CHAPTER 187: CHAPTER 187: OBSESSION TO THE BONE

Zane Shaw drove Tanya Sinclair straight to the entrance of the Westgard Pharmaceuticals Tower.

Even though she got divorced, she still had to go to work.

"Ms. Sinclair." Zane Shaw, resting his hand on the car window, called out to Tanya who was about to enter the company, gently reminding her, "The initial court hearing tomorrow afternoon won’t produce any results. You don’t need to waste your time being there; as your representing attorney, I’ll handle it."

After dealing with Vincent Hawthorne a few times, Zane Shaw noticed that he seemed a bit mentally unstable. He appeared decent but was prone to sudden outbursts.

Today, when dealing with the divorce alongside Tanya, his demeanor didn’t seem like he wanted an amicable breakup either.

Or rather, it seemed like he wasn’t taking this divorce seriously.

For Tanya’s safety, Zane Shaw still advised her not to confront Vincent in court tomorrow.

"Alright, I’ll wait for your update," Tanya readily agreed.

After all, when it comes to legal matters, Zane Shaw is the professional.

Tanya bid farewell to Zane and headed towards the company entrance but hadn’t yet entered.

"Tanya."

Tanya turned around at the sound and saw Belinda returning with two cups of coffee after running errands outside.

She handed one of the lattes to Tanya.

"Just perfect, I brought this for you," Belinda said happily for Tanya, knowing from Tanya’s social media, "Congratulations, happy divorce."

"Thanks, Ms. Belinda," Tanya replied with a radiant smile, her already beautiful features now even more lively and graceful.

Even though Belinda was a woman, she couldn’t help but be captivated.

"Vincent really isn’t worthy of you," Belinda remarked sincerely.

She had noticed Tanya getting out of a Mercedes-Benz from ten meters away, winking playfully at her, and joked, "Is the person who drove you your new boyfriend?"

Tanya helplessly replied, "Ms. Belinda, that’s my divorce lawyer, Zane Shaw."

Upon hearing Zane Shaw’s name, Belinda immediately became alert.

"Tanya, be careful with him. He’s truly competent, but my previous company’s boss also hired him as a representing attorney, so I’ve dealt with him. He does the work based on the pay; if the payment’s not sufficient, neither is he—he’s wily," Belinda expressed concern.

If Vincent offered more, she feared Zane might even sell Tanya out.

"Lawyer Shaw isn’t like that," Tanya defended Zane, "So far, he’s only taken my deposit and has been extremely diligent and responsible."

Belinda: "..."

Is this the same Zane Shaw she knows?

Thinking for a moment, Belinda’s eyes widened as a possibility came to mind.

"Tanya, could it be that Zane Shaw secretly admires you?!"

Tanya almost spewed her coffee.

"Ms. Belinda, stop joking around, let’s get back to work!"

Meanwhile, driving on the road, Zane Shaw suddenly sneezed. Perhaps it was because the air conditioning was too high, but he inexplicably felt an eerie chill down his spine, as if someone was plotting against him.

Just as he turned down the air conditioning slightly, his phone rang—a call from Declan Pierce, set with a special alarm ringtone so he could pick it up instantly even if he’s deeply asleep at midnight!

Of course, Zane answered instantly.

"President Pierce," he greeted politely with a smile, "Congratulations, Ms. Sinclair is finally single and available."

Declan’s tone was relaxed, carrying a hint of coolness.

"So, you think all these years I haven’t pursued Tanya Sinclair because she wasn’t single?"

"..." Zane’s smile stiffened, and cold sweat began to form.

He had no way to respond to that.

He thought of himself as a borderline maverick with a good understanding of the law, thriving in gray areas.

But Declan...

He’s a pure renegade.

Legal ethics? Not on his radar at all.

However, indeed, with Declan’s personality, if he liked Tanya, he’d either be a homewrecker for love or forcibly take her... It was truly unlike him to be patient for so many years.

The only explanation is...

Zane’s smile vanished completely, his eyes filling with sheer shock and lingering dread.

—The distance between Declan and Tanya is not determined by him, but by Tanya!

What he was afraid of and concerned about was never Vincent Hawthorne, but Tanya Sinclair!

