Chapter 425: Chapter 425: Intimate Contact
Without even glancing at the shrieking Bella Hawthorne, who sounded like a marmot, he lifted his hand to smooth out the gown on Ann Vaughn that had just been disarranged. He intended to remove the small hand tightly covering her face, but she refused to cooperate.
Those tiny ears peeking out from her hair were as red as the sunset in the sky.
Is this... being shy?
Cyrus Hawthorne curved his lips into a light laugh and then looked up at Bella Hawthorne, who was still sneaking peeks their way, "Go upstairs and put the things away, then come down. She’s shy."
It sounded reasonable, but Bella Hawthorne couldn’t help feeling that sending her upstairs was indeed secondary; the main point was that her sister-in-law was shy!
Her brother, this burning old house, really is hopeless.
"Hehe, okay!" Bella glanced back sneakily one more time before heading out with quick steps.
Once the footsteps faded, Ann Vaughn, who was nestled in Cyrus Hawthorne’s arms, let out a soft "hmph" and pinched his waist with her small hand, "It’s all your fault! You made me look foolish in front of Bella!"
If it were inside the room, it would be fine, but he pretty much devoured her right there in the dining room!
The smile on Cyrus Hawthorne’s lips deepened, and he lowered his voice to say, "She’ll have to get used to it sooner or later."
Get used to it? Get used to my foot!
Ann Vaughn’s shoulders trembled slightly as she quickly slipped out of his embrace, glaring at him defensively with her eyes bright as if they were wet, "Starting today, we better keep a bit of distance!"
Distance?
"Ha," Cyrus Hawthorne chuckled softly, the light in his slanted eyes slightly languid. He directly stretched his arm to pull the evasive Ann Vaughn back into his embrace, whispering seductively in her ear, "How about negative distance?"
Neg... negative what??
If Ann Vaughn had a tail right now, it definitely would have been puffed up in alarm!
The man’s appearance was so strikingly handsome it was almost aggressive; whether it be the sharp contour lines of his face or his deep, narrow dark eyes, one look from him is enough to make you willingly fall.
Ann Vaughn could bear it no longer and placed her hand over his eyes, "I won’t be swayed by appearances!"
Even with his eyes covered by her, Cyrus Hawthorne didn’t get upset; he opened his mouth unhurriedly, "Oh? I was planning to take you to the old house where Grandpa Vaughn used to live, but now it seems unnecessary."
Ann Vaughn’s bright eyes lit up at once.
The old house Grandpa used to live in?
Isn’t it the place where she grew up?
After she returned to the Vaughn Family, that place was lost due to government redevelopment and a name change; she had searched for it for a long time without success.
Later she thought that even if she found it, there was nothing left of the house she and Grandpa used to live in, so it would only add to her sadness, and she gave up on the idea.
"Is that old house really still there?" Ann Vaughn was so excited she nearly jumped, but seeing Cyrus Hawthorne’s indifferent expression without any intention of agreeing, she coughed lightly and began speaking without thinking.
"How could I use such a superficial word like appearance to describe how I feel about you? I’ve never liked you because of how you look, but because you are just the way I like, that’s why I like you! Obviously, it’s not being seduced by your looks!"
In the flurry of her excitement, Ann Vaughn accidentally let slip her true feelings without realizing it, completely overtaken by the surprise that the old house still existed.
Cyrus Hawthorne, who heard her say the word "like" firsthand, felt the indifference in his dark eyes momentarily recede like the tide, revealing a hint of joy.
He slowly raised his hand to touch Ann Vaughn’s soft long hair and responded in a low voice, "Hmm."
Even though he knew she said those sweet lies just to visit the old house, he didn’t intend to expose her.
And standing at the dining room doorway for quite a while, Bella Hawthorne, witnessing her brother somehow starting to use his looks to charm her sister-in-law, was speechless: "..."
This world, why can’t it be a little gentler on small animals?
Is there no one who wants to show some care to this single little animal that just returned from Continent F??
While Bella Hawthorne was lost in her grievances, Ann Vaughn, who was excitedly hugging Cyrus Hawthorne’s neck, finally noticed her, quickly pulled her hand back, and went to give Bella a big hug.
"Bella, long time no see."
"If it hadn’t been for my brother sending me to such a faraway place, we could’ve reunited long ago!" Bella Hawthorne started to complain the moment she hugged her, "Sister-in-law, you need to defend me!"
Hearing the word "sister-in-law," Ann Vaughn’s face momentarily darkened, then she reminded her, "You should just call me by my name, your brother and I have been divorced for a while now."
"No way? My mom told me that day..."
"Ahem." Cyrus Hawthorne cleared his throat, casting a sidelong glance at Bella Hawthorne, a silent warning.
Bella Hawthorne immediately zipped her lips, miming a zipping action.
"What did your mom tell you?" Ann Vaughn asked curiously, seeing Bella Hawthorne’s expression that seemed to know something.
"My mom told me that she now has a little nephew!" Bella Hawthorne’s eyes sparkled with realization, thinking of the Little Dumpling she had been eager to meet for several months. She grabbed Ann Vaughn’s hand, her eyes full of anticipation, "Sister-in-law, where is the little nephew? Let me say hi to him!"
Ann Vaughn’s mouth twitched, no longer bothering to correct her, "Kenny’s not here, he’s at the Villa No. 8."
She didn’t know how her precious son managed to enchant his beautiful aunt with sweet talk on his very first day back in the country.
It seems theatrics indeed run in the family.
Due to Bella Hawthorne persistently wanting to see Kenny, begging and pleading, she finally got to ride along to Villa No. 8 with Ann Vaughn and Cyrus Hawthorne.
Who knew, just as they arrived at the villa, there was a sudden issue within the Hawthorne Group. After dropping them off at Villa No. 8, Cyrus Hawthorne drove straight to the company without getting out.
As Ann Vaughn and Bella Hawthorne walked into the villa, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase.
Looking up, they saw a chubby little dumpling coming down the stairs, wearing a white bear pajama set and bear slippers.
He rubbed his eyes and yawned, appearing very sleepy.
"Ah!!" Bella Hawthorne put down her gift bag and lunged to pick up the little dumpling, "It’s like looking at a miniature version of my brother!"
Kenny, suddenly held by a stranger, remained calm, knowing that normally no one could get in here, so anyone who did must have been invited by his mom or The Archfiend.
"Kenny, this is Bella Hawthorne, your aunt." Ann Vaughn, watching Bella Hawthorne hug the little dumpling like she was cuddling a kitten, was amused and explained to the puzzled Kenny.
Kenny nodded, then squirmed out of Bella Hawthorne’s arms, and dashed into the living room.
When he returned, he had a writing pad in hand, which read: "Hello, Auntie, my name is Jasper Vaughn, but those close to me all call me Kenny, so you can too."
There was a cute chubby little heart drawn at the end.