Chapter 175: Willing to Pay Double the Price

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Willing to Pay Double the Price

’But now, the woman Tristan truly loves is back. I wonder if he’ll even be willing to have a wedding ceremony with me.’

Patriarch Forrester smiled gently. "You can rest easy. As long as I’m around, the Forrester family will never let you suffer the slightest grievance."

His words were a clear and unmistakable show of favoritism.

A warmth spread through Bella Thorne’s heart. In the entire, vast Forrester family, only the patriarch truly treated her with kindness and cherished her. But feelings couldn’t be forced. Ever since she and Tristan Forrester had registered their marriage, the man had been cold and distant. He treated their marriage like a mere formality.

She knew this marriage was never what he wanted. So she tiptoed around him, never daring to displease him in the slightest. She tried with all her might to win his favor, to warm his heart, but Tristan Forrester was like a block of ancient ice; no matter how hard she tried, he remained cold.

"Why the long face?" Patriarch Forrester keenly sensed her low spirits and asked gently, "Did Tristan bully you?"

Bella Thorne immediately hid the sadness in her eyes, forcing a docile and obedient smile.

"Of course not. With you backing me up, how would he dare bully me?"

"If he ever dares to treat you poorly, you just tell me. I’ll set things right for you."

"I know." She smiled faintly and changed the subject. "Sister Vesper brought you a lot of snacks. See if there’s anything you like."

"That child, Vesper, she’s so thoughtful. Not only does she go to the trouble of treating my leg, but she’s always thinking of me," Patriarch Forrester said, his heart full of gratitude.

Vesper Grayson smiled lightly. "You’re too kind, Grandfather."

Before leaving, Vesper Grayson went to see Sylvia Bell alone.

The white horse saw her from a distance and immediately trotted over with light steps to greet her. It meekly lowered its proud neck and affectionately nuzzled her shoulder. She slowly raised a hand, her palm gently stroking the horse’s sleek, smooth mane.

"Good girl. So you still remember me."

’This horse really is incredibly intelligent.’

Sylvia Bell shook her fluffy mane, her warm nose brushing gently against Vesper’s palm. A low, soft nicker rumbled in her throat, a docile and affectionate sound, as if she were trying to charm her.

Beside them, Dolly Hughes watched in amazement.

"Sister Vesper, she’s so elegant and beautiful! Can I pet her?"

"That’s up to Sylvia Bell."

She remembered Elias had told her that Sylvia Bell had a fierce temperament and was always hostile toward strangers.

Dolly Hughes tentatively reached out a hand, slowly inching closer. The next second, the previously docile white horse’s demeanor changed in a flash. Its ears flattened back, its neck tensed, and it pawed heavily at the ground. A harsh snort accompanied its heavy breathing, and its low whinny was full of warning. A sudden, fierce aura surrounded it, putting it on high alert and allowing no stranger to approach.

Startled, Dolly Hughes scrambled back, not daring to make another rash move.

"Sister Vesper, why the double standard? Is she discriminating against me? Don’t tell me she thinks I’m not pretty enough?" Dolly Hughes grumbled, looking crestfallen.

Bella Thorne chuckled softly. "I’ve been here for a week and come to visit her every day, but she’s never let me get close either."

"I didn’t realize this horse was so picky." Dolly Hughes added a reminder, "Sister Vesper, you should be careful too. Don’t let her accidentally hurt you."

"She won’t hurt me."

Vesper Grayson gently patted Sylvia Bell’s back and said softly, "I’ll come see you again in three days."

Hearing this, Sylvia Bell’s ears drooped. She repeatedly nuzzled Vesper’s palm with affection, whining softly, and refused to move, her eyes filled with reluctance and longing.

On the way back to the company, Dolly Hughes remarked casually, "Sister Vesper, Liam Hawthorne has really had his moment of glory recently. The internet is flooded with voices supporting him."

