CHAPTER 18: CHAPTER 18: HONEY, HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP FREEZING ME OUT?

"Ma’am, hello, the guest who lost the watch is Mr. Quentin Hawthorne."

Listening to the sweet voice of the customer service girl, Vera Sheridan’s tightly clenched fists made a sound.

Ian Kane indeed found a scapegoat—

He had his good friend Quentin Hawthorne pretend to be Nina Sullivan’s boyfriend!

Just then, Ian Kane emerged from the study, looking displeased, "Honey, don’t pay attention to them."

Vera looked at him, so angry her heart was trembling.

She hung up the phone and ignored him, walking past him.

Ian Kane followed her, soothing her in a gentle voice, "What’s wrong again?"

"Nothing, I’m going to sleep." Vera quickened her pace, the needle-like pain in her right ankle reminding her of how much she had given for him.

But he had also once almost died for her.

They were even.

When she entered the bedroom, he tried to follow, but she blocked the door with her hand, "I need to rest."

Ian Kane leaned against the door, still patient, "I’ll help you with your ankle."

Vera lowered her eyelids, "No need, I just want to sleep early."

"...Alright, if you feel uncomfortable, let me know." Ian released the door.

Vera closed the door, quickly went to the bathroom, filled a tub with hot water, and immersed herself in it.

The water was warm, yet it couldn’t warm the coldness in her heart.

The next morning, she didn’t go to Ian Kane’s room to match his suit and tie as usual.

She decided to quit him.

When Ian Kane came downstairs, he saw her arranging flowers at the bar and walked up behind her to embrace her.

Vera moved aside to avoid him.

Her cold, beautiful face was expressionless, her attention focused entirely on the blue hydrangeas in her hands, without glancing at him.

Ian Kane noticed her indifferent and detached attitude, thick-skinned as he got closer, feigning a coquettish tone, "Mrs. Kane, help me tie a tie, hmm?"

Vera made a "snap" sound and deliberately cut off a hydrangea branch, her tone was indifferent, "I’m busy, tie it yourself."

The smile on Ian Kane’s lips grew deeper, reaching his eyes, "It’s just a watch, and you’re so suspicious. My wife must love me desperately."

Vera was momentarily stunned, mocking herself inwardly.

She didn’t want him anymore.

That watch, she had asked Maeve Holloway to return it anonymously to The Sovereign, and also asked her to consult a divorce lawyer.

In the consultation room, beside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Maeve secretly clenched her hands and asked, "Did you witness it?"

Vera crossed her arms, shook her head lightly, and gazed at the distant horizon, "No, but according to the tip of the iceberg theory, this is as much as I know, who knows how much more there is... Three months ago Nina Sullivan already bought a BMW..."

Ian Kane and Nina Sullivan had been together at least three months ago.

Behind those traces she caught, there were more ugliness she hadn’t touched.

"In the future, I don’t need to continue psychological treatment, it’s relaxing, quite good."

For Ian Kane, she had undergone psychological treatment, tearing open old scars time and time again.

And once, her motto was: A wise person does not fall in love.

Maeve hugged Vera, gently patting her back.

She knew Vera had retreated into her hard shell again.

She helped her contact a lawyer.

The response was that to divorce quickly, it was best to have substantive evidence of infidelity.

In other words, she still had to catch them in the act.

Vera found it quite ironic.

Ironically, Ian Kane seemed to be purposely guarding against her these days, not giving her a chance to catch him.

Every day, he picked her up and dropped her off punctually, personally cooked for her at night, made soup, made porridge, and after dinner, either accompanied her in the conservatory to read or dealt with work beside her, and even refused friends who called him out.

Just like when he was courting her before, a warm face against her cold one.

No matter how cold she was, he remained very patient.

In fact, Ian Kane was also a cold man, but only in front of her, he persistently hung on and released all his passion.

In the late night, heavy rain poured.

Vera received a call from her stray animal shelter manager, Kiera, with a worried heart.

