He inevitably found out.
Vera maintained a calm facade, ticulously applying lipstick, glancing at him through the vanity mirror at the bedroom door.
"Rember my old team captain, Tanya Lugo?"
Ian Kane, "Hmm?"
With a click, Vera capped her lipstick, stood up, and looked at him, "She opened a jewelry company. Recently, she’s hosting a jewelry exhibit, and I lent her my jade pieces to help fill the space."
Ian’s eyes flickered, his expression sowhat softened, "You lent them all, what will you wear tonight?"
She wore a pearl-white silk strapless gown, paired with a blazer, her long hair tied in a simple ponytail, adorned with a set of diamond jewelry.
Simple yet elegant.
But in Ian’s eyes, those small diamonds didn’t qualify as diamonds.
Vera, "Isn’t this quite nice?"
After all, it was just a birthday celebration, not a red carpet event.
Ian was dissatisfied, rembering sothing, his tone turned a bit stern, "The wedding ring, was that borrowed too?"
Vera smiled, "How could it be? One of the side diamonds got chipped, I sent it for repair, haven’t got it back yet."
In truth, she had sold it.
The jewelry was indeed at Tanya’s for the exhibition, a pretense to prevent him from discovering and investigating.
The man’s chest heaved, picking up his phone, he ordered Elias Crowe on the other end to send jewelry.
Soon, Vera and he were in the Phantom.
As they neared Hawthorne Manor, the car stopped, Elias handed in a jewelry box.
Ian opened the royal blue velvet box, inside was a set of top-quality Emperor Green Jade, erald-green and translucent, valued at over a hundred million.
He handed it to Vera, "Put it on, my wife’s jewelry must be top-notch."
Vera, "..."
She cooperatively put it on, watching as Ian tossed the small diamond jewelry she removed into the car’s garbage bin.
The man looked at her, his gaze as if admiring a precious piece of art, his eyes showing satisfaction.
Vera quietly observed him, gradually believing Maeve Holloway’s analysis about Ian Kane, "Deep down, he’s actually very insecure."
She had never associated Ian Kane with "insecurity" before.
In her mory, he was always confident, handling people and matters with ease.
...
As dusk fell, the Hawthorne mansion was brightly lit.
Ian, arm linked with Vera’s, as they stepped into the banquet hall, instantly drew nurous gazes.
Business moguls eagerly ca forward with complints.
Vera wandered among the elegantly dressed crowd for a while before spotting Serena Everett in the northwest corner of the banquet hall.
She sat beside her boyfriend, Evan Shaw, who was engaged in a ga of mahjong, wearing a vibrant orange cheongsam, her long hair elegantly styled, emanating a gentle and quiet aura from afar.
After socializing, Ian linked hands with Vera, "Honey, my mom’s over there, let’s go say hi."
Following his gaze, Vera saw Jean Crowe.
Seated amidst several esteed Ardendale ladies, she was the center of attention, her expression radiant.
Thanks to her son, this once peripheral second lady of The Kane Family now held significant influence among Ardendale’s elite won, praised and flattered by all.
Ian escorted Vera to the circle of noblewon, after exchanging pleasantries, he left Vera to accompany his mother while he went to socialize.
In public, Jean Crowe continued to play the role of a good mother-in-law, ceaselessly praising Vera to others.
In truth, she was also praising herself.
"Mrs. Kane, you really have a kind heart. Vera is fortunate to have a mother-in-law like you, it’s a blessing from her past life."
"Indeed, Mrs. Kane, you’re broad-minded, unlike us, obsessed with matching backgrounds, we’ve searched high and low for a suitable daughter-in-law without success."
Jean Crowe, smiling, held Vera’s hand tightly, but when she turned, she t Vera’s disdainful gaze.
Her smile froze, and anger flared within her.
At this mont, a commotion ca from the banquet hall entrance.
The noblewon all turned to look, "Old Madam Grant is here, oh, and Second Young Master Grant too!"
Vera looked over.
It was Noah Grant and his grandmother, Old Madam Grant.
He was dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, looking dignified and mature.
Old Madam Grant wore a deep red velvet cheongsam, adorned with a complete set of pearl jewelry, her hair slightly curled and silver, cut short at the ears, and her expression was kind and gentle.
This old lady was famously known as the "Iron Lady of Comrce" in her youth. Her ancestors were imnse rchants controlling the salt industry in Southedge. The family had been prosperous for generations, making them one of the most established "old money" aristocracies in Ardendale.