Vesper Grayson never paid much attention to online chatter and hadn’t visited him in the hospital, but she was aware that Liam Hawthorne had shot to fame for a heroic act of rescue. He had not only won the public’s favor but also earned the approval of the employees within Evercore.

Seeing her silence, Dolly Hughes mused to herself, "I never would’ve thought he was part of the Hawthorne family. Fate really is on his side."

’They say good is rewarded and evil is punished, so why should people who betray a person’s trust get to live such smooth lives?’

Vesper Grayson gazed at the rapidly receding streetscape outside the window and chuckled nonchalantly. "It’s all in the past. He’s not some unforgivable villain. There’s no need to hold a grudge."

"Don’t you feel awkward when you run into each other?"

"Once you’ve let go, those problems disappear." Vesper Grayson’s expression was calm. ’To me, Liam Hawthorne is just a familiar stranger.’

Just as Dolly Hughes was about to accelerate, a private car suddenly and aggressively cut them off, forcing their vehicle to a stop.

"Sister Vesper, look out!"

Dolly Hughes cried out, wrenching the steering wheel hard as she slammed on the brakes.

Vesper Grayson instinctively gripped the armrest, her other hand protectively covering her abdomen.

The car came to a steady stop. After confirming Vesper was unharmed, Dolly Hughes threw open her door, rushed out, and furiously pounded on the other car’s window.

"Do you even know how to drive?! Get out here and explain yourself!"

The car door flew open. Without a word, the man inside struck Dolly Hughes with a sharp chop to the neck, knocking her unconscious. Then, his face cold, he strode toward Vesper Grayson’s car.

Witnessing Dolly Hughes being attacked, Vesper Grayson’s heart clenched. She immediately locked the car doors, quickly took out her phone to make a call, and surreptitiously slipped a silver needle from her sleeve into her hand.

Unable to open the door, the man turned and pulled a cold fire axe from his trunk.

"Vesper?" came Jared’s deep, magnetic voice from the other end of the line.

"Jared, Dolly and I were on our way back from White Horse Manor when someone deliberately ran us off the road. He’s already knocked Dolly out. I’m the target. You need to send people—"

Before she could finish, the man raised the fire axe high and brought it down hard on the car window.

CRASH—

An ear-piercing shatter exploded through the air as the entire window cracked and disintegrated, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

He followed up by splitting the window frame with the axe, violently tearing away the wreckage, and reaching in to swiftly unlock the door. He snatched Vesper Grayson’s phone, brutally ended the call, and tossed it into the nearby shrubbery.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Vesper Grayson demanded, suppressing the panic in her heart and forcing a calm facade.

The man remained expressionless and silent. He grabbed her wrist in a brutal, vice-like grip and violently dragged her out of the car.

Vesper Grayson didn’t dare struggle too hard, terrified of harming the child in her womb. She could only stumble to keep her balance.

"Who hired you? How much did they pay you?" she asked quickly, forcing herself to stay calm. "If you let me go, I’m willing to pay you double."

The man shot her a cold glance, his tone unyielding.

"In our line of work, we have rules. We take the money, we do the job. Our word is our bond. I don’t do business that breaks the rules."

With that, he gave her no chance to argue and forcibly shoved her into the back seat of his car.

The door slammed shut, and the car sped away, disappearing at the end of the road.

「Meanwhile, in the top-floor conference room of the Hawthorne Group.」

The air temperature in the room plummeted. Hearing the call abruptly cut off, Jared Hawthorne’s heart sank. He shot to his feet, his face dark and terrifying, and strode swiftly out of the room.

Maxim Chandler didn’t dare delay. He hurried to keep up, immediately dialing Leon Quillan’s number.

"There’s been an incident. The madam has been abducted. Get your men and rendezvous immediately."

The vehicles sped along the road. Soon, they arrived at the scene and immediately spotted Vesper Grayson’s parked car and the unconscious Dolly Hughes on the ground.

Maxim Chandler quickly stopped the car, got out, and crouched down to gently pat Dolly Hughes’s cheek, calling out in a deep voice, "Assistant Hughes, wake up!"