Chapter 160: I Never Favor Boys Over Girls

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: I Never Favor Boys Over Girls

Jared Hawthorne’s lips curved slightly. "I’m planning to have a wedding with Vesper. The date is set for the middle of next month."

Vesper Grayson’s eyes shot up, a flicker of surprise in their depths.

’The date is set, and I knew nothing about it.’

Zachary Hawthorne was visibly taken aback. "Isn’t that a bit rushed?" The two had just gotten engaged; rushing into a wedding like this seemed improper. A wedding was a major life event. It required careful planning and couldn’t be done carelessly.

"We can’t wait." Jared Hawthorne took Vesper Grayson’s hand, his tone low and gentle. "Your granddaughter-in-law is pregnant. If we wait any longer, we won’t be able to hide her belly."

A joyful light instantly burst from Zachary Hawthorne’s cloudy eyes. His gaze was fixed on Vesper Grayson’s still-flat stomach, and his voice trembled.

"Vesper, is it true? Are you really pregnant?"

The Hawthorne Family’s current generation had few descendants; it had been a long time since a new child was born. His eldest son only had Elias, the second branch also had only one child, and the third branch refused to marry, constantly traveling abroad. Now, all his hopes were pinned on Elias. This child had inherited all of the Hawthorne family’s best genes. The hope of carrying on the family line rested entirely on him.

Vesper Grayson nodded gently and said softly, "Yes, we just found out a few days ago. I’m five weeks along." As she spoke, she took an ultrasound report from her purse and handed it to the patriarch.

Zachary Hawthorne hastily took it. After reading every word, tears of joy streamed down his face as he exclaimed in a trembling voice.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! This is truly joyous news! Vesper, my good child, you are the greatest benefactor of our Hawthorne Family!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to give Ian Bell an order.

"Go to my room. The file folder in the right nightstand drawer. Bring it down."

Ian Bell acknowledged and quickly went upstairs.

"Vesper, now that you’re pregnant, you can’t overexert yourself. If you need anything, just have Elias do it." Zachary Hawthorne was still worried and added, "Or how about Grandpa assigns a few people to take care of you exclusively?"

This feeling of being valued was like a warm current, slowly flowing from her heart throughout her entire body, making her feel toasty and warm.

"Grandpa, I can take care of myself. You forgot, I know medicine," Vesper Grayson said with a reassuring smile.

"That may be so, but it’s always better to have someone else handle the heavy and tiring work."

"I’ll be careful. Besides, Elias will help me." Vesper Grayson looked at the man beside her, a smile dancing in her eyes. "He’s much more meticulous than you imagine."

Zachary Hawthorne said as if it were a matter of course, "That’s what he should be doing."

"Grandpa, there’s one more thing I need to tell you." Jared Hawthorne took a marriage certificate from his pocket and handed it over, a faint but gentle smile spreading across his stern face.

Zachary Hawthorne took the marriage certificate, and after seeing the words on it, he burst into hearty laughter.

"You kid, you sure work fast! You went and got the marriage license behind our backs! Not bad! You’ve got my style from back in the day!"

Back then, Elias’s grandmother didn’t want to get married, championing some sort of freedom. It made him so angry he had to resort to certain measures, getting her pregnant before she finally agreed to marry him.

Just then, Ian Bell came quickly down the stairs with the file folder.

"Old Master, is this the one?"

Zachary Hawthorne nodded, gesturing for him to hand it to Vesper Grayson.

"For me?" Vesper Grayson paused, looking at the hefty file folder, her mind filled with confusion, unsure of its contents.

"If not for you, then who? It was prepared for you." Zachary Hawthorne smiled kindly. "Open it and see if you like it."

Vesper Grayson opened the file folder, and her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.

Inside were deeds to prime downtown real estate, titles to limited-edition luxury cars, large-sum investment funds, and a black card loaded with one hundred million in cash.

In her entire life, she had never seen so much money.

It was like a sudden windfall, the feeling of getting rich overnight!

"Grandpa, this is too much. I can’t accept it." Vesper Grayson was overwhelmed by the favor and quickly tried to refuse.

