Chapter 718: Chapter 718: Sweet Burden
Marinia Airport.
"Do you want to go together?" Elias, noticing Ann Vaughn’s uneasy expression on the plane, caught up with her and asked in a low voice.
Ann Vaughn refused resolutely, "No, only children stick together; strong people always go alone."
With that, she got into a taxi and left.
Elias stood alone in place, frowning gloomily, "Strong people cry too?"
After getting into the car, Ann Vaughn closed her eyes to rest for a while, and then heard the driver wonder aloud, "Why is that car behind us always following?"
She opened her eyes immediately and looked out of the rear window.
Although the car following them maintained a safe distance, after a while it was still tailing closely, indeed looking suspicious.
But the situation didn’t last too long. The car closest to the taxi suddenly changed lanes, distancing the suspicious vehicle from the taxi.
After a while, the suspicious vehicle didn’t follow them anymore.
"Young lady, be careful traveling alone out here, in today’s world, anything can happen." The driver kindly reminded her, "There is a patrol station near the address you gave, I’ll drive past it."
Ann Vaughn regained some energy and smiled at the driver, "Thank you, uncle."
"You’re welcome, you ride in my car, I must be responsible for my passenger."
Half an hour later, the driver intentionally passed by the patrol station near Viridian Palace, then stopped in front of Viridian Palace.
Ann Vaughn paid and got off the car, and manually took down two suitcases from the trunk and walked toward Viridian Palace.
As soon as she got near, she saw a gentle figure standing under a maple tree outside Viridian Palace, not knowing how long he had waited, with two maple leaves fallen on his shoulder.
Ann Vaughn’s nose suddenly felt sour, and she quickly ran over to hug that familiar figure.
Ian Vaughn caught his long-missed little niece, the maple leaves on his shoulder falling to the ground along with his helpless light laughter.
"Why are you still like a child, rushing recklessly, what if you fall?"
"Uncle..." Ann Vaughn choked up, relying on Ian Vaughn’s warm embrace to barely suppress some of the sourness in her heart.
Detecting something off in her tone, Ian Vaughn’s gentle gaze became somewhat solemn, yet he didn’t ask much and instead took her suitcase and handed it over to the servant, then led her inside.
Old Mrs. Vaughn and Old Mr. Vaughn knew Ann Vaughn was coming back and were delighted; they were currently in the kitchen cooking personally.
"Sweetie said last time she liked the crystal prawns I made; how can your cooking match mine? Sweetie only likes my cooking!" Old Mrs. Vaughn’s full-spirited voice came from the kitchen.
Old Mr. Vaughn couldn’t agree, "You’ve already made three dishes; if you keep cooking, Sweetie won’t get to eat the cumin ribs I made last time, which she also loves!"
"You old man, you wouldn’t even know how to cook if it weren’t for me teaching you. In ancient times, you would have called me master. Have you respected your teacher?"
"I have surpassed you too, why don’t you admit it?"
Ian Vaughn smiled helplessly at Ann Vaughn, "They rarely quarrel."
Ann Vaughn didn’t see it as a quarrel, feeling her heart warm like eating a baked sweet potato in winter, "Grandpa and Grandma’s good relationship is why they argue like this, it also shows their health and spirits are good."
"True, the health doctor hasn’t visited for quite a while." Ian Vaughn nodded in agreement, leading Ann Vaughn inside.
The two elderly, who were vying for the control of the cooking spatula in the kitchen, changed to gentle smiles upon seeing Ann Vaughn and started to offer the spatula to each other.
"Sweetie, are you tired? Quickly go and rest for a while, your uncle can help here, that’s enough." Old Mrs. Vaughn picked a piece of fruit from the table and fed it to Ann Vaughn lovingly, "Cian sent the white fragrance you love last time, Granny kept it for you."
Ann Vaughn bit into the white fragrance, just as warmth spread over her cheeks, she froze upon hearing Old Mrs. Vaughn’s next words.
"Aren’t these white fragrances bought from the supermarket?"
"This fruit doesn’t exist domestically. Both your grandpa and I asked around abroad, but also didn’t hear of its origins." Old Mrs. Vaughn fed her another piece and said with a smile.
No domestically...
Yet before, when treated at The Chambers Family due to Chairman Chambers’ illness and isolated there, Cyrus Hawthorne brought her the Black Swan Cake containing white fragrance, saying it was available in supermarkets.
Though later she visited many supermarkets asking around, she never bought any white fragrance.
Turns out it’s not available domestically nor abroad.
Only he has it.
Ann Vaughn looked complicatedly at the plate of white fragrance on the table, pulling her thoughts away from it, looking at the flour on the side, she said to Old Mrs. Vaughn and Old Mr. Vaughn, "Grandpa, Grandma, I’ll help make dumplings, I’m really good at it!"
"No way, let your uncle do it, you just sit nearby, that’s the greatest help." Old Mr. Vaughn waved his hand.
Faced with such biased unfair treatment, Ian Vaughn seemed very much in agreement.
"I happen to have something to ask Sweetie, take your luggage upstairs first, and help later."
Ann Vaughn felt embarrassed, every time she returned to Viridian Palace, she deeply felt the illusion of being back to infancy.
Being fed till chubby, not to mention, even peeling fruit would have three pairs of eyes closely watching.
It’s really a sweet burden.
Upstairs in the room.
After Ann Vaughn put away her luggage, she gave Ian Vaughn his New Year’s gift, "Happy New Year Uncle! May the new year bring wealth, and you’ll count money until your hands cramp!"
"Why give gifts among family?" Though saying so, Ian Vaughn accepted the gift without hesitation, "Silly Sweetie, now it’s not about counting money, but counting zeros."
"Ahem, it’s pretty much the same meaning." Ann Vaughn giggled.
Seeing this, Ian Vaughn carefully examined her expression, and directly asked, "Did something happen between you and Cyrus Hawthorne?"
Ann Vaughn’s pretty face tensed, her lashes trembled.
Ian Vaughn narrowed his light-brown eyes and coldly asked, "Did he bully you?"
"No." Ann Vaughn shook her head in denial, the little tuft of hair on top of her head drooped down, her complexion somewhat pale, "It’s my own problem, nothing to do with him."
Briefly narrating her divorce situation with Cyrus Hawthorne, Ann Vaughn hesitated repeatedly and finally told Ian Vaughn about what Laura Quinn did.
"Too much bullying!" Ian Vaughn’s face turned cold, without any warmth, "Your mother was so good to her back then, whenever she encountered anything, your mother would stand up to help her, she called your mom sister with affection."
"If she dares to treat you like this, ignoring her bond with your mom is one thing, does she think the Vaughn Family is easy to bully?!"