CHAPTER 822: CHAPTER 822: ANN VAUGHN IS THE FIRST

"If Mr. Shaw and Mrs. Shaw still hold a grudge against us, I think the wound left by the acid on my body can offset it."

As she said this, she was calm and unhurried, as if she was fully confident that Vinson Ashton had no evidence and would not make things difficult for them.

Everyone saw with their own eyes when Jeanette Shaw threw acid on Miyi Yates. If she pursued responsibility, Jeanette Shaw would definitely be punished.

With this leverage, even if Vinson Ashton wanted to take action against the Yates Family, he would have to weigh his options.

"Are you finished?" Vinson Ashton looked at Miyi Yates with cold eyes, enunciating every word as he asked her, "Offset? Even if your life was lost, it wouldn’t be as important as one of my daughter’s fingers."

As soon as he said this, Hogan Halloway’s body trembled.

Miyi Yates’ smile froze for a moment, but it was hard to detect unless looked at closely, "Mr. Ashton can disregard the face of my family or the Yates Family, but surely you can’t ignore the Hawthorne Family’s face, can you?"

"My daughter and President Hawthorne are engaged and will hold their wedding soon. By then, we will surely send a wedding invitation to Mr. Ashton as well," Howard Yates followed up.

The Yates Family and the Hawthorne Family?

A glimmer of apprehension crossed Vinson Ashton’s eyes; he could disregard the Yates Family, but the Hawthorne Family...

Off on the side, Jeanette Shaw spoke up, "You say your daughter is President Hawthorne’s fiancée, do you have any evidence to prove her identity?"

A coldness appeared in Miyi Yates’ eyes before she took out her phone and spoke softly yet firmly, "Please, Mr. Ashton and Mrs. Shaw, wait a moment while I have Cian speak to you directly."

Seeing her with no hint of panic, Vinson Ashton couldn’t help but feel a suspicion arise in his heart.

Could it be... he had made a mistake?

Before the call connected, Miyi Yates had already planned how she would speak later so as not to let the family head expose her but also not to make Vinson Ashton doubt her words.

However—

"Hello? Who’s this?"

From the phone on speaker came a soft, lazy female voice, sounding a bit sleepy.

Miyi Yates was suddenly as if struck by lightning, frozen on the spot.

This voice...

Ann Vaughn?!

"Why aren’t you speaking?"

Ann Vaughn still wasn’t fully awake, her eyes weren’t even open, and after not hearing a response for a while, she couldn’t help but murmur a couple of sentences.

Then the phone returned to its original owner.

In the next second, everyone in the hospital room heard the conversation from the phone—

"Who was it?"

"Someone irrelevant, no need to pay attention."

"Oh... I want to sleep, stop bothering me, okay?"

"You sleep, I’ll smooch, is there a conflict?"

"Cyrus Hawthorne, you’re so annoying—"

With that soft, whining voice dropping, the call was abruptly ended.

When Miyi Yates pressed the button to hang up, she did it so forcefully that it seemed like she was going to break the screen. Her beautiful eyes were no longer calm and collected, but filled with rage and jealousy.

She had never wanted someone to completely disappear from this world so much.

Ann Vaughn was the first!

Miyi Yates hadn’t noticed that aside from Howard Yates, everyone else in the hospital room looked at her with eyes full of ridicule.

President Hawthorne’s fiancée?

How bold she was to even say it.

Vinson Ashton recognized the woman’s voice from the phone; she was the one dining with Cyrus Hawthorne yesterday, and she even had a little child with her.

At that time, it had seemed to him that the three of them were so harmonious and happy like a family, that no outsider could interfere.

So when he heard Miyi Yates claim she was Cyrus Hawthorne’s fiancée, Vinson Ashton found it hard to believe.

Jeanette Shaw was more direct, "Even a fool can tell how good President Hawthorne and Miss Vaughn are together. You claim you’re President Hawthorne’s fiancée, has President Hawthorne acknowledged that?"

Jeanette Shaw didn’t say that if she were a man, she would also prefer Miss Vaughn over a manipulative woman like this!

But listening to her standing up for Ann Vaughn, Vinson Ashton’s eyebrows twitched.

Something seemed off?

Miyi Yates’ face turned completely dark, and she said nothing further, leaving the hospital room in anger.

Howard Yates wasn’t particularly happy either; where had his daughter gone wrong that the family head would choose someone with no background, who could offer him no help?!

The issue of the marriage certificate could not be delayed any longer!

Howard Yates forced a smile, "Mr. Ashton, Mrs. Shaw, we’ll take our leave today, I’ll visit another day."

"Don’t bother coming, you’ll just pollute the air."

"..."

...

When Ann Vaughn finally woke up, the outdoors was bright.

It was unusual for Cyrus Hawthorne not to have gone to the company by this hour. Seeing her snuggling in the covers and unwilling to get up, he picked her up, covers and all, and carried her into the bathroom.

Being interrupted while sleeping made Ann Vaughn quite unhappy. She wore an unhappy little face, not wanting to pay him any attention.

Cyrus Hawthorne seemed unfazed, calmly helping her wash up and change into a dress hanging on a rack.

During their days aboard the Tourmaline, he had cared for her in the same way, so Ann Vaughn had gotten completely used to it.

It was about the same as being like a frog in warm water.

The water temperature was so comfortable, she couldn’t crawl out anymore.

"By the way, who called this morning?" Ann Vaughn lifted her arms high, to make it easier for Cyrus Hawthorne to help her put on the dress, asking as she did.

As she lowered her head, the butterfly bones on her back flapped like dancing butterflies, attractive and eye-catching, leading down to a slender waist too thin to hold.

It looked like with a gentle twist, it would snap.

Cyrus Hawthorne’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and his eyes deepened slightly, his movements slow as he zipped up her dress.

"Why aren’t you speaking?" Ann Vaughn was puzzled by what he might be thinking, tilting her head to the side.

"Miyi Yates."

His warm breath swept across her back, along with his deep, hoarse voice, causing Ann Vaughn to shiver delicately.

And then memories of last night’s passionate entwining flooded her mind...

Ah!!!

Ann Vaughn shook her head, forcing those thoughts out of her mind!

"Why did she call so early in the morning?"

"Idle." Cyrus Hawthorne responded succinctly with one word, zipping the dress all the way up before pulling her long hair out from under it.

Her jet-black hair was so soft, just like her.

Ann Vaughn chuckled softly, not sure if Miyi Yates was idle.

But the fact that Cyrus Hawthorne didn’t immediately hang up the call, instead letting Miyi Yates listen to them flaunting their love,

was enough to show he was intentionally sending a warning to her.

If she realized her mistake and stopped, then everything could still be salvaged.

But if she tried to use the marriage certificate to bind Cyrus Hawthorne, then she would only wait and see... how long she could keep up the façade.

While Ann Vaughn was lost in thought, suddenly a warmth pressed against her nape along with a sharp bite that couldn’t be ignored, "Thinking of someone else in front of me?"

Ann Vaughn instinctively covered the bitten spot, glaring at him indignantly, "Why aren’t you going to work today? Has Hawthorne Corp. gone bankrupt?"

"..."