CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 83: GETTING INVOLVED WITH ANOTHER MAN

Gold will always shine.

This phrase is perfectly apt to describe her.

But...

Cyrus Hawthorne casually rested his elbow on the car window, his eyes dark as ink narrowed into slits, rendering the complex emotions within them unreadable.

Yet he failed to notice the displeasure of having his treasure discovered by others.

It wasn’t until the small clinic hung up the "Closed" sign that Cyrus finally opened the car door, got out, and stepped into the clinic.

Ann Vaughn had just paused to take a sip of water when she heard the curtain move. Without looking up, she said, "I’m sorry, we are closed for today. If you need a consultation or medication, please come tomorrow..."

Not hearing a reply, Ann Vaughn put down her cup and turned around with a hint of doubt.

As soon as she lifted her head, her gaze clashed directly with Cyrus Hawthorne’s cool and detached eyes, which seemed capable of easily seeing through someone’s heart, causing her back to stiffen suddenly.

"Ann Vaughn, have you done something shameful and are hiding from me?"

The sharp and pointed remark instantly made Ann Vaughn press her red lips together, recalling the event from the other night.

In the past few days, she had been avoiding Cyrus Hawthorne, knowing that he might not come to The Water Terrace at the agreed time.

However, she still opted to solve her accommodation and living issues in the clinic, as long as she stayed at The Water Terrace on Wednesdays.

Who knew he would find out that she hadn’t gone back.

Ann Vaughn tilted her slender neck slightly and, feigning calm, said, "I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I hide from you? I’ve just been really busy lately."

Her tone had an air of bravado hiding insecurity.

Cyrus Hawthorne squinted his eyes, his instincts always sharp and unlikely to be wrong.

Yet seeing her act so composed, he chose not to expose her.

"Miss Vaughn, thank you for your help recently. I’ve come to take Little Yew home."

Sutton Jennings had just returned from another city, dust-ridden, his friendly smile momentarily pausing when he saw Cyrus cornering Ann Vaughn.

Cyrus Hawthorne cast a indifferent glance at Sutton Jennings, casually slipping his left hand into his pocket, with a faint smirk.

Seeing someone arrive, Ann Vaughn swiftly slipped from Cyrus’s grasp and said to Sutton Jennings, "Little Yew is asleep inside. I’ll go wake him up."

"No need, I’ll just take him home directly." Sutton Jennings retracted his gaze and walked familiarly to the inside of the clinic.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed from Cyrus exposing her attempts to avoid him, Ann Vaughn hesitated before saying, "If you have nothing else, I’ll excuse myself for now."

Then she followed Sutton Jennings into the inner room.

"I’ve seen Miss Vaughn’s program. Your performance was stunning and deserving of the title of the most beautiful traditional Chinese medicine doctor."

"Ah? I never expected you to watch such programs." Ann Vaughn felt a bit shy to be praised face-to-face, pursing her lips in a gentle smile.

"Because of Little Yew, I once systematically studied medicine for a while, so naturally, such programs interest me." Sutton Jennings’s way of speaking was consistently pleasant, with just the right amount of gentlemanly charm.

"I heard from Little Yew that you’re interested in trying RED’s new dishes. If you don’t mind, let’s have dinner together tonight?"

Cyrus Hawthorne stood in the outer hall, casually inspecting a vial of transparent medicine, a trace of sarcasm appearing in his eyes.

Flirting with another man right under his nose.

Is this woman tired of living?

Remembering that she had previously promised Sutton Jennings a meal, Ann Vaughn naturally didn’t mind fulfilling it anytime.

Just as she was about to agree, her arm was suddenly grabbed by a hand, pulling her out of the small room without any chance to refuse!

Ann Vaughn staggered a bit, forced to keep up with the person pulling her briskly forward to avoid falling.

Watching Ann Vaughn being forcefully taken away, Sutton Jennings’s eyes dimmed, and his smile turned cold.

How interesting.

-

The Maybach sped along the highway, nearing two hundred miles per hour, causing Ann Vaughn in the passenger seat to feel a surge of anxiety.

Afraid of another brake failure disaster like last time.

"Cyrus Hawthorne, can you drive a bit slower?" Ann Vaughn tightly gripped the car window, her voice shaking and fragmented due to the intense speed, hard to discern.

Not understanding why he suddenly seemed angry.

The next second, the car sped up even more.

Almost like a highway horror movie, going so fast that Ann Vaughn’s pale face betrayed anxiety, staring tensely ahead.

Cyrus Hawthorne remained silent, the sharp contours of his face slightly tense, his dark eyes still and deep as a pool, revealing nothing of what he was thinking.

Especially in this enclosed space, the cold aura from him flooded towards Ann Vaughn from all directions, making her feel breathless.

At that moment, the car aggressively and madly navigated a sharp turn.

Ann Vaughn shielded her abdomen with one hand, her body uncontrollably hitting various parts of the car, her stomach churning, feeling the urge to vomit.

"Tell me, what is your relationship with that man?" Cyrus Hawthorne spoke in a cold voice, but the speed never decreased.

Ann Vaughn’s brain was already dizzy, hearing the question without room to think: "A client and a doctor relationship!"

Hearing this, Cyrus Hawthorne sneered, opened both car windows, then floored the pedal to hit max speed, "Ann Vaughn, you should know I can’t tolerate sand in my eyes."

"From now on, stay away from that person. If any scandal harming the Hawthorne Family spreads, you know the consequences."

The fierce wind from outside rushed in, scathing against the skin like knives, making Ann Vaughn frown in pain.

Cyrus Hawthorne’s words instantly chilled her heart.

He still doubted her.

Because of that rumor, she was likely nothing more than an unloving, impure woman in his eyes.

No matter what she did, nothing could change that.

Ann Vaughn’s face was pale as paper, desperately enduring the rolling pain and acidity in her stomach to prevent vomiting, curling up almost into a ball on the seat.

Cyrus Hawthorne glanced at her indifferently, without an ounce of compassion, and with another sharp maneuver, brought the car to an abrupt stop at The Water Terrace.

As soon as the car stopped, Ann Vaughn hurriedly pushed the door open and got off, unable to hold back the nausea any longer, vomiting until the world spun.

With her understanding and care, her early pregnancy reactions were not very intense; with careful dietary control, she rarely felt discomfort.

This time, Ann Vaughn nearly vomited out stomach acid, but it didn’t relieve the torturous pain and sourness, causing her eyes to water.

After quite some time, Ann Vaughn managed to straighten her slender waist and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, the sweat on her forehead dripping down her cheeks.

Turning around, she saw Cyrus Hawthorne getting out of the car, not sparing her a glance as he walked with long strides towards the elevator.

Ann Vaughn lowered her gaze with a bitter smile, her usually bright and beautiful face now tinged with a hint of sadness.

After some time, Ann Vaughn regained some strength and followed him slowly.

As soon as they entered the apartment, Cyrus tossed a document to her, forcefully making it impossible to refuse: "Sign it."