CHAPTER 8: CHAPTER 8: IS MRS. HAWTHORNE’S POSITION WORTH ONLY TWENTY MILLION?

"Cyrus Hawthorne, do you think I would agree?" Ann Vaughn blinked her dry eyes, and it took a while to find her voice.

"You can name any condition," Cyrus Hawthorne crossed his arms, looking at her with a weary expression, his tone indifferent, "as long as I can afford it."

Unexpectedly, Ann Vaughn laughed out loud, her laughter bringing moisture to the corners of her eyes.

She casually threw the card onto the ground, then stood up, "Do you think the position of Young Madam Hawthorne is only worth twenty million?"

"Cyrus Hawthorne, I’m not stupid."

With that, Ann Vaughn entered the bathroom, not sparing Cyrus Hawthorne another glance, as his expression must be terrible.

Divorce was impossible. Smile through her own blood and tears to painfully grant someone else’s happiness?

Sorry, she’s no paragon of virtue, not the self-sacrificing type.

Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes turned stormy, his thin lips curling coldly, this woman finally showed her true colors.

Did she really think holding onto this position meant she could get more?

He would make sure she gets nothing.

-

With only one day left until her appointment with the current owner of the small medical clinic, Ann Vaughn, after much contemplation, returned to the Vaughn Family residence.

Just as she arrived at the entrance of the living room, she overheard Jade Shepherd talking on the phone, her tone comforting: "Don’t think too much, focus on recovering your health, that’s what’s important. I’ll talk to your sister about it."

"Alright, alright, I won’t let anyone take your things... not even your sister, just rest assured."

Ann Vaughn’s pupils contracted suddenly, that sense of alienation once again surged in her heart.

It was only after Jade Shepherd hung up the phone that Ann Vaughn clenched her fingers and walked into the living room.

Seeing her arrival, Jade Shepherd looked somewhat surprised, "Why are you back? Did you upset the Hawthorne Family?"

The smile on Ann Vaughn’s lips stiffened a bit, and she shook her head slightly, "No, I have something I need your help with."

"What’s something you can’t ask the Hawthorne Family to do?" Jade Shepherd frowned, her gaze fixed on the television, not responding to her words, "You know your sister is back, right?"

"I know." Ann Vaughn nodded, sitting on the other side of the sofa, thinking about what Cynthia Vaughn had said that day, her brows slightly furrowed.

Do Mom and Dad... really know about these things?

She’s their daughter too. Even if they favor Cynthia Vaughn, they wouldn’t treat her like that, right?

But Jade Shepherd’s next words shattered her last glimmer of hope.

"Annie, ever since Cynthia was little, she hasn’t been in good health. She suffered a lot even in the womb. As her sister, you should be more understanding, don’t compete with Cynthia over everything, or snatch things from her, okay?"

Ever since she was brought back to this home after her grandfather’s death, these supposedly persuading but in truth warning words were what Ann Vaughn heard the most.

If she couldn’t do these things, her parents would threaten to send her back to the countryside, becoming an unwanted wild child.

She was afraid of being abandoned again, so she never dared to disobey them.

"You also know, President Hawthorne and Cynthia are genuinely in love. Cynthia went abroad for recovery only because of her health, not as a real escape from marriage. You were just a temporary stand-in. Once she’s back, everything should be returned to her. I know you’re a sensible child, do you know what to do?"

Jade Shepherd, who half a year ago had used Ann Vaughn’s grandfather’s shares to blackmail her into not revealing the truth about Cynthia’s fleeing from marriage, now spoke earnestly to Ann Vaughn.

Ann Vaughn lowered her head, her small hands on her knees clenched tightly, "What do you mean?"

"Once Cynthia is healthy, you should take the initiative to file for divorce. That way, your dignity remains intact, and it won’t cause any impact," Jade Shepherd said with an indifferent glance.