CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: THE FAVOR SHE LONGED FOR WAS EASILY WON BY CINDY LYNN

The next second, Cindy sent over the location.

Vincent put away his phone, his face unchanged, "Tanya, I have an overseas project that’s gone a bit awry, it’s quite serious. I need to head to the office now."

"Then you should hurry," Tanya Sinclair said considerately, "Be careful on the road."

"Okay." Vincent lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead, apologetically saying, "Tonight, I’ll probably be sleeping at the office."

"..."

Tanya dug her nails into her palm to suppress the urge to push him away in disgust.

"It’s fine, work is important, what’s a day or two for us."

She really admired herself for still being able to smile sweetly at Vincent.

Vincent changed his clothes and hurried out.

Tanya stood by the window, watching indifferently as Vincent drove into the endless night, vanishing from her sight in an instant.

He really is... impatient.

Tanya snapped back to reality, realizing the curtain fabric in her palm had been crumpled by her grip.

She released her hand, feeling a bitter loneliness in her heart.

Cindy needed only one message, one photo, to make Vincent abandon his wife and child in the dead of night, rushing to the hospital to be with her.

She thought of the posts on Cindy’s secret Weibo account, documenting the bits and pieces between her and Vincent during their university days.

Every word and sentence was like a slap in Tanya’s face.

Now, at twenty-seven, she had almost spent half her life loving Vincent, whereas the preferential treatment she longed for was effortlessly obtained by Cindy.

Tanya wiped away the tears that had unknowingly filled her eyes, collected herself, and tiptoed to the children’s room.

Caden and Joy were already asleep, the room softly lit by a night light.

Tanya carefully walked to Caden’s bedside, gazing tenderly at her son, who had a good sleeping posture, small hands neatly placed on his stomach. Even at a young age, his handsome features were apparent.

On his bedside table were many books, spanning astronomy, geography, programming languages... all sorts of subjects.

Caden is a genius, Tanya had heard about this from the nurses during the years she was in a vegetative state.

They envied her, though she became a vegetable, she gave birth to a pair of exceptionally beautiful and outstanding children, especially Caden, who was famous for being a genius.

They even envied her for having a wealthy, devoted, and handsome husband...

Thinking of this, Tanya found it amusing.

The only solace she had was in her two children.

Tanya wanted to touch Caden’s face but was afraid of waking him, so she only kissed his forehead lightly.

"Goodnight, baby, Mommy loves you very, very much," she murmured softly.

Joy’s bed was on the other side, a dreamy princess bed adorned with exaggeratedly wide pink lace veils. Joy slept inside like a little princess in a castle, with a unicorn doll by her pillow.

Tanya noticed tear stains on her daughter’s face, which made her heart ache.

But what Joy did tonight really crossed her line; her daughter could be neither smart nor pretty, but she absolutely must not steal, frame others, and lie!

Tanya gently reached out to wipe Joy’s face, but Joy suddenly turned over, revealing the phone hidden under her blanket.

The screen lit up.

Seeing the wallpaper, Tanya felt her breath stop.

Joy’s phone wallpaper was a group photo.

In the photo, Vincent was holding Caden, while she had her arm around Cindy’s neck, smiling sweetly.

It looked like a picture of a loving and happy family.

In Joy’s heart, Cindy had long been seen as her mother.

Tanya painfully closed her eyes.

"No... Police Uncle, don’t arrest me..." Joy’s fearful dream murmurs suddenly arose, her little face crumpled in fear, shaking her head uneasily.

Seeing her daughter so scared, Tanya’s heart was about to break.

But Joy’s next words were like a dagger stabbing her already painful heart, drawing fresh blood.

She called out, "Mommy Cindy, Mommy Cindy save me..."

"..."

Tanya felt drained of energy, crouching by Joy’s bed, gently holding her anxious little hand, her eyes gradually reddening.

That night, Vincent didn’t come home.

Tanya wasn’t surprised at all, nor did she care.

She got up and went downstairs, where Aunt Lewis was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Tanya silently stood behind her, watching her skillfully take two pieces of top-grade Wagyu beef from the refrigerator, placing them into a bag she brought, then taking out two ordinary cuts from the market, putting them into the pan to fry.

"Aunt Lewis." Tanya suddenly spoke.

Aunt Lewis jumped, turning around hurriedly and seeing Tanya at the kitchen door, looking a bit guilty.

"Madam, you’re up early..."

"Mm, are you making breakfast?"

Seeing Tanya’s blank expression, Aunt Lewis relaxed a little.

An unseen blind woman, nothing to worry about.

"Yes, sir called me to come and prepare breakfast for you and Caden and Joy. The driver will be here in half an hour to take the two kids to school."

Tanya asked, "What’s for breakfast today?"

Aunt Lewis replied smoothly, "The breakfast menu is set by the nutritionist, and I just follow it. Today, I’m making steak for the kids, paired with air-flown milk, organic vegetables, and small portions of fruit."

Tanya nodded, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It’s my duty."

As Tanya turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "Aunt Lewis, shouldn’t you be a grandmother at your age?"

Although unsure why Tanya was asking this, Aunt Lewis still replied.

"Yes, I have two grandsons, about the same age as Caden and Joy."

So that’s why.

Tanya smiled slightly, "You’re truly blessed, Aunt Lewis."

After Tanya turned and left, the smile on Aunt Lewis’s face vanished. She turned and skillfully took the air-flown milk, vegetables, and fruit from the refrigerator, putting them into her bag, replacing them with the cheap market-bought ones.

Little did she know, Tanya saw this whole scene clearly from the corner.

Tanya returned to her room, intending to call Daisy Bell, but Daisy’s call came first.

Is this some kind of telepathy?

Tanya was a bit surprised when she picked up.

"Daisy..."

"Tanya! I’m so furious, that shameless Yvonne, she dared to bully you while I was gone! Don’t worry Tanya, I’m flying back tonight, she’s done for!!"

Tanya: "?"

She was still in the dark, a bit confused.

"What happened, Daisy? What did Yvonne do?"

Daisy paused a moment before realizing, "You don’t know yet, do you? That shameless Yvonne secretly filmed you returning to The Hawthorne Family yesterday and posted it in several groups. It’s probably spreading in Aris’ upper circles now! Here, let me send it to you to see, it’s infuriating."

Tanya paused: "..."

She probably knew what video Yvonne had taken, it must be the part of her stepping over the fire basin and then being whipped with the willow branch for bad luck by the housekeeper.

Sure enough, the video sent by Daisy was exactly that.