Chapter 673: Chapter 673: Didn’t You Say You Didn’t Want to See Her?
Downstairs at the hotel.
Ann Vaughn had no idea what the bloody scene unfolding in the room after she left was. It was only after Mark Joyce’s countless persuasion that she reluctantly got into the car.
With the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the pink diamond ring on her right ring finger. Ann Vaughn bit her lower lip harder with her teeth and directly took the ring off, tossing it into her handbag.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Mark Joyce, sitting in the front seat, immediately knew something was wrong.
Miss Vaughn actually took off the ring; now this is a big problem...
"Miss Vaughn, President Hawthorne didn’t mean to hurt you. He was just too worried about your safety, and in his anxiety, he unintentionally caused you pain." Mark Joyce said through the rearview mirror, watching Ann Vaughn rub her wrist while trying to explain.
Ann Vaughn’s pretty face was indifferent, her lashes lightly downcast, not responding to him.
She wasn’t angry because Cyrus Hawthorne hurt her hand.
But because of his attitude, as if she were someone insignificant.
It precisely shows that she was of little importance to him, dispensable.
Indeed, he had admitted liking her, but that fondness was too faint, so faint that even being intimate with other women or meeting them late at night didn’t matter.
They returned silently to the Viridian Palace, where Ann Vaughn greeted Old Mr. Vaughn and Old Mrs. Vaughn before heading to Ian Vaughn’s study again.
There were too few clues at hand; she couldn’t figure out what reason could make her uncle choose to sleep rather than face reality.
Ian Vaughn was not someone so cowardly, known only to avoid issues.
Unless the reason behind all this involved her grandparents...
"Kenny?" Upon entering the study, Ann Vaughn saw a fluffy little brown bear sprawled on the desk, using the computer for something she didn’t know. "Why haven’t you slept yet? Did you drink your medicine?"
Kenny, in his brown bear pajamas, quickly hid the item in his pocket, preventing Ann Vaughn from noticing.
He slid off from the desk and ran towards Ann Vaughn with his short legs, hugging her thighs and nuzzling against them.
"Drank it, Kenny is a good boy! Mommy, Kenny just checked the computer and still found nothing."
Ann Vaughn picked up his chubby little body, inhaling his milky fragrance, her weary heart instantly healed.
Hearing this, she still couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
"We’ve searched all possible places in this study, but still couldn’t find any clues. We might just have to ponder over those lines and numbers more to understand what they represent."
Kenny obediently nodded his little head, unconsciously tightening his grip.
The computer had already been checked by Little Dumpling, so Ann Vaughn naturally felt there was no need for a recheck, and took him to search Ian Vaughn’s room, ultimately returning empty-handed.
Yet no matter how hard Ann Vaughn tried, she couldn’t think that the clues she desperately wanted were hidden on the soft and adorable Little Dumpling in her arms.
Once she left, Kenny immediately took the USB drive from his pocket and inserted it into the computer.
If he hadn’t acted discreetly earlier, he could have easily been discovered by Mommy about the presence of this USB drive...
Having completely gone through the contents of the USB drive, Kenny’s delicate face was filled with a heavy solemnity, his large eyes brimming with unease.
These things absolutely must not be seen by Mommy.
Absolutely not.
Do these people intend to harm his mommy without asking his opinion first?
...
After showering, Ann Vaughn wrapped herself in a towel and returned to the warm room, so exhausted that she didn’t even change into pajamas, just directly flopped onto the soft bed.
"Ding-dong."
Just then, the phone rang abruptly.
Ann Vaughn didn’t want to move a finger, but the phone kept ringing persistently, as if it would ring until she answered.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out to grab the phone by the bedside, swiped to answer, and put it to her ear. "Hello?"
"It’s me." A slightly seductive male voice came through the phone, causing Ann Vaughn to suddenly get goosebumps all over, instinctively feeling chilled.
"...What do you want from me?" Ann Vaughn lifted her face from the pillow, furrowing her eyebrows to ask.
When he reached out to her, it generally meant no good intention.
"I want to see you."
As expected.
Ann Vaughn’s temples throbbed twice. "I don’t want to."
Whether she could return after leaving was uncertain. Was Warren Vance treating her like a fool?
Warren Vance chuckled lightly, "I’m at the hospital."
"What does it matter to me," A bright light suddenly flashed in her mind, Ann Vaughn froze all over, "You’re not at Marinia Hospital, are you?!"
This lunatic actually didn’t return to Gothasen and came to Marinia!?
Wasn’t it said that members of The Royal Family in Gothasen couldn’t leave for too long, otherwise it would be seen as a violation?
"Truly clever," the tone carried a considerable amount of admiration.
Ann Vaughn’s pale fingers gripped the blanket tightly, ignoring the aching throb in her head, she got up from bed, heading towards the room door.
But as soon as her hand touched the door handle, Ann Vaughn suddenly realized she was only wrapped in a towel.
She bit her lip with frustration, letting go of the door handle, while pressing down her anger toward Warren Vance: "I’m coming to find you right now, Warren Vance, you better not..."
Before finishing her words, the tightly closed room door in front of her was suddenly slowly pushed open from outside.
Ann Vaughn’s gaze was drawn over, and her eyes accidentally met a pair of deep, sea-like narrow eyes, freezing her movements in place.
"You..." Ann Vaughn stared at the tall, upright figure outside the door in surprise, a hint of astonishment flashing in her bright eyes.
In the instant their eyes met, she seemed to vaguely catch a fleeting moment of danger in Cyrus Hawthorne’s pitch-black narrow gaze.
She didn’t dwell on it, her pretty face grew indifferent, she turned around while saying on the phone, "At most fifteen minutes."
Why was he here, wasn’t he unwilling to see her?
Ann Vaughn made an effort to ignore the sharp, intimidating gaze behind her as she headed to the wardrobe, but she had only walked a few steps.
She suddenly felt tightness at her lower back, her waist encircled by a long arm unknown when it appeared, pulling her to the side!
Ann Vaughn’s heart skipped a beat, the phone accidentally fell onto the carpet, with a soft thud.
Before she could bend down to retrieve the phone, her back pressed against a broad, warm chest, situated in a posture of being confined in his embrace, sitting suggestively on his lap.
The faint, unique cold scent from him immediately wove into a net, strongly and domineeringly locking her inside.
The towel on Ann Vaughn was not long, barely reaching her thighs; sitting this way, it exposed countless springs of light.
"What are you doing?!" Ann Vaughn was both embarrassed and angry, desperately trying to stand up, but felt her earlobe suddenly bitten hard like a punishment!
She trembled sensitively, her strength suddenly drained away, her limbs turning soft.