CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 125: CAUGHT CRYSTAL SUTTON CHEATING

Alaric Hawthorne’s eyes were cool behind the lenses of his glasses.

"Zinnia could have found out about the proposal at any time, but she just so happened to learn about it right as you were registering for divorce, and right when she and I were about to go to Y Country. Are you telling me that wasn’t intentional, Young Master Forrest?"

Of course, Jenson Forrest had been intentional. "I still haven’t settled the score with you for what happened four years ago," he said coldly. "You’d better stay far away from her now!"

Alaric Hawthorne’s gentle expression had long since vanished. "The Hawthorne family made an open and proper proposal. What was wrong with that? Four years ago, Zinnia was not your property."

"Hah, an open and proper proposal? That’s a nice way of putting it! Were you unaware of her situation in the Forrest family? My grandmother already refused, but then you went to my parents. How is that any different from a forced marriage?"

In the Forrest family, only his grandmother and he would ever protect Zinnia. The Hawthornes had proposed while he was away in Veridia. After Grandma refused them, they went straight to his parents. How could they not have known that Patrick Forrest and Katherine Rhodes would sacrifice Zinnia in a heartbeat when their own interests were at stake?

Alaric Hawthorne’s handsome face paled slightly. He turned his head, avoiding Jenson Forrest’s sharp, knife-like gaze.

But Jenson Forrest wouldn’t let him off. The corners of his thin lips curled into a sneer. "Zinnia wasn’t even eighteen then. You wanted to send her abroad to take care of a cripple and had the gall to call it a marriage proposal. How shameless of the Hawthorne family. Just because the Second Young Master Hawthorne was crippled and disfigured, does that mean some other family’s daughter deserved to be dragged down with him?"

Alaric Hawthorne’s fists clenched abruptly. Of course he knew his mother’s actions back then were wrong. If they weren’t, he wouldn’t have spent the last two years hiding his identity. He was wracked with guilt and afraid Zinnia would resent him.

Jenson Forrest’s narrow eyes glinted as he continued coldly, "But she isn’t just some random family’s daughter. She’s the Forrest family’s Seventh! She belongs to me, Jenson Forrest, and the Hawthornes will face the consequences for touching her!"

Forget that Alaric Hawthorne was crippled back then; even if he were perfectly fine, the Hawthornes had no right to show up at his door and try to take someone who belonged to him.

Alaric also narrowed his eyes, sensing another meaning in Jenson’s words. "It seems Young Master Forrest was the one responsible for the Hawthorne family’s withdrawal from the H Country market."

Three years ago, the Hawthorne family began expanding into the automotive market in H Country. It was the perfect time, and everything was going smoothly until they were suddenly met with obstacles at every turn. After a couple of mishaps, they missed their window of opportunity. Last year, they completely withdrew from the H Country market, suffering significant losses.

Jenson Forrest didn’t deny it.

Alaric nodded. "The Hawthorne family has already paid the price, and I’ve just obtained Zinnia’s forgiveness. Zinnia is twenty-two now. She has the right to choose who she wants to be with. I hope you won’t have such double standards, Young Master Forrest, and will be able to respect her choice and let her go when the time comes."

With a slight nod, Alaric Hawthorne turned and walked past Jenson Forrest.

Jenson’s handsome face darkened as he heard Alaric repeatedly call her "Zinnia," and his brow furrowed.

What did Alaric Hawthorne mean just now when he told me to be concerned about Zinnia’s health? Damn it, I got sidetracked and forgot to ask for clarification.

Jenson Forrest strode toward the garden to find her.

After parting with Alaric Hawthorne, Zinnia went for a walk in the garden to clear her head. As she reached a secluded corner, she heard a familiar woman’s voice coming from behind a nearby flower wall.

"Let go! Stop it, what if someone sees us!"

"Does it feel bad? If someone sees, let them see. I’ll go to your family and propose. Then I can have you whenever I want, driving you wild with pleasure until you can’t even get out of bed, you little vixen. Wouldn’t that be great?"

"You’re infuriating! Get off me, I have to go for my prenatal check-up! Get your hand out of there! Mmm... mmm... oh, be gentle."

Zinnia’s eyes widened in shock.

She couldn’t be mistaken; that was Crystal Sutton’s voice. The man’s voice was young and also sounded familiar—it had to be someone she knew, but she couldn’t place it right away. But no matter who it was, Crystal Sutton was pregnant! Was she having an affair? Hadn’t she almost had a miscarriage before? Why was she doing something so reckless?

Zinnia’s mind was reeling. She pulled out her phone, switched it to silent, and cautiously crept toward the flower wall.

"Ugh, so annoying! Kissing and touching is enough. Do you really want to do it for real? I’m pregnant, you animal!"

"You’re more sensitive when you’re pregnant. Look how soaked you are, and you’re still playing coy with me? So desperate. Has Jenson Forrest never touched you?"

"Shut up!"

The sounds of Crystal Sutton’s panting and half-hearted resistance made Zinnia’s skin crawl. The two behind the flower wall were clearly not finished, still lost in the heat of the moment.

"Why won’t you let me mention him? The child in your belly isn’t even Jenson Forrest’s. Do you really fantasize about him marrying you? Keep dreaming. Even if you push Zinnia Lawrence out, you’ll never become Mrs. Forrest. You’d be better off with me. I love you more than he does..."

Zinnia’s grip on her phone tightened, her heart pounding with shock.

So, Crystal Sutton’s baby really isn’t Jenson Forrest’s! But then why is Jenson so concerned about her baby? Is there some misunderstanding? Could Crystal Sutton have lied to Jenson, making him believe the child is his? Thinking of Crystal Sutton’s conniving nature and how easily lies came to her, Zinnia felt it was a real possibility. But it didn’t quite add up. Jenson didn’t seem that easy to fool. Besides, he had told Katherine Rhodes before that Crystal’s child wasn’t his.

Zinnia’s mind was a tangled mess; she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Just then, Crystal Sutton’s mocking voice rang out. "With you? Can you invest hundreds of millions, or even over a billion, into the Sutton family to help us through this crisis? When my child is born, would you really not care? Even if you didn’t, your family would. And what would I be if the Sutton family went bankrupt? Just a mistress, right? I don’t believe a word men say about love! I only believe in what I can hold in my own hands."

"You’re so wonderfully shameless, but that’s what I like about you. So let’s just enjoy the moment. Don’t move, baby, let me grind against you a bit more..."

Listening made Zinnia want to vomit. She decided she’d heard enough and was about to pull her phone back when a three or four-year-old child suddenly poked his head out from a nearby bush. The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Zinnia quickly pressed a finger to her lips, shushing the child.

The child grinned and nodded vigorously. Zinnia had just let out a sigh of relief when the little boy suddenly shouted, "Grandma, I’m going to play hide-and-seek with this pretty sister!"

Zinnia was speechless.

"Who’s there? Get out here!"

The couple behind the flower wall was clearly startled. Terrified, Zinnia shot to her feet, snatching her phone and scrambling to get away.

Frantic footsteps pounded behind her. The man had obviously spotted her and was coming around the flower wall in pursuit.

Zinnia panicked. She ran blindly, not daring to look back, her eyes fixed on the path as she picked up speed.

THUD. She ran headfirst into a wall of flesh.

She instinctively tried to swerve and run past him, but an arm shot out and clamped tightly around her waist.

The path here was a winding maze. She must have been cornered.

Her face turned deathly pale. She opened her mouth to scream for help, but the person seemed to have anticipated her move and clamped a hand over her mouth.

Without hesitation, Zinnia bit down hard.