My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: But I Am Your First Man

"That was quite a show," Vesper said with a soft laugh. "Tonight’s star was Shiloh."

The Shiloh Sloan of the past was always a whirlwind of energy—loud and boisterous. She seemed bold and extroverted, but that was just a front to hide her deep-seated fragility. Having grown up without much love or care, she had long since learned to wrap herself in noise. But on the inside, she was more sensitive and deeply affectionate than anyone.

She had once told Vesper in private that Nolan Forrester was the only person who never looked down on her, who accepted everything about her. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She even said that if Nolan proposed after graduation, she would say yes without a moment’s hesitation.

But she never made it to that day. After being framed and caught in a compromising position, Nolan Forrester left to study abroad without a word, and all contact was lost.

Jared Hawthorne’s brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

Vesper told him everything—the misunderstanding from all those years ago, and what had happened tonight.

"Which Summers Family?"

"I’m not sure."

Back in college, aside from her close friendship with Shiloh Sloan, she couldn’t be bothered with any other social interactions.

"I’ve met this Nolan Forrester. He does have a good head for business."

"When did you meet him?"

"At a business conference in New York. He really stood out among the other investors. He’s a sharp talker with a killer instinct, and his project assessments are precise and decisive. His vision and perspective are far beyond others his age."

"To receive such high praise from President Hawthorne, he must truly be a rare dark horse in the business world."

The playful way Jared Hawthorne was toying with her fingers suddenly stopped. He raised his hand, gripping her delicate chin and forcing her to meet his gaze. His deep, dark eyes locked onto hers, his tone laced with an unquestionable dominance.

"Don’t pay attention to other men. Your eyes are only for me."

Vesper didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Be reasonable. You’re the one who brought him up. He and Shiloh were inseparable back then, and I was buried in the lab all day. We barely exchanged two words, even though we went to the same school."

’Men. They’ve only ever gotten in the way of my studies.’

Jared Hawthorne’s eyes narrowed, a teasing glint in them. "So, Miss Grayson was a star student? And in all of Northolme University, not a single man caught your discerning eye?"

She had a pair of exceptionally beautiful almond-shaped eyes—full and round, with pupils the color of ink suspended in clear water, bright and lucid. Her father used to say her eyes were the spitting image of her biological mother’s.

’He’s surprisingly smooth with his compliments.’

’Who started the rumor that Jared Hawthorne was grim and tight-lipped? Around her, he was talkative and sweet-tongued, always finding little ways to coax and flirt with her.’

Back then, her world revolved around her books and her studies. Romance and relationships were the furthest things from her mind, and she paid no attention to the boys around her. It wasn’t for a lack of suitors, but she politely turned them all down.

Perhaps she was a late bloomer, naturally slow when it came to matters of the heart.

After she graduated from college, her father brought up her engagement to Jared Hawthorne.

For someone who cherished her freedom, it felt like an invisible chain. She despised the feeling of having her life arranged, of being controlled. More than that, she refused to marry a man she had never met and felt nothing for.

So she ran away. In Ashmore, she met Luke Lockwood.

She thought she had met the one, and willingly stood by his side as he built his empire from nothing, sticking with him through thick and thin. She believed that enduring the hardship would be rewarded with true love. But in the end, he was no different from most men. Once he was successful and famous, he forgot all about the person who had been with him when he started from nothing and helped him rise to prominence.

Sticking by a man through hardship is the biggest gamble a woman can make in her life.

She lost the bet.

Fortunately, she came to her senses in time and decisively cut her losses.

"No."

"So, Luke Lockwood was your first love?"

Vesper paused, her lips pressing together. "Yes. He was my first crush, the first person I ever had feelings for."

’Things with Luke Lockwood are long over, but there were beautiful moments in that past, however brief. There’s no shame in having truly loved someone. Besides, I wasn’t the one who was in the wrong.’

Jared Hawthorne pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, a wave of inexplicable annoyance rising within him.

