After dinner, Eli Sheridan took Ann Vaughn and Kenny back to Viridian Palace. Originally, they had already had Ann Vaughn’s room cleaned up, hoping she could stay over tonight. Who knew a few uninvited guests would show up. If not to avoid scaring Ann Vaughn, Eli Sheridan’s overflowing hostility would have been hard to hide. "Brother, does the Hawthorne Family have any past issues with our family?" Before getting out of the car while holding Kenny, Ann Vaughn couldn’t help but ask. Eli Sheridan originally didn’t want to bring up these matters in front of Ann Vaughn, but now that her identity has spread, it’s only a matter of time before The Halloway Family comes for her. "Micah Hawthorne, the current family head of the Hawthorne Family, was our mom’s childhood sweetheart, and they were engaged. But before the wedding, Micah Hawthorne suddenly called it off. After mom annulled the engagement with him, she soon married our dad." "Later, not long after you were born, mom and dad staged a kidnapping to move you somewhere else and told everyone you’d gone missing, planning to bring you back later." The kidnapping from over twenty years ago was just a play?! Ann Vaughn’s bright eyes widened, "Was it because of that curse?" The curse that no daughter of the Sheridan Family would live past 23. By the time of Stanley Sheridan’s generation, Ann Vaughn was the only girl left in the Sheridan Family. Eli Sheridan nodded slightly, "Mom and dad guessed that the curse was man-made, so they deliberately staged the kidnapping. But no one expected Micah Hawthorne to interfere, bribing the kidnappers, and then things spiraled out of control." Upon hearing this, doubt surfaced in Ann Vaughn’s eyes, "Wasn’t it because he didn’t want to save me and mom for a million dollars?" "To outsiders, it certainly seemed that way." The streetlights outside the car window cast onto Eli Sheridan’s face, which bore no hint of a smile, "But the truth is, when dad took the ransom to find Micah Hawthorne, you’d already encountered misfortune." "When dad came back, he blocked all related news, said nothing about the incident, and even deliberately led your deaths toward the direction of an accident... When grandpa and grandma questioned him, all he admitted was that it was his reluctance to give up a million that got you killed, and he took full responsibility without any explanation." "In the past few years, after Micah Hawthorne was released, he has been trying to mend his relationship with our family, but he is insidious and deceitful and cannot be trusted. If you see him in the future, try to stay as far away as possible." Ann Vaughn seriously nodded, "I’ll be careful." Returning to Viridian Palace, after Ann Vaughn carried the already asleep Kenny back to his room and was about to return to her own room, she saw Ian Vaughn standing on the stairs waiting for her. "Uncle." Ann Vaughn walked over and saw his furrowed brow, her heart skipped a beat, "Did something happen?" Ian Vaughn offered her a reassuring smile, "Indeed, there are some things I can’t figure out, so I’m here to ask you." "Cyrus Hawthorne transferred half of his shares in Hawthorne Group to me. Did you know about this, Sweetie?" Upon suddenly hearing his name, Ann Vaughn’s breath hitched. "Why would he do that?!" Ann Vaughn’s delicate fingers unconsciously clenched, her eyes filled with bewilderment. "You really didn’t know." Ian Vaughn sighed softly, "I only just learned about it, and I suspect, if the other half of his shares weren’t transferred to you, then..." "It’s very likely in Eli’s hands." The more Ann Vaughn listened, the more confused she became. Why would Cyrus Hawthorne transfer his shares to her uncle out of the blue? And why was her uncle so sure that Cyrus Hawthorne also transferred the other half of his shares? And to her brother... "Uncle, wait a minute." Ann Vaughn took out her phone, calling Eli Sheridan to confirm. Sure enough, it was just as Ian Vaughn suspected. Ann Vaughn’s eyes went blank, staring at the floor, her mind a jumbled mess. What does Cyrus Hawthorne really intend to do? Ian Vaughn raised a hand to touch Ann Vaughn’s hair, speaking gently, "As the head of the Hawthorne Family, his absolute control over the Hawthorne Group is both his confidence and his capital. Think about it, why would he give it all away?" "Why?" Ann Vaughn’s voice was strained, while her mind raced. "The transfer documents will only become effective three days from now," Ian Vaughn continued. Upon hearing this, Ann Vaughn’s head shot up, her bright eyes wide open, "He might get into trouble three days later!?" Otherwise, there’s no reason to explain why he would suddenly dismantle his authority and set the time limit for three days later. Because he knows that something unfavorable to him will definitely happen in three days! Realizing this, Ann Vaughn felt a tickle of anxiety in her chest, eager to return to The Imperial Capital to confirm— Is it her guess that’s wrong, or is Cyrus Hawthorne really going to encounter trouble. Ian Vaughn wasn’t surprised by her reaction, even feeling relieved, "Sweetie, love is always afraid of being a step too late. If you can’t grasp it in time, even a short step can turn into an insurmountable chasm." The starry light in her eyes upon hearing Cyrus Hawthorne’s name was unmistakable. "Before, I also thought Cyrus Hawthorne no longer loved you, which is why he divorced you. But by dividing his shares into two and giving them to me and your brother, not you, I realized he loves you more than he loves himself." The meaning behind what Cyrus Hawthorne did couldn’t be clearer. If one day Ann Vaughn remarries, the shares combined in his and Eli Sheridan’s hands will be her dowry and confidence. If she chooses to remain single, the Hawthorne Group under his or Eli Sheridan’s management will benefit her the most. Even if Ann Vaughn spends her days lavishly, she can live freely and comfortably, without worrying about money. Ian Vaughn chuckled softly, "The man you love managed to rope both your uncle and brother in, and we can’t help but admire him for it." Even though he ignored the other’s request for secrecy to tell Ann Vaughn about this, he had other considerations. Ann Vaughn found herself at a loss for words. Her beautiful bright eyes seemed covered in a layer of mist, shrouding all her true thoughts within. If Cyrus Hawthorne did this out of a desire to make amends, she believed it. But to say he loves her more than himself— Follow current novels on NoveI[F]ire.net How could Ann Vaughn dare to believe that? "Uncle, let me think about it alone." Without waiting for Ian Vaughn to speak, Ann Vaughn rushed into her room, falling face-first onto the soft bed. The pillow sank gently under her, burying her face within it. The complex thoughts were like sharp pains, threatening to tear through her brain, making her forehead bead with a fine layer of sweat. "She’s no longer your sister-in-law." "In the future, don’t involve outsiders in family affairs." In the end, all thoughts condensed into these two statements, as if giant hands violently pulled Ann Vaughn into an endless abyss...