After three hours of heavy downpour, the shelter was at risk of flooding, with insufficient staff on duty, and many small animals still soaking in the water.

Seeing the weather forecast showing no sign of the rain stopping, Vera couldn’t rest easy, so she got dressed and went downstairs, intending to go out.

Ian Kane heard the commotion, hurried downstairs, and grasped her by the wrist, "So late, and it’s raining outside, where are you going?"

Vera, "The shelter is about to flood, I’m worried, going over to check."

Ian didn’t say another word, grabbed the coat on the hanger, "Go back to your room and sleep soundly, I’ll take some bodyguards over to help."

Before Vera could respond, he rushed out.

It wasn’t until two in the morning that Ian returned.

Vera came out of her room, saw him, and was slightly stunned.

The man’s black hair was wet, clinging to his forehead, his white shirt turned semi-transparent, sticking to his body and outlining clearly defined muscles, his trousers were also soaked, leaving a dark water stain on the carpet.

"Honey, I’m back, the little animals are all safe." He shook his soaked shirt and smiled at her.

Vera struggled to suppress the urge to care for him, speaking lightly, "Thank you, go take a hot shower."

The moment she finished speaking, she turned to return to her room.

She feared she would be unable to keep her heart hard.

Before, when he pursued her, she was also attracted by his goodness and charm.

She just dared not surrender her heart.

Seeing her still acting cold, Ian Kane’s icy large hand gripped her slender wrist, his dark eyes locked on her, his gaze showing grievance, "Honey, how long are you going to let me feel cold?"

Vera looked down, avoiding his gaze, pulling her hand free, "I’m going to sleep."

Ian Kane took a deep breath, watching her back, his eye corners reddened, his tone growing colder, "Vera, are you taking advantage of my tolerance and indulgence to torture me like this?"

"I also get tired."

Leaving this statement, he walked away with strides.

Vera listened to his hoarse voice of complaint, a stabbing pain in her chest, and when she turned, he was already gone.

It was the first time he had ever spoken harshly to her.

Before long, the sound of a car engine came from downstairs.

He was gone.

For the next three or four days, he didn’t come home.

Vera endured and didn’t look for him either.

That afternoon, in the bathroom secret compartment, she heard Yvonne Ziegler’s voice, "Nina, are you going out again?"

Through the door crack, Nina was bending over applying lipstick in front of the mirror, "Hmm."

Yvonne’s tone carried envy, "Where to have fun? Bvlgari for afternoon tea?"

Nina’s eyes showed a hint of ambiguity, "No, Central Business District... No. 77."

Yvonne glanced around, leaned closer, whispered, "Isn’t that the Kane Group..."

Vera was startled.

It suddenly became clear to her that Ian Kane hadn’t come home these days because he was having fun outside with Nina Sullivan.

Nina Sullivan had been going out every afternoon.

Recalling the lawyer’s words, Vera left the dance troupe, hailed a cab, and discreetly followed Nina Sullivan’s conspicuous pink MINI.

Near the Central Business District, the cab driver lost track of them, so Vera opened Ian Kane’s shared location, which showed he was at the office.

Seeing the company president’s wife suddenly show up, the receptionist enthusiastically pressed the elevator button for her.

Vera headed straight to the president’s office on the top floor.

At the entrance of the president’s office, just as she was about to push the door open, the assistant Elias Crowe blocked her, "Ma’am, you can’t go in."

Vera frowned, "Why? Is your President Kane hosting guests?"

In the past, when she entered Ian Kane’s office, no one blocked her, and Ian Kane also looked forward to her visits.

"No, no—" Elias hadn’t finished speaking when Vera forcefully pushed the door open.

The outer part of the office, decorated in a cold and high-end tone, was empty.

Vera’s eyes narrowed slightly, looking toward the inner lounge, clenching her hands, she walked over swiftly.

At the doorway, she faintly heard a man’s moans coming from inside.

In an instant, her heart felt like it had been slashed, all color drained from her face.

This time, she didn’t care about appearances, her hands trembling, she turned the door handle and pushed the door open—