"Protection?" Ann Vaughn thought about the days she was under house arrest at the private estate and gave a faint smile. "You must be obsessed with finding Cyrus’s weakness to the point of hysteria."
Seeing the sarcasm in her eyes, Orion Hawthorne suddenly let out a chuckle. His small, murky eyes scanned the corner of the wooden cabin before returning to Ann Vaughn.
Others might not know, but he’s been having people watch Cyrus Hawthorne and Ann Vaughn’s movents for so long that he couldn’t be unaware, could he?
That young man has always been domineering and arrogant; when has he ever been so concerned about the safety of a woman?
He placed her in a fortress-like estate and had bodyguards protect her in secret.
Even that woman, Cynthia, never received this level of attention from him.
Whether Cyrus cares about Ann herself or just the child she’s carrying, for Orion, it’s all beneficial and harmless.
Just then, a bodyguard walked over to Orion with a phone and handed it to him. "Boss, a call from President Hawthorne."
Cyrus Hawthorne?!
Ann Vaughn looked up, her previously calm deanor showing signs of tension.
"See? He bit the bait easily," Orion shook the phone and sneered, then answered with the speaker on, feigning politeness, "My dear nephew, what brings you to call your second uncle all of a sudden?"
"What do you plan to do by taking Ann Vaughn away?" Cyrus’s deep and icy voice ca through the phone, carrying an imposing aura.
"She’s just a guest. No need to worry. Your uncle is also concerned about the company. After losing such a big project, another scandal like a photo-gate is highly damaging to the company’s image. Even your uncle can’t stand it."
Cyrus sneered lowly, "I don’t have ti to listen to your nonsense."
As he finished speaking, it seed he was about to hang up. Orion couldn’t keep his act any longer and angrily said, "Stop pretending with . Don’t you know what I want? One word: the shares you hold in Hawthorne Corp. in exchange for your woman’s and child’s safety. Isn’t this a fair deal?"
After speaking, Orion signaled to the bodyguard standing beside Ann Vaughn.
The bodyguard nodded, then slapped Ann Vaughn across the face!
Caught off guard, Ann Vaughn took the brutal slap to her face, her mind montarily stunned, not even noticing the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Seeing her silent, the bodyguard dealt another slap, forcing her to make a sound.
The layered pain, burning and searing, brought tears to Ann Vaughn’s eyes, but she bit her lips hard to stop them from falling, enduring the pain silently.
"Heh." After two seconds of silence, a very low chuckle from Cyrus ca through, his voice lazy and indifferent, "Orion, it seems you’re truly delusional."
"Using an insignificant woman, you think you can negotiate with ?"
The feeling of darkness lasted a long while, Ann Vaughn’s mind buzzing, yet she could clearly hear the conversation between Cyrus and Orion.
Suddenly hearing Cyrus’s words left her in a daze, and it took a long ti for her to react fully. Her eyes turned red with disbelief.
She knew that when compared to Hawthorne Corp.’s interests, Cyrus would always choose to abandon her first.
She had known from the start, never holding even a sliver of hope...
But such words could only deceive herself; even if she kept saying that Cyrus wouldn’t care about her life or death, deep down, she still held so hope.
After all, as a married couple, he couldn’t really allow her to be murdered by Orion.
But the reality was, from beginning to end, he never cared about her safety at all.
Ann Vaughn closed her eyes slightly, her cheeks still hurting, her heart wrapped tightly in bitterness, almost suffocating her.
Realizing he’d lost control, Orion’s face turned even uglier, "What do you an by that?"
"The land in the south of the city, may the second uncle be satisfied with it." With those cold words, Cyrus hung up, giving no chance to react.
Orion held the phone in a tight grip for a long ti before his heart suddenly jolted, "Not good!"
Just then, Orion’s assistant hurried into the cabin, his face anxious, "Boss, bad news! We’ve received word that the city governnt has changed its developnt direction for the mall district, not going south, but west!"
"What did you say?!" Orion roared in fury, his mind as if exploding, eyes wide open in rage.
"The land in the west is remote and desolate, always neglected, plus with the good prospects in the south, no one expected them to suddenly change their mind. Now that land... is already in Hawthorne Corp.’s hands," the assistant said weakly.
"Useless!" Orion raised a hand and slapped him, "What use do I have for you bunch of useless people!"
The assistant staggered back a few steps, covering his face, not daring to say a word.
Bam!!
Ann Vaughn was yet to comprehend what was happening when the table before her was suddenly overturned by Orion, and the items on it scattered across the floor.
Shocked by Orion’s action, Ann Vaughn lifted her chin, only to see Orion’s sinister gaze fixated on her, like being stared at by a venomous snake, sending chills down her spine.
Just as she thought Orion was going to do sothing to her, the assistant took another call, anxiously reporting to Orion, "Boss, the company is in total disarray, and the directors are asking for your imdiate presence!"
Hearing this, Orion glared at Ann Vaughn with nearly bursting eyes.
"Cyrus Hawthorne is truly remarkable! That confidential docunt was a complete fake, and he already predicted the land in the south would be abandoned, deliberately setting up! And you, woman," Orion let out a sinister laugh, suddenly gripping Ann Vaughn’s neck, "are his last pawn!"
Ann Vaughn was suddenly choked, her face instantly flushed. She arched her slender neck backward, trying desperately to break free from Orion’s grip, using both hands to push him.
Yet both shoulders were held down by two bodyguards, leaving her unable to struggle.
"Cough..." A weak gasp escaped Ann Vaughn’s throat, as if a stranded fish about to show its pale underside.
Orion truly wanted to strangle this woman to death, as she was of no more use anyway.
But getting blood on his hands was ultimately risky.
Orion suddenly released his grip from Ann Vaughn’s reddened neck, ordering the bodyguards to tie her up again, before slamming the door and leaving with his n.
With the death threat lifted, Ann Vaughn coughed violently at the pain in her throat, the bruises on her slender white neck exceedingly visible.
After a long while, she finally caught her breath.
Recalling Orion’s words, Ann Vaughn blinked hard to clear her stinging eyes, her mind grasping at a critical clue.
Yet just as she was about to figure it out, it slipped away again.
Why say... she’s Cyrus’s last pawn?
However, now wasn’t the ti to think about it. She needed to find a way to leave here; waiting for rescue was the most foolish course of action.
Thinking so, Ann Vaughn tried to untie the ropes, but they were secured tightly. The more she moved, the tighter they beca, causing her significant pain.
Seeing her feet weren’t bound, Ann Vaughn felt a glimr of hope, tiptoeing and bending to attempt moving toward the door.
Just as she was about to take action, a sudden urgent voice echoed in the cabin.
"Don’t move!"
Ann Vaughn froze at the unexpected voice, unable to avoid swallowing nervously, and turned her head to look.
No matter how she looked, she couldn’t see another person in the cabin, beads of cold sweat trickling down her forehead.
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