CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 179: BRING HIM BACK TO ME!

Tanya noticed a roughly treated wound on Declan Pierce’s neck.

When she first came in, it didn’t seem to be there...

But before she could ask, Declan suddenly fixed his gaze behind her, his eyes turning a shade colder.

Instinctively, Tanya turned around and saw a man in a suit, exuding an extraordinary aura, looking very refined.

Tanya felt the man looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

The man’s eyes fell on Tanya, and he smiled slightly, greeting her proactively: "Ms. Sinclair, we meet again."

Before Tanya could respond, Declan stepped between them.

The man wasn’t fazed by Declan and greeted him with a smile: "Second Young Master."

Declan’s eyes were cold as he uttered, "Zane Shaw, take your client home."

Tanya guessed that the person might be from the Pierce Family, and it wasn’t suitable for her to stay, so she left with Zane Shaw.

When she looked back from the car, Declan had already followed the man into a black business car.

"That’s Seth Yates, Zeke Pierce’s right-hand man," Zane said casually while driving.

"Zeke Pierce?" Tanya paused for a moment, "Isn’t he the Pierce Family’s..."

"The rightful heir of the Pierce Family," Zane’s voice turned cryptic.

At that moment, Tanya suddenly remembered where she had seen Seth Yates before.

It was the day she came out of ’The Dissonance’ — the person who stopped her was Seth Yates!

He said someone wanted to meet her; could it be Zeke Pierce?

"Ms. Sinclair," Zane warned kindly, glancing at her while holding the steering wheel, "if you ever encounter Zeke Pierce, be careful with your words and actions, don’t reveal any flaws."

Having dealt with Zeke, Zane knew that if Declan was the epitome of madness, then Zeke, with his cultured manner, could easily manipulate someone during a casual conversation.

Tanya replied, "Lawyer Shaw, you’re giving me too much credit. I probably won’t have the chance to interact with the Pierce Family heir."

The Pierce Family was a world apart from her.

Even when the Sinclair Family was at its peak, it couldn’t hold a candle to the Pierce Family.

Zane just gave her a glance and didn’t say much.

"Lawyer Shaw, was there any trouble at the police station earlier?" Tanya thought about the new wound on Declan’s neck.

"Just a minor issue," Zane lied calmly, "Declan, as the boss, wanted to have a calm conversation with Kyle Crawford, a former employee, but Kyle suddenly attacked Declan, scratching his neck."

Tanya was shocked; she never expected Kyle to be so bold.

But then she wondered, "But how did he get a weapon?"

"Criminals are cunning. Who knows where he hid it?" Zane replied seriously, "Then Declan, in self-defense, retaliated a little."

Just as he finished speaking, an ambulance was heading towards the police station.

It was probably going to take Kyle Crawford.

Zane nervously rubbed his nose, glancing at Tanya from the corner of his eye, and concluded, "So now the nature of the case has changed, and Declan is suing him for attempted murder, also demanding compensation for lost work, emotional distress, and medical expenses."

Zane estimated, "About 170 million, give or take."

Tanya was shocked again: "How much?"

Zane adjusted his glasses calmly, "That’s my conservative estimate."

After all, he had researched Kyle’s family’s financial situation on the way here; selling everything they owned, they could just barely scrape together that amount.

Tanya thought about the lawyer fees she owed Zane, feeling the pinch already.

"Ms. Sinclair, I’ve submitted the divorce suit against Vincent Hawthorne to the court," Zane said, having noted the uproar surrounding the Hawthorne Family’s scandal online.

At this critical juncture, a scandal like this had a predictable motive, Zane had deduced about seventy to eighty percent of it.

His eyes showed a touch of sympathy when he looked at Tanya.

"Yvonne Hawthorne’s scandal came at just the right time, and Vincent Hawthorne’s public image is also steadily declining," Zane objectively analyzed, "This is very beneficial for winning custody of the two children."

Tanya thought of the two children, especially Joy, and her eyes grew dim.

After dropping Tanya at her residential complex’s entrance, she bid farewell to Zane and walked home.

As soon as she entered, she received a call from Caden.