He wasn’t waiting for Tanya Sinclair to get divorced; he was waiting, waiting for her to gradually open a space in her heart...

Realizing this, Zane took a sharp breath.

This man was terrifyingly patient in his obsession...

"Tanya Sinclair has some belongings at Zenith Group; retrieve them for her," Declan’s voice commanded coolly.

Zane felt a bit troubled, "President Pierce, I’m afraid I can’t do it alone..."

Declan: "Look outside the window."

Zane looked out as told and saw a dozen black sedans suddenly appearing on both sides, trailing closely behind him.

He swallowed hard, bracing himself, "Understood, President Pierce. I’ll move Ms. Sinclair’s things back today!"

...

After leaving the civil affairs bureau, Vincent Hawthorne didn’t immediately return to the company.

He asked Jonah Rivers to drive him to the hospital.

"Yes, Mr. Hawthorne," Jonah replied, although silently clenching his teeth.

Mr. Hawthorne is truly blind and clueless; how can Cindy Lynn compare to the madam?

But then he thought, Mr. Hawthorne doesn’t deserve the madam either! Comparing it like this, he’s well-suited with Cindy Lynn...

Of course, Vincent was unaware of Jonah’s thoughts as he focused on the divorce certificate in his hand, his handsome face darkening, while Tanya’s previous warning echoed in his mind.

According to Tanya, Cindy Lynn dared to shield him from sulfuric acid because she knew it was relatively harmless.

But how could Cindy have known that?

Unless they had known each other beforehand...

Vincent frowned, contemplating for a moment, then dialed a number to Keith Abbott, the lawyer handling this case.

"Arrange a time for me to meet with Kyle Crawford again."

"Understood, Mr. Hawthorne, I’ll make the contact."

After making the call, they arrived at the hospital.

Vincent got out of the car and was heading inside when he encountered Cindy Lynn’s attending physician.

"Dr. Chase."

"Mr. Hawthorne." Dr. Chase said, "Are you here to see Ms. Lynn? She..."

Dr. Chase didn’t finish his sentence before Vincent Hawthorne interrupted him: "Dr. Chase, I have something to ask you. The acid that was thrown on Cindy, was its concentration very high? If it hit the skin, would there be a risk of disfigurement?"

Dr. Chase didn’t expect Vincent to ask this, and was visibly stunned for a moment, organizing his words: "This..."

"Vincent!" Cindy Lynn’s figure appeared just at that moment.

Beside her were two people, none other than Father Lynn, Sean Lynn, and Mrs. Lynn, Shelly Sullivan!

Dr. Chase met Shelly Sullivan’s gaze, lowered his head to adjust the glasses on his nose, and found an excuse to leave: "President Hawthorne, I have an emergency patient to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first."

Vincent Hawthorne couldn’t stop him, so he could only let Dr. Chase leave.

"Vincent, why are you here?" Cindy Lynn happily approached him, "I was just planning to go back to the company to surprise you. I didn’t expect you to come visit me so early."

She smiled sweetly, looking at him with gentleness and anticipation in her eyes.

Vincent suddenly felt a twinge of guilt, Cindy was all about him, risking her life to save him, yet because of something Tanya Sinclair said, he doubted her...

"Father, Mother." Vincent looked at Sean Lynn and Shelly Sullivan, slightly bowing.

Sean Lynn was clearly angry at Vincent Hawthorne, his attitude very cold, "President Hawthorne, you’re really something, how many times has Cindy been hospitalized because of you?"

Vincent Hawthorne: "...I didn’t take good care of Cindy, I’m sorry, Father."

Sean Lynn’s expression was harsh, and he was about to say something when Shelly Sullivan stopped him.

"Honey, don’t you have an important person to meet later? Let’s not waste time here, Vincent is here for Cindy, you see how many times he’s come to the hospital these past days."

Sean Lynn gave Vincent a heavy look before leaving with a cold face.

"Vincent, my dad’s just too worried about me, so he spoke a bit harshly to you. Please don’t take it to heart." Cindy Lynn said considerately.

"Father’s right, it’s my fault for not taking care of you." Vincent forced a smile, gently withdrawing his arm from Cindy’s hold, "Since you can be discharged, rest at home for a day today, and come back to the office tomorrow."