She married into the legal powerhouse of the Grant Family, creating a powerful alliance between comrce and law. This marriage combined her family’s vast wealth and business network with the Grant family’s judicial authority and esteed reputation, forming an unshakeable foundation for both families.
"Old Madam Grant is coming this way!"
The ladies saw Noah and his grandmother approaching, and they all stood up to greet them, while also looking for their own daughters.
It was well-known that the Second Young Master Grant had the most outstanding credentials.
Not only did he possess a handso appearance, but he was also the true heir.
Furthermore, after graduating, he did not imdiately enter the family business network. Instead, he earned his place at Harvard Law School, obtained a doctorate in law, and interned at a top international law firm. He was involved in several global rgers and significant international litigations that made headlines worldwide.
He was truly adorned with honors.
With a righteous character and a clean private life, he was never caught up in scandalous affairs.
He was truly the ultimate eligible bachelor.
Vera was pushed forward a couple of steps by the ladies, only to be pulled back by Jean Crowe, who whispered sternly into her ear, "Why are you moving forward?"
"You have what’s in your bowl and still look at the pot. I’ve heard about how close you are with Noah; stop daydreaming."
Hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Vera retorted in a low voice, "You’re the one daydreaming. Back in the day, you wanted to marry my Professor Donovan’s husband, Third Uncle Grant, but ended up with a playboy."
Jean Crowe was so furious that her chest heaved. Seeing the approaching Old Madam Grant, she quickly put on a smile, "Old Madam."
Old Madam Grant glanced over her and looked at Vera, "Little Vera, it’s been so long since I last saw you. How have you been lately?"
Vera’s eyes ward as she stepped forward, "Grandma Grant."
"I’ve been quite well."
The old lady held her hand, looking at her with affectionate eyes, "You silly girl, I’ve been in Ardendale for almost half a year, and you haven’t even visited ."
Vera had studied ballet under Wendy Donovan’s guidance in her early years and had stayed with the Grant Family, sharing a cross-generational friendship with the old lady.
"Grandma Grant, I..." After her foot injury, she beca reluctant to et forr friends and family.
Noah noticed Vera’s mood, "Old Madam, why don’t you and Vera go to the inner room to have so tea and chat?"
Old Madam Grant nodded, holding tightly to Vera’s hand, and led her towards the lounge area.
Jean Crowe watched this scene, her facial expressions changing subtly.
She hadn’t expected that Old Madam Grant and Vera shared such a close relationship, almost like real grandmother and granddaughter.
Seeing Noah enter the lounge as well, Jean Crowe glanced around in search of Ian Kane’s figure.
Little did she expect that her beloved son was tangled with the daughter of the housekeeper she disapproved of.
anwhile, Vera, after catching up with Old Madam Grant, didn’t forget her imdiate task.
...
Hawthorne Manor was filled with dazzling fireworks and continuous sounds of firecrackers.
The outside clamor drowned out the sounds of debauchery and ambiguity.
Vera stood on the villa staircase, extending her phone’s selfie stick to capture the illicit rendezvous at the top of the stairs.
Upon confirming it was Ian Kane and Serena Everett, she moved her face away from the screen and quietly watched the fireworks explode outside the staircase window.
The fireworks were brilliant and colorful, yet they couldn’t illuminate the desolation in her eyes.
Vera’s lips curled into a sarcastic smirk.
Her supposedly devoted husband was passionately entangled with his lover in soone else’s attic stairwell...
...
Who knew how long had passed when Serena Everett gripped the stair railing, vaguely seeing a light below, turned in panic to the man behind her, "There’s... soone..."
Hearing the voice, Vera’s pupils contracted. She hurriedly retracted the selfie stick and quickly lowered her head.
As footsteps sounded, Ian Kane imdiately let go of Serena, fastened his belt, grabbed a suit jacket from the side, and strode downstairs.
Vera also heard Ian Kane’s deep footsteps, her heart pounding like thunder. She quickened her pace, but her right ankle suddenly gave way, and she almost fell.
Nerves stretched to the limit, her fingers tightened around her phone.
The next second, she fell into a warm, broad chest, enveloped by the mature male scent.
Noah opened the storage room door, pulled her in and stepped inside, "It’s ."
The sensor light flickered with a dim light, and in the cramped space, the sound of their thunderous heartbeats filled the air.
Vera breathed a sigh of relief, trying to pull away slightly, just as a knock ca on the door.
"Who’s in there?"
It was Ian Kane.
The voice was cold.
Vera held her breath, while Noah pulled her back into his embrace.
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