Zachary Hawthorne waved his hand. "This is Grandpa’s meeting gift for you. I’ve already prepared the child’s share. When the baby is born, I will personally hand it to them."

Vesper Grayson subconsciously looked at Jared Hawthorne beside her.

He glanced at her nonchalantly and said faintly, "Since it’s Grandpa’s kind intention, you should accept it. To the Old Master, this is just a drop in the ocean."

Vesper Grayson: "..."

’Good grief, the Old Master’s wealth is just too immense. Does this count as finding the most powerful backer for the baby in my belly?’

Zachary Hawthorne took the teacup from Ian Bell, took a light sip, and said slowly, "That’s right. The one thing Grandpa doesn’t lack right now is money. As long as you’re willing to add to the Hawthorne Family, after I’m gone, all of this will be left to you."

Vesper Grayson’s heart warmed, and she said softly, "Thank you, Grandpa."

"Vesper, don’t feel any pressure." Zachary Hawthorne waved his hand, his tone exceptionally serious. "Whether this baby is a boy or a girl, Grandpa will treat them equally. I never favor boys over girls!"

In his eyes, character and ability were far more important than gender. At worst, they could find a great-grandson-in-law to marry into the family in the future.

If Vesper was willing to have more children, he would naturally be delighted. But if she only had one, he would never force the issue.

He respected the younger generation’s wishes.

The anxiety in Vesper Grayson’s heart instantly vanished upon hearing this. She had been worried that if she had a daughter, the Old Master would be disappointed.

’Even though she didn’t know if this baby was a boy or a girl, it was her first child, and she would cherish it like a precious treasure!’

...

「A suburban villa.」

Kevin Hawthorne’s car hadn’t even come to a full stop before he rushed into the foyer.

Hearing the commotion, Shirley Langley immediately got up from the sofa and went to greet him, a gentle smile on her face. "Kevin, what brings you here?"

Although she had been forced to move out and was full of resentment, the villa she now lived in was worth tens of millions, and its decoration and furnishings were all to her liking. To compensate her, Kevin Hawthorne had even given her three million in one lump sum.

She had just reached out to take Kevin Hawthorne’s arm when a resounding slap, delivered with vicious force, struck her face.

"SLAP—"

The force was so great that Shirley Langley, caught completely off guard, was knocked to the ground.

She clutched her stinging cheek and looked up in disbelief, meeting Kevin Hawthorne’s furious eyes.

"Kevin, you... you hit me?"

After all these years, this was the first time Kevin Hawthorne had ever laid a hand on her. In the past, he had always coaxed her with soft words, yielding to her every demand. Even when she truly angered him, he could never bring himself to lay a finger on her.

"You cheated on me, made me a cuckold, and had me raise another man’s bastard for over twenty years!" Kevin Hawthorne stepped forward, grabbing Shirley Langley by the throat and roaring, "Speak! Who was the man!"

The terrifying feeling of suffocation instantly consumed Shirley Langley. She frantically beat at Kevin Hawthorne’s arms, her voice broken. "Let... let go of me! I didn’t betray you..."

Kevin Hawthorne sneered, his grip suddenly tightening as his eyes turned vicious. "The paternity test is right in front of me, and you still dare to lie? Shirley Langley, you ungrateful bitch! Was I too good to you all this time, making you think I was easy to bully?"

"Dad! What are you doing! Let Mom go!" Aidan Hawthorne burst through the door, seeing the scene just in time. He rushed forward and forcefully pulled them apart.

"Cough... COUGH COUGH..."

Shirley Langley collapsed into Aidan Hawthorne’s arms, coughing violently, her chest heaving. Aidan gently patted her back to help her catch her breath. Once she had calmed down, he carefully helped her to the sofa.

"Dad, there must be a misunderstanding!" Aidan Hawthorne argued urgently. "Mom loves you so much. She never even remarried for your sake. How can you doubt her faithfulness just because of one test report?"

"You shut your mouth!" Kevin Hawthorne’s eyes were bloodshot, his rage nearly burning away his sanity. "A DNA test? You call that just a piece of paper? Elias personally had that test done. How could it possibly be fake?"

With that, he slammed the paternity test report onto Shirley Langley’s face.

"Bitch! How dare you betray me!"