My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Isn’t This Big Sister?

"What’s in this urgent package that requires Father to open it himself?"

Sharon Chandler held out her hand to the maid. "Let me see it."

The maid immediately handed the package over respectfully.

Gwen Grayson recognized the package at a glance. She lowered her lashes, but her eyes hid an irrepressible excitement.

’It’s finally here.’

Sharon Chandler turned it over and over, her brow furrowing slightly. "There’s no sender on this. Dad, do you know who sent it?"

"I don’t," Zachary Hawthorne said flatly. At his age, he never shopped online. Anything he needed was taken care of by the staff; he never required things to be sent this way.

Sharon Chandler asked no more questions and opened the package directly. The moment she saw what was inside, she froze.

The photo had been taken at a golf course. It showed a man and a woman in an intimate pose. Both were attractive, and they looked like a perfect match.

Zachary Hawthorne glanced over. "What is it?"

Just as Sharon Chandler was about to pass the photo over, Gwen Grayson suddenly leaned in, covering her mouth in feigned alarm. Her voice rang out at just the right moment.

"Isn’t that my sister?"

She quickly looked at Justin Hawthorne and rushed to explain, "President Hawthorne, please don’t misunderstand. The man in the photo and my sister are just friends."

It was a classic case of protesting too much.

Such a clumsy attempt to cover things up only made everyone more suspicious.

Vesper Grayson’s heart sank. She looked up at Sharon Chandler.

"Mrs. Hawthorne, may I see it?"

Sharon Chandler smiled gently, placed the photo on the dining table, and slowly turned it to face her.

The moment Vesper Grayson saw the photo clearly, her heart plummeted, turning ice-cold.

It was the scene from the golf course with her and Jared Hawthorne. He had been close to her, teaching her how to hold the club and swing. It was a perfectly normal lesson, but someone had deliberately framed and timed the shot from a tricky angle, managing to capture a pose that looked ambiguously intimate.

A flicker of surprise crossed Milton Grayson’s eyes, but when he saw the man’s face in the photo, he was instantly relieved.

He was glad to see the two "kids" getting along so well in private.

Just as Vesper Grayson was about to explain, Joyce Rivers’s voice drifted over airily.

"Vesper has always been pretty. Boys have flocked to her since she was little; she’s always surrounded by them. These photos don’t mean anything."

It sounded like an explanation, but it was a veiled insinuation that Vesper had the face of a temptress, had been a flirt since childhood, and was restless and unfaithful by nature.

Everyone present was shrewd; who couldn’t hear the insinuation behind her words?

A flicker of displeasure crossed Sharon Chandler’s face. She said lightly, "That’s a testament to Vesper’s own abilities. It’s only natural for gentlemen to admire beauty, which just goes to show how charming our Vesper is. I imagine some tabloid reporter saw how well-matched the two young people looked, snapped a few photos, and sent them over to give Grandfather a chuckle."

She passed the photo to Zachary Hawthorne, her smile gentle. "Dad, take a look. Don’t these two look exceptionally well-suited?"

Zachary Hawthorne took it and stroked his graying beard. "They certainly do."

Vesper Grayson was stunned.

’Weren’t they supposed to fly into a rage, scold me for my indecent behavior, and call off the engagement on the spot?’

’Why is this completely different from what I expected?’

She subconsciously glanced at Elias Hawthorne, only to see him with his eyebrows slightly raised and a faint smile playing on his lips. He said nothing, seeming completely unbothered by the misunderstanding.

’Isn’t he going to say anything to clear this up?’

’At a critical moment, I can only rely on myself.’

"Grandfather Hawthorne, actually, he’s..."

"Ah, Vesper," Zachary Hawthorne interrupted with a laugh. "Elias is an excellent golfer. He even taught his own uncle. That boy didn’t lose his temper while teaching you, did he?"

"Dad, don’t even mention it," Justin Hawthorne chimed in with a laugh, his tone teasing. "He was far more patient teaching Miss Grayson than he was with me, his own uncle."

Except for Milton Grayson, everyone else who wasn’t in on the secret was completely baffled.

Vesper Grayson stared blankly for a long moment before she managed to come to her senses. She gazed dazedly at the man across from her and confirmed in a soft voice.

"President Hawthorne, what is your name?"

"Justin Hawthorne."

When those two words fell, Vesper Grayson was completely dumbfounded.

So from the very beginning, she had the wrong person.

The color drained from Joyce Rivers and Gwen Grayson’s faces. They froze in place, unable to process what had happened.

They had gone to such great lengths to set this trap and ruin Vesper Grayson’s engagement, only to find out they had targeted the wrong person all along.

Gwen Grayson remembered the last time she had mistaken Justin Hawthorne for Elias Hawthorne and debased herself trying to seduce him... She felt utterly humiliated, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

Vesper Grayson gave a dry laugh and forced herself to speak. "President Hawthorne... you look so young."

"I’m ten years older than Elias. You could say I was a late-in-life child for the old man," Justin Hawthorne said, calmly pouring a cup of medicinal wine for Zachary Hawthorne.

’So the one she’d been involved with, the one she was entangled with, Jared Hawthorne, was actually Elias Hawthorne?’

She asked humbly, "Grandfather Hawthorne, why does Elias have two names?"

"If you’re so curious, Miss Grayson, you can ask me yourself!"

A deep voice rang out, unhurried and steady, and then a tall, slender figure of a man strode into the dining room.

He was dressed in casual, beige-colored clothes today, which gave him a relaxed and alluringly boyish air, a contrast to his usual formal attire.

Vesper Grayson stared at him, stunned. She watched him stroll over to her side as if he were taking a walk in a garden, and her breath hitched for a moment.

’So he really is Elias!’

"Miss Grayson, allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Jared Hawthorne. My style name is Elias."

Jared Hawthorne extended a hand to her, a hint of playful mockery in his eyes.

Vesper Grayson gently shook it, her smile warm and proper. On closer inspection, one would notice her smile was a bit stiff.

She was about to pull her hand back when she realized that not only was he not letting go, he had tightened his grip.

"It seems, Miss Grayson, that you’re not quite satisfied with me?"

"How could I be..."

"Then why did you reject me several times before?"

’This damn man. He’s obviously asking a question he already knows the answer to. Of course it was because I had misunderstood his identity!’

She had tested him several times; she couldn’t believe Jared Hawthorne hadn’t noticed a thing.

’He deliberately kept it from her, just to watch her make a fool of herself like a clown.’

Sharon Chandler was utterly astonished. "Did you do something wrong? Is that why Vesper rejected you?"

Zachary Hawthorne snorted. "In the Hawthorne Family, we have no precedent for men bullying women!"

Justin Hawthorne held his wine glass, smiling faintly as he watched the show.

"How would I dare bully her? She’s the one who bullies me. Last time, she grabbed..."

Vesper Grayson slapped a hand over his mouth, terrified he was about to say something outrageous.

She leaned in close and warned through gritted teeth.

"Jared Hawthorne, that’s enough!"

Everyone immediately perked up as if they had sniffed out some secret, juicy gossip. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation, and they all pricked up their ears, waiting for what would come next.

Jared Hawthorne patted the back of her hand and shot her a meaningful look. Only then did Vesper Grayson belatedly realize her breach of etiquette. She quickly let go of him and gave a slightly awkward laugh.

’This damn man. With just a few words, he could easily drive her crazy.’

Jared Hawthorne couldn’t help but chuckle at her flustered appearance.

Justin Hawthorne, who loved to stir the pot, asked, "Elias, what were you about to say she grabbed?"

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