"Okay." Cindy lightly bit her lip, looking at Vincent with expectancy in her eyes, "Vincent, you and Ms. Tanya..."

Vincent knew what she wanted to ask, "Tanya Sinclair and I have already gotten our divorce papers."

Hearing this, Cindy Lynn let out a sigh of relief, her expression turning gentle, "Vincent, it’s Ms. Tanya’s loss for not cherishing such a good man like you."

Vincent silently lifted his hand to adjust her hair, speaking softly: "Let’s go, I’ll see you to your car."

He personally saw Cindy into The Lynn Family’s car, leaving with Shelly Sullivan.

Once the car was far away, Vincent returned to the hospital and went straight to Dr. Chase’s office, where he intercepted Dr. Chase just as he finished a call and was about to leave.

He asked directly: "Dr. Chase, you haven’t answered my previous question, what exactly was the concentration of the acid thrown on Cindy?"

"It was strong acid, its concentration was definitely high." Dr. Chase said, "Luckily, Ms. Lynn had clothing to block it, and the material was special, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

Is that so...

Vincent wasn’t entirely convinced and decided to test him.

"But, the liquid residue in the acid bottle was tested by the police, and the concentration wasn’t high. How do you explain that?"

Dr. Chase explained: "That could be an error in their testing process, contaminating the liquid in the bottle. Anyway, based on what I observed on Ms. Lynn’s clothes and injuries, it’s definitely strong acid!"

He spoke with confidence.

The doubts Vincent had were dispelled.

"I understand, sorry for the trouble." Vincent turned and left.

Once he was gone, Dr. Chase exhaled and quickly shut the office door, walking to the window and dialing the number that had just called.

"Mrs. Lynn, yes, don’t worry, I know what to say."

After hanging up, Dr. Chase opened the bottom drawer of his desk, revealing three thick envelopes lying inside...

Vincent Hawthorne had just left the hospital and got into his car when he received a call from Lawyer Keith Abbott.

"Mr. Hawthorne, you might not be able to see Kyle Crawford."

Vincent frowned: "What do you mean?"

Lawyer Abbott sounded helpless: "Kyle Crawford was beaten beyond recognition, he lost half of his teeth."

Vincent: "?"

He found it unbelievable: "Who did it?"

Wasn’t Kyle Crawford detained at the police station?

Who could be lawless enough to attack someone at the police station?

The answer came in the next second.

"It was the Second Young Master Pierce from The Pierce Family." Lawyer Abbott said cryptically, "It’s said that Declan Pierce came as a boss to check the situation, but unexpectedly, Kyle Crawford suddenly went crazy and attacked Declan with a hidden blade, even slashing his neck. He retaliated in self-defense."

"There were lawyers present as witnesses, and the blade served as evidence. In such a case, even if Declan killed Kyle, it would be considered self-defense."

But everyone knew this couldn’t possibly be self-defense.

First of all, Kyle couldn’t have had a blade on him!

Nor could he have injured Declan’s neck.

Vincent knew Declan’s skills; Kyle couldn’t have harmed him, not even touched his clothes.

And Kyle was crazy, but not suicidal...

"Now Declan has already filed charges against Kyle for attempted murder and is seeking compensation from The Crawford Family. Their villa was transferred to Declan as compensation this morning."

"..."

Vincent’s brow furrowed, his expression serious.

There was only one explanation for the whole affair—Declan did it on purpose.

He was standing up for Tanya Sinclair!

Could it be that Declan really liked Tanya Sinclair?

But as soon as this thought appeared, Vincent himself found it absurd.

Tanya was indeed beautiful and smart, but given Declan’s current status, what woman couldn’t he have?

How could he possibly like a divorced woman?

Vincent could only think of one reason: Tanya had a greater value to Declan!

But what exactly was it?

Besides her brilliant mind, what value did Tanya Sinclair have?

Vincent pondered this all the way back but found no answer.

Upon returning to the company, he received another shocking piece of news.

The secretary rushed into the office to report: "President Hawthorne, something’s wrong! You... you should go to the R&D department and take a look."