Old Mr. Vaughn seemed unconcerned about it, but hearing Ann Vaughn’s complex feelings — frowning one second and nearly spitting her drink the next.
Could this be the typical case of having a gold mine at home??
"Sweetie, come here." Old Mr. Vaughn put a handful of peeled sunflower seeds into Ann Vaughn’s palm, the corners of his eyes crinkling with delight. "These seeds are from the sunflower fields I have overseas, give them a try."
"Sunflower seeds make you hot, Sweetie, have these instead." Old Mrs. Vaughn directly held his hand down and pushed a fruit plate in front of Ann Vaughn.
Old Mr. Vaughn glared at the fruit in the plate, snorted lightly, but said nothing.
The fruit plate was filled with plump, glistening white fruits of an unknown variety, looking extremely tempting.
Ann Vaughn took one and put it in her mouth, gently biting with her teeth, and the juice and flesh burst out, filling her mouth with a familiar taste.
Doesn’t this taste just like the white fragrance Cyrus Hawthorne bought her in the Black Swan Cake before?
Ann Vaughn didn’t think much of it, and after eating half of the white fragrance fruit, she quietly took the invitation card to find the butler who had just stepped out of the living room.
"It seems like my grandpa is particularly resistant to attending this party. Do you know why?"
The butler’s eyes flickered as he shook his head and said, "It’s nothing, the old gentleman just doesn’t like that kind of setting."
Merely disliking it would make her grandpa so furious that he’d throw the invitation card straight into the trash?
Ann Vaughn didn’t believe this explanation and felt there was more to it.
The butler couldn’t resist her pleas and had to tell her everything.
"Your uncle got engaged to the Halloway Corporation’s daughter a few years ago, and the wedding was scheduled for this March, but due to the car accident, the engagement was broken off."
Ann Vaughn’s eyes widened slightly, "Uncle has a fiancée? How come I didn’t know? Did she break it off because he became a vegetable?"
This was something Ian Vaughn never seemed to mention to her.
"Perhaps in the joy of having you back, he didn’t have a chance to mention it," the butler smiled and continued, "If the Halloway family solely wanted to break off the engagement, how could the old man and woman not agree? But do you know what the Halloway family did?"
Ann Vaughn suddenly had a bad feeling.
"They invited the old gentleman over under the guise of discussing the engagement cancellation, and he only said a few polite words about thinking things over."
At this, the butler was full of indignation, "Who would have thought that they would humiliate Ian Vaughn in front of all the guests, making the old man so furious he fainted. The marriage was not canceled then, but the Halloway family spread rumors that the old gentleman pretended to faint to make sure the disabled son could cling on to the Halloway family!"
Some words were too harsh, leaving the butler unsure how to convey them to Ann Vaughn.
Ann Vaughn’s eyebrows furrowed tightly, her eyes filled with a hint of coldness.
The Vaughn Family hasn’t fallen yet, and these people are already eagerly kicking us while we’re down?
Aren’t they afraid their tongues will slip from speaking too fast? Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt
"That invitation card was also sent by the Halloway family, wanting to invite the old gentleman to discuss the engagement cancellation again, but the old gentleman was so infuriated last time that he certainly won’t let them have their way this time."
"Does my uncle like that Halloway girl?" Ann Vaughn asked after some thought.
The butler nodded, "Perhaps not necessarily like, but surely doesn’t dislike."
Having watched Ian Vaughn grow up, the butler could guess some of his ways with people.
Ann Vaughn lowered her gaze, contemplated for a moment, then said to the butler, "Please help me prepare some things; I am going to attend this evening’s party."
No one knows better than her, her uncle is merely in a deep sleep, unwilling to wake, but he is different from a true vegetative state.
The trigger needed to wake him, Ann Vaughn has yet to find.
The Halloway family had better pray their daughter is that trigger, otherwise...
Night fell, and the lights in the city began to shine.
At the Halloway Villa, Marinia Lunara Lakeside.
The sound of tearing fabric echoed from the white stone steps at the front door, drawing the attention of the surrounding guests.
"Oh dear, I’m truly sorry, I thought it was a mop rag and didn’t notice it was your skirt, accidentally stepped on it."
Though she apologized verbally, Brooke Ryan’s face showed no trace of apology, rather, she looked gleefully at Ann Vaughn standing on the steps, with her skirt torn open.
Now let’s see how she manages to go inside!
Ann Vaughn frowned and looked at her skirt’s hem behind her. The tear stretched from the hem to her thigh, leaving a dirty footprint by Brooke Ryan.
If she wore this dress inside, those waiting to see the Vaughn family joke would definitely feel more triumphant.
Yet she hadn’t prepared a spare dress, and turning back to change might make her late...
"Miss, please come with us, we have replacement evening dresses prepared for our female guests." At this moment, a female attendant approached and gathered Ann Vaughn’s skirt to prevent exposure.
Ann Vaughn let out a small sigh of relief and smiled at her, "Thank you."
Unable to see Ann Vaughn in distress, Brooke Ryan didn’t feel disappointed at all, instead, she smugly told her girlfriends.
"I’ve arranged quite a show for you, ever seen a wild chicken striptease?"
"Hahaha, what kind of show is that, but it sounds quite interesting."
"I’ve got my camera ready. Once I put it online, it’s sure to go viral!"
Ann Vaughn meticulously inspected the evening dress given by the female attendant before changing into it.
Soon, she needed to find a chance to have a proper talk with the Halloway daughter, trouble is knowing where she’d find her...
"Excuse me, could you come in to help zip me up?" The dress’s back zip was too deep for Ann Vaughn to pull up, so she troubled the female attendant outside the dressing room.
Soon, the dressing room door opened, footsteps approached Ann Vaughn from behind.
"Thank you." Ann Vaughn released her grip, smoothing her hair over her shoulder.
The hand paused momentarily on the zipper at her lower back, then slowly zipped up.
The warmth of a finger unintentionally brushed her back, making Ann Vaughn shiver subtly with a nervousness that rose inexplicably.
By the time she snapped out of it, blush had already spread across her cheeks.
...Everyone is a woman, why was she just randomly nervous?
Feeling the zipper secure, Ann Vaughn adjusted the lace on her dress’s front and, back to the attendant, thanked her, "Thank you."
The female attendant didn’t respond.
Ann Vaughn, puzzled, turned to see that at some point the attendant had left, as she was nowhere to be seen.