woman!
However, everything she had done since returning to the Hawthorne Family made it impossible for Ann to connect her with that purely kind woman.
But the next moment, Laura’s actions made Ann’s pupils contract suddenly.
Her current face was also a mask!
After the last mask was removed, a face full of scars was exposed in front of Ann.
Other than the faint semblance of her eyes, lips, and nose resembling Wanda Chamberlain’s, the rest were scars chilling enough to make one gasp.
"You..." Ann had too many questions in her mind and didn’t know which to ask. She pressed her red lips together, speaking with complicated emotions: "Why do you want me to know all this?"
If she couldn’t confirm Laura was that woman, Ann wouldn’t feel any pressure treating her coldly.
But now...
"To have a good talk with you." Laura casually placed the two masks on the table beside her, folding her hands naturally in front of her, even while sitting in a wheelchair, maintaining elegance.
Ann’s bright eyes lowered slightly, "What do you want to talk with me about?"
"I heard your relationship with Cyrus Hawthorne is very good, but no matter how good a relationship is, how long can it last? Have you really settled on each other?" Laura asked, "Even if it’s the case now, what if you or Cian regrets it later?"
"What exactly do you want to say?" Hearing the implication in her words, Ann’s thin brows knit slightly.
Laura looked at her calmly and continued: "I mean, if you truly love each other, why worry about a separation of one or two years?"
One or two years of separation?
Would Laura know that she and Cyrus Hawthorne had already missed four years together?
Ann almost wanted to laugh but was unable by the bitter sensation between her teeth.
"If you want me to leave Cyrus Hawthorne, you can say it directly. Why beat around the bush?" Ann sneered and continued: "I used to think there was a difference between a real mother and a stepmother, but it turns out they’re not much different."
She couldn’t imagine how Cyrus survived in the Hawthorne Family, filled with the schemes and tricks of those vying for power, without falling to their means, yet nearly died at the hands of the "biological mother" he presumed.
Luckily, Old Master Hawthorne was there, preventing Cyrus from falling to her poisonous hands.
The real mother, who finally returned to the Hawthorne Family, never considered his feelings.
For some reason, a tiny painful prick spread in Ann’s heart, feeling very uncomfortable.
Laura lowered her gaze, gently brushing off non-existent dust from her knees, "He will understand someday that I’m doing it for his good."
"But have you asked him for his opinion?" Ann replied sharply, "Did you ever care about what he thinks? You didn’t, you only care if you can achieve your goal, because you hate my mother, so you will go to all lengths to drive me away from him."
"You’re doing it for yourself, not Cyrus Hawthorne. Don’t dress your selfishness in such beautiful packaging."
Anger kept growing in Ann’s chest, with nowhere to vent it, she had to forcefully suppress it.
Not for herself, but for Cyrus Hawthorne.
Laura chuckled softly, "You know I hate Shuhua Vaughn, yet you dare to admit in front of me that you are her daughter?"
"You’re not significant enough for me to completely need to care about how you feel, even if you’re Quinn’s mother. Also, I won’t agree to your unreasonable demands."
"Is it a lack of confidence in yourself or in Cian?" Laura questioned her: "You see, your relationship is so fragile that it can’t withstand even a short two-year test."
Ann shrugged indifferently, showing a look of unconcern, "Your provocation is well-played, but I’m not buying it."
Tired of arguing further with Laura, Ann turned to leave without another word.
Laura called out to stop her: "Continuing to stay by Cian’s side will only bring him danger and trouble. Besides, I’m only asking you to leave him for two years, not a lifetime. This request isn’t excessive, is it?"
Ann didn’t stop.
"Don’t forget, you owe me a life."
This sentence was like an invisible shackle, binding Ann to the spot, her lips pressed tighter.
Seeing her pause, a hint of sadness flashed in Laura’s eyes, "When you had a miscarriage, without the Bone-removing Vine, you would have died long ago. So, essentially, your life was saved by me."
"So," Ann turned around, looking at her, "Are you holding your kindness over my head expecting repayment?"
Just as her words fell, the door of the examination room was pushed open by someone, and Laura’s care worker stood outside the door, reminding: "Madam, you should rest now."
"Come and push me," Laura gave the care worker a glance and then turned her gaze back to Ann’s calm face, "I hope to hear your answer before I close my eyes."
These words were no different from a threat, a threat using life itself.
No matter how mild Laura’s tone was, it made Ann feel inexplicably cold to her bones.
To drive her away, she would really use any means necessary.