Chapter 170: How did you get in?

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: How did you get in?

Liam Hawthorne gazed up at the stark white ceiling, his voice low and raspy. "I know. That’s why Vesper refuses to forgive me."

"Luke, since you’ve already broken up, it means your time together is over. Stop pining for someone who doesn’t belong to you," Nancy Linton gently advised. "If you truly love her, you should want her to be happy. Even if she and your cousin do end up separating in the future, you still won’t have a chance."

’A man who cheats doesn’t deserve to even hope for forgiveness.’

’It’s just like with Kevin Hawthorne. He cheated on me and deceived me for so many years. Even if he came back now, I would only find him filthy and disgusting.’

Liam Hawthorne’s fingers clenched into a fist. "Why?"

"Because it’s filthy!" Nancy Linton bit out, her teeth clenched. She knew the words were harsh, but only by confronting him with the ugly truth could she snap him out of it. "Your father’s cheating has disgusted me for years. I will never, ever forgive him. If it weren’t for you, I would have divorced him long ago!"

The one word—"filthy"—stifled everything he had left unsaid.

Nancy Linton offered no further comfort. Her tone was cold and hard. "If you really want what’s best for her, then stop talking about your past together. You’re an adult and you need to take responsibility for your mistakes. Don’t compound your errors."

Despite her harsh words, Nancy Linton still made a special trip to Grayson Corporation, bringing Vesper Grayson an assortment of nutritional supplements.

"Aunt Nancy, what’s all this...?"

"Thank you for saving Luke," Nancy Linton said with sincere gratitude.

Vesper Grayson smiled. "You’re being too polite. We’re family. It was nothing, really. You didn’t have to come all this way."

"It’s the least I can do." Nancy Linton took her hand. "I know all about what happened between you and Luke. You’re a good woman; he was the one who didn’t know how to cherish you. For you to disregard the past and save him... you’ve done more than enough. If I were in your shoes, I’m not sure I could have done it."

’If Kevin Hawthorne had ended up in a similar state, I probably wouldn’t have shed a single tear. I’d have just said one thing, cold as ice: he deserved it.’

Vesper Grayson froze, surprised that Nancy knew about her past with Liam Hawthorne.

"Did he tell you?"

"He did. He’s wracked with guilt and still has feelings for you. But what’s done is done. I won’t defend him just because he’s my son." Nancy Linton’s face fell, and she laughed self-deprecatingly. "In that regard, he’s just like his father."

"How has Uncle Kevin been lately?"

"He came back once. I suppose he was too ashamed to stay, so he left again." Nancy Linton’s lip curled. "It doesn’t matter whether he returns or not. To me, he’s as good as dead. As soon as Luke is stable at the company, I’m still going to divorce him. I refuse to spend the rest of my life feeling this disgusted with myself. Even when I die, I don’t want to be buried next to him."

Vesper Grayson was surprised. Nancy Linton seemed so gentle, but once she made a decision, she was incredibly firm and resolute, never looking back.

"If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask."

...

Kevin Hawthorne was a man who gave his all when he was in love. But the moment he discovered that Shirley Langley had betrayed him and played him for a fool, every last bit of his affection vanished in an instant.

He reclaimed every property, every penny, and every luxury item he had ever given Shirley Langley, driving her into destitution until she was nearly homeless.

Even Aidan Langley didn’t escape. He was fired from his job, his bank accounts were frozen, and his house and car were repossessed, leaving him without a single valuable possession to his name.

The people Aidan Langley had once bullied, hearing of his downfall, swarmed in to take their revenge.

Rumor had it that someone broke his leg. He was taken to the hospital but couldn’t afford treatment and slipped into a coma.

Shirley Langley went to beg Kevin Hawthorne for help but was cruelly rejected. She then went to find Nancy Linton.

The woman Kevin Hawthorne had once cherished like a treasure was now a complete mess, kneeling before Nancy, sobbing and pleading.

