CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 262: ETHAN LYNCH’S OPERATIONS IN CYGNUS

After sending Seraphina to kindergarten, Serena Sterling appeared much more normal.

However, Silas Hawthorne still assigned her a bodyguard.

"She will only appear when necessary," Silas Hawthorne said while introducing the person to Serena Sterling, "You won’t notice her presence in your daily life."

Serena Sterling looked at the woman in front of her, nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

The woman also nodded, then slightly bowed to Silas Hawthorne before turning to leave.

"Just for this period of time, let me know if you have someone you trust in the future," Silas Hawthorne added.

He knew that excessive interference might make her feel pressured as if she was being watched and controlled.

This was just a transitional measure to prevent Julian Lawson from suddenly going off the rails again.

Even though he learned from Bianca Lynch that Julian Lawson didn’t have any fractures, he still needed to use a wheelchair for a while.

But he still needed to take precautions.

He couldn’t let any harm come to her again.

Serena Sterling understood Silas Hawthorne’s intentions. She smiled and said, "I get it."

Once everything was arranged, their lives began slowly returning to normal.

The concert was only a few days away, and many things had previously been handled online, or by having Jasper Ford communicate. She needed to visit the venue herself in the coming days.

Just as she was thinking—

"Buzz buzz."

Serena Sterling’s phone vibrated, and she picked it up to take a look.

It was a message from Ethan Lynch.

[My meeting just ended, and I’ve been investigating Vera Hansen’s situation recently.]

[The situation is somewhat complicated and needs a bit more time, but I’ve got some clues. Serena, wait for me to return to the country, and I’ll explain everything to you in detail.]

Serena Sterling looked at the message, frowning slightly.

It seemed Ethan Lynch had discovered something.

But what did he mean by complicated?

Serena Sterling wasn’t sure.

However, just like Ethan Lynch said, once he returned, everything would become clear.

...

Cygnus.

Ethan Lynch looked at the meme Serena Sterling sent him, a faint smile playing on his lips.

One of his companions noticed his gentle expression and teased, "Ethan, who messaged you? You look so happy—girlfriend?"

Ethan Lynch raised his head to look at the foreign friend in front of him, smiling and shaking his head, "No."

But he hoped it was.

All his life, he had been the elder brother, and he was good at it. He maintained a great relationship with his sister, Bianca Lynch.

But, if he could... he didn’t want to be Serena Sterling’s brother.

With these thoughts, Ethan Lynch put away his phone and said, "By the way, about that institution you mentioned yesterday, I’m very interested. Could you show me around again?"

"Sure!" His companion laughed heartily, "Ethan, you usually come and go in a rush; it’s rare for you to stay a few more days. Whatever you want, I’ll try to get it for you!"

But Ethan Lynch only smiled, not revealing the specifics.

They chatted and laughed, heading toward their destination.

...

Aeston.

Unlike before, it was exceptionally calm.

Recently, the unusual behavior of Silas Hawthorne, Julian Lawson, and Jasper Ford didn’t escape Xander Linton’s notice.

Moreover, Serena Sterling had disappeared!

He went to her office several times but didn’t see her. When he sent messages, it took a long time for her to reply.

When he asked what was wrong, she said nothing.

How could it be nothing!

Xander Linton was trying every possible method to find out, extremely anxious.

One day, Silas Hawthorne finally explained the situation to him.

Silas Hawthorne didn’t go into details, only briefly said that Serena Sterling was injured because of Julian Lawson.

But even these few details nearly drove Xander Linton mad with anger.

"If this were in Frelia, I’d teach that Julian Lawson kid a lesson!" Xander Linton said furiously.

But now they weren’t in Frelia; this was Aeston.

In the Hawthorne Group CEO’s office, Silas Hawthorne stood quietly in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, watching Xander Linton, a cold glint flashing in his dark eyes.

He lowered his eyes slightly, his tone calm, "He needs to pay a price."

Xander Linton looked at Silas Hawthorne in confusion.

Silas Hawthorne raised his eyes, chuckling softly as he stepped forward, looking at Xander Linton.

He leaned down, whispering something into Xander Linton’s ear.

Xander Linton scrutinized Silas Hawthorne from top to bottom.

But, apart from seeing Silas’s calm exterior, he couldn’t discern anything.

"I’ll think about it," Xander Linton finally said, turning to leave.

Meanwhile, Silas Hawthorne watched his retreating figure in silence.

...

The calm days in Aeston seemed odd to those watching from outside. After several quiet days, today.

Vera Hansen suddenly updated her status.

This was the first time in days that anyone from this group had updated their status!

But instead of apologizing to Serena Sterling or explaining the plagiarism incident, she announced a restart of the luxury villa floristry series.

This update instantly got criticized and went viral.

"Does Vera Hansen have no shame!"

"Right, didn’t she say it was paused before? Is she done pretending now?"

"Micro Love keeps delaying their release; she probably thinks she can’t rely on that anymore, so she’s doing this!"

"Where is she planning to stream this time? Last time was Serena Sterling’s wedding house; is she going to tie Serena Sterling into this again? Disgusting!"

...

Soon, the hashtag #VeraHansenShameless# exploded.

Serena Sterling quickly learned of this news.

She was puzzled by Vera Hansen’s actions.

She didn’t understand what Vera Hansen was trying to achieve.

Was she hoping to turn things around with a live stream?

Was that even possible?

Serena Sterling couldn’t figure it out.

But she thought, once the first live stream started, she would learn what Vera Hansen was planning.

At this moment, Vera Hansen had already left the rehab center.

The "treatment" these past few days was enough torment for her.

But as she anticipated, Julian Lawson still kept his promise and didn’t dare to do much to her, allowing her to leave now.

She no longer cared about her reputation; she just wanted to win the game and successfully marry into the Lawson Family and become Mrs. Lawson.

Her companion was a caregiver.

The caregiver was frightened by the distortion on Vera Hansen’s face.

She thought Vera Hansen had gone mad.

This was truly insane!

She needed to find a way to escape quickly.

To find another shelter and have a way out.

Otherwise, given Vera Hansen’s personality, if the faking illness got exposed, wouldn’t she take the blame?

Meanwhile, Vera Hansen was texting Connor Goldsmith.

Hw: Change the strategy, we’ll go for scandalous fame next, and clean up later.

Actually, it didn’t matter if they didn’t clean up. She just wanted to become Mrs. Lawson!

Once she became Mrs. Lawson, she would have everything.

Even her scandals would involve the Lawsons, making them clean her reputation.

She wouldn’t even need to worry about it.

...

The storm was coming.

Everyone was taking action.

After being quiet for so long, the undercurrents in Aeston surged once again.

Amidst these turbulent undercurrents, the date of Serena Sterling’s concert drew closer.

Tomorrow, Serena Sterling would rehearse and ensure everything was settled.

Meanwhile, far away in Cygnus, Ethan Lynch had learned much after repeatedly visiting a certain institution under the pretense of being interested in some technology.

Ultimately, he realized he’d need some special means to obtain certain things.

So, that evening, Ethan Lynch sprang into action.