Chapter 177: Chapter 177: As Long As You Won’t Regret It
Sutton Jennings narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the familiar symbolic letters on the white yacht, and raised his head to look toward the deck of the yacht.
Other than the black-clad guards, there was no familiar figure there.
Sutton Jennings’ gaze deepened, not knowing what he thought of, he lifted his leg and left the place.
At the same time.
Outside a courtyard covered with climbing vines across half a wall and the gate, a tall slender figure stood leaning on the railing, eyes as sharp as an eagle’s, gazing indifferently at the arrangement inside the courtyard.
Under the vine-covered gazebo, several children’s toys were casually left there.
In the garden inside the courtyard, roses were the most numerous and also the most splendid.
"Sir, the doctor hasn’t returned from the capital yet due to the child’s illness. There’s nothing we can do about this. Regarding our cooperation..." The Island Master was almost pulling out his own hair in frustration.
If he had known earlier that Ann Vaughn would leave the island just because her child was ill, he wouldn’t have made such a promise even if it cost him his life.
Besides, Ann Vaughn herself is an exceptionally skilled doctor. What illness could Kenny have that she couldn’t treat? She had to go out.
"Island Master," Mark Joyce, seeing Cyrus Hawthorne staying silent, knew that his patience had worn thin, and interrupted the Island Master’s words, "You have not fulfilled your promise to us, so there is no need to discuss cooperation any further. We will be leaving shortly, and there’s no need for you to see us off."
The rejection was quite clear between the lines, and if the Island Master stayed any longer without reaching a cooperation, he feared offending that gentleman.
The Island Master sighed, pulled out two strands of hair, and left helplessly.
After he left, the phone in Mark Joyce’s pocket rang. He glanced at the caller ID, greeted politely, and then handed the phone to Cyrus Hawthorne.
"Sir, it’s your wife’s call."
"Hmm." Cyrus Hawthorne withdrew his gaze indifferently, took the phone, turned slightly, his back to the flower garden, "Mom."
"Son, when are you coming back to the country? Recently, I’ve met the Sheridan family’s daughter. She’s not only beautiful but also has a gentle personality. You should meet her when you return to settle the marriage sooner, so I can be at ease..."
At this moment, Ann Vaughn, carrying Kenny who had fallen asleep on her shoulder, walked out from a small alley towards her house.
Sutton Jennings followed behind the mother and son maintaining a half-step distance, but just at that moment, he suddenly caught sight of that familiar tall figure half-hidden among the trees in the distance.
Although only a back silhouette was visible, a man’s sense for his adversary’s presence was especially keen.
With almost a single glance, he was able to determine who that person was.
Sutton Jennings stopped in his tracks, slowly furrowing his brow.
Ann Vaughn noticed nothing, carrying Kenny as she walked along the cobblestone path towards the villa, gently patting his back to avoid waking him.
If she had turned her head slightly at this moment, or turned around, she would have been able to see that figure standing amidst the greenery that had once left her with a deeply carved memory.
However, she never turned around until she was inside the villa.
Seeing this, the tightly furrowed eyebrows of Sutton Jennings relaxed slightly, feeling a sense of relief for some reason.
Yet following that was another sense of crisis.
Unexpectedly, even having lost all contact and being across more than half the globe, he was able to find this place, and almost saw her.
Was it fate?
Unfortunately, he never believed in such intangible things.
Just at the moment Ann Vaughn’s figure disappeared from the doorway, Cyrus Hawthorne, holding the phone, slowly turned aside, his icy gaze looking distantly at the villa.
He happened to catch a glimpse of a slender figure that vanished in an instant.
In this world, there is a kind of distance, not of far and near, life and death, but I came, and you left.
And you did not know, nor did I know.
And thus, we missed each other.
"I will make my own decisions regarding my matters, no need for your worries. I have other things to deal with, so that’s that."
After a flat response, he hung up, throwing the phone back into Mark Joyce’s hands, saying coldly, "Let’s go."
"Sir, I just saw someone enter the courtyard. It seems that the doctor has returned. Should we...?"
"No need, there are excellent doctors other than this one."
"Yes, I understand."
-
In the children’s room.
Ann Vaughn laid Kenny, who slept soundly and occasionally smacked his little lips, onto the small bed, tucked the quilt around him, and sat by the bed watching him.
The warm light from the wall lamp outlined her gentle expression, with satisfaction unspeakable in her bright eyes.
The events she faced a few years ago almost broke her.
But when she discovered Kenny was still inside her, she slowly regained her strength.
She was not alone, she had a child, and even if no one loved her, she could love herself and her child well.
And fortunately, she pulled through; everything was better than imagined.
But this happiness lasted less than two years before heaven played such a big joke on her.
Ann Vaughn gently rubbed Kenny’s little head, and the little guy, feeling something in his sleep, grabbed Ann Vaughn’s hand, his little face rubbing against it.
"Kenny... loves... Mommy the most..."
The fragmented baby words reached her ears, and suddenly a few days’ worth of sourness surged into Ann Vaughn’s heart, streaming through her eyes, and falling onto Kenny’s little fleshy hand.
Ann Vaughn quickly wiped away the moisture on his hand, worried he would wake up, and softly put his little hand back under the quilt.
After some undetermined time passed, looking at Kenny’s sweet and soft sleeping face, Ann Vaughn’s previously wavering heart gradually became resolute.
Leaving the children’s room, Ann Vaughn saw Sutton Jennings holding two cups of milk, standing by the railing on the second floor. Seeing her come out, he gave a faint smile.
"You’ve been tired for several days. Drink a glass of milk before resting."
"Thank you, Brother Shane." Ann Vaughn walked over, took the milk, leaned against the railing, drank a few sips, and exhaled deeply.
Sutton Jennings glanced at her, seeming to see through her thoughts: "You’ve made a decision in your heart."
"Nothing escapes Brother Shane’s eyes." Ann Vaughn nodded, a slight smile appearing on her delicate face, "What I want to do next might be a bit crazy."
Perhaps not just crazy.
"You just need to do whatever you want to do, and I’ll take care of the rest," Sutton Jennings chuckled lightly, hiding the fleeting bitterness in his eyes, "as long as you don’t regret it."
"Regret?" Ann Vaughn swallowed the milk in her mouth, her bright eyes curving into crescents, "If I don’t, I might regret it for a lifetime."
As long as there’s a glimmer of hope, she won’t give up.
Just like back then, no matter what harm came her way, Kenny persisted until birth.
After hearing her words, Sutton Jennings raised the milk glass in his hand, "When do you plan to leave?"
"The day after tomorrow. Before that, I want to give a gift to the Isle of Flora residents." Ann Vaughn also raised her glass, gently clinking it with Sutton Jennings’ cup, smiling as she said.
This gift, she had been preparing for nearly half a year, hoping they would like it.