Chapter 553: Chapter 553: Without Cyrus Hawthorne
Ann Vaughn almost held her breath as she returned to No. 8, feeling stifled and ready to go upstairs, when Uncle Dexter called out to her.
"Young Madam," Uncle Dexter approached with a smile, "The brown sugar ginger tea we’ve prepared for you has been kept warm in the kitchen, you should drink a bowl before sleeping."
"Brown sugar... ginger tea?"
"The Young Master instructed us to prepare it for you, and according to the doctor’s advice, we’ve added some medicinal herbs to help your health greatly."
Her period hadn’t arrived yet, so why did Cyrus Hawthorne ask Uncle Dexter to prepare brown sugar ginger tea for her...
Wait a minute.
Ann Vaughn suddenly remembered something and calculated the dates, realizing her period was due in about three days.
She was so busy she almost forgot it herself, why does he remember such things so clearly!!
Uncle Dexter noticed Ann Vaughn’s face suddenly turn red without knowing why and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Young Madam, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"No...no," Ann Vaughn waved her hand like a fan, trying to dissipate the heat from her face, "I’ll go drink it now."
After she finished speaking, she moved toward the dining room.
Under Uncle Dexter’s loving and caring gaze, Ann Vaughn drank two cups of brown sugar ginger tea before going upstairs.
Peeking into the children’s room, it was no surprise that the Little Dumpling was already asleep, his chubby little legs poking out from under the covers, and his soft belly rising and falling with his breath, adorably tempting someone to steal him away.
Ann Vaughn walked over to tuck Kenny in and then headed to his little desk, intending to turn off the lamp that was still on.
She noticed blueprints spread across the desk, not yet tidied away.
These were covered in sketches of machinery components, the lines flowing cleanly, yet collectively they appeared complex and baffling.
Just looking at them evoked a sense of their terrifying destructive power.
Ann Vaughn did not delve into the contents of the blueprints; after a brief glance, she placed them back on the desk and covered them with a book.
Although she didn’t interfere with Kenny’s pursuits, it’s best if his talents remain undiscovered by outsiders.
After returning to her room and taking a bath, Ann Vaughn climbed into bed, curling up under the covers, and fell into a deep sleep.
However, this night was destined not to be peaceful.
In just one night, five secret warehouses hidden within The Imperial Capital by the Hawthorne Family were set ablaze, resulting in huge losses.
The news quickly reached both the main house and Hawthorne Corp., and upon learning of the matter, Old Master Hawthorne immediately dispatched people to investigate.
To their surprise, it was discovered that all this was the doing of the Yan gang.
For years, the Hawthorne Family and the Yan gang had been at odds, yet the Hawthorne Family has never been on the losing side. Now, having lost five crucial warehouses to the Yan gang’s actions, how could the Hawthorne Family not be furious?
The Hawthorne Family soon retaliated, and the clash was about to erupt.
...
The horizon gradually brightened, dawn just breaking.
After seeing Kenny off into the car, Ann Vaughn returned to the dining room, yawning, and continued eating her breakfast.
She had a restless sleep last night, drifting between sleep and wakefulness, occasionally immersed in dreams, occasionally staring at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, almost unsure which was the reality.
She had a dream.
A dream... without Cyrus Hawthorne.
After grandpa’s passing, she was brought back to the Vaughn Family, leading a life just the same as she remembered... until Cynthia Sheridan’s wedding day.
Cyrus Hawthorne’s figure suddenly burst into her mind; she recalled everything about him and frantically ran to the wedding chapel to try to stop them—
But then she saw the man standing beside Cynthia Sheridan wasn’t Cyrus Hawthorne.
In this world, there was no Cyrus Hawthorne.
She asked everyone, but they simply gave her looks of helplessness and ridicule, seemingly believing she was insane, ruining her sister’s wedding for the sake of a nonexistent man...
But in her mind, Cyrus Hawthorne clearly existed.
Whether cunningly sarcastic, cool and noble, or earnestly saying things that made her blush deeply.
The Jade Ring he had given her was still worn on her wrist...
Yet when Ann Vaughn glanced down, her slender white wrist was empty, nothing there.
Just as they said, in this world there wasn’t anyone like Cyrus Hawthorne, and everything he gifted her had vanished as well.
Leaving only the relentless and futile obsession that grew wildly in her heart—
"Young Madam? Young Madam?" Uncle Dexter’s worried voice suddenly cut in, interrupting Ann Vaughn’s thoughts which were gripped tightly by the nightmare, "You look pale, did you not sleep well last night? Shall we change the incense for tonight?"
Ann Vaughn snapped back to reality, her eyes red and unfocused for a long time.
It was a dream...
She touched her slightly cool forehead, feeling a deep sense of relief, thinking it was just a dream.
"Uncle Dexter, I’m fine, no need to worry." After calming her mood for a moment, Ann Vaughn put down the milk that had long gone cold, speaking softly.
Uncle Dexter was still uneasy, asking the servants to pour her another cup of milk.
"You must take good care of your health; with what happened last night, the Old Master is already quite mad, if you were to also fall ill, sigh..."
What happened last night?
Ann Vaughn picked up the cup and took a sip of milk, slightly surprised by the words, "Did something happen at the main house last night?"
With Cian away, Grandpa Hawthorne had been residing at the main house handling the affairs.
"Indeed." Uncle Dexter said gravely, "Five of the secret warehouses of the Hawthorne Family were burnt down deliberately, causing incalculable losses."
Five warehouses?!
Ann Vaughn almost choked on the milk in her mouth.
"How is grandpa now? Is his health okay?"
"Don’t worry, the Old Master has been drinking the medicine you prescribed, and after such a long time of conditioning, his health is fairly sturdy, he is alright."
"That’s good..." Ann Vaughn breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she should visit Grandpa Hawthorne later, and casually asked, "Has it been found out who did it?"
Uncle Dexter nodded, his gaze carrying a trace of disgust, "It was the Yan gang."
The Yan gang?!
Impossible, right?
Ann Vaughn’s eyes froze, hardly believing it, she raised her head, her red lips pressed firmly.
"Could there have been a mistake?"
"The Old Master has already sent people to investigate, it was indeed them. The Yan gang has held grudges against us for a long time, it’s not surprising they’d do such a thing." Uncle Dexter said, "The strange thing is, how did they know the location of the warehouses?"
That was something only the Family Head would know, no one else.
After so many years the Yan gang didn’t know, how did they suddenly learn overnight.
Upon hearing this, Ann Vaughn’s brows furrowed deeply, her eyes flashed with a hint of doubt.
She wasn’t really clear on why the Yan gang and the Hawthorne Family had such a deep-seated feud.
But she remembered the last words Sutton Jennings said to her at the hospital, which slightly swayed the balance in her heart.
Was it really him who did it?