CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: VINCENT HAWTHORNE’S DOUBLE STANDARDS

"Tanya!" Vincent Hawthorne reprimanded unhappily, looking at Tanya Sinclair with disappointment in his eyes. "Yvonne is my sister, and yours too!"

Tanya thought to herself, the Sinclair Family couldn’t possibly raise a daughter as spoiled, willful, selfish, and vicious as Yvonne Hawthorne!

"AU International deciding not to cooperate with Yvonne’s company has nothing to do with me," Tanya replied with a sarcastic tug at her lips. "I just woke up after five years in a coma; I don’t have the influence to sway a major international gaming company."

Vincent stared at her, speaking coldly, "You don’t, but Daisy Bell does! The head of AU International’s inspection team, John Abbott, is a fan of Daisy. Just because Yvonne posted a video of you, you’re retaliating against her like this? Tanya, when did you become so heartless?"

Vincent looked completely disappointed, as if she had committed some heinous crime.

Meanwhile, Yvonne had secretly filmed her and intentionally shared it, making her the laughingstock of Aris’s high society. But in Vincent’s eyes, it seemed like a trivial matter.

Vincent’s double standards were truly impressive.

"Daisy has nothing to do with this matter either," Tanya was too lazy to explain further, but she couldn’t let Daisy take the blame. "You should know her personality; she always takes responsibility for her actions. If you don’t believe me, you can call her yourself. Daisy’s number is..."

Just as Tanya was about to give Daisy’s number, Vincent’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and answered, "Dad."

Whatever was said on the other end was unclear to Tanya, but she could visibly see the change in Vincent’s expression.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, "I’ll come over right away."

After finishing the call, Vincent prepared to leave, but before departing, he issued his final verdict to Tanya.

"In short, today’s incident was excessive on your part as a sister-in-law," he said. "Go and apologize properly to Yvonne. Be good, don’t make it difficult for me."

After speaking, Vincent hurriedly turned around. Just as he reached the terrace door and opened it, Tanya suddenly called out to him.

"Vincent."

Vincent wasn’t surprised, his eyes held a calm composure as if he expected this all along.

He knew even though Tanya couldn’t see, she could sense his displeasure.

As long as he was unhappy, she would always give in, it was always like this...

Vincent turned back, as long as Tanya was willing to concede and apologize to Yvonne, he could offer her a few comforting words.

However, Tanya simply stood there, adjusting her wind-blown hair, smiling as she reminded him, "Don’t forget, I’m starting a position in the company’s research department next Monday."

"..."

Vincent left with a dark expression.

Remaining on the terrace, Tanya listened to the heavy sound of Vincent’s door closing as she raised her brows slightly.

Vincent, who prided himself on being a gentleman, rarely let his emotions show so openly. It seemed this time her unexpected defiance had truly infuriated him.

Tanya was indifferent.

Let him be furious.

She watched as Vincent drove away with indifference.

Standing for a long time, her sprained ankle began to ache slightly.

As Tanya bent to massage it, she suddenly recalled Vincent’s call in the morning.

Because she had sprained her ankle, he said he would come back early to accompany her.

Yet he returned only to blame her, completely forgetting about her injury.

Tanya tugged at her lips slightly.

She laughed at herself for still having any expectations of this man...

Returning to the living room, Caden and Joy were nowhere to be seen, and the sushi and desserts were still on the table.

She walked to the study, not entering, first hearing the sound of piano and violin duo filtering through the slightly open door.

Tanya paused to listen for a moment.

It was a Mozart sonata.

She leaned against the wall, quietly listening, as her eyes filled with gentle pride.

This piece wasn’t difficult, but given the ages of Caden and Joy, being able to play it so beautifully and smoothly was quite remarkable.

After a while, the music stopped, and she stepped towards the study as Joy’s voice emerged.

"Brother, I’m a little hungry. Has dad finished talking with that bad woman yet?"

The study window faced the villa’s back garden, and given its dual use as a music room, the soundproofing was great, so the children hadn’t heard Vincent leave.

Caden was busy tuning the strings, but hearing Joy’s words, he paused.

"Joy, you shouldn’t always call her a bad woman," he said, adopting a big brother stance to educate his sister.

He knew Joy disliked that woman, but after all, she was their mother, and frankly... he hadn’t found anything particularly bad about Tanya.

On the contrary, he occasionally felt the woman seemed a bit pitiful...

Joy pouted, jumping off her seat.

"If not a bad woman, what should I call her? Should I call her mom? But she hasn’t been our mom for even a day!"

Outside the door, Tanya’s hand trembled slightly as she held the tray of snacks. She closed her eyes, listening to her daughter’s accusation, feeling a sharp pang in her heart.

Caden disapproved, "Joy..."

Joy felt unhappy too.

"Brother, why are you always siding with her? Isn’t auntie good to us? She takes us to the park and buys us lots of gifts, but that bad woman bullies auntie as soon as she comes back, making her cry!"

Caden found it hard to believe.

"Joy, you can’t just say things like that."

"I’m not making things up! I heard auntie crying over the phone complaining to dad! I even sent a message asking auntie, and she said she’s just a shameless bad woman!"

Caden: "..."

Could that woman really make Auntie cry?

Caden still found it hard to believe.

Just as he was about to speak further, he heard movement behind him—the sound of footsteps and a cane tapping the ground.

He turned to see Tanya Sinclair, one hand holding a cane and the other carrying snacks.

Caden lightly shook his head at Joy, signaling her not to continue discussing the topic.

"I’m here to bring you something to eat, not to disturb you," Tanya casually smiled at the two children, reaching out to find a table nearby.

Caden, feeling a bit uneasy, stepped forward and gently held Tanya’s cane, guiding her.

Tanya smiled silently, feeling very gratified.

Joy saw her smile and immediately rushed to pull Caden aside.

She glared at Tanya, her little hands clenched into fists.

This bad woman, knowing her brother had a soft heart, was deliberately playing the pity game to garner his sympathy! How wicked!

She was just like the evil witch from fairy tales!

"Bad woman, did you hit my auntie?" Joy deliberately questioned loudly.

Today, she was determined to expose the true identity of this wicked witch right in front of her brother!