On the weekend, Ann Vaughn dropped Kenny off at the research institute as usual, then recalled Laura Quinn’s note from last time. After pondering for a while, she decided to verify it herself. The bodyguards arranged at the suburban hospital were all disguised members of the Hawthorne Family’s Shadow Guard. Therefore, no one dared to stop Ann Vaughn. In the ward, Aidan Keating lay on the hospital bed, looking more despondent than before. He heard the door being pushed open but showed no interest, not caring who had come. Ann Vaughn first examined him carefully, but she didn’t notice any peculiar changes in him. Laura Quinn had hinted at the suburban hospital, which very likely referred to Aidan Keating, so she observed closely. However, apart from feeling a bit agitated and having poor sleep quality, Aidan’s toxins were already cleared, and there seemed to be nothing strange about him... "What are you staring at?" Aidan Keating lifted his eyes to see Ann Vaughn glaring at him as if scanning with X-ray vision, which made him feel uneasy. Ann Vaughn retracted her gaze and shook her head, "Laura Quinn asked me to come and check on you." Her words were immediately debunked by Aidan Keating: "Come off it. How could she possibly ask someone she dislikes to do such a thing?" Ann Vaughn guessed he wouldn’t believe her, so she handed him Laura Quinn’s note, "You recognize Laura Quinn’s handwriting, don’t you?" Aidan Keating’s hands were behind his head as he glanced at the note, "What does that prove?" "It doesn’t prove anything, but I can decide whether or not to inform her about your situation." Ann Vaughn smiled slightly, "After all, I’m not the one who’s anxious." She spoke half-truths, backed by Laura Quinn’s note, making Aidan Keating scrutinize her for a moment before speaking, "What did she ask you to do here?" Ann Vaughn contemplated for two seconds, "She said she was being blackmailed and asked me to come to the suburban hospital. Due to the urgency, she didn’t tell me much detail, but I figured the reason she was being blackmailed might be related to you." "Me?" Aidan Keating sneered lightly, "Unless the one blackmailing her is her eldest son, otherwise, there’s no second person in this world who can exploit me." "Do you know Miyi Yates?" Ann Vaughn asked again. A trace of surprise flashed in Aidan Keating’s eyes, and unexpectedly, he did not deny it, "She’s delivered Mulberry Flower powder to me a few times, quite a deep thinker." She was just casually asking, and didn’t expect Aidan Keating to recognize Miyi Yates. Ann Vaughn was so surprised that her eyes widened, "Why did she deliver Mulberry Flower powder to you?" Those addicted to Mulberry Flower would consume the powder to briefly ease the pain of withdrawal, but the addiction would grow with the amount consumed. Before the Mulberry Flower fields were burned, nearly a thousand people died from withdrawal every year. "She has ulterior motives." Aidan Keating adjusted his position, his tone slow and languid, "Her desires are written in her eyes, hoping to gain something from me, hence helping me." "But she miscalculated. I didn’t use any of the powder she brought." After he finished speaking, Aidan Keating casually pulled out more than ten small white bags from under his pillow, scattering them on the ground, "Help me burn them on your way out." It was the first time in his life that he stumbled, and it was because of these powders. Even if the suffering was so intense he wanted to smash his head against the wall, he wouldn’t compromise his principles. Being inadvertently drawn into addiction by someone’s scheme was one thing, but if he fell and used such substances, then Aidan Keating wouldn’t even respect himself. Ann Vaughn watched as he continued pulling out white packets from the pillow, her gaze growing complicated for a moment. This man... Initially, she saw him as just an ordinary person. But anyone who can resist such temptations before recovering from addiction is anything but ordinary. In that instant, Ann Vaughn didn’t know what to say. Aidan Keating had seen her eloquent during debates with Laura Quinn, saw her gentle patience when she needed help from him, and saw her cleverness earlier while being playful. Now, seeing her completely dazed, a subtle feeling stirred in his heart. "Rest well, I will inform Laura Quinn about your situation here." Ann Vaughn snapped back to reality, stood up, and said, "By the way, although it’s not the right nature, thanks for donating bone marrow to my son." Although that was Laura Quinn’s condition for threatening her to divorce Cyrus Hawthorne. Content originally comes from novel⚑fire.net "Are you stupid or something?" Aidan Keating sneered upon hearing, "Before your son’s surgery, I had already escaped from this damned place, only to be captured by your man again, failing to escape. You’re actually thanking me?" Compared to a stranger he’d never met, of course, the brother with whom he faced life and death was far more important. Moreover, this included Laura Quinn’s intention, making it even less likely for Aidan Keating to defy her wishes. He was captured by Cyrus Hawthorne?! Ann Vaughn’s clear eyes widened, her pretty face full of shock. It wasn’t because Laura Quinn persuaded Aidan Keating that Kenny had a successful surgery?! Just what had she misunderstood?! At this moment, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang. Ann Vaughn numbly took the phone out of her pocket and answered. Before the phone reached her ear, Bella Hawthorne’s urgent voice came through, "Sister-in-law, it’s bad! The family somehow found out about my brother’s coma, and just took Grandpa to the research institute!" "If Grandpa finds out we hid something so major from him, he’ll be furious!" Ann Vaughn’s face turned slightly pale, her slender fingers clenched, but her gaze calmed down, "Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon." QY Research Institute. When Ann Vaughn hurried back, she saw Old Master Hawthorne leading the Hawthorne Family members who had considerable influence, all gathered in front of the ward. Laura Quinn was the only one absent. "The Family Head has been in trouble for so long, yet we found out only now. Ann Vaughn deliberately hid it from us. Does she want to seize the Hawthorne Family’s assets during the Family Head’s crisis?!" "She’s already divorced from the Family Head but could make him give her the Shadow Guard for her use, showing her skills are extraordinary." The others turned even grimmer upon hearing, "The Shadow Guard was given to her? Just what kind of charm did she use on the Family Head?!" "How come the Family Head got into trouble right after meeting her? It’s said she excels both in medicine and poison, her poisoning skills are no less than her medical skills!" "Come on, don’t think so poorly of people. If Ann Vaughn wanted to harm the Family Head, wouldn’t she have had even more opportunities before their divorce? Why didn’t she act then?" "Old Master, say something, don’t tell me you’ll stand by and watch everything fall into the hands of an outsider?!" If not for the Hidden Guard at the ward’s entrance, the Hawthorne Family members would have charged in already, rather than quarrel endlessly here.