When she didn’t come back for a while, Shiloh Sloan went out to look for her.
Seeing her standing by the fence in a daze, and getting no response after calling her name a few times, Shiloh walked over and gently tapped her shoulder.
"What are you so lost in thought about?"
Vesper Grayson snapped out of it and lowered her gaze. "Nothing. Want to go shopping?"
Her clothes from three years ago were long out of fashion; it was time to get some new ones.
For the past few years with Luke Lockwood, she had rarely bought designer clothes so he wouldn’t get suspicious. She wore cheap knock-offs, and her most expensive trench coat didn’t even cost four figures.
Now that they had broken up, she no longer needed to hold back.
She took Shiloh Sloan to a luxury boutique she used to frequent. The manager recognized her at a glance and eagerly led them toward the VIP lounge.
"Miss Grayson, it’s been so long! We just received a few new limited-edition pieces. I’m sure you’ll love them."
Vesper Grayson smiled. "Bring them all out for me to see."
The manager immediately called staff over to attend to them, personally bringing over the limited-edition and new seasonal items for her to browse and select.
She picked out what she liked and paid with her card.
As she came out of the VIP lounge, she saw Gwen Grayson walking in with a man.
"Manager Horton, where’s the limited-edition crocodile bag I asked you to hold for me?"
Her eyes lifted, and her brow furrowed the moment she saw Vesper Grayson.
"What are you doing here!"
Vesper Grayson shot her an indifferent glance before turning to the manager. "Please have my purchases delivered to the usual address."
"Yes."
Only then did Gwen Grayson notice that Vesper Grayson had bought a pile of luxury goods.
"Vesper Grayson, you just got back and you’re already spending so much money! What a spendthrift!"
She only got a fifty-thousand-dollar monthly allowance, which wasn’t even enough for her spending. She had to budget carefully just to buy a bag she liked.
Yet Vesper Grayson bought a whole pile of things without even batting an eye.
’Dad’s favoritism is just off the charts.’
Vesper Grayson’s expression was blank. "I’m spending my own money. Got a problem? At least I’m not some brainless twit buying bags to suck up to someone."
’The limited-edition crocodile bag was worth seventy-five thousand dollars. The style was new, but it was too mature—not something a woman under thirty would use. And based on her years of knowing Gwen Grayson, this bag wasn’t her type at all. A moment’s thought was all it took to realize she was buying it for someone else.’
Her intentions exposed in public, Gwen Grayson stomped her foot in frustration. "So what if I am? It’s none of your business! And don’t you dare say a word to Dad!"
Vesper Grayson raised an eyebrow. ’As if she could be bothered.’
’It was Gwen’s money. Who she wanted to spend it on was her own business.’
"Wow, I never realized your sister was such a simp."
Shiloh Sloan remarked as they left the store.
Vesper Grayson added, "And a simp will simp until they have nothing left!"
Ever since high school, Milton Grayson had given both sisters the same allowance. Gwen always spent every last penny, and if it wasn’t enough, Joyce Rivers would secretly give her more. Vesper, on the other hand, had more foresight. She liked to invest in stocks and funds, and over the years, she had earned more than enough to cover her expenses.
The seed money she’d given Luke Lockwood to start his business had also come from her stock market earnings.
"I’ve already asked around for you. This President Hawthorne is extremely low-profile and his movements are unpredictable. Very few people in the country have actually seen him. I’ve already contacted a friend in New York to help me dig around. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything."
She didn’t know much about Elias Hawthorne, only that he had dual doctorates in financial engineering and computer science from Stanford University, having graduated at the top of his class from an accelerated bachelor’s-master’s-doctoral program.
While still a student, a quantitative trading model he developed was acquired by a top investment bank on The Exchange for a fortune. After returning to the country, he took the helm of the Hawthorne Group and restructured its entire capital landscape in just three years. The group’s tech and finance divisions both soared to the top of their respective industries. He holds several international financial patents and is widely acknowledged by The Exchange and domestic capital circles as a trader at the absolute top of his field.
Everyone called him one of heaven’s chosen, unparalleled in the world.
But after hearing her father, Milton Grayson, describe him, the image that formed in her mind was of a dull, boring, and rigid old man.
The thought of having to spend the rest of her life with someone like that had made her pack her bags and run away that very night.
"Okay. Thanks for the trouble."
"I’m on it! I’ve never seen the man in person, but his public reputation is pristine. Not a single whiff of scandal. He’s already miles better than that scumbag Luke Lockwood, who can’t keep it in his pants."
Shiloh Sloan bumped her shoulder playfully. "You can always cultivate feelings later. Just train him like a dog. Don’t be too nice to him. You can have him wrapped around your little finger however you want, right?"
Vesper Grayson wasn’t so optimistic.
’The guy has a genius-level, borderline-inhuman IQ of 220. If he wanted to play games with me, it would be over in a second.’
"Don’t underestimate him," Vesper said. "I just feel like for a man his age to have no woman in his life... there might be something wrong with him, physically or psychologically."
Noah Nash, dressed in black motorcycle leathers, was just walking out of a gear shop. He heard every single word of their conversation, and a thick, playful smirk spread across his lips.
「In the billiards room.」
Noah Nash casually tossed his helmet onto a nearby leather sofa, his eyes landing on the man across the room. He let out a low whistle. "Elias, I just came from checking on the shop and happened to overhear something interesting. It’s about you."
His name was Jared Hawthorne, but he went by his courtesy name, Elias.
From his closest relatives to his oldest friends, everyone used his courtesy name. After a while, everyone just called him Elias Hawthorne, and few even remembered his birth name.
Dressed in a crisp white shirt, Jared Hawthorne was bent slightly over the table. His long, bony fingers held the cue stick, his gaze fixed intently on the pocket. With a light push, the cue struck the ball with sharp precision. The cue ball stopped dead as the target ball sank into the pocket with a satisfying THWACK. The motion was fluid and efficient, exuding an air of innate grace.
Hearing Noah, he slowly straightened up. His back was perfectly straight, his shoulders sharp and defined. The shirt traced the elegant lines of his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Even a simple movement like standing up radiated an ineffable mix of languor and cold indifference.
He glanced at Noah Nash, his eyes cool and deep. He reached out and caught the cigarette Noah tossed him, bringing it to his lips with an air of nonchalance.
"Oh?"
"Not curious who?"
A flame flared to life, licking at the end of the cigarette. Smoke curled upward, blurring the cold depths of his eyes.
Elias glanced at him, his thin lips parting slightly. "Who?"
"That Miss Grayson. Vesper Grayson. The one who was engaged to you three years ago before she packed her bags and skipped town overnight." Noah Nash rubbed his chin, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "And from the sound of it, she’s thinking about following through with the engagement after all."
When he didn’t answer right away, Noah pressed, "So, what are you thinking?"
A smirk played on Elias’s lips. "Looks like she’s had enough of the real world and decided to come running home."
"Elias, something’s off with you," Noah said, his eyes narrowing with a cynical glint. "My grandmother always says that beautiful women are the best liars. Don’t you dare go soft on her just because she’s pretty."
"Your grandmother is just ’once bitten, twice shy.’"
"..."
"She’s different."
Noah snorted. "Other than being gorgeous, I don’t see how."
"Do you remember fifteen years ago? When I went to Ashmore to visit family, I was ambushed and fell off a cliff?"