Hayden Crawford is a very wise man. The more critical the situation, the more alert and clear-headed he becomes, so he had long suspected Serena Sterling. It wouldn’t be wrong to say suspicion, but in fact, he already had the answer in his heart. He was just deceiving himself, unwilling to believe it. He couldn’t believe Serena would harm their child with her own hands. He really didn’t believe it. However, this surveillance footage already confirmed all his suspicions. Everything was part of Serena’s plan. She first eliminated Pearl Nightingale to lure out Anabelle Rathborne, then framed Anabelle after causing herself to fall. Now the child is gone, and it was Serena who caused it. Corvus cautiously looked at Hayden, "Young Master, are you alright?" Corvus felt that the Young Master was in a bad state now. The woman he loved had killed his child; anyone would find it hard to accept. This Miss Summer is truly heartless. "Snap," Hayden lit the lighter, the dim red flame illuminating his incomprehensible handsome face. He spoke hoarsely, "Have you checked Anabelle’s phone?" "We have. Indeed, Miss Summer borrowed Anabelle’s phone to make a call, but it was to the front desk of a resort hotel, then transferred to extension 309. Originally, there was a recording of this, but the recording has disappeared mysteriously." Hayden’s brows furrowed slightly, "What about extension 309?" "Reporting to Young Master, it has also disappeared." Hayden quickly pressed his thin lips into a cold line. Who was this extension 309? All this time, he had a feeling that Serena was waiting for someone. Could she be waiting for this extension 309? What does she want to do? Suddenly, Hayden thought of something. He abruptly stood up, "Back to the hospital! Get back to the hospital quickly!" He strode straight out of the study, heading directly towards the hospital. The black tailored suit pants, sharp as a blade, wrapped around his long legs exuding a powerful and menacing aura, but his steps were not as calm as before, showing traces of panic and unrest. Corvus quickly understood as well. It’s the middle of the night, and the Young Master had retreated from the hospital, now Miss Summer’s side was left vulnerable without any defenses. Don’t forget, Serena is Prof. Sterling, a big name in the medical world, and hospitals in Aethelgard follow her orders. Serena returned to the hospital using the miscarriage as a reason. Everyone’s focus was on the child in her womb. Even Hayden forgot, that was her domain. Oh my god, Corvus sensed a disaster brewing in the hospital. This Miss Sterling is really good at stirring up trouble. Corvus felt like it was endless. Was Serena doing all this to escape? But outside the hospital, Julian Rathborne and Jude Crawford, those legendary fathers, were watching, and Titus Ashworth was eyeing her keenly. How could she slip away, how could she leave the City of Aethelgard? Hayden quickly rushed back to the hospital. He pushed open the door of the VIP ward, only to find it empty, Serena Sterling had already disappeared. The premonition in his heart had come true; Serena had indeed escaped. She had thrown out all these smoke bombs, yet her real intention was to leave all along. Hayden lowered his handsome eyes, his chiseled chest starting to rise and fall. Did she really want to leave this much? Did she not have any attachment to him? Hayden quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. Soon, the call connected, and a deep magnetic voice came through, "Hello." It was... Julian Rathborne! "Father-in-law, Serena is gone, she’s left," Hayden said. On the other end, Julian was silent for two seconds, "I know, once Serena is out, she will definitely end up in Titus Ashworth’s hands, she’s with Titus Ashworth now." "Titus Ashworth will surely take Serena back to the State of Westria, right?" "Yes, but I’m curious how Titus plans to leave the City of Aethelgard." Hayden furrowed his strong brows into a deep line, "I’m heading over there now." He promptly hung up the phone. Listening to the busy tone from the other end, Julian put down his phone and glanced sideways at Jude Crawford beside him, "Do you think Titus can take Serena out of Aethelgard?" The City of Aethelgard was under the control of the Rathborne and Crawford families, with all exits heavily fortified, like a wall of steel and iron, making it nearly impossible to leave. Jude took a drag from his cigarette, the swirling smoke obscuring his deep-set eyes, he nodded, "I believe he can." Julian raised an eyebrow. "Marcus, you truly don’t understand Seraphina Linden, that woman. When Seraphina unexpectedly arrived in Aethelgard back then, nobody knew how she did it. As her fiancé, albeit former..." Julian swiftly interrupted to correct, "Former fiancé." "...As her former fiancé, Titus definitely knows something. Otherwise, your daughter Serena wouldn’t have ended up in Titus’s hands." Julian accepted this logic. Serena was exceptionally shrewd, knowing that once she left the hospital, she’d fall into Titus’s hands, yet she left anyway. There was only one possible explanation: Serena intentionally fell into Titus’s hands. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on noveⅼfire.net Serena wanted Titus to help her leave the City of Aethelgard! "Marcus, when Seraphina chose you back then, it was because you possessed the world’s most perfect genes, so she favored you. Indeed, your daughter Serena is incredibly smart, bold, and strategic, never letting people down. Now she even burned bridges, using Titus to sneak her out of Aethelgard. This move was exceptional." In this battle, Serena faced numerous opponents alone, yet a 20-year-old girl, amidst these powerful figures like Julian Rathborne, Jude Crawford, and Titus Ashworth, played her hand without falling short; she truly was exceptionally brilliant. To be honest, at first, Julian felt a bit frustrated. Anabelle was his daughter, and he once reflected on how the Rathborne family birthed such a useless offspring. Now Serena is his daughter, and Julian felt his backbone stiffened. He reclined his upright back comfortably into the sofa, proud that she was his daughter. Julian looked at Jude Crawford, "So, this time, the person you were after, did they arrive?" Jude nodded, "He’s already here. Serena found him, Seventh Master, Seraphina’s last Closed-door Disciple. He knew too many secrets, and he has finally arrived." All these years, Jude had been waiting for Seventh Master. Now all the key players were on the board, and the time had come to uncover the legendary past buried by time. The mystery shrouded for twenty years was finally about to be unveiled. Serena was indeed in Titus Ashworth’s grasp now. As soon as she left the hospital, Titus was waiting outside with his men. Serena got into Titus’s luxury car, her expression calm. She gazed through the sparkling car window at the rapidly receding scenery outside, knowing that Aethelgard was getting further and further away from her.
Substitute Bride: Utterly Pampered by Her Billionaire Husband - Chapter 487
Updated: Oct 28, 2025 8:28 AM