"But I was your first man."

’Does he have to compete over something like this? That competitive streak really is baked into a man’s DNA.’

Vesper glanced at Maxim Chandler driving in the front and lowered her voice. "Why do you have to say everything out loud?"

’Can’t he see someone else is here?’

Jared Hawthorne’s tone was nonchalant. "I’m stating a fact. Why can’t I say it?"

Vesper was momentarily speechless.

Maxim Chandler kept his eyes forward and his expression neutral, but his mind was in turmoil. ’Looks like everything Leon Quillan said was true. President Hawthorne is utterly devoted to Miss Grayson.’

’From now on, I can’t afford to get on her bad side. I need to find an opportunity to make a good impression and secure my position by getting in her good graces early.’

"Grandpa Forrester has checked into White Horse Manor on the outskirts of the city. Are you really confident you can fix his leg?"

"I’ll do my best."

No doctor would dare make a guarantee until the very end.

Vesper suddenly remembered something and said softly, "About me treating Miss Kensington... I don’t want any complications. I’m worried Miss Garland will go around telling everyone..."

She didn’t want her peaceful life to be disturbed.

If it weren’t for Sheryl Garland’s instigation, Mandy Grayson wouldn’t have targeted her at every turn.

"Don’t worry. I’ve already told Noah. Once she’s recovered a bit, he’ll send her to Caelus."

"What if she doesn’t want to go?"

"Noah has his ways."

...

「In the hospital room.」

Sheryl Garland cried as she tugged on her mother’s arm. "Mom, I don’t want to go to Caelus! Didn’t you and Dad always say you wanted me to come back and spend time with you?"

"Your father and I are too busy here to split our attention. Those few shops in Caelus are for you to manage. You’re not a kid anymore. It’s time you got some experience and learned to take over the family business."

"I don’t want to! I just want to stay in Northolme!"

"This isn’t up for debate. If you don’t listen, I’ll freeze your bank account and cut off your allowance."

At that, Sheryl Garland immediately fell silent.

"Mandy Grayson is still in a coma. The doctors say if she doesn’t wake up within seventy-two hours, she’ll likely become a vegetable."

"She deserves it! She’s the one who grabbed me and jumped, I didn’t force her! Is the Grayson Family trying to use this to blackmail us? They should be glad I’m not suing her for attempted murder!"

"Shut up! Do you think you’re so innocent?"

Sheryl shrank back, her heart filled with resentment. "What’s so wrong with loving someone? I was just trying to fight for my own happiness! If Vesper Grayson hadn’t gotten in the way, I might have been the one engaged to Jared!"

Even after such a crushing defeat, she still couldn’t accept it.

She had loved Jared Hawthorne for five whole years. She had never been so obsessed with anything in her life.

Casey Nash’s brow tightened, her tone grave. "Delusional. Even without Vesper Grayson, it would never be you."

"Why? Am I that pathetic in your eyes?"

"You’re not terrible, but you’re far from perfect. If it weren’t for the Nash Family’s reputation, you wouldn’t even have the right to know Elias."

Sheryl pouted, unconvinced. "You’re a daughter of the Nash Family, and I’m your daughter, so that makes me a Nash, too. Jared and I are the ones who are a perfect match, a match made in... OUCH!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Casey Nash rapped her sharply on the head.

"Still spouting nonsense? You plotted against Vesper Grayson, and the only reason Elias didn’t pursue the matter was as a favor to Noah. But Master Hawthorne is an incredibly stubborn man. Vesper saved his life, and he sees her as his future granddaughter-in-law. Do you really think he’ll let you off easy?"

Sheryl thought of Master Hawthorne. He was a dignified man, naturally imposing even when not angry. Despite his age, he still radiated an oppressive aura that made it hard to meet his gaze, and a sense of fear crept into her heart.

"Mom, Grandfather Hawthorne is so old... surely he wouldn’t bother holding a grudge against a junior like me, right?"

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