At this hour, Caden was still awake.

Worried that her son had an urgent matter, Tanya immediately answered, "Sweetheart, why are you still up this late?"

Hearing Tanya’s voice, Caden felt relieved.

His voice was sleepy, softly saying, "Mom, are you alright? I heard a bad guy tried to attack you with acid. Dad said he blocked it, but Aunt Cindy got hurt protecting Dad."

Tanya hadn’t expected the news to reach the children’s ears so quickly.

"I’m fine, sweetheart. How did you find out? Did Dad tell you?"

Caden: "No, it was Aunt Cindy. She accidentally called and woke Joy up. Joy heard she was in the hospital and got anxious, kept asking until she almost cried. Dad was there, so he explained briefly."

Tanya felt a chill in her heart.

Accidentally called the wrong number?

Cindy Lynn definitely did it on purpose! That was her usual trick!

No matter how good a mother Tanya was, to Joy, she seemed never to compare to Cindy Lynn.

Tanya asked with a trace of hope, "Caden, is your sister still at home?"

"..."

Caden stood by the window, holding his phone, watching Joy climb into a car with her little backpack.

He wasn’t good at lying, "Joy insisted on going to the hospital, so Uncle Driver came to pick her up."

Tanya halted at the doorway, her heart aching deeply.

Caden seemed to sense her mood, trying to comfort her: "Joy has been sick these past few years, and Aunt Cindy was always there, so she’s gotten used to it..."

It somehow sounded more peculiar the more he explained.

Caden was still too young to understand adult matters.

In the end, he scratched his head, subconsciously taking the blame upon himself, "I’m sorry... I should’ve stopped Joy."

Tanya’s heart ached for him.

Her son was a blessing from the heavens, healing her in so many ways.

"Caden, you didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t need to apologize for Joy’s decisions to Mom. Just because you’re twin siblings, born a minute apart, doesn’t mean you have to care for her all the time. You don’t have to meet everyone’s expectations either."

The more understanding a child is, the more they tend to wrong themselves.

She couldn’t imagine how much weight little Caden bore in his heart.

Caden looked back at the various trophies in the glass case, all of them first place.

Doesn’t he need to meet everyone’s expectations?

But didn’t Dad and the others teach him differently...

"Mom..." Caden pressed his little hand against the glass window and said softly, "You have to take good care of yourself."

Tanya Sinclair was startled, her eyes moistening. She heard Caden continue, "I’ll grow up quickly too, I’m very strong. I can protect you. Alright, alright, I’m so sleepy, goodnight."

He wasn’t good at being sentimental, having said this, he became embarrassed.

Tanya Sinclair let her tears fall, choking up as she gently said, "Goodnight, my dear, Mommy loves you."

That night, Tanya Sinclair was also exhausted to the bone.

She hurriedly washed up, showered, and went to bed.

She dreamed of Joy running towards her, but just as she opened her arms, her daughter’s once smiling face fell, disappointingly asking, "You’re not Mrs. Lennox, I don’t want you!"

’Ring-ring-ring——’

Tanya Sinclair awoke to the sound of the alarm, the heartbreak from the dream bleeding into reality.

She rubbed her face and got up to wash.

She made herself a simple breakfast, eating while browsing the online news about The Hawthorne Family.

As expected, The Hawthornes spent a lot on PR and internet trolls to whitewash their image, even showcasing all their charitable acts from recent years in an attempt to reverse their image.

But it was in vain; other rumors they could pull, but Zion Monroe’s Vanguard Entertainment was pummeling them. After all, Zion Monroe had no lack of money, and no one was willing to offend The Monroe Family for the sake of The Hawthornes.

The Zenith Group’s stocks naturally fell as soon as the market opened.

The time should almost be right...

Tanya Sinclair went to work as usual, receiving a message from Daisy Bell during the day.

An image taken by paparazzi.

Vincent Hawthorne was personally waiting in line at the hospital’s pharmacy; he was uncharacteristically unkempt, even sporting stubble. Yet, his appearance and demeanor were still superior to ordinary people, making him stand out in the crowd.

