My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: There’s Such a Good Thing?

Her thoughts churned. Mandy Grayson suddenly remembered her chance encounter with Vesper Grayson in Portclyde. After that, there had been no news from the Forrester Family; they never mentioned the search for the miracle doctor again.

But Vesper had clearly been accompanying President Hawthorne on a business trip to Portclyde. ’Could it be that it wasn’t a coincidence?’

Her gaze hardened. "Miss Garland, why are you telling me all this? Do you have some kind of personal grudge against Vesper Grayson?"

Although Mandy didn’t know her identity, it wasn’t hard to guess from her aura that she was either rich or noble—definitely not an ordinary girl.

"She stole the man I love. I loathe her to the bone. And she... she also ruined you." Sheryl Garland chuckled lightly, admiring her freshly manicured nails. "As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Don’t you want to get revenge on her, Miss Grayson? To redeem yourself?"

Mandy Grayson said nothing.

"You’re free to refuse. You can continue to hide at home, being a pariah that everyone scorns, never seeing the light of day, with no chance of ever making a comeback."

She believed Mandy Grayson was a smart woman and wouldn’t pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I see. You want to use me to get rid of your love rival, Miss Garland," Mandy Grayson said, cutting straight to the point.

"If that’s how you want to see it, I don’t mind," Sheryl Garland replied nonchalantly.

"What makes you think I can get rid of her? Don’t forget, she has the Grayson Family behind her, and President Hawthorne." Mandy Grayson’s tone was grave. "The Hawthorne Family’s power in Northolme is at its zenith. The Grayson Family is just a declining family of traditional medicine practitioners. If I offend the Hawthornes, he could crush the Grayson Family completely with a flick of his wrist."

"The Hawthorne Family is a prestigious clan, after all. They would never go to war over a single woman." Sheryl Garland leaned closer, her voice bewitching. "Besides, I’ll be your safety net. What are you afraid of? As long as you ruin Vesper Grayson’s reputation and make it impossible for her to marry into the Hawthorne Family, I guarantee I can get you back into the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association and help the Grayson Family regain its prestige and footing in the medical world."

That last sentence struck a chord with Mandy Grayson.

Restoring the Grayson Family was her grandfather’s wish, and it was something she had always hoped for as well.

’Fortune favors the bold.’ She knew this was fraught with risk. The slightest misstep would mean losing everything, and in the end, it would be the Grayson Family that bore the consequences.

"How can you guarantee this will be foolproof?" Mandy Grayson recalled the way President Hawthorne had looked at Vesper Grayson back in Portclyde with the Forrester Family.

It was deep, profound, and subtle, but the love in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Sheryl Garland beckoned to her with a finger. Mandy Grayson hesitated for a moment before leaning in to listen.

A moment later, her pupils contracted, her face filled with shock.

"What if we fail?"

"We can only succeed. Failure is not an option." Sheryl Garland’s tone was hard. "Miss Grayson, you should be clear about your choice."

Success meant getting everything she was promised. Failure meant facing the consequences alone.

Seeing Mandy Grayson’s silence, Sheryl Garland handed her a business card. "No rush. Take your time to think it over. I’ll be waiting for your call."

...

By noon, Maxim Chandler had placed a file on Jared Hawthorne’s desk.

"President Hawthorne, Aidan Hawthorne is indeed the Second Master’s biological son. The mother’s name is Shirley Langley, the owner of The Bloom Room. The Second Master has been in contact with her all these years. As for the orphanage adoption papers, they wouldn’t be difficult to forge."

"Then what about the child Nancy Linton gave birth to back then?" Jared Hawthorne pressed.

"No leads on that yet. I’ve already sent people to find the doctor and nurses who handled the delivery. If this was a conspiracy, then the hospital’s surveillance malfunction back then must have been tampered with in advance."

"Keep following up. I want the truth." Jared Hawthorne’s eyes were cold and heavy. The Hawthorne Family’s reputation was at stake; this couldn’t be taken lightly.

