My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: That Person, Is Vesper?

He refused to give up, wanting to confirm just one thing.

Whether that eldest daughter of the Grayson family was truly his Vesper.

"We’ve made contact with the young lady in question. She has stated explicitly that she doesn’t know you and has never been to Ashmore. As a citizen, she has a legal right to privacy and can refuse to cooperate with an unrelated investigation. We have no authority to issue a compulsory summons."

’Never been to Ashmore...’

’Could he really be overthinking this?’

’Looks like I have to go back and get a straight answer from Thomas Sutton.’

’The startup capital Thomas Sutton invested in him back then, the unconditional support over the years—was Vesper Grayson really the one behind it all?’

’What exactly is the relationship between them?’

’With Thomas Sutton’s status, why would he be so tolerant and deferential toward an orphan girl?’

He couldn’t wait another minute.

The moment he left the police station, Luke Lockwood had Harold Warner book a flight back to Ashmore.

Ivy Joyce had assumed that Luke Lockwood wouldn’t leave Northolme so easily, not after failing to find Vesper Grayson.

Even as she sat on the flight home, she still couldn’t believe it was real.

Gazing at the devastatingly handsome man beside her, who was resting with his eyes closed, she felt an irrepressible surge of ecstasy.

’Has Luke finally come to his senses?’

’Has he finally given up on Vesper Grayson?’

Luke Lockwood’s eyes were closed, but the scene he’d stumbled upon earlier that evening played over and over in his mind.

Vesper, held intimately in another man’s arms, being kissed deeply.

His handsome face turned hard as ice, his expression dark enough to drip water.

The moment the plane landed, he had Harold Warner get a cab to take Ivy Joyce home.

"Luke..."

Watching his resolute back as he walked away, Ivy Joyce instinctively started after him.

Without a backward glance, Luke Lockwood smoothly pulled open the car door, slid inside, and the car shot away like an arrow, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Thomas Sutton had blocked his number, so he couldn’t get in touch. He drove directly to the Sutton family’s villa.

A servant went inside to announce him.

"Mr. Sutton, there is a gentleman at the door named Luke Lockwood who wants to see you."

"He says that if you refuse to see him, he’ll wait until you’re willing."

Thomas Sutton, dressed in dark loungewear, swirled the wine in his glass as he ambled to the window. Peeking through a gap in the curtains, he instantly spotted the ramrod-straight figure standing at the villa’s entrance.

He calmly pulled his gaze away and downed the rest of his wine in one go.

"If he wants to wait, let him."

With that, he set down his glass and went straight upstairs to bed.

Back in his room, Thomas Sutton called Vesper Grayson.

Meanwhile, Vesper Grayson had just finished her shower and skincare routine. She was dabbing medicine on the cut on her lip.

’Thinking of that bastard’s vicious bite,’ she fumed. ’How detestable!’

’Too bad I didn’t manage to catch Elias Hawthorne. A wasted trip.’

She was just about to go to sleep when Thomas Sutton’s call came, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

She glanced at the clock; the hour hand was nearing one.

"Mr. Sutton, is something the matter? It’s so late."

Thomas Sutton’s voice was gentle. "I’m not disturbing you, am I?"

"No."

"Luke Lockwood is at my gate."

’He’s back in Ashmore?’

Vesper Grayson replied coolly, "Just have someone send him away."

"Vesper, if he wants to know certain things, may I tell him a little?"

"It’s up to you."

"Alright, I understand."

...

The night was steeped in the chill of late autumn, and all was quiet.

Luke Lockwood stood before the Sutton family’s gate, his body as rigid as a statue.

He just wanted an answer.

The lights on the villa’s second floor went out, making his figure seem even more desolate in the darkness.

Later that night, a drizzle began to fall, quickly escalating into a torrential downpour.

Thomas Sutton woke in the middle of the night. When he happened to glance toward the gate, his eyes froze.

Luke Lockwood was still standing in the same spot, soaked to the bone and utterly motionless.

His brow furrowed. He threw on a coat and woke a servant.

"Go bring him inside."

The servant, holding an umbrella, led the drenched Luke Lockwood into the living room.

