His dark eyes glinted with an all-knowing light, as if poised to see right through her.
“We’re going back to the family estate tomorrow.
Grandfather wants to see you.
He still doesn’t know we’re getting a divorce.
And you’d better be the one to tell him where you’ve been for the last few days.”
After a moment’s thought, he scratched his head and reluctantly added, “Hannah just returned to the country and plans to live with the Vaughn family.
Since she has no other relatives, I hope that when we’re at the estate, you’ll convince Grandfather to let her stay.”
She only half-understood the first part, but the second half made Selena Sinclair furious.
He wasn’t asking for her opinion; he was simply telling her what to do.
He was informing her that Hannah Hayes was moving back into the Vaughn family home, that she needed to treat Hannah well, and that she had to persuade Mr.
Vaughn to let Hannah stay.
After all, aside from the Vaughn family, Hannah had nowhere else to go in Kingsford.
Hannah had grown up in the Vaughn family home.
If she hadn’t later set her sights on the title of Mrs.
Vaughn, Mr.
Vaughn probably wouldn’t have sent her away three years ago.
To put it nicely, they sent her abroad.
To put it bluntly, they kicked her out.
A stampede of furious thoughts ran through Selena Sinclair’s mind, but she was powerless against his decision.
“Sylas Vaughn, if you care so much about Hannah’s feelings, why won’t you sign the divorce papers?”
She all but screamed the words.
The driver up front kept sneaking glances at them in the rearview mirror.
But Sylas Vaughn’s powerful presence was too intimidating to look at directly.
The driver only managed a quick glance before focusing back on the road.
Sylas Vaughn loosened his tie, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
He didn’t spare Selena a single glance.
He seemed completely accustomed to her pestering, treating it with utter disdain.
“I’ll sign the papers once you convince Grandfather.
Selena Sinclair, if your grandfather hadn’t used their lifelong bond to force mine into arranging our marriage on his deathbed three years ago, do you really think you would have ever become Mrs.
Vaughn?”
His words were sharp and heavy.
Each one was a dagger, stabbing into her heart and carving out its most vulnerable corner.
Selena’s heart seized, the pain almost unbearable.
‘So that’s it.
The reason he won’t sign is because of Mr.
Vaughn.
And the only reason he came to find me was to get his grandfather to accept Hannah.’
‘It made sense, now that she thought about it.
She had promised her own grandfather that as long as Mr.
Vaughn was alive, her position as Mrs.
Vaughn would be secure as a fortress.’
‘Even if they were divorced, as long as Mr.
Vaughn disapproved, Hannah wouldn’t be able to set foot in the Vaughn family’s home, let alone become Sylas Vaughn’s wife.’
‘Just as she’d always known.
His heart and mind were completely filled with Hannah.
Even after three years as Mrs.
Vaughn, Sylas still didn’t love her.’
She didn’t know when the tears had started to well in her eyes.
She quickly turned her head, avoiding his gaze, terrified he would see how vulnerable she was.
Forcing back the rebellious tears, she let out a cold laugh.
“Sylas Vaughn, since I’ve already agreed to step aside for Hannah, I’ll take care of everything.
I just hope you won’t live to regret this.”
She paused, then continued, “I’ll explain everything to Grandfather, you don’t have to worry about that.
Just sign the papers, and I’ll handle the rest.
I won’t put you in a difficult spot or cause you any embarrassment, I guarantee it.”
The light in her eyes faded, but her expression remained calm, as if she had finally seen everything with perfect clarity.
“Mm,” he grunted.
He seemed to want to say more but held his tongue.
He tilted his head slightly, glancing at Selena.
When he saw how desperately she avoided his eyes, he frowned without realizing it.
The car window reflected her crestfallen face.