CHAPTER 944: CHAPTER 944: BOYFRIEND CANDIDATE

Ann Vaughn’s heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out without thinking, "What are you doing?"

"Can’t you tell?" Cyrus Hawthorne offered her the bouquet, his lazy voice filled with captivating sincerity, "I’m pursuing you."

I’m pursuing you—

Ann Vaughn was completely caught off guard by his straightforward confession.

Last night in his messages, he didn’t mention confessing to her at all, so she managed to convince herself it might have been drunken ramblings.

But then??

Ann Vaughn stared at him dumbfoundedly for a long time before she finally managed to utter, "Did you drink again?"

Otherwise, the difference is too jarring.

After speaking, Ann Vaughn sniffed at the air, as if trying to determine if there was any alcohol scent on him.

Cyrus Hawthorne raised his eyebrows, seemingly aware, and asked, "Did I tell you last night that I want to pursue you?"

It was much more intense than this...

Recalling the wild things he said last night, Ann Vaughn’s ears uncontrollably began to burn, and she cleared her throat, saying, "You didn’t say anything last night, just that it caught me a bit off guard."

Since he’d forgotten, Ann Vaughn certainly wasn’t going to remind him, adding to the embarrassment.

Little liar.

These three words rolled around Cyrus Hawthorne’s throat before finally emerging as, "So, you agreed?"

"If I don’t agree, will you give up?" Ann Vaughn thought about how she had struggled all night without sleeping, and couldn’t resist teasing him.

"Of course," Cyrus Hawthorne smirked, "I won’t."

Ann Vaughn sulked for a couple of seconds, muttering softly, "Then why ask."

"A pre-battle announcement, necessary."

"???"

Apparently, this man views pursuing her as a battle?

Though she was grumbling inwardly, Ann Vaughn’s eyes and eyebrows were smiling, clearly enjoying herself.

She already had a vague fondness for James Vaughn, and since she had confirmed she was long divorced, there were no issues of cheating.

Since she didn’t dislike him, why not give it a try?

"Alright." Ann Vaughn took Cyrus Hawthorne’s bouquet, her bright eyes arched like crescents, "Boyfriend candidate, let’s see how you do next."

Boyfriend...candidate?

Cyrus Hawthorne chuckled quietly, wondering where the little minx had picked up this new term.

If Ann Vaughn heard his thoughts, she’d surely pat her chest and say there’s no need to learn, her chatty little mouth isn’t just for show!

...

While Ann Vaughn and Cyrus Hawthorne were at the cinema, Vaughn Clinic encountered some rather unpleasant incidents.

The guests who were examining and even undergoing treatment suddenly turned pale, leaving hastily even before completing their treatment, paying before rushing off.

Some even forgot to pay and had to be chased by the staff.

Within half an hour, the clinic visibly quieted down, leaving only a few from La Belle.

"Manager, could it be the Lockwood Family causing trouble again?" A doctor from the consultation room couldn’t sit still and came out to ask Sherry.

Sherry frowned and nodded, "Recently, the Lockwood Family released news that next week they’ll launch a youth elixir and a cold medicine. But there’s one condition, they won’t sell these to Vaughn Clinic’s clients."

"They’re just too much!" The receptionist was angrily fuming, "Continuously challenging us, do they truly think we’re pushovers?!"

The resentment previously suffered at the hands of the Lockwood Family was enough, and just as they managed to catch a break, the Lockwood Family clung on again!

It’s like gum stuck in hair, impossible to dispose of, and it makes one feel utterly disgusted.

Sherry’s mood wasn’t good either with a face full of worry.

"These two elixirs, one is a youth potion, claimed to preserve youth, and age-defying beauty no woman can resist. The other for the cold, most well-off families would want some at home.".

"Our clinic has temporarily only launched a repair potion, though its effects rival the Lockwood Family’s cold remedy, it can’t compare to the youth elixir."

The staff secretly clicked their tongues.

The temptation to retain youth and beauty was indeed great.

If it wasn’t for the Lockwood Family’s truly repulsive methods, they’d probably find it hard to resist and would want to buy the youth potion themselves.

But it was just a thought.

"Manager, what should we do now?"

"I’ll first ask Annie, see what she thinks." Sherry sighed, grabbing her phone and heading to the break room.

After she left, the staff began to whisper to each other.

"Do you think the boss’s pharmaceutical friend could make a youth elixir?"

"It’s hard to say; I heard the Lockwood Family’s youth potion has been researched for three to four years already, it’s not something easy to make."

"Ah, if only the boss were here."

"Heh, the boss isn’t a pharmacist; even if here, it wouldn’t solve the issue."

"But don’t you feel, when the boss is around, everything’s anchored, and we’re not afraid? Because she always finds a way to solve things."

Hearing this, the staff fell into silence.

With Ann Vaughn there before, it didn’t seem significant, but now with her absence, they realized her importance.

...

As soon as Ann Vaughn walked out of the cinema, she sneezed twice.

"Who’s thinking of me?" As soon as Ann Vaughn mumbled this, a man’s coat was draped over her shoulders, still warm and with a faint and pleasant cedar scent.

"The temperature’s dropping these days. Wear it, don’t catch a cold." Cyrus Hawthorne reached up to pull her hair out from under the coat, his moves naturally skilled.

Ann Vaughn responded with a muffled "hm," turning to ask him, "You’re like a weather forecaster, how are you so familiar with daily weather conditions?"

She was too lazy to check those, her choice of clothes dictated by fate.

Cyrus Hawthorne’s lips curled slightly, dodging the question to ask, "How did you find the movie just now?"

Their conversation almost made Ann Vaughn forget the most crucial issue.

The movie they just watched was supposedly the hit film "Phoenix Rising."

When Ann Vaughn chose this movie, it was simply because it felt right.

But against all odds, she never expected to appear in the film, playing a role of the pianist symbolizing freedom and tragedy!

Throughout the latter half of the movie, Ann Vaughn was completely dazed, unable to focus on the rest.

"James Vaughn, don’t you think the pianist in today’s movie resembled me a lot?" Ann Vaughn’s tone was filled with uncertainty.

She’s clearly a traditional medicine practitioner, why was she acting?

The leap in profession was immense, leaving Ann Vaughn bewildered.

"Is it so?" Cyrus’s calm demeanor didn’t change, replying nonchalantly, "I thought you had a twin sister."

If Cyrus said he thought she looked alike, Ann Vaughn might doubt if her senses were mistaken.

But his response only reinforced the idea in her mind.