Hannah’s heart seized when he used “you” to dismiss her, not “us.”
“Sylas, I’m not going anywhere but the Vaughn residence.”
Hannah shot to her feet, walked straight over to him, and perched on the edge of the sofa.
Cupping his face in her hands, she asked with a serious expression, “Sylas, you once said you would marry no one but me.
Are you still willing to marry me now?”
“You know the kind of determination I came back with this time.
If you try to send me away like you did three years ago, you’ll never find me again in this lifetime.”
This time, she had returned not only to force out Selena Sinclair but also with the fervent desire to marry him, to rightfully become Mrs.
Vaughn, and to move into the Vaughn residence openly and honorably.
‘But what does Sylas Vaughn mean by this?’
She had gone to great lengths to embarrass Selena Sinclair and had used every trick in the book to secretly force her away, but in the end, it all seemed to be for nothing.
‘She had a feeling that Sylas Vaughn didn’t love her as much as he used to.’
‘She didn’t know why, but his attitude had suddenly become so distant.’
When Sylas Vaughn heard her talk about leaving and never being found, he inexplicably thought of Selena Sinclair and her situation.
The scene from last night in the basement of the entertainment complex resurfaced in his mind, stirring up a mix of complicated feelings.
It felt as if something had lightly struck his heart, only to slip away quietly.
“That’s enough, Hannah.
I didn’t come here today to talk about this.” Sylas Vaughn tried to remove her hands.
But Hannah was relentless.
“Is there anything more important than this?
Sylas, after all our years together, are you really going to give up on me?”
Sylas Vaughn grew irritated with her pestering.
He had a short temper to begin with, but because it was Hannah, he had been trying his best to hold it in.
He had only intended to ask if she was serious about pursuing a career—he could help her start a company—but now that Hannah was pressuring him like this, his good mood completely vanished.
He probably didn’t even realize it himself, but the man he used to be would never have been so cold to her.
“You should get some rest.
I’m leaving now.”
“Sylas!” Hannah started to say more, but in the blink of an eye, Sylas Vaughn had already left without a backward glance.
By the time Hannah reached the door, his assistant, Julian Ford, had just appeared.
He bowed respectfully to Sylas Vaughn, and as he straightened up, his eyes locked directly onto Hannah.
Hannah couldn’t help but look back at him, a flicker of an inscrutable emotion crossing her eyes.
One of her hands was still resting on the doorframe, but when her eyes met Julian Ford’s, she suddenly crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her gaze.
Julian Ford gave her only a single glance before hurrying after Sylas Vaughn, leaving without looking back.
At the doorway, Leo Aldridge poked his head out furtively from the side.
Hannah had just turned to go back inside when the doorbell rang behind her.
She walked over with a look of resignation and opened the door.
“Hi!” Leo Aldridge greeted her, holding up a hand and making a cat paw gesture.
Hannah stared at him, speechless, then let go of the door and walked back into the room on her own.
With a stern expression, Sylas Vaughn slipped into the car.
Julian Ford, hands on the steering wheel, glanced at him in the rearview mirror and asked cautiously, “Sir, are you sure about letting Miss Hannah continue to stay here?”
‘The Vaughn residence is empty anyway,’ he thought.
‘It’s just sitting there.
He might as well let Hannah go back and live there.
It would save me the trouble of running back and forth every day.’
Sylas Vaughn’s face was grim as he sat in the back seat, acting as if he hadn’t heard the question.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and asked, “Who was that man with Selena Sinclair last night?”
Julian Ford frowned.
‘Is my boss getting jealous?’
“Sir, shouldn’t you be asking Miss Sinclair that directly?
How would I know who he is!”
Sylas Vaughn looked up, unable to hide the anger in his eyes.
“Then what are you waiting for?” he said coldly.
“Hurry up and find out who that man is.”
The sudden chill that erupted in his eyes frightened Julian Ford.
Just an accidental meeting of that icy gaze made the air feel like it had frozen solid.
He quickly agreed and didn’t dare say another word, focusing on his driving.
In less than fifteen minutes, the assistant hurriedly handed over a file.
Sylas Vaughn frowned as he took it, quickly scanning the contents before tossing the file aside.
He let out a cold smirk.
‘When did that woman’s taste get so terrible?’
‘To think she’d find a man like that.’
The car stopped in front of an apartment building.
Through the windshield, his sharp gaze quickly locked onto a specific direction.
He saw her in a floral print dress, her beautiful hair slightly messy in the wind.
It blew across her already innocent-looking face, making her seem even more youthful and carefree.
‘But it looks like she’s packing things up to leave.
Is she really planning to leave this place?’
“Has there been any other movement from Vantage Company recently?
Where does she plan to go?”
Sylas Vaughn sat in the back seat, legs crossed, fingers fidgeting restlessly as he stared gloomily at the woman over there.
The thought that Lucas Hawthorne dared to oppose him brought a suffocating intensity to Sylas Vaughn’s eyes.
If it weren’t for the previous generation’s business dealings with the Grant Family, he wouldn’t have given a second thought to the insignificant Vantage Company.
“I heard…
the madam has resigned.”
“Resigned?” He frowned suddenly, his expression turning grave.
‘No wonder she was in such a hurry to quit.
She really is planning to run away from here.’
At that thought, a volcano of rage felt ready to erupt within him.
A primal urge to be in control surged through him, making him struggle to resist the impulse to drag her back.
As Claire Cameron was putting her suitcase into the trunk, Ian Irving closed the tailgate and asked her, “Sue, this business trip…
about when will you be back?”
Claire Cameron pulled her jacket tighter.
“We’ll see,” she said.
Selena Sinclair stepped forward and gave her a hug.
“Claire, you have to take good care of yourself.”
Claire Cameron replied, “Selena, I’ll be back soon.
You take care too.
Wait for me to come back, okay?”
Selena nodded.
Then the car door was pulled open, and Claire Cameron ducked into the passenger seat.
Selena reluctantly said goodbye to Claire Cameron.
Sylas Vaughn’s gaze hadn’t left the scene.
When he saw the figure over there seem to get into the car, a fire instantly ignited in his heart.
Just as he was about to get out of his own car, he saw Selena’s head appear by the side of the other vehicle.
Immediately after, that car drove straight away from the front of the apartment building.
And on the roadside, Selena was still waving at the car.
Sylas Vaughn’s tense nerves instantly relaxed.
In the next moment, another car pulled up in front of Selena.
Sylas Vaughn narrowed his eyes.
He recognized the person in the car at a glance.
As Selena turned, a car suddenly stopped behind her, the sound of the window rolling down catching her attention.
She turned her head to look at the newcomer.
He was wearing a pair of black sunglasses, looking every bit the rich young master, and was leaning out of the window as he called out to her.
“Miss Sinclair, long time no see!”
Selena recognized him at once.
It was Aaron Yates, one of Sylas Vaughn’s best friends.
He had been abroad for years.
The Yates and Sinclair families had business dealings in the past, and both he and she were part of the wealthy third generation from their maternal grandfathers’ social circle.