CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: SHAMELESS

On the other side, inside Marinus Park.

Cindy Lynn was holding Joy and interacting with dolphins. Joy was giggling happily. Vincent Hawthorne stood beside them, holding Cindy Lynn’s bag.

"Daddy, take a picture of me and Mommy Cindy!" Joy turned her head and coquettishly said to Vincent Hawthorne.

Vincent cooperatively took out his phone and took pictures of them.

A nearby staff member watched, filled with envy.

"Sir, your family is truly enviable. You’re all so good-looking, and you seem to get along so well," he suggested, "How about I take a picture of you all to use as our promotional photo for the parent-child activity?"

"Thank you, but no," Vincent politely and coldly declined.

The staff member wasn’t discouraged, "Sir, if you don’t want the two kids in the photo, you and your wife can just let us take a couple photo..."

Vincent felt a bit impatient, but it didn’t show on his face.

"We..." The words "are not a couple" hadn’t been said when a phone call came through.

Vincent dropped it, taking the call while walking to a quieter, less populated area.

"Aunt Lewis, what’s up?"

Caden sat on the chair behind them, playing with a Rubik’s Cube, seemingly absorbed in his own world. His little hands skillfully turned it, restoring the nine-sided Rubik’s Cube in just a dozen seconds.

Caden looked up at Cindy Lynn and Joy not far away, murmuring, "She’s not my mom..."

Over there, Cindy Lynn put Joy down and rubbed her sore arm.

"Joy, you see your brother is playing alone. Why don’t you go and keep him company?" she said gently, bending down.

"Okay!" Joy skipped over to find Caden.

Cindy Lynn walked towards the staff member who had just struck up a conversation with Vincent Hawthorne.

"Hello," she smiled, "You wanted a photo of me and my husband, right?"

The staff member, looking at the gentle and beautiful woman in front of him, subconsciously spoke more softly, "Yes. You and your husband are such a perfect match. We just happen to have a parent-child event to promote next week and would like to use your photo for advertising. Rest assured, we would never disclose the guest’s privacy."

Cindy Lynn understandably said, "My husband doesn’t like taking photos, but I have a couple photo here that I can send you."

"Great, great!" The staff member eagerly agreed, "Thank you very much, Ma’am!"

Cindy Lynn looked down at the photos in her phone album. Hearing the address ’Ma’am’, her lips unconsciously curled up.

...

Vincent finished the call and turned back, just as the staff member was leaving.

"What’s up?" he asked Cindy Lynn.

Cindy Lynn helplessly replied, "I just explained to him that we aren’t in the kind of relationship he thinks. Then he hit on me, asking for my contact information."

"Did you give it?" Vincent frowned slightly, though it was hardly noticeable.

Cindy Lynn chuckled softly, stepping a half-step forward and leaning closer to Vincent, her gaze turning teasingly suggestive.

"I said it would depend on whether my boss allowed it."

"..." Vincent could smell the fresh and elegant fragrance emanating from her.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, realizing their proximity and was about to step back.

Just then, Caden suddenly squeezed in between them, forcing Cindy Lynn to step back a few paces.

"Dad, who just called you?" He stood between them, looking up at Vincent curiously.

Vincent: "It was Aunt Lewis. She called to resign, saying she won’t be coming from tomorrow on."

Hearing this news, a strange look flashed across Cindy Lynn’s eyes.

Vincent had already looked over inquiringly, "Aunt Lewis only said over the phone that there was an emergency back home and she needed to resign and go back. Cindy, isn’t Aunt Lewis a relative on your mother’s side? Do you know if anything happened at her home?"

"I haven’t heard my mom mention anything major happening at Aunt Lewis’s home," Cindy paused, speculating, "Could it be Tanya Sinclair having some issues with Aunt Lewis? Tanya’s been home every day lately, they must interact the most..."

"..." Vincent frowned slightly, taking in Cindy Lynn’s words.

Aunt Lewis had been with them for two years and had never taken a day off, yet within less than half a month of Tanya Sinclair returning home, Aunt Lewis resigned immediately...

He called home, but no one answered.

Tanya wasn’t home?

Where could she be?

Vincent’s furrowed brows deepened. He intended to call Tanya but couldn’t remember the numbers after the first three digits.

After all, she had been out of his world for five years; forgetting her phone number was normal.

Vincent found Tanya’s old phone number in his contacts and called, and it connected.

But after waiting for a full minute, no one answered.

Vincent’s face darkened.

This situation should never have occurred.

She was always supposed to answer his calls instantly!

Vincent took a deep breath and put away his phone.

"We’ve played enough today. Let’s go home," his tone was emotionless, but his face was clearly much colder.

It took merely twenty minutes by shuttle to get to the Marinus Park exit, during which Vincent checked his phone five or six times, but there was no call from Tanya.

Approaching the exit, Vincent’s patience finally wore out, and he called Tanya again.

This time it rang for several seconds before she answered.

"Hello..."

"Where are you? Why didn’t you answer the phone? And you didn’t call me back?" Vincent’s tone was uncharacteristically icy, expressing his displeasure.

"..."

At that moment, Tanya Sinclair was sitting in a taxi, listening to Vincent’s string of questions, nearly laughing out loud.

Hearing his stern tone, she almost thought she was the one privately having a sweet rendezvous with a mistress at Marinus Park.

She really wanted to ask Vincent if he knew how to write ’shame’.

But it wasn’t the right time yet.

"I’m meeting Daisy, but she was recognized by fans halfway through. We switched clothes and I helped her divert the fans. I was in such a rush I didn’t check my phone, and only got in the car now," Tanya patiently explained.

She gazed mildly at the swiftly passing street scenes out the window, her eyes somewhat icy.

Actually, when Vincent’s first call came in, she was already in the car, but simply chose not to answer.

She knew what he wanted to ask, likely about Aunt Lewis.

Tanya, having just rushed into the car, was so breathless she feared hearing Vincent’s voice would disgust her to the point of throwing up.

Throwing up in someone’s car would be inappropriate.

She just hadn’t expected Vincent to call her a second time.

Tanya briefly zoned out and reminisced. She recalled how back when she ran after Vincent, she had set a special ringtone for his calls. No matter the time or place, she never missed his call.

Even during Professor Truman’s classes, it was no exception.

She was afraid Vincent wouldn’t find her, afraid he’d worry, and afraid that whenever he needed her, if she wasn’t there, he would stop needing her altogether...

At the time, she had been caught by Professor Truman several times. Eventually, he couldn’t bear it anymore and dragged her to the hallway for a lecture.

’Tanya Sinclair! A big man like Vincent won’t die without you!’ Professor Truman yelled, exasperated.

Back then, she merely looked down at her toes and smiled, inwardly refuting: Who knows?

...

Tanya narrowed her eyes slightly.

So adorable.

Her nineteen-year-old self was pitifully foolish yet endearing.

Now at twenty-seven, she could finally answer her younger self.

Without her, Vincent Hawthorne not only wouldn’t die but would do just fine.

More importantly, without Vincent Hawthorne, she wouldn’t die either...

On the other end of the call, the shuttle bus had already stopped at the exit.

Vincent took a long stride and stepped off the shuttle directly, but Cindy Lynn twisted her ankle as she stepped down, crying out.

"Ah!"

Vincent quickly steadied her.

His other hand still firmly held his phone—Tanya could clearly hear Cindy Lynn’s voice.

They were still together.

And from how close the voices were, they might even be in each other’s arms.

Tanya’s eyes turned icy cold.

Right in front of the kids... These shameless jerks really had no bottom line!