Chapter 202: Chapter 202: I’m Afraid My Fiancé Will Be Upset
"Mr. Hawthorne wouldn’t think that just because we’re divorced, I should remain loyal to you, right?" Ann Vaughn squinted her bright eyes, propping her elbow on the car seat as she half-rose, "Or have you started dreaming even before falling asleep?"
This articulate and sharp-tongued Ann, so bold and straightforward, was not the gentle and shy version that Cyrus Hawthorne had known before.
Yet it seemed this was her true self.
A touch of bitterness quickly drowned in Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes. His hand on Ann Vaughn’s slender waist gradually tightened in grip, "Ann Vaughn, do you know what this behavior of yours is called?"
"Adultery while married, I guess I don’t need to teach you law, do I?"
Married... What the hell?!
Ann Vaughn’s eyes flashed with astonishment, quickly returning to calm, "Mr. Hawthorne, is your memory failing? You’ve forgotten we signed a contract four years ago to officially divorce."
She remembered they had processed the divorce certificate, and with Cyrus Hawthorne’s influence, even if he hadn’t been present, it could have been finalized.
"We only signed a contract, didn’t proceed with the divorce at the civil affairs bureau, right?" Cyrus Hawthorne chuckled lowly.
Ann Vaughn’s bright eyes narrowed, immediately pushing him away, staring at him with a cold pretty face.
"Even if we didn’t get the divorce certificate, don’t forget, you forced me to sign that contract, which also has legal validity. Are you trying to backtrack?"
As Cyrus Hawthorne watched her face change suddenly, he chuckled from his throat, "The contract indeed has legal validity, but, did you keep a copy?"
Ann Vaughn paused slightly, stunned.
Back then, how could she have thought of so much?
For someone at death’s door, who would care for anything else?
But now it had become something Cyrus Hawthorne could use to threaten her!
Ann Vaughn took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before speaking, "I don’t care why you’re doing this, besides your body, I have no interest in you now, you better settle the divorce procedures quickly, or—"
"I’m afraid my fiancé would be upset about this."
Ann Vaughn said this looking directly into Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes, seriously and solemnly.
Fiancé?
Cyrus Hawthorne’s brows knitted deeply, his handsome face turning increasingly icy, "If you’re not afraid of committing bigamy, feel free to try being with another man."
This lunatic!
Ann Vaughn slammed the car door shut with force, leaving the place briskly in her high heels, her silhouette seething with anger.
As soon as she left, Mark Joyce got back into the driver’s seat, noticing Cyrus Hawthorne’s pitch-black expression in the rearview mirror, he cautiously asked, "President Hawthorne, where to now?"
He had accidentally overheard some of the conversation just now, feeling quite guilty about it.
Moreover, Mark Joyce clearly remembered the divorce procedures between President Hawthorne and Miss Vaughn had been completed four years ago—
At that time, President Hawthorne hesitated for a long while before finally signing the documents.
It wasn’t as if President Hawthorne was heartless towards Miss Vaughn back then, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so pained later.
Alas, when in the situation, one is often confused.
The man in the backseat didn’t answer, exuding a chilling aura.
Mark Joyce hesitated for a moment, unable to resist saying, "President Hawthorne, since you like Miss Vaughn, why not treat her a little better?"
What girl would like to be forcefully taken without considering her wishes, they all want to be treasured tenderly.
Cyrus Hawthorne half-opened his narrowed eyes, his thin lips pursed slightly, a dark shade crossing his eyes.
After a long while, he spoke with a cold voice, "Who said I like her? Are you that idle?"
Mark Joyce: "..."
Do you take me for blind?
Go ahead, keep being so arrogant, Miss Vaughn is clearly no longer the same as before. With this attitude, don’t dream of winning her back.
He grumbled in his heart, but outwardly, Mark Joyce didn’t dare say a word.
"Isn’t the old man from the Langdon Family not in good health?" After a long silence, Cyrus Hawthorne asked softly.
"Yes, the Langdon Family is urgently seeking out famous doctors, but it seems the situation is getting worse."
"Oh?" Cyrus Hawthorne lightly tapped his well-defined fingers on his knee, his thin lips curving with a hint of a smile, "Send Ann Vaughn’s information over there, nothing else needs to be done."
Mark Joyce was puzzled, "Is there some deeper meaning behind this?"
Cyrus Hawthorne didn’t answer his question, a cold glint flickering in his deep eyes.
If he acted personally, it would certainly eliminate a lot of trouble, but the humiliation and grievances Ann Vaughn endured could not be easily written off.
Some grudges, only by personally dealing with them, can they be relieved.
...
When Ann Vaughn returned to the apartment, Little Kenny was already asleep. When she came out of the children’s room and passed by the dining room, she saw a note left there, picked it up for a look.
"Kenny learned how to make pudding with Sherry this afternoon, the biggest portion is left for Mommy, it’s in the fridge."
The anger and coldness growing fiercely in Ann Vaughn’s heart instantly melted away, replaced by warmth.
Her little Kenny was still the best.
Ann Vaughn took out the peach pudding from the fridge, went into her room, and while eating it, sat in front of the computer, opening the forum address.
"Who on earth is so insane to spread this virus all over? Can’t the Federation get it together, haven’t they figured out yet where the virus leaked from?"
"If it could be found so easily, would the Federation need to take action? Anyway, with the Little Rose antidote, what is there to fear?"
"Bro, haven’t you seen the latest reports? N3H5 isn’t a singular virus, it can give rise to more terrifying mutated viruses, causing global panic."
"Many remote areas might not receive the antidote in time, the virus acts immediately."
"Why are we worrying? The Federation wants to wipe us out, and we’re eager to help them? It’s enough to mind our own business, disperse, disperse."
"..."
After reading the latest updates, Ann Vaughn had almost finished her pudding. She took out a Golden Needle and pricked it into an acupoint to aid digestion before browsing the forum.
She didn’t join the discussion, instead, she clicked into the global reporting section.
This section gathered the latest real-time news from around the world, all things the officials of various countries didn’t want the public to know.
No wonder the Federation had been trying to shut this forum down, though unsuccessfully.
Ann Vaughn looked perturbed at the graphic scenes of corpses littered everywhere in the latest pictures, her eyebrows furrowed with discomfort.
She recalled the stack of documents she had seen on Cyrus Hawthorne’s desk, her red lips pressing together gradually.
If the person who created the virus were Cyrus Hawthorne, then it’s not impossible.
But why would he do such a thing? What benefit would it bring him?
Ann Vaughn couldn’t figure it out for now, but looking at the line of man-made disasters and their bitter outcomes, her heart clenched slightly.
It’s been a long time since the last virus outbreak, and no one expected it to appear again, and so forcefully, that even the supply of antidote ingredients couldn’t keep up.
If this continues, it will indeed cause global panic.
...
The next morning.
Top floor office of the new Hawthorne Corp. office building.
Mark Joyce pushed the door open, placing a few documents in front of Cyrus Hawthorne, "President Hawthorne, these documents need your signature."
Cyrus Hawthorne flipped open one of the documents, swiftly scanning through it at a glance, picked up the pen to sign his name at the bottom right corner, but suddenly paused.
"How’s the investigation I asked you to conduct going?"
"Just received the results, Miss Vaughn’s whereabouts have been erratic over the past four years. Initially, she lived in M Country for less than two years, then went to G Country, F Country, and several other places, finally settling in K Country, but the exact location is unknown," Mark Joyce reported truthfully.