CHAPTER 434: CHAPTER 434: SHE IS MY DAUGHTER

"Didn’t you say you didn’t know Vincent Ford?"

After turning off the monitor, Hugh York started with this question, catching Ashley Shaw a bit off guard.

"Who did you say?"

It was the first time Ashley Shaw had spoken since earlier.

Hugh York was taken aback for a moment, then rephrased his question: "You’re friends with Jocelyn Hayes?"

Ashley Shaw was afraid of affecting Jocelyn Hayes, so she didn’t respond immediately.

But her hesitation revealed the answer to Hugh York.

Ashley Shaw wasn’t lying; she just didn’t know that Jocelyn’s mother’s name was Vincent Ford.

Realizing this put Hugh York at ease; it meant that Ashley Shaw wasn’t that close to Jocelyn Hayes.

Once the charges were pressed and everything followed procedure, it wouldn’t matter much even if Vincent Ford found out.

Surely she wouldn’t risk everything for a friend her daughter isn’t that close to, right?

So soon, the bright lights came back on, and Hugh York resumed questioning Ashley Shaw.

And his questions were very pointed, easily leading one astray if not careful.

But Ashley Shaw wasn’t a fool; when asked, she either remained silent or only spoke things that were advantageous to her.

Meanwhile, Vincent Ford had just left the station when she saw a black nanny van parked at the entrance.

She hadn’t intended to pay attention to who might be in the car, but when the door opened, a face marked with the passage of time, yet still handsome, unexpectedly caught her eyes.

Vincent immediately recognized the visitor — Owen Sinclair.

It wasn’t that Vincent Ford was starstruck, but the influence of Owen Sinclair on her generation was too great.

Almost without exception, people of her age had seen Owen Sinclair’s films.

"Mr. Sinclair?"

Owen was about to enter when Vincent called out to him.

He didn’t recognize Vincent Ford and naturally assumed she was a fan.

"Sorry, I have something to attend to right now."

Vincent Ford realized Owen Sinclair misunderstood and quickly explained, "I’m Robin’s mom, and Robin is Ashley’s friend."

The moment the name "Ashley" was mentioned, Owen Sinclair halted in his tracks.

"Hello." He proactively extended his hand to her, asking, "Is your daughter here waiting for Ashley too?"

"No..." Vincent hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Sinclair, would it be convenient to have a word?"

Owen glanced inside, and Vincent noticed his hesitation, saying, "What I have to say is also related to Ashley, and besides, Miss Shaw is very safe inside right now."

Owen had no choice but to say, "Okay, shall we talk in the car?"

"Sure."

The interior of the nanny van was spacious, and as the two got in, a small partition was raised by the assistant.

"Please go ahead."

Vincent nodded, introducing her name and identity before explaining why she was there.

Upon hearing that she was there to take Ashley Shaw back, Owen Sinclair’s eyes revealed a hint of gratitude.

Vincent didn’t miss this fleeting expression, growing more certain that the relationship between the two wasn’t ordinary, and becoming more convinced of her own guesses.

Suppressing her dislike for Ashley Shaw, she straightforwardly said, "I’ve just learned about the situation as well, and from the accuser’s statement, Ashley does seem to have some issues. If they insist on filing charges, it could indeed constitute defamation..."

Owen Sinclair frowned deeply, three fine lines appearing between his brows.

He knew Ashley Shaw was brought in because of Noelle York, but he hadn’t expected the charge to be defamation.

"Director Ford..."

Owen said, "As one of the parties involved, I can tell you with full responsibility that I did not sign Noelle York, and there isn’t the slightest connection with Ashley."

Although Ashley Shaw did mention Noelle York to him, by then, he had already decided not to recruit Noelle York.

On top of everything, even if Ashley Shaw had said something, so what?

SQ Corporation was established for Ashley Shaw to manage, and as the prospective owner, Ashley Shaw had the right to be involved in this matter.

Whether or not to recruit Noelle York was originally a decision Ashley Shaw could make; how did it escalate to defamation?

But he naturally did not need to explain these details to Vincent Ford, whom he had just met.

He only said, "I know the entire ins and outs of this matter. Initially, I indeed felt Noelle York had decent acting skills and was a promising talent. But then, I investigated her conduct through my own channels and discovered that Noelle York was incredibly promiscuous, which is a big taboo in our circle. Therefore, I decided not to sign her."

Vincent looked at him surprisingly.

"Promiscuous relationships?"

Did Owen Sinclair have the qualifications to say such a thing?

However, she held back and didn’t vocalize this, instead asking in a different way, "Did Ashley tell you these things?"

Owen vaguely sensed something was off.

"Of course not; she doesn’t even know Noelle York. She just happened to run into her at a Chanel counter..."

He then recounted how Noelle York was behaving arrogantly at the Chanel counter.

Vincent raised her eyebrows slightly.

This was completely different from what Hugh York had told her. According to Hugh, Ashley Shaw had fought over clothes, but in Owen Sinclair’s version, it was a whole different story.

However, it was easy to clarify the context.

Right before Owen Sinclair, Vincent asked her people to obtain surveillance footage from the counter.

While waiting for the footage, Vincent couldn’t hold back from asking Owen Sinclair about his relationship with Ashley Shaw.

"Mr. Sinclair, I know you were only divorced less than three months ago. In these circumstances, aren’t you afraid of the media’s rumors when you’re so close to Ashley?"

Owen subconsciously smiled a bit.

He genuinely found it amusing.

An old father being close to his own biological daughter, isn’t that only natural?

Vincent found his laughter a bit baffling.

"Mr. Sinclair, what are you laughing at? Is my question that funny?"

Owen waved his hand, "No, it’s not your question that’s funny; I just find it somewhat... absurd."

"What do you mean by that?"

Owen replied, "I am aboveboard with Ashley, what is there to be afraid of in terms of media rumors?"

"Aboveboard?" Vincent smiled meaningfully, "You are currently single, and Miss Shaw has no relation to you; she’s just a young and pretty girl. With you stepping in, isn’t it inevitable that the media would misinterpret?"

Owen perceived that something was amiss.

He suddenly looked toward Vincent, asking, "I’m sorry, maybe I misunderstood, but is Director Ford suggesting that I shouldn’t get involved in this?"

Vincent was a straightforward person, hesitated only for a second, then nodded, "Yes. I think it would be best if you didn’t get involved, otherwise, attracting media attention would only amplify this issue."

"Amplify? Do you consider Ashley being brought to this kind of place a minor issue?"

"I..."

"I don’t know if you have a daughter, but imagine, if your daughter were brought here, would you still not get involved?"

Vincent instinctively responded, "That’s different; of course, I would intervene for my daughter. But Miss Shaw and you don’t have much of a connection."

"But what if I said, she is my daughter?"