CHAPTER 917: CHAPTER 917: A PAINFUL PAST

After hanging up the phone, Ann Vaughn looked at the canvas in front of her, smeared with paint, her lips twitching slightly. Helplessly, she tore it down and threw it into a trash bin overflowing with crumpled papers.

"Ding dong."

The screen of the phone on the desk lit up.

It was a message from Susie Sommers, who hadn’t shown up for days.

—— Susie Sommers: I’ve been feeling down lately because of work, so I decided to go out for some air. I’ll be back once my mood improves. Don’t miss me~

She even added a blowing kiss emoji at the end.

Ann Vaughn couldn’t help but chuckle, replying with "Have fun," and was about to put down her phone when her eyes caught the date, stopping her in her tracks.

If she remembered correctly, Kenny’s birthday was the day after tomorrow...

With that in mind, Ann Vaughn had no heart to continue battling with her paintbrush. She packed up her things and headed out to a gift shop downtown.

The items in the store were exquisite and varied, dazzling at first glance.

But no matter how Ann Vaughn looked, she felt these things didn’t quite suit Little Dumpling.

"Fancy seeing you here, Miss Annie."

Ann Vaughn was about to bend down to take a crystal ball from the lower shelf when she suddenly heard Joyce Chancellor’s voice coming from the front. She looked up.

Joyce Chancellor, in a floral tassel dress, was walking over with a gift shop bag in her hand.

"Miss Annie, are you here to buy a gift too?" Joyce asked with a smile.

Ann Vaughn nodded slightly, pausing before saying, "...You can just call me by my name."

Joyce blinked playfully, "It’s because seeing Miss Annie gives me a sense of familiarity. And Miss Annie looks older, so I can’t help but call you that."

...Alright then.

Ann Vaughn said no more and picked up the crystal ball she had been looking at, only to hear Joyce say, "Miss Annie, I’ve been to this store many times. Need me to give you a suggestion?"

"Sure, I’d appreciate that." Ann Vaughn nodded, putting the crystal ball back.

"Who is Miss Annie buying a gift for? A child or an adult?"

Ann Vaughn pondered for a few seconds, "A four-year-old boy."

Joyce’s eyes flashed, then she smiled, "Got it, Miss Annie, follow me."

Speaking, Joyce led Ann Vaughn to the toy robot section, pointing to the row above.

"Boys around this age generally like these things because they look cool."

Indeed, although Kenny is soft and loves to act cute, looking like a little milk dumpling.

But Ann Vaughn rarely sees him playing with stuffed animals; he’s more interested in puzzles and the like.

Ann Vaughn chose one that matched Kenny’s favorite color after going through the items.

After leaving the gift shop, Ann Vaughn offered to treat Joyce to some food to thank her for helping choose the gift.

Joyce readily agreed.

Once they found a seat, Ann Vaughn put down her things and went to the restroom.

Just as she entered the restroom, two women walked out, exchanging strange looks as they discussed something.

"Was that Ann Vaughn just now? Although she looks different from high school, she seems much prettier now."

"More than that, do you think she felt awkward seeing us, afraid we’d bring up that incident and pretended not to know us?"

"Maybe... considering we’re all aware of her unsavory past, it’s natural for her to be afraid of us."

"I’ve heard she might be doing well now, much better than before..."

Joyce raised her head slowly, watching the backs of the two women, then put down the menu and followed them.

About five minutes later, Ann Vaughn came out of the restroom and returned to her seat.

She accepted the menu Joyce handed over, flipping through it while casually asking, "Last time you mentioned you’re working at Hawthorne Corp., how’s it going?"

"The overall environment is great, and the colleagues are very accommodating, but the CEO..." Joyce frowned, shrugging helplessly, "Too many suitors. I spend most of my work time dealing with the CEO’s girlfriends."

"Girlfriends?" Ann Vaughn was surprised. Wasn’t that Cyrus Hawthorne involved with several women?

Joyce chuckled, "We outsiders shouldn’t say much, but who knows how the CEO’s family would feel if they knew."

Ann Vaughn bit down on the straw, clicking her tongue, "Your boss is quite the scoundrel,"

The type of man she despised most was someone with a family who still fooled around, cheating left and right.

"Nothing we can do, I heard the CEO doesn’t have a good relationship with his wife, and they stayed together just for the child. Our secretaries say his wife is quite pitiable."

Ann Vaughn wanted to nod but found she couldn’t, so she just sipped her juice.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable in her abdomen, Ann Vaughn didn’t stay out long and bid Joyce farewell after eating, then hailed a cab home.

As soon as she got home, Ann Vaughn received two more packages.

Undoubtedly, they were all comic books.

Looking at the piles of comic books taking up most of the living room, with beautiful handsome boys on the covers, Ann Vaughn’s smile carried a hint of frustration.

She was truly exhausted this time.

The phone tossed on the sofa rang at this moment.

Ann Vaughn thought it was Little Dumpling, but upon picking it up, she discovered it was the landlord calling.

"Miss Vaughn, sorry to bother you so late, it’s like this..."

After the landlord finished speaking, Ann Vaughn’s face lost all trace of a smile.

...

Two hours later.

The dew was getting heavier, the night wind was chilly, and from the dark corners came occasional dog barks.

Ann Vaughn sat numbly on her suitcase, holding her abdomen, with several boxes stacked on a small cart beside her, looking like a stray cat abandoned by the roadside.

If there was some sad music playing right now, passersby might throw money at her feet.

Though Ann Vaughn’s face showed no expression, in her heart she had furiously cursed that treacherous landlord.

And kindly greeted the entire family tree of the landlord.

A gust of night wind blew, Ann Vaughn shivered with a sneeze, her abdomen ached, her eyebrows knit tight, and her shoulders shrank.

Isn’t it already early summer, why is it so cold...

"Screech—"

Just then, a luxurious black Maybach stopped in front of Ann Vaughn, the window rolled down to reveal a face chiseled like a masterpiece.

"Miss Vaughn?" Cyrus Hawthorne nodded slightly, his narrow eyes fixed on Ann Vaughn’s pale face, his voice low, "Why are you out here so late?"