CHAPTER 824: CHAPTER 824: WHY BE SO UNREASONABLE

The man sitting opposite him remained indifferent, yet his narrow eyes, carrying a stormy darkness, gleamed like a cold light on a blade, making him shiver with cold.

As if warning him, if he dared to glance at Ann Vaughn again... he’d lose the other eye too.

"Do you think you can just look at my woman?"

Cyrus Hawthorne casually turned the pages of the contract, his long fingers like top-tier artwork, with distinct knuckles and beautiful lines that made it hard for one to look away.

You could barely tell that he had just used this hand to throw a pen at Forrest Strong’s right eye.

Forrest Strong was as white as a sheet, trembling uncontrollably, his vision darkening, as though shrouded by the shadow of death.

The little secretary he thought... turned out to be Cyrus Hawthorne’s woman?!

He actually had the audacity to ask Cyrus Hawthorne to give her up right in front of him?!

...

Forrest Strong and his secretary were thrown out of the Hawthorne Group, along with the contract they brought, discarded like worn-out shoes at their feet.

In the words of the secretaries, it was probably "letting him leave upright instead of crawling, was already President Hawthorne’s act of mercy and kindness."

They saw how even getting a bit close to Miss Vaughn, President Hawthorne would warn them with an icy gaze.

Who gave this fool the guts to covet their president’s wife?!

No matter how indignant the secretaries were, Ann Vaughn was unaffected by Forrest Strong.

She knew very well that Cyrus Hawthorne wouldn’t let her suffer, so she wasn’t afraid from start to finish, even feeling a bit excited when he took action.

But...

Ann Vaughn lay on the desk, watching Cyrus Hawthorne enter work mode with mischievous eyes that sparkled brightly, "President Hawthorne, you were really handsome just now!"

"Hmm?" Cyrus Hawthorne glanced at her indifferently, "Which is to say, not as handsome as the young men in Secretary Vaughn’s phone?"

Ann Vaughn: !!!

Her face flushed crimson, "Do you have super hearing? How come you can hear everything!"

She swore that when she screamed at her phone, she covered her mouth, the noise so faint it was negligible!

Also, wasn’t he always working, how did he manage to notice what she said!

Cyrus Hawthorne raised his hand, pinching her rosy cheek, his lips curled into a teasing expression, "So you were indeed looking at them?"

"..." She let her guard down.

Ann Vaughn whispered, "Although my eyes were on them, my heart is definitely here with you, why be unreasonable?"

Cyrus Hawthorne nearly laughed in anger, holding her nape and forcing her forward, his thin lips moved, biting heavily on her petal-like lips.

Full of punishment.

"Not allowed."

Overbearing!

Ann Vaughn grumbled inwardly, succumbing under his slightly displeased gaze, she offered her red lips proactively, planting a strong kiss on his lips.

The man’s expression then slightly eased.

At this moment, the phone on the desk rang.

Cyrus Hawthorne picked it up casually, his deep voice reminiscent of a cello, "What is it?"

Ann Vaughn immediately withdrew from his embrace but saw his face suddenly turn grave, subconsciously pricking up her ears.

"...Come back... according to the marriage contract..."

However, she only heard a few garbled words, making it hard to understand what was specifically said.

Cyrus Hawthorne’s brows furrowed tightly, his lips pressed into a line, yet when his gaze landed on Ann Vaughn standing nearby, the cold severity slightly eased.

"Let’s discuss when I return." His words fell as he hung up the call.

Recalling what she heard, Ann Vaughn hesitantly asked, "Is it about the marriage contract?"

Cyrus Hawthorne nodded slightly, not hiding anything from her, "Howard Yates intends to use the marriage contract to pressure me. I need to go back to the family house, and have the driver take you home first."

"Can’t I go with you?" Ann Vaughn furrowed her brows, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

"Leave everything to me, okay?" Sensing her unease, Cyrus Hawthorne grasped her soft and delicate hand, squeezing lightly, then chuckled, "How does this hand manage to hold a gun?"

So soft and tiny, his palm could easily envelop it.

Yet remarkably strong, capable of handling both a gun and a Golden Needle.

Ann Vaughn knew he referred to the incident on the Roy’s ship, but she had no mood to think about that, her mind completely occupied by the impending forced marriage by the Yates Family.

However, Cyrus Hawthorne deliberately diverted her attention—

kept her from overthinking.

Ann Vaughn fell asleep as soon as she was sent back to No. 8, unaware of when Cyrus Hawthorne left.

She only thought of one very important thing in her daze.

—Wasn’t her home in Bamboo Creek Villa? Why did she return here after spending one night at No. 8?

Perhaps it was because Kenny was brought over by Cyrus Hawthorne?

With this thought, Ann Vaughn fully slipped into a sweet dream...

Not knowing how much time had passed.

Ann Vaughn was woken by a sudden and urgent notification sound.

She opened her eyes, greeted by the soft-glowing wall lamp, and the ink-like night outside the window.

After quite a while, Ann Vaughn’s mind gradually cleared, picking up the phone.

[Sis, where are you? If you don’t come, my brother might really be forced to marry Miyi Yates! Please hurry over!]

It’s the text from Bella Hawthorne.

Reading it made Ann Vaughn’s heart skip a beat, her throat tightening.

What she feared most had arrived.

She tossed off the covers, getting out of bed, still dressed in the bear pajamas Cyrus Hawthorne had changed her into before sleep, she forgot to change and just grabbed the car keys, running out of the room.

"Young Madam, it’s so late, where are you going?" Uncle Dexter noticed Ann Vaughn was lightly dressed, wanting to get her a coat, but Ann Vaughn refused.

"I’m going to the family home, I’ll be back soon, don’t worry!"

Leaving those hasty words, Ann Vaughn went to the garage to get the car, driving out of the villa.

Uncle Dexter could only text Cyrus Hawthorne, notifying him that Ann Vaughn was on her way there.

On the Linwell Highway, the white Porsche sped like a phantom.

At that moment, a car on the opposing lane crossed the line, turning straight towards Ann Vaughn’s car, showing no intent to avoid!

It happened so suddenly, Ann Vaughn’s mind went blank for a moment, seeing the car about to collide, she quickly turned, trying to avoid the crash.

With all her thoughts focused on the family home, she neglected the car behind her.

In a split second, the vehicle trailing her sped up aggressively, crashing directly into the Porsche’s rear!

"Boom—"

The Porsche, already near the railing after turning, hadn’t slowed down. At the moment of impact, it broke through the railing, plunging into the river.

"Splash!"

The surface erupted into a massive spray, the white Porsche’s silhouette disappearing bit by bit underwater.

Till it vanished, leaving only the rippling water surface.