CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21: SHE’S PRETENDING TO BE BLIND

Forty minutes later, Tanya Sinclair went downstairs.

Her long black hair was neatly coiled at the top of her head with a jade-pinned wooden hairpin, her face was makeup-free, her complexion extremely fair, with just a hint of lipstick to add some color. Her aqua-colored cheongsam accentuated her slender, ethereal presence, possessing a celestial aura, yet exuding a striking brilliance in simplicity.

The driver who came to pick her up was taken aback, quickly regaining his composure to pull back his gaze and opened the rear car door for Tanya.

The Hawthorne Gardens weren’t close to the villa, and by the time the car arrived, it was already dusk, with the evening glow spreading across the sky.

Tanya stepped out of the car just as Vincent Hawthorne’s car came from the opposite side. He saw Tanya standing by the roadside from inside his car, the evening breeze gently fluttering her dress. She stood there tall and graceful, like a lotus flower in full bloom.

Vincent honked the horn, the brief sound making Tanya instinctively turn her head.

The vast sky of clouds behind her served as a backdrop, she was glowing with beauty.

Vincent squinted slightly, his memories being stirred.

He suddenly recalled when Tanya waited for him at the school gate in high school, wearing summer school uniform: a white blouse and skirt, with a ponytail, the wind ruffling her skirt as she stood there. Her youthful, elegant face exuded a chill that was mismatched for her age.

Until she saw him, Tanya’s eyes brightened up, calling his name joyfully under the sunset, waving at him vigorously, her entire demeanor was lively and radiant.

All passersby were drawn to her, while she had eyes only for him.

Vincent had to admit, at that moment, Tanya greatly satisfied his vanity to a certain extent.

He thought that as long as Tanya could continue to be obedient for ten more years, he wouldn’t mind giving her the position of Mrs. Hawthorne.

Vincent opened the car door and got out.

In the backseat, Caden had already unbuckled his seatbelt and got out first, reaching out to help Joy down.

Tanya maintained her blind act, watching the two children run towards her. She tried hard to restrain the urge to reach out and hug them.

"Is it Caden and Joy?" she asked with a smile, reaching out her hand.

But Joy deliberately put on a stern little face, glared at her as she passed by, and then happily ran towards her,

"Aunt!"

She jumped into Yvonne Hawthorne’s arms.

Even Caden, who wasn’t as hostile, just glanced at her, shook his head in disappointment, and walked away.

Tanya’s smile froze at her lips, she stood there lost, about to withdraw her hand, but Vincent, walking towards her, directly grasped it.

Tanya was thinking of an excuse to pull her hand away when Vincent smoothly pulled her into his embrace, his other hand sliding along the lines of her back, reaching her waist.

Tanya felt disgusted, goosebumps rising on her skin.

Vincent leaned closer to her ear, using his most adept gentle tone, softly said, "Tanya, you dressed beautifully today for me. When did you buy this cheongsam? It suits you very well."

"..."

Tanya was speechless.

He had long forgotten that it was his remark, "This cheongsam is too plain, it doesn’t suit you" years ago that made her store it away to gather dust.

Yet, in these few seconds of closeness, Tanya detected a faint scent of woman’s perfume on Vincent, besides his usual cologne.

This perfume scent, she had smelled on Cindy Lynn today!

This meant that Cindy Lynn was likely in the car not long ago.

A cold gleam flickered in Tanya’s eyes.

She suddenly understood why the two children were unusually resistant to her!

"Brother, how long are you going to hold her?" Yvonne urged impatiently from behind, hugging Joy.

Joy buried her face in her aunt’s shoulder, pouting softly, "Let’s go quickly, Aunt, I don’t want to go in with that bad woman!"

The hateful bad woman always bullies Cindy’s mom!

Upon hearing this, Yvonne Hawthorne raised her fine brows and asked, "What’s the matter, Joy? Why do you call her a bad woman?"

She wasn’t really concerned about Tanya, just curious, as Joy was cheerful and generally polite to others. Why today did she specifically start calling Tanya that?

Joy said nothing, wiggling in Yvonne’s arms, muffled, "Aunt, let’s go quickly!"

"Alright, alright." Yvonne laughed indulgently, holding onto Joy as they walked inside.

Turning her head, she saw Caden with hands in his pockets, already walking coolly ahead.

Vincent led Tanya’s hand to rest on his arm, and the two walked towards the main entrance together.

No one noticed a black luxury car quietly parked in a corner of the tree-lined road nearby. The rear window was rolled down, and a man’s hand with a cigarette rested on the window ledge, his long, cold white fingers flicked slightly, shedding a bit of ash, which the evening wind blew away.

Declan Pierce sat in the shadows, his black eyes coldly fixed on Tanya’s slender back as she leaned by Vincent’s side, seemingly frail like a vine clinging to Vincent for survival.

Declan’s long lashes slightly lowered, covering the silent tumult surfacing deep in his black eyes.

Tanya Sinclair, you really haven’t... learned anything!

Janne Hayes, who was responsible for driving, inexplicably felt the car’s atmosphere growing frigidly heavy, almost suffocating him. Not daring to breathe audibly, after a long while, he cautiously asked, "President Pierce, when are we... going in?"

Declan glanced at the leather envelope tossed on the seat beside him.

A photo slipped from the envelope, showing a couple embracing. The man’s face wasn’t captured, but judging from his back, one could recognize Vincent, and the woman with a sweet smile was none other than his secretary, Cindy Lynn!

He agreed to attend Theodore Hawthorne’s invitation specifically to deliver this surprise to Tanya in person.

However, seeing her still clinging to Vincent like this, she would probably be overwhelmed with tears if she knew about his infidelity.

Declan’s mind conjured the image of years ago when Tanya shed tears before him.

She had curled up quietly, tears like beads from a broken string falling, crying so much, yet not making a sound...

Declan cursed softly, irritatedly stubbed out the cigarette.

"Back to the company." He coldly ordered with a handsome face.

"Yes, President Pierce." Janne Hayes could tell Declan was in a terrible mood, dared not ask anything more, and promptly turned the car around.

Just as the car started moving, Declan’s phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the incoming call, his eyes darkening, then answered.

"Speak."

A respectful voice immediately came through.

"Mr. Pierce, the test results are out. Based on the monitoring of Miss Tanya Sinclair’s various health data over these five years, and the feedback from medication treatments, her brain’s optic nerve has recovered well without any issues."

Upon hearing this, a nuanced gleam flashed in Declan’s eyes, "So, Tanya Sinclair can’t possibly be blind, right?"

The other person cautiously replied, "The long-term lack of muscle exercises can lead to difficulties in opening eyelids, but more practice will allow recovery. However, the possibility of total blindness is negligible."

If the previous encounter at the restaurant led him to suspect Tanya was pretending to be blind, now he was certain—she was indeed faking it.

The passing neon street scenes outside the window flickered across Declan’s deep dark eyes, the coldness retreating somewhat, replaced by a touch of bewilderment.

Pretending to be blind...

Declan lightly lifted his brow, his index finger gently tapping the armrest, his expression turning intriguingly ambiguous.

"Tanya Sinclair, what exactly are you trying to do?"