"Nancy Linton, I’m begging you, please save Aidan! You raised him for more than twenty years! Even if he’s not your biological son, he called you ’Mom’ for all that time! You can’t just stand by and do nothing!"

Nancy Linton’s expression was glacial as she looked down at her. "All I can say is he’s unlucky to have a shameless homewrecker for a mother. You should be counting your blessings that I haven’t sued you for twenty-plus years of child support. How dare you come here and ask me to save your son?"

The thought that the boy she had poured twenty years of her heart into raising had secretly plotted with his birth mother to drive her out with nothing sent a chill down her spine.

"It’s all my fault, a thousand times over! Take out your anger on me, but Aidan is innocent!" Shirley Langley clutched desperately at her pant leg. "Please, just this one time..."

Nancy Linton remained completely unmoved. She ordered the maids to throw Shirley out and walked back into the villa without a single glance back.

She remained indifferent to Shirley Langley’s desperate wails outside.

Later, word got out that although Aidan Langley survived, the delay in his treatment left him with a permanent disability—a lame leg.

After failing several times to get help from Kevin Hawthorne and being abandoned by another man she was involved with, Shirley Langley finally left Northolme with Aidan, their whereabouts unknown.

Later, Kevin Hawthorne shamelessly returned and tried to reconcile with Nancy Linton, but he was rebuffed at every turn. They ultimately parted on bad terms.

...

「The next day」

Vesper Grayson called Shiloh Sloan, asking her to come to the photography studio to try on her bridesmaid’s dress.

When Shiloh Sloan rushed in, Vesper Grayson was already in the middle of choosing a wedding gown.

Jared Hawthorne had already reserved the entire year’s haute couture collections from several of Europe’s top bridal designers. The vast dressing room was filled with gowns of every style, cascading from the ceiling and filling the entire space.

There were elaborate, court-style gowns with magnificent trains, studded with crystals and pearls. There were minimalist satin A-line dresses with chic, sophisticated silhouettes. There were also light, ethereal tulle gowns that seemed to float. The selection of traditional Chinese wedding attire was just as stunning: Dragon and Phoenix kwa embroidered with gold thread, beaded Malaysian kwa, and silk-embroidered qipaos—every single one a unique, custom piece.

Vesper Grayson was so dazzled she couldn’t take it all in, and she was struck with a bout of decision paralysis.

Jared Hawthorne sat on the sofa, his long legs crossed, his gaze soft and adoring. "There’s no rush. Take your time. We have all afternoon."

"Wow, President Hawthorne is such a boss!" Shiloh Sloan whispered, nudging Vesper Grayson’s arm. "This is insane."

Seeing her, Vesper Grayson looked as if she’d just seen her savior. "You’re just in time," she pleaded. "Quick, help me pick some."

Shiloh Sloan raised an eyebrow and, in one go, picked out over a dozen dresses.

"Try all of these on. I think every single one is gorgeous."

Vesper Grayson was at a loss for words.

’This is going to kill me!’

But getting married was a once-in-a-lifetime event for most women.

She tried on the gowns one by one, surprised to discover that every single one fit her perfectly, as if they had been custom-made just for her.

Thankfully, she was still in the early stages of her pregnancy, so her belly wasn’t showing. The slim-fitting, floor-length gown she had on only served to accentuate her graceful figure and lovely curves. She struggled to pull up the zipper on the back, but she couldn’t quite reach it.

She called out softly, "Shiloh, can you come in here a second? I need help with the zipper."

The previous dresses she’d tried on had zippers on the side; this was the only one with a zipper in the back.

The curtain was gently drawn aside, and a hand reached in, slowly pulling the zipper up for her.

A faint, crisp scent filled the dressing room. Vesper Grayson knew who it was in an instant. She spun around, her gaze falling directly into the man’s deep, dark eyes, and her cheeks immediately flushed red.

"What are you doing in here?"