Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Only Negotiate with Alice York
"Am I wrong?" Tess Thompson chuckled softly, then turned to leave.
Finn Hawthorne’s chest was filled with rage. Unable to bear it any longer, he spun around to confront Tess Thompson, but his expression froze when he saw Mrs. Hawthorne suddenly appear.
"Quite the temper."
Gemma Garland walked over, her face cold.
Finn Hawthorne snorted and also turned to walk away.
"Stop!"
Gemma Garland snapped.
"..."
Out in the world, Finn Hawthorne was used to being arrogant and domineering, fearing nothing and no one. But in the Hawthorne Family, the person he feared most was Mrs. Hawthorne.
Everyone answers to someone, and even if he were ten times braver, he wouldn’t dare take another step right now.
"Come back here," Gemma Garland said.
Finn Hawthorne gritted his teeth and reluctantly turned back.
Tess Thompson was nestled in Gemma Garland’s arms. She had stopped crying, but her shoulders were still trembling, a clear sign of how hard she had just been weeping.
"She called me a dog first. I’m not apologizing to her," Finn Hawthorne stated his position immediately.
Gemma Garland shot her younger son a glare, then turned to comfort Tess in her arms. "Your brother just has that kind of temper. Don’t stoop to his level."
Tess Thompson was very well-behaved in front of Gemma Garland. "I shouldn’t have made him angry."
Finn Hawthorne: "Good, as long as you know."
Gemma Garland shot him a cold glare. "You, shut up!"
Finn Hawthorne obediently shut his mouth.
Tess Thompson also fell silent. She knew very well that the Mrs. Hawthorne before her had once been a formidable female figure whose reputation echoed across Washington and Macau. Rumor had it she had once been the leader of a certain society in Washington. Before she retired, she had her hands in both the legal and illegal worlds, an existence that struck fear into the hearts of many.
In comparison, the refined Xavier Hawthorne was a true, pure businessman. He was capable and talented, with the backing of a century-old family like the Hawthornes. Their union was truly a joining of powerhouses.
"Vera."
Gemma Garland gently patted her shoulder.
Tess Thompson looked up, her expression timid. "Mrs. Hawthorne."
Gemma Garland smiled kindly. "What did you call me?"
Tess Thompson hesitated for two seconds before calling out again, "Mother."
"Good girl." Gemma Garland withdrew her hand. "If you’re unhappy about anything or feel wronged, you can tell me. I’ll stand up for you."
Tess Thompson nodded obediently.
Gemma Garland continued, "Starting tomorrow, I will formally introduce you to everyone. I’ll let them all know you are my daughter, Evelyn Hawthorne. For today, just get used to things and prepare yourself. I’ll arrange a grand banquet for you as soon as possible."
Tess Thompson’s fidgeting fingers suddenly curled up.
"You don’t want to?" Gemma Garland noticed her hesitation.
"No, it’s not that." Tess Thompson shook her head. "It just feels too fast."
Gemma Garland smiled. "Too fast? If it wasn’t to protect you, I would have wanted everyone to know immediately that my Vera has returned."
A strained smile touched the corners of Tess Thompson’s mouth. "I’ll follow your arrangements, Mother."
A satisfied smile appeared on Gemma Garland’s face. She waved a maid over. "Take the Second Young Miss to familiarize herself with the house."
The maid nodded and gestured to Tess Thompson. "Second Young Miss, this way, please."
Without a word of protest, Tess Thompson obediently followed the maid and left.
Once they were in the elevator, Gemma Garland turned to look at Finn Hawthorne, her gaze suddenly turning icy. Finn feared his mother’s look more than anything; it was as sharp as daggers.
"Don’t you know Vera just got back? What’s with your tone?" Gemma Garland asked, her face cold.
Finn Hawthorne looked away. "I’ll watch my words and actions from now on."
Gemma Garland warned him, "No matter how much you dislike her or can’t stand her, you keep it bottled up inside. Don’t you dare show a hint of it. Especially when we’re out, in front of friends, family, and the media. You will *pretend* to care about Vera, do you hear me?"
To be honest, that would be difficult to fake.
But when he met Mrs. Hawthorne’s eyes, Finn lost his nerve. He obediently agreed, "I know."
Seeing her son’s utterly wronged expression, Gemma Garland didn’t feel good either. "It’ll get better once you spend more time together."
Finn Hawthorne didn’t say anything, and it was unclear whether he accepted her words or not.
「Meanwhile.」
Felix Hawthorne had already arrived in Rhovan. He had just gotten off the plane when he received a message from Chloe Linden. He opened it to read—
[The third young master got into an argument with the second young miss at home. The madam settled it.]
Seeing the message, Felix Hawthorne sighed. His brother was really something else...
"Young Master."
Chase Jennings closed the car door and hurried over.
Felix Hawthorne put away his phone. "Any news?"
Chase Jennings nodded. "We found a small lead. I’ve already sent people to follow it."
Felix Hawthorne walked past Chase Jennings with a cold expression. "You’d better hope this small lead is useful."
Chase Jennings shivered and quickly caught up to the Young Master’s pace.
「...」
「Rhovan Hospital.」
The four men Owen Sterling had arranged had been seriously injured and sent to the hospital for treatment.
If Alice York had been alone, it would have taken considerable effort to find which hospital and which room the four men were in. With Wyatt Sterling’s help, she easily found one of them.
She knocked on the hospital room door. Lying on the bed, Trey recognized Alice York and was about to get up. Alice strode in quickly. "Don’t get up. Just lie down and rest."
"Miss Alice."
Trey called out.
Alice York looked at the wounds on Trey’s face and his fractured, heavily bandaged hand. She asked with concern, "Are you undergoing conservative treatment?"
"Miss Alice, your voice?" Trey looked worried.
Alice York shook her head. "It’s a cold, my throat’s inflamed. I’m fine."
Trey nodded, then answered, "Yes. Conservative treatment is slower, but it won’t affect my ability to work in the future. If I had surgery, I’d have to say goodbye to the bodyguard profession for good."
An unpleasant feeling welled up in Alice York’s heart.
"I’m sorry, Miss Alice. I failed to protect your grandparents and let those people take them. But there’s some information I need to tell you." Trey’s expression turned serious.
A bad feeling rose in Alice York’s heart.
Trey said, "They have guns."
Alice York’s heart sank.
Trey added, "There’s another clue. One of them said something—’We should have made you all shut up for good back then.’"
"They said that?" Alice York’s face was deathly pale.
"Yes." Trey’s tone was certain.
「A few minutes later.」
Alice York came out of the hospital room.
Wyatt Sterling was waiting not far away. It was a hospital, so he couldn’t smoke. He’d been holding back for a long time, but the moment he saw her emerge, his craving for a cigarette suddenly vanished.
"Why the long face?" he asked as he walked over.
Alice York’s face was ghastly white. She looked up at Wyatt Sterling and said in a hoarse voice, "Trey said the people who kidnapped my grandparents have guns. So... so it wasn’t Old Master Sterling."
The thing she had feared and worried about the most had happened after all.
If it had been Old Master Sterling, everything would have been negotiable.
But it wasn’t.
It might even be a group of vicious criminals. She didn’t know what they were planning to do or what their motives were. All she knew was that her grandparents were in grave danger now.
Wyatt Sterling’s expression was dark and unreadable. He took out his phone and was about to make a call when someone hurried over.
"Third Master."
Wyatt Sterling turned to the side, looking at the person approaching.
"They sent someone to negotiate. They’re outside the hospital. They said..." The man’s gaze shifted to Alice York. "They’ll only negotiate with Miss Alice."
