Chapter 732: Chapter 732: The Grace of Upbringing
"By that time, his power will only be greater than it is now; getting someone will be as easy as a walk in the park."
Recognizing the implication in Kressiel’s words, Ann Vaughn felt a jolt in her heart, but quickly adjusted her mindset and said calmly, "At least there will be a long period where he can’t disturb me; let the future take care of itself."
Kressiel didn’t quite agree, but he didn’t want to steer the conversation into such a heavy direction, so he dropped the subject.
After the video chat ended, Ann Vaughn got up from the carpet and was about to turn off the computer and return to her room when her phone suddenly pinged.
[Ungrateful bitch, you’re having a grand time now, aren’t you? Have you forgotten our kindness in raising you?]
The short message immediately made Ann Vaughn’s eyes turn cold.
...
Villa No. 8.
In the study, the faint sound of pages turning could be heard at a measured pace.
Cyrus Hawthorne’s cool eyebrows slightly gathered, and his narrow eyes calmly reviewed the content on the contract. He nodded slightly, "Not bad."
The lawyer standing in front of the desk smiled, "The clauses above are listed one by one according to your wishes. I just drafted it for you."
"Hmm." Cyrus Hawthorne casually put the contract back into the document bag, then picked up another contract, indicating for him to "Continue."
The lawyer couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, "President Hawthorne, you’re in your prime, why are you in such a rush to prepare this kind of..."
Before he could finish, he shut his mouth under the man’s icy gaze and asked no more.
Cyrus Hawthorne lowered his eyes and scanned over the contents of the contract in his hand, and somehow, the stern lines of his face softened a bit.
...
After blocking the number that seemed to belong to Jade Shepherd or Howard Vaughn, Ann Vaughn received several more messages from them using different numbers.
No matter how many times she blocked them, they would always use a new number to continue to harass her.
Although these messages couldn’t cause any substantial harm to Ann Vaughn, the alarming messages popping up on her phone now and then, like dogged plaster, were inescapable.
It’s inevitable that it left her somewhat emotionally exhausted.
Unable to bear it any longer, Ann Vaughn dialed the number from which the messages were coming. The moment the call connected, she said coldly, "Do you people have nothing better to do?"
"Heh heh." Jade Shepherd’s sinister voice came from the other end of the phone, "Ann Vaughn, you killed my daughter. Sooner or later, I’ll have you pay for her life!"
"Your daughter indirectly killed my child. If she hadn’t died early, I would’ve made her pay with her life!" Ann Vaughn retaliated mercilessly, "Quit wasting my time with your nonsense. I’ve got no time to deal with you."
Jade Shepherd gasped in anger, "You little bastard! I should have smothered you while you were in diapers instead of showing mercy!"
"Don’t think just because you have backing now, I can’t touch you. Just you wait!"
Her tone was venomous, harsh, and piercing, making Ann Vaughn frown as she directly hung up the phone.
Kindness in raising?
Recalling the initial message from Jade Shepherd, Ann Vaughn curled her lips sardonically. The so-called kindness of raising her, she had repaid it four years ago with her own life.
After four years, did Jade Shepherd really think she was still the same orphan who dared not talk back when hit or cursed at?
If it weren’t for Ann Vaughn considering that they were also relatives of Old Master Vaughn, they would have long given up the hope of staying peacefully in Mordane.
Perhaps it was because of this phone call that Ann Vaughn had a nightmare.
In the dream, despite the ample light, everywhere she looked inside the house was an overwhelming shade of gray, indistinct and unfathomable.
The scene shifted following a tiny figure running down the stairs, arriving in the yard.
"Don’t hide it from me. Your granddaughter’s ability to identify scents and recognize herbs is the most outstanding among the younger generation I’ve met. Moreover, how old is she this year? If she didn’t have the talent of a pharmacist, she couldn’t possibly be this accomplished."
Little Annie lay by the door frame, curiously peering into the yard.
"If she truly had the talent of a pharmacist, I’d probably be bursting with joy in my dreams, not to worry about my skills going unpassed."
Then a familiar hearty laugh came forth; just as Little Annie’s eyes lit up and she was about to run out, she noticed someone watching her.
The elder sitting across from her grandfather lifted his head and looked at her with a kindly smile.
Though his smile was clearly amiable and friendly, Little Annie felt a chilling shiver from the depths of her soul.
A fear she couldn’t quite articulate.
"My grandson is about the same age as your Annie, quite talented in pharmaceuticals, and handsome too. More than enough to match your Annie."
"Please refrain from saying such things from now on. Apart from the fact that Annie is still young, her future husband should be someone she likes, someone she chooses. Even though I’m her grandfather, I have no right to make decisions for her without her consent."
"Aren’t you worried that if one day you’re gone, Annie would be bullied? Trusting her to me is better than letting her suffer in the future, isn’t it?"
"..."
The conversation grew faint and the vague scene before them churned into a whirlpool, pulling the small figure at the door frame into its depths forcefully.
Ann Vaughn, inadvertently dozing off on the glass table, suddenly woke up, her eyes still blurred and unfocused from slumber.
Her porcelain-white, tender little face was soaked with fragrant sweat, droplets trickling down her petite chin and onto the back of her hand.
"Annoying." Ann Vaughn massaged her sore cheek from sleeping, thinking of the dream she just had, a wave of frustration welled up.
She hadn’t thought about this for a long time.
So long that she’d originally forgotten how she almost got kidnapped thereafter.
"Ding-dong——"
The doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting the fragmented memories in Ann Vaughn’s mind.
"Did Susie forget her key?" She murmured in confusion, getting up to answer the door.
"Mommy!" As soon as the door opened, a snow-white chubby little bundle plunged into Ann Vaughn’s arms with a "thud", the tender voice wailing: "Mommy never comes home, Kenny stays alone at home, eats poorly and dresses poorly, suffers daily from The Archfiend’s maltreatment, it’s so miserable——"
"A child without a mother is like grass——"
Joe silently shed a tear of sympathy for President Hawthorne.
President Hawthorne takes time every day to dine, bathe, sleep, and tell stories with the little master, accommodating every whim like a full-time nanny.
Who would have thought, the little master unabashedly squeezed every last ounce of sympathy for his advantage by draining every bit of his dad’s usefulness!
So pitiful.
Unaware of these things, Ann Vaughn, hearing Little Dumpling cry so pitiably, had her suppressed feelings of guilt and heartache crash over her, making her eyes well up with tears.