The servant handed him a dry towel and poured him a cup of hot water.

Thomas Sutton descended the stairs slowly. He gave Luke a single, expressionless glance before taking a seat on the sofa.

"President Lockwood, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night visit?"

Luke Lockwood stood frozen, his body shivering from the cold. He looked up at Thomas Sutton, his lips trembling.

"President Sutton, I apologize for the late-night disturbance. There are a few questions I’d like to ask you."

Thomas Sutton took a sip of hot tea. "Sit down."

"That’s not necessary. I’ll leave as soon as I have my answers."

"Go ahead."

"The startup capital you gave me back then... it wasn’t because you admired my talent and ambition. Someone instructed you to help me, didn’t they?"

Thomas Sutton had expected him to demand answers about the divestment and the cutting of ties with Zephyr. He hadn’t expected this question.

"Since you’ve already figured it out, why bother making the trip?"

’So it’s true!’

Luke Lockwood’s body shook, and he staggered forward two steps.

"That person... was it Vesper?"

Thomas Sutton set down his teacup. His voice was calm, but every word was crystal clear.

"That startup capital was a sponsorship from Miss Grayson, provided in my name. All the support and guidance you received later were also at her behest."

"Why?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "What is your relationship?"

Thomas Sutton slowly began to tell a story from the past.

"I was merely fulfilling a promise I made to Elder Grayson long ago. I just never expected she would use that favor on you."

He was a man of immense influence in Ashmore. His word was his bond, and a single promise was worth more than a mountain of gold.

Luke Lockwood’s fingers curled into a tight fist, his breathing growing ragged and nearly uncontrollable.

"Then she... has another identity?"

Thomas Sutton stared at him for a few heavy seconds, his tone turning cold and sharp. "I don’t know about that. But regardless of who she is, you have thoroughly and completely betrayed a woman who gave you her whole, sincere heart."

"I was a fool and I wronged her. President Sutton, do you know where she is? I want to win her back."

"I don’t. She said her goodbyes when she left Ashmore, and we haven’t been in contact since."

’Affection that comes too late is cheaper than dirt.’

’Vesper wasn’t one to tolerate betrayal. Her mind was made up; she wasn’t coming back.’

Luke Lockwood was silent for a moment, then he suddenly bowed deeply to Thomas Sutton. "In any case, thank you for your guidance and support over the past three years."

...

Vesper Grayson did not sleep well that night.

In her dream, that bastard was chasing her with a knife, cursing her for being heartless and unfaithful, for using him and tossing him aside. He accused her of only wanting to sleep with him without taking any responsibility.

Terrified, she ran, and he chased.

She grew frightened, and her resolve weakened until she finally gave in.

Then the scene shifted. She was having an affair with Wyatt Hawthorne, only to be caught in the act by Elias Hawthorne!

The stick-in-the-mud, boring old man flew into a thunderous rage, ordering his men to tie stones to their bodies and drown them in a pond.

"AH—"

Jerking awake from the nightmare, she shot up in bed!

Vesper Grayson clutched her chest, gasping for air. Her face was ashen, her eyelashes trembling.

’Thank god it was just a dream,’ she thought. ’That scared me to death!’

’How could I have such a ridiculous dream? It’s all that bastard Jared Hawthorne’s fault.’

Last night, Jared Hawthorne had bitten her, and she’d been so furious she’d stomped on his foot with her heel.

She’d taken advantage of his pained cry to make a quick escape.

She hadn’t dared to look at his expression, but she remembered him snarling threats through gritted teeth as she fled.

"Vesper Grayson, don’t let me catch you, or you’re dead meat."

And what happens? She has a nightmare about it that very night!

That bastard haunted her dreams, chasing her all night long.

’I’m so exhausted!!’

After freshening up, Vesper Grayson went downstairs for breakfast.

Milton Grayson, Joyce Rivers, Gwen Grayson, and Jonathan Grayson were already seated at the dining room table.

"Dad, Miss Joyce. Good morning."

She greeted them and took a seat next to Milton Grayson.

Joyce Rivers gave her a cool glance, her eyes narrowing as her gaze fell upon the cut on Vesper’s lip.

"Vesper, what happened to your lip?"

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