Chapter 301: Chapter 301: You’re Being Naughty Again?
The next day.
Due to a heavy heart last night that made it incredibly difficult to sleep, Ann Vaughn woke up with a slightly heavy head, and groggily pulled back the covers.
Just as she was about to get out of bed, she saw the refined man sitting at the table, seemingly playing with something familiar between his fingers.
The yawn Ann Vaughn was starting to make was suddenly stifled, and she quickly got up and ran over to Cyrus Hawthorne.
"Who, who told you to mess with my stuff!" Ann Vaughn, embarrassed, attempted to snatch the black jade back, but he deftly evaded her.
Cyrus Hawthorne held up the vividly carved black jade in his hand, the slightly warm black contrasting sharply against the paleness of his fingertips, creating a striking visual clash.
He seemed in a good mood, with his thin lips slightly upturned, bringing an indescribable joy as he looked at Ann Vaughn with narrowed eyes, "Carved for me?"
"No!" Ann Vaughn was so anxious she almost stomped her foot and reached behind him to snatch back the black jade, "Cyrus Hawthorne, give it back to me!"
"Haha." A light laugh slipped from Cyrus Hawthorne’s lips, making his cold and stern brows and eyes soften significantly.
He gently grasped her soft waist with one hand, pulling her into his arms, and then gave a light nibble on her petite earlobe.
Ann Vaughn trembled hard, as if she had been electrified, staring at him with wide eyes, "You, you..."
"Clearly, it’s carved to look like me, yet you say it’s not meant for me." Cyrus Hawthorne chuckled softly, "You’re being naughty again, hmm?"
If only she had hidden it earlier, why did she leave it where he could easily see it anytime?!
Now there’s trouble, her little secret has been caught!
Ann Vaughn, so angry she wanted to punch him, gritted her teeth and said viciously, "I haven’t finished carving it, it can’t be given away, give it back to me!"
"Oh? I rather think it’s just right."
"There are a few processes left undone, an incomplete piece like this is imperfect!"
"No problem, as long as it was made by your own hands."
"..."
This man is simply unyielding!
Ann Vaughn’s cheeks were flushed, especially as she watched Cyrus Hawthorne leisurely touch the eyes she spent the most time carving out in the black jade...
Ah!!!
Blame these sinful claws!!
Ann Vaughn suddenly stood up and dashed into the bathroom, the sound of her fuzzy slippers clattering away.
As he watched her hurriedly fleeing silhouette, the hints of laughter in Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes seemed almost to materialize, impossible to hide.
When Mark Joyce knocked on the door and came in with a work report, he witnessed a scene so shocking it nearly stopped his heart.
To be honest, the last time President Hawthorne smiled so gently was while handling the Vaughn couple.
A smile like Yama’s, the next second means death.
It made Mark Joyce tremble inwardly, reporting with even more caution, worried that he might be next to go if he wasn’t careful.
"President Hawthorne, Sheridan Family has sent people to investigate Miss Vaughn, moreover, this morning, someone anonymously reported Miss Vaughn’s studio for illegal medical practice, the relevant departments have gone down to investigate, it seems they’re targeting Miss Vaughn."
Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes narrowed slightly, "Need me to tell you what to do?"
"No need, rest assured, I will handle it well and give the Sheridan side a certain warning." Mark Joyce quickly replied.
Such a small matter originally didn’t need to be raised to Cyrus Hawthorne, Mark Joyce could resolve it immediately, but after the lesson from last time, he didn’t dare to miss even the slightest matter regarding Ann Vaughn.
"Hmm, don’t let her know about this, deal with it privately." Cyrus Hawthorne subtly withdrew his gaze, lightly brushing the edge of the black jade with his fingertip, then asked Mark Joyce, "Is it beautiful?"
Mark Joyce took a closer look at the black jade, though it was extraordinary, the outstanding part was the carving on it, akin to the finishing touch.
"The carving is surely of you, if I were to say, the sculptor must have understood you to the utmost degree, in both detail and overall, saying that it is superbly crafted wouldn’t be an exaggeration." Mark Joyce praised.
Cyrus Hawthorne’s expression slightly eased, then he closed the black jade within his palm, the elongated corners of his eyes spreading with traces of delight: "Annie made it herself."
Mark Joyce: "..."
So you’re showing off to me, right???
Moreover, it’s just a regular piece of black jade, look at how much you treasure it, even when you acquired the Top-grade Imperial Jade, you didn’t seem this delighted.
Mark Joyce couldn’t help internal complaints, feeling inexplicably stuck in his throat.
After freshening up, Ann Vaughn changed outfits and mentioned to Cyrus Hawthorne that she planned to go to the Sheridan Residence.
Even though the treatment ended yesterday, Ann Vaughn thought she should at least say goodbye to Old Mrs. Sheridan before leaving.
Additionally... the woman who seemed to imitate her in every way last night really bothered her.
Being a Chinese doctor, her forte lies in seeing beyond appearances, like diagnosing a disease, using the patient’s complexion and symptoms to determine what ailment they have.
This is fundamental.
Therefore, she wasn’t just looking at the woman’s face, but also her bone structure.
She looked very much like someone, but Ann Vaughn couldn’t quite recall who at the moment.
"I’ll take you." Cyrus Hawthorne closed the file in his hand, then stood up and walked towards Ann Vaughn.
Mark Joyce heard this and glanced at the time, noticing there was only half an hour left until the meeting started at the Marinia branch of the company.
"Aren’t you busy?" Ann Vaughn was a bit surprised, noticing the pile of documents he brought almost filled the desk.
Moreover, as far as she knew, there were also many subsidiaries under Hawthorne Corp. here in Marinia, comparable to The Imperial Capital, he should indeed be very busy.
"Hmm, there’s not much going on with the subsidiaries here." Cyrus Hawthorne replied concisely, then held her small hand and walked out.
Ann Vaughn didn’t doubt him, nodded, and said nothing more.
Following behind, Mark Joyce: ... The employees who wish to sleep at the company every day due to the overload of work have received the greatest insult of their lives.
Outside the Sheridan Residence, Ann Vaughn explained her purpose to the guards but was informed she couldn’t enter, and moreover, she would be prohibited from approaching the Sheridan Family in the future.
Ann Vaughn had a sense of the matter, roughly guessing who gave the order and didn’t trouble the guard, turning back to get in the car.
"What’s wrong?" Noticing the helplessness on Ann Vaughn’s face, Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyebrows gently furrowed, a hint of displeasure slipping through his eyes, "Is the Sheridan Family bullying you?"
"No, who could possibly bully me?" Ann Vaughn snapped back, proudly raising her chin slightly, "If you had seen how miserable the two who tried to bully me last night were."
She wasn’t someone who would suffer without retaliation.
Although she quite liked Old Mrs. Sheridan, she just couldn’t take it that the young generation of the Sheridan Family was inherently incompatible with her, causing toxic effects whenever they met.
How could siblings be so different from Elliot?
"What are you thinking about?" A deep voice queried from beside her.
Ann Vaughn was sighing, responding without thinking, "Thinking that Elliot is a bit of a pity."