Back then, after Nancy Linton gave birth, someone snuck into her hospital room in the middle of the night and took the swaddled baby while she slept. When she discovered the baby was missing, she immediately called the police, but with no witnesses and malfunctioning surveillance, the investigation went nowhere. Later, overcome with grief, Nancy suffered a mental breakdown. Kevin Hawthorne then adopted a baby boy of a similar age from an orphanage for her to raise.

The baby boy bore a slight resemblance to the child Nancy Linton had lost. Loving him for this connection, she treated him as her own, but she never gave up searching for her biological son. Over the years, she not only dedicated herself to charity but also used her own money to create a program for finding relatives, using her resources and influence to help countless abducted and lost children reunite with their birth parents.

’If this was all a sham orchestrated by Kevin Hawthorne...’

Jared Hawthorne’s gaze darkened.

...

"So, President Hawthorne is going to get engaged to you?" Shiloh Sloan was both surprised and delighted, genuinely happy for her.

"Yeah. We’ll get engaged first, and then once our relationship is stable, we’ll talk about marriage."

"I never thought President Hawthorne, who seems so cold, would be the one to propose getting engaged. What a surprise."

"Well, the engagement was Grandfather Hawthorne’s idea, after all." Vesper Grayson lowered her eyes and sighed softly, a trace of imperceptible loneliness in her voice. "There’s actually someone else in his heart."

Shiloh Sloan was confused. "What do you mean? He’s never had any women around him."

"When he was a child, he was being chased by assassins and was saved by a girl. He’s been looking for her all these years."

"Huh? Maybe President Hawthorne is just looking for her to repay a debt of gratitude. At that young age, before he knew what love was, how could he understand romance?" Shiloh Sloan quickly reassured her. "Don’t overthink it. Just focus on the engagement."

Vesper Grayson smiled. "How’s the man staying at your place?"

"He’s recovering. His wounds are healing well."

"Have you looked into his identity?"

’As for his specific identity, I’m not really interested in knowing.’

’Anyway, I’ll take care of him until he recovers, and he’ll give me five million.’

’And every now and then, when I’m changing his bandages, I can sneak a feel of his eight-pack abs.’

’For me, this deal is a guaranteed win!’

"Well, that’s good. But you should be careful too. After all, a man and a woman alone together... what if he gets any funny ideas about you..."

Shiloh Sloan snorted with laughter. "Wouldn’t that be great?"

Vesper Grayson was speechless, "..."

...

「The day of the engagement party.」

In the hotel ballroom, crystal chandeliers glittered brilliantly, surrounded by lush floral arrangements. The decor was both luxurious and elegant. The arriving guests were all rich and powerful—a gathering of celebrities, business tycoons, and aristocrats from prominent families. The scene was grand and distinguished.

Vesper Grayson wore a wine-red, haute couture gown. Its tailored fit accentuated her graceful figure, and the hem was adorned with shimmering beads and diamonds, creating a look that was both dazzling and dignified. Jared Hawthorne wore a sharply tailored black suit with a subtle pattern, his bearing noble and his posture as straight as a pine tree.

The two stood side-by-side, greeting guests with ease and composure.

This was also the first time Vesper Grayson was meeting the rest of the Hawthorne family.

Aside from Justin Hawthorne, who was still abroad, Mr. Hawthorne (Bernard Hawthorne), Kevin Hawthorne, Nancy Linton, and Aidan Hawthorne were all present.

"Dad, you’re back."

Jared Hawthorne led Vesper Grayson to Bernard Hawthorne and made the introduction in a low voice.

"This is Vesper."

Bernard Hawthorne nodded slightly. "Your mother has mentioned her. She does seem like a fine young woman. You treat her well, you hear?"

Jared Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. "Don’t worry."

"Nephew, nephew’s wife-to-be, congratulations." Kevin Hawthorne stepped forward with a smile. His gaze swept over Vesper Grayson, and his smile widened. "She’s just as beautiful as the rumors say. Standing next to my eldest nephew, you truly make a handsome couple, a match made in heaven."

On the surface, he appeared cultured and proper, with a friendly demeanor, but his eyes held a shrewd glint, and the smile didn’t quite reach them.

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