CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER 9: SO CINDY LYNN WAS HIS WHITE MOONLIGHT ALL ALONG

After Tanya Sinclair replied to Daisy Bell’s message, it wasn’t long before there was a commotion downstairs.

She walked to the window and took a glance, only to see two large trucks parked in the front yard, loaded with yellow roses with roots and soil.

Seven or eight gardeners with shovels got out of the trucks and without a word began to dig out the tulips in the yard.

Tanya stood by the window, admiring the garden that was being meticulously excavated.

Before long, not a single unsightly tulip was in sight.

Truly pleasing to the eye.

Tanya flashed her first genuine smile since waking up.

At six in the evening, Daisy Bell’s driver arrived to pick her up.

Aunt Lewis helped Tanya into the car, and as the car started, Tanya saw Aunt Lewis in the rearview mirror taking a photo of the license plate with her phone.

Presumably to report to Vincent Hawthorne.

Tanya was completely unconcerned.

Vincent recognized Daisy Bell’s car, and he knew how much Daisy disliked him.

In public, he always maintained the image of a refined gentleman, and he wouldn’t easily provoke someone as fiery as Daisy Bell.

Tanya now felt grateful that she hadn’t been blinded by love to the point of abandoning such a good friend just because Vincent disliked Daisy!

Half an hour later, the car stopped in the parking lot outside The Treasure Pavilion.

Pretending all the way, Tanya put on sunglasses and took out a white cane, continuing to feign blindness as she entered the restaurant.

A waiter immediately came forward to greet her.

"May I ask if you are Tanya Sinclair?

Ms. Sinclair? Ms. Bell is already waiting for you in a private room on the fourth floor. Would you like me to escort you up?"

"No need," said Tanya. "Could you just help me to the elevator?"

Under the guidance of the waiter, Tanya walked to the elevator.

When the elevator doors opened, Tanya stepped inside and pressed the button for the fourth floor, watching as the heavy doors slowly closed in front of her.

Casually glancing outside, she suddenly noticed a group of black-suited bodyguards entering the entrance, forming two lines, their presence obscuring the figure walking between them.

Tanya slightly lowered her sunglasses and through the gap between two bodyguards, caught a glimpse of the man’s profile, clad in an imposing dark suit that resembled a looming shadow. The most prominent feature was his hand.

The fingers were long and slender, with distinctly defined joints, beautifully shaped. And because the skin was fair, the veins on the back of the hand were faintly visible, inexplicably alluring.

The word "artwork" suddenly popped into Tanya’s mind.

However, a man with such aesthetically pleasing hands was often not good-looking overall.

But before Tanya had a chance to verify this theory, the elevator doors had fully closed.

At the entrance, Declan Pierce paused mid-step, as if sensing something, he glanced sideways towards the elevator hall, only catching sight of the slowly ascending elevator.

Declan narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of an intriguing emotion flashing across them.

At this moment, The Treasure Pavilion’s manager hurried forward with a respectful smile.

"Good evening, Mr. Pierce, your private elevator is over this way."

Declan withdrew his gaze and turned to walk toward the other, discreet and luxurious private elevator.

...

Fourth floor.

Tanya exited the elevator and, relying on memory, walked to the end of the corridor to the private room at the corner.

As soon as she pushed the door open, Daisy Bell pounced on her with a bear hug.

"Boohoo, my Baby Tanya! Let me have a good look!" Daisy cupped Tanya’s face, the more she looked, the more painful it was, "How did you get so thin? It’s all because of that bastard Vincent! I knew he wasn’t any good from the start!"

Daisy always disliked Vincent, probably the only person in the world who thought Vincent wasn’t good enough for her.

Looking at Daisy’s familiar lively face, Tanya’s eyes welled up with tears.

She couldn’t help but choke up.

"Daisy, I’ve missed you so much."

They say best friends are the family you choose, and in Tanya’s heart, Daisy was no different from her own sister.

Daisy hugged Tanya tightly, gently patting her back, able to feel her bones.

"Alright, let’s eat first! We can talk while we eat."

Daisy led Tanya to the table and sat her down.

Looking at the table full of her favorite dishes, Tanya’s nose tingled, and a warm feeling rose in her heart.

"Thank you, Daisy."

"What’s this about saying thanks between us?" Daisy lightly pinched her cheek, her eyes full of tender affection and reluctance, "Eat more, get your health back, and divorce that jerk Vincent soon! If worst comes to worst, I’ll support you! I won the Golden Palm Award for Best Actress last year, supporting a best friend is no problem!"

Tanya was amused by her and genuinely happy for Daisy.

Becoming an award-winning actress was always Daisy’s dream.

"Congratulations, Daisy. You’ve achieved your dreams."

Daisy looked at Tanya but couldn’t smile; she felt it was unfair for Tanya.

"Tanya, if seven years ago you hadn’t stayed for Vincent..."

"Daisy," Tanya softly interrupted her, "The past is meaningless to regret. But I always have control over my life in my own hands, I can correct it anytime. I will divorce Vincent, it’s just not the right time now. To get custody of the two kids, I need to prepare more. I might need your help."

The Hawthorne Family in Aris was considered a top-tier wealthy family, and Vincent himself maintained an impeccable public image: the youngest director in Zenith Group’s history, flawless appearance, the perfect good man, good husband, good father... He was almost idolized!

The funniest part was that half of the ladder to this pedestal was built by her own hands for Vincent!

Tanya knew that getting custody of the children from The Hawthorne Family wouldn’t be easy.

Daisy held Tanya’s hand, "Tanya, I’ll always support you every step of the way!"

Tanya never doubted this for a moment.

After they mostly finished eating, Daisy pushed her phone in front of Tanya.

"Tanya, I found Cindy Lynn’s secret Weibo account." She couldn’t help but sigh, "Have a look,"

Tanya picked up the phone.

Cindy Lynn’s Weibo username was ’Unaware Vincent’.

The profile picture was a blurry silhouette of a man’s back, but Tanya recognized it instantly; it was Vincent!

She knew him too well.

Since the age of twelve, she had been following Vincent, seeing his back more than anything.

The most recent Weibo post on Cindy Lynn’s account was from five years ago, on the date when she had complications during childbirth and became a vegetative state.

In Cindy Lynn’s posted photo, she was grinning while holding two infants!

Those had to be Caden and Joy!

Tanya felt a wave of anger surge up, but she forced her emotions down and continued scrolling.

The more she browsed, the colder Tanya’s heart grew, and her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

In photos from Cindy Lynn’s university days, the figure of Vincent appeared!

They had known each other since university!

But she remembered clearly, it was because she got pregnant that Vincent said he hired a clever and capable secretary to look after her.

They even pretended to greet each other in front of her, as though they were meeting for the first time!

Daisy was fuming, angrily exclaiming, "Cindy Lynn, that deceitful green tea, was actually Vincent’s junior in college, two years behind him, and they had an unusual relationship back then!"

Tanya looked at the most recent photo, sneering, "More than unusual."

In the photo, Cindy Lynn leaned against Vincent’s shoulder for a selfie, and Vincent, seeming just woken up, looked at her with adoring eyes.

Cindy Lynn’s caption read: [Someone came to the hospital on their birthday just to take care of me and give me a scarf, thanks~].

Noting the date under this Weibo post, Tanya felt completely drained, past memories hitting like a harsh slap, leaving her head spinning.

In the photo, the scarf Cindy Lynn wore was one Tanya had stayed up all night hand-knitting for Vincent!