Chapter 191: She Must Pay the Price

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: She Must Pay the Price

Gwen Grayson followed her into the elevator, saying casually, "At school, Mom has always been the one to personally communicate with the teachers. Jonathan shouldn’t be getting bullied."

After all, those teachers had accepted plenty of perks. If Jonathan Grayson were really being mistreated at school, how could the teachers not call Joyce Rivers immediately?

Besides, with Jonathan Grayson’s personality, he’s never been the type to suffer in silence. At home, he’s a little tyrant whose word is law. Who could possibly bully him?

Vesper Grayson’s slightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed. Thinking it over, she felt it made sense. Joyce Rivers spoiled her son rotten, treating him like the apple of her eye. She personally drove him to and from school every day. If Jonathan Grayson suffered even the slightest grievance, there was no way she wouldn’t know about it.

"Sister Vesper..."

The moment Dolly Hughes saw Vesper Grayson, her eyes instantly turned red. She hurried forward and threw her arms around her in a tight hug, her voice choked with sobs.

"It’s all my fault, I’m useless. I failed to protect you... Those people, did they do anything to you?"

Vesper Grayson gently patted her back, her tone soft and reassuring.

"I’m fine. You don’t have to blame yourself."

’In the end, she’s just a girl with no strength to speak of, so how could she possibly be a match for those strong, well-built men who had even served in the army?’

"I was the one who lacked situational awareness. I shouldn’t have rashly opened the car door and gotten out..." Dolly Hughes buried her face in Vesper’s shoulder, tears streaming down relentlessly. "You can yell at me, or even hit me. It’s my fault for not fulfilling my duties as an assistant."

As Vesper Grayson’s personal assistant, not only had she failed to protect her boss, but she had also let her fall into danger. For the past two days, Dolly Hughes hadn’t been able to sleep, her heart filled with guilt and self-blame. She was almost suffocating under the weight of it.

Vesper Grayson sighed helplessly and coaxed her softly, "Alright now, I came back safe and sound, didn’t I? If you keep crying, your eyes will get all swollen and you’ll look ugly. Be careful, or Harold Warner might break up with you."

"He wouldn’t dare!" Hearing this, Dolly Hughes quickly wiped the tears from her face and snorted with feigned arrogance, but the sorrow in her eyes hadn’t faded.

She followed Vesper Grayson into the office and recounted, in full detail, how Jared Hawthorne had arrived with his men that day.

"When I woke up, I realized you were gone. I was completely stunned; it felt like my world was collapsing. You should have seen President Hawthorne’s face—it was terrifyingly grim, and the pressure around him was suffocating. He looked like he was about to kill someone..."

Fortunately, Jared Hawthorne hadn’t taken his anger out on her. Otherwise, she might not have made it out alive.

Vesper Grayson sat down on the sofa, took the glass of plain water Dolly offered, and took a small sip.

"And then?"

"I didn’t follow them after that. Assistant Chandler told me to come back to the company and wait for news, and he warned me not to breathe a word of it to anyone," Dolly Hughes said in a low voice. After all, if news of a kidnapping got out, it would have a huge impact on Vesper Grayson’s reputation. She had only secretly told her boyfriend, Harold Warner, and hadn’t said a single word to anyone else.

Vesper Grayson nodded lightly, a hint of approval in her eyes.

"You did very well. If you hadn’t given a detailed description of the kidnappers’ appearances, the police wouldn’t have been able to identify them so quickly."

Hearing this, Dolly Hughes’s eyes reddened again, tears welling up. ’Sister Vesper is just too good, too gentle. It was clearly my failure, but not only did she not blame me, she even comforted me instead. I’ve really found the best boss in the world!’

"It’s a good thing President Hawthorne is so capable; he rescued you so quickly..." Dolly Hughes sniffled, her nose red, and asked cautiously, "Sister Vesper, have you found out who ordered the kidnappers to take you?"

Vesper Grayson gave a soft "Mm."

"Who was it?" Dolly Hughes immediately pressed, her face filled with indignation.

"It’s no one you know."

Vesper Grayson had no intention of saying more. After all, Sheryl Garland was Noah Nash’s cousin. It involved too many people, and there was no need to let outsiders know.

Seeing that she was unwilling to talk, Dolly Hughes knew not to press further and quickly reined in her curiosity.

"President Grayson, if you have no other instructions, I’ll go organize and enter the data."

"Go ahead."

As noon approached, Shiloh Sloan arrived at Vesper Grayson’s office in high spirits, carrying a bag of exquisite desserts.

"I came to see my godson and feed my dear sister while I’m at it." Shiloh Sloan brandished the bag of desserts, her smile radiant.

Vesper Grayson took the bag and opened it. Inside were all her favorite kinds of desserts, and her heart warmed.

"All these years of friendship really haven’t been for nothing. How did you know I was craving sweets?"

"I guess you could call it a psychic connection." Shiloh Sloan casually took off her coat and hung it aside, then sank lazily onto the sofa. Remembering the past couple of days, she asked quizzically, "Why couldn’t I reach you at all a few days ago? Don’t tell me President Hawthorne whisked you away on a secret trip for two?"

’A trip for two? More like a one-day tour of terror!’

Vesper Grayson’s expression was calm as she slowly recounted to Shiloh Sloan the story of being kidnapped and her narrow escape over the past two days.

The more Shiloh Sloan listened, the tighter her brow furrowed, her face filling with rage.

"That Sheryl Garland is completely depraved! To traffic a pregnant woman and harm an innocent person, all for a man she can’t have... You absolutely cannot be soft-hearted, and you can’t tolerate such evil! People like her are rotten to the core. Keeping her around will only lead to disaster."

Vesper Grayson pursed her lips, her tone tinged with conflict.

"But she is, after all, the cousin of Elias’s friend. I can’t decide what to do."

If she handled it officially and pressed charges, Sheryl Garland would undoubtedly spend the rest of her life in prison.

"She was ruthless enough to do this to you, with no regard for whether you lived or died, and you’re still worried about whose cousin she is?" Shiloh Sloan sat up straight, urgently reminding her, "If you weren’t smart enough to find a way to escape in time, do you think she would have shown you any mercy? Vesper, if you go soft this time and don’t pull out the root of the problem, there will be endless trouble in the future!"

That was just human nature. Malicious people always hoped to get lucky, testing others’ boundaries again and again, pushing their luck further each time.

Vesper Grayson couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s earnest intensity.

"What cheesy soap opera have you been binge-watching lately? You’re talking in clichés."

"Don’t change the subject!" Shiloh Sloan shot her a look and asked seriously, "Just tell me, am I making sense or not?"

"I understand the logic, but I don’t want to put Elias in a difficult position. After all, Noah Nash has been his good friend for years." Vesper Grayson sighed softly. If she took things too far and showed no mercy, it would inevitably create a rift between Elias Hawthorne and Noah Nash, and that was something she didn’t want to see.

Hearing this, Shiloh Sloan also sighed helplessly.

"You... you’re just too soft-hearted. Even if you don’t send her to prison, you absolutely can’t just let this slide. She has to pay a price!"

Just as they were talking, there was a knock on the office door, and Dolly Hughes pushed it open and walked in.

"President Grayson, there’s a Ms. Casey Nash downstairs who says she wants to see you."