Daisy Bell: [Why is this damn scumbag showing up at the hospital now? Is God helping us and he’s caught some incurable disease?]

Tanya Sinclair: [Cindy Lynn was splashed with acid last night, he’s at the hospital taking care of her.]

Tanya Sinclair didn’t mention that the acid was initially intended for her, not wanting Daisy Bell to worry.

Daisy Bell: [!! That’s intense; which hero did such a good deed? Please tell me they splashed it on her face!]

Tanya Sinclair laughed despite herself.

This might leave Daisy Bell disappointed...

She was just about to reply when Belinda suddenly appeared at the door.

"Tanya, there’s an old lady outside asking for you. She says she’s Aunt Flora. I asked her to wait in the meeting room."

Tanya Sinclair’s eyes glinted slightly, but she wasn’t surprised.

"I understand, I’ll go now."

She had been waiting for Old Lady Hawthorne.

Tanya Sinclair entered the meeting room and indeed saw Aunt Flora, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

"Aunt Flora."

"Ma’am!" As soon as Aunt Flora saw Tanya, she immediately stood up.

Tanya Sinclair said, "Please sit, from now on, just call me Tanya."

The implication was clear; she would soon no longer be Mrs. Hawthorne.

Aunt Flora looked at Tanya Sinclair’s indifferent face and sighed, "Is there really no chance for you and Mr. Hawthorne to reconcile?"

"Aunt Flora, you’re a smart person. Since you’re here on behalf of the old lady, she should also be aware of what The Hawthornes originally planned to do to me, right?" Tanya calmly questioned.

"..." Aunt Flora was momentarily silenced.

The uproar on the internet these past two days, even if Theodore Hawthorne and the others wanted to hide it, the board would truthfully inform the old lady if it affected the group’s interests.

Although the old lady had retired to the background, her weight in the board remained significant.

Tanya Sinclair had also been waiting for the old lady these past two days.

"Ms. Sinclair." Aunt Flora corrected herself, speaking softly, "The old lady felt that a phone call lacked sincerity, and she specially sent me to invite you to visit The Hawthorne Family to have a good talk."

Tanya Sinclair readily agreed, "Alright, I’ll go after work."

Aunt Flora said, "Then I’ll wait for you here."

"As you please."

Before leaving, Tanya Sinclair personally poured Aunt Flora another glass of water.

Aunt Flora watched Tanya Sinclair’s departing figure, sighing heavily as she pulled out a phone from her pocket, keeping the call connected.

"Madam, did you hear that? This time it seems Mrs. Hawthorne... genuinely won’t turn back."

On the other end, standing in the courtyard, the old lady closed her eyes after hearing the call.

She seemed to age several years all at once, her voice deep as she said, "I understand, just wait for Tanya to finish work."

After Old Lady Hawthorne hung up, Mother Hawthorne couldn’t wait to say, "Mom, you absolutely can’t let Tanya Sinclair off tonight. Once she’s here, you must force her to hand over the negatives of Yvonne’s videos and photos! If those get out, Yvonne’s life will be..."

She didn’t get to finish, as Mrs. Hawthorne, unable to bear it any longer, turned and swung her cane, hitting Mother Hawthorne hard.

"You’re truly insane! Why did I ever agree to let a fool like you into The Hawthorne Family!"

Mother Hawthorne took the hit, not daring to make a sound.

Old Lady Hawthorne demanded harshly, "Where’s that rotten boy Vincent! Where the hell is he!"

Aunt Tawny, who had rushed back after dropping off Caden in the morning, immediately reported, "Madam, Mr. Hawthorne went to the hospital to care for Cindy Lynn! And he took Joy with him!"

Aunt Tawny had long been disgusted with those two scoundrels!

Initially, she was indignant on Tanya Sinclair’s behalf, but later, she suffered herself, with her phone being smashed and dealing with that conniving seductress.

Now that she caught the chance, she had to report it!

For the lady, no, for Ms. Sinclair, and for herself, she had to speak up!

"Worthless bastard!" Mrs. Hawthorne trembled with anger. She demanded, "Send someone to the hospital immediately, and drag him back here for me!"