Chapter 539: Chapter 539: Vera White in Trouble
Thus, the villagers at the foot of Mount Verne regard the land as their own and plant it recklessly.
The headquarters of Imperial Glory sent representatives to negotiate with those villagers, to no avail; instead, the ignorant villagers attacked and threatened them.
The staff who went to negotiate were even threatened by those villagers, warning that if Imperial Glory forcibly attempted to "take their" land,
they would jump off Imperial Glory’s company building to protest until death!
Moreover, the land most suitable for growing medicinal herbs was occupied by the villagers, leading to delays in Mount Verne’s development plans and putting the branch office in a predicament.
No matter how eloquent the employees were, they struggled in front of those ignorant and rude villagers, let alone Elias Hawthorne, who seemed not to be good with words.
If he could just let it go, Ann Vaughn wouldn’t delve into the matter of the text message being altered, or into any schemes between him and Jane Sheridan.
On the contrary...
Rather than letting them manipulate things behind his back, it would be easier to keep Elias Hawthorne in plain sight.
A moment later, Elias Hawthorne silently finished reading the document, nodded at Ann Vaughn, and then left with the file.
Ann Vaughn watched the direction he left, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Although he hadn’t said a word, Ann Vaughn could see he agreed to her request.
His thoughts were too easy to read; all his emotions were written in those pale blue eyes, making it hard not to guess.
Still... he better behave.
In the midst of her thoughts, Ann Vaughn’s cellphone suddenly rang in her pocket.
She took it out and saw "Bella Hawthorne" flash across the screen.
Ann Vaughn’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat, then she answered: "Vera, are you done?"
"Sis," Bella Hawthorne’s voice was terribly hoarse, mixed with heavy fatigue, "I’m behind the bamboo grove south of Westgate Road, can you come and get me?"
"Why did you go to the outskirts?" Ann Vaughn grabbed the documents she had just placed on the desk and hurriedly walked outside, "Wait there, I’m coming to get you now."
"Okay."
Bella Hawthorne’s voice sounded too abnormal, causing Ann Vaughn’s heart to remain tense the whole way.
Initially, she wanted to inform Cyrus Hawthorne about this, but since Bella Hawthorne hadn’t contacted Cyrus Hawthorne and only reached out to her, it indicated she likely did not want Cyrus Hawthorne or anyone else to know.
Hence, Ann Vaughn hesitated repeatedly, planning to consider other matters after meeting Bella Hawthorne.
In less than fifteen minutes, Ann Vaughn parked the car behind the bamboo grove Bella Hawthorne mentioned and stepped out.
Other than a black car not far away, Bella Hawthorne was nowhere to be seen.
Ann Vaughn fixed her gaze on the black car for a moment, her fingers hovering over the speed dial button on her phone, ready to call Cyrus Hawthorne at any sign of trouble.
"...Vera?" Ann Vaughn steadied herself as she approached the black car, keeping a distance and peering into the car window.
To her shock, she saw Bella Hawthorne half-reclining in the seat, her clothes tattered and torn, and the skin exposed to the air showed red, purple, and bruised marks—
Ann Vaughn’s eyes suddenly contracted, her slender fingers clenching forcefully.
How could this be!?
There was no time to think; she slipped off her beige trench coat, then pulled open the car door and got inside.
"Don’t be afraid, sis is here." Ann Vaughn tightly wrapped Bella Hawthorne’s body in her coat and hugged her shoulders, suppressing her anger and disbelief to comfort her.
Bella Hawthorne, with a pallid face, leaned against Ann Vaughn, her eyelashes constantly trembling uneasily. Having cried countless times, her eyes were wet like a butterfly with broken wings, fragile and vulnerable.
Her gaze was vacantly numb, unable to break free from the savage pain of the night, the beastly possession.
Despair relentlessly pressed against her throat, nearly suffocating her.
Ann Vaughn felt Bella Hawthorne trembling violently in her arms, her mind in chaos, wanting to speak but her voice caught in her throat.
"I’m sorry, it’s my fault, I should have kept looking for you instead of waiting yesterday, I’m sorry." Ann Vaughn hugged Bella Hawthorne’s shivering body tightly, her eyes sore with indignation.
If only she had been more aware last night or had let Cyrus Hawthorne check Bella Hawthorne’s whereabouts.
Perhaps all this might not have happened—
Bella Hawthorne’s chaotic mind finally gained a glimpse of clarity, listening to Ann Vaughn’s words full of remorse and regret, she reached out and hugged Ann Vaughn tightly.
The grief and fear stuck in her throat and eyes all night burst out instantly!
"Sis, sis, I’m so scared... no matter how I screamed, no one came to save me, no one!"
The whole night long, she hoped someone would come to rescue her; the end was nothing but endless despair.
She kept pleading with that man, asking him to leave her alone, asking him to stop, but to no avail, to no avail!!
Ann Vaughn’s heart was tightly gripped, her eyes showing deep red, almost bursting with fury at wanting to tear the scoundrel who hurt Bella Hawthorne into pieces!
As the precious daughter of the Hawthorne Family, nurtured with grace and care, Bella Hawthorne had been well protected from childhood, never having even kissed anyone, let alone had a romantic relationship.
She was like a delicate flower dancing in the greenhouse, extremely precious.
But when the soft soil in the greenhouse was forcefully destroyed and the stem of the flower was forcibly snapped, the blow to her was nothing short of annihilation.
All her dreams of romance and hidden thoughts were shattered beyond repair.
Without staying here too long, Ann Vaughn helped Bella Hawthorne into her car, called Sherry to take care of the black car, and drove away.
Given the impact on Bella Hawthorne’s reputation, Ann Vaughn trusted only Sherry to handle the matter.
Her trust was justified; seeing the traces on the car, Sherry didn’t question anything and cleaned the vehicle as Ann Vaughn instructed.
Azure Gardens.
Ann Vaughn didn’t feel comfortable leaving Bella Hawthorne alone in the bathroom; to prevent her from becoming distressed, she stayed by her side.
Bella Hawthorne’s spirit was fragile, on the verge of breaking at any moment, as Ann Vaughn watched her repeatedly scrub her skin, as if trying to wash off something unremovable.
"Enough, Vera." Ann Vaughn reached out and stopped her, whispering, "Don’t harm yourself, not just for you, but for those who care about you."
"It’s dirty." Bella Hawthorne gripped the bath sponge tightly, her eyes filled with self-loathing, "Filthy dead."
She needed to clean it off; she absolutely needed to clean it off...
Sensing Bella Hawthorne’s thoughts, Ann Vaughn quickly grasped her hand, stopping her from harming herself, "Vera isn’t dirty at all, it’s those with evil intentions that are dirty. Let’s not punish ourselves for other people’s sins, okay?"