Chapter 202: Luke, Let It Go

Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Luke, Let It Go

Faced with Leo Yates’s clear and organized accusations, along with a mountain of irrefutable evidence, all her explanations seemed feeble and weak, crumbling instantly.

The moment the judge read the final verdict, Sheryl Garland’s vision went black. Her legs gave out, and she fainted dead away. The courtroom instantly descended into chaos.

But Leo Yates remained unfazed, maintaining his professional and rigorous demeanor. He methodically handled all the subsequent legal procedures before immediately returning to the Hawthorne Group to report to Jared Hawthorne.

Inside the office, Leo Yates bowed slightly, his tone respectful.

"President Hawthorne, everything has been handled according to your instructions. The final sentence was set at five years."

This sentence was a full half of what Sheryl Garland should have originally received.

This was partly out of consideration for the Nash Family, and partly because Vesper had given her tacit approval.

Five years wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. With the Nash Family pulling strings behind the scenes, Sheryl Garland wouldn’t suffer any inhuman torment in prison. The hope was that she would reflect on her actions, truly learn her lesson, and shed her obsessive and willful nature.

Meanwhile, in a hospital room, Sheryl Garland slowly awoke from her faint. The moment she opened her eyes, she gripped her mother Casey Nash’s arm tightly and began to sob her heart out, nearly fainting again.

"Mom, five years! By the time I get out, I’ll be twenty-five. I’ll be completely out of touch with society. How am I supposed to live then...?"

’All I did was bravely love someone. How did I end up sending myself to prison?’

’Is it a crime to truly love someone?’

Seeing her daughter’s breakdown, Casey Nash was heartbroken but helpless. She could only pat her back gently and offer soft words of comfort.

"Don’t cry. Once you’re inside, just be obedient and try to reform. Mom will visit you often."

Things had already come to this. The verdict had been handed down. No matter how much her heart ached for her daughter, she was powerless to change anything.

"No, I don’t want to go! Mom, go beg my cousin! Ask him to plead with Jared for me again! We can get a lawyer and appeal. I don’t accept this verdict! I don’t want to go to jail..." Sheryl Garland’s emotions spiraled out of control as she wailed incoherently, making a final, desperate struggle.

But Casey Nash knew better than anyone that a five-year sentence was already Jared Hawthorne showing mercy.

If she were to shamelessly go and beg Jared Hawthorne again, not only would it be useless, but it would also make them look ungrateful. If they were to thoroughly enrage him, the consequences—given the Hawthorne Family’s methods—would be unimaginable. Their entire Nash Family could not bear the wrath of the Hawthornes.

Before Sheryl Garland could struggle for long, two police officers walked into the hospital room. Cold handcuffs snapped onto her slender wrists. Ignoring her cries and resistance, they forcibly escorted her into a police car headed for prison.

...

After recovering from his injuries and being discharged from the hospital, Liam Hawthorne’s reputation at the company grew stronger by the day.

Since taking over the Hawthorne Group, his decisive and ruthless business talents were on full display. He not only properly cleaned up the many problems left behind from Aidan Hawthorne and Kevin Hawthorne’s time in charge, but he also led his team to secure several major projects one after another, enjoying unstoppable momentum.

Kevin Hawthorne, perhaps having seen the error of his ways, tried several times to ease the tension in their father-son relationship, but Liam Hawthorne refused to give him any quarter.

’If not for his favoritism and heartlessness back then, I wouldn’t have wasted more than twenty years and endured so much suffering.’

After being rejected several times, Kevin Hawthorne gradually gave up. Then, during a board meeting, the two clashed violently over an investment proposal, and their already strained father-son relationship dropped to a freezing point.

"Liam Hawthorne, this company is mine! My decisions are not for you to question!"

"Since you won’t acknowledge me as your father, this company will have nothing to do with you from now on!"

"Don’t think you can climb all over your old man just because you’ve come back, found your footing, and think your wings have hardened!"

Kevin Hawthorne’s face was livid, his tone filled with rage.

Liam Hawthorne looked up, staring coldly at him, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"If that’s the case, then I’ll go ask Grandfather who really calls the shots at the Hawthorne Group."

"You..." Kevin Hawthorne’s face turned pale with anger. "You dare use the old man to threaten me?"

"The company needs someone who can steer the ship. The most capable person should be in charge." Liam Hawthorne’s expression was blank, his words as sharp as a knife. "Back then, for the sake of a woman, you abandoned your own flesh and blood and willingly raised her bastard for over twenty years. With that kind of judgment, you are indeed unfit for this great responsibility."

These words were a thorn that had been lodged in Kevin Hawthorne’s heart for years. Having it torn out in public by his own son, he instantly flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

"I was tricked back then!"

"But in the end, you were willing."

Rendered speechless by the retort, Kevin Hawthorne flung his sleeves back and stormed out of the room, not lingering for another second.

Liam Hawthorne slowly sank onto the sofa and looked up at the magnificent sunset glowing outside the window.

’The setting sun is magnificent, but it’s merely dusk.’

During all the time he was hospitalized, Vesper Grayson hadn’t visited him even once.

Three years of deep affection, and now she was so resolute, leaving no room for a second chance.

In the past, even if he suffered the slightest injury, her eyes would redden with heartfelt pain for him.

The office door was pushed open from the outside, breaking the silence.

Liam Hawthorne turned his head to look.

"Mom."

Nancy Linton walked slowly to his side. "I heard you had a big fight with Kevin Hawthorne today?"

"Yes. It was nothing."

"You did the right thing," Nancy Linton said with conviction. "Just be firm. You don’t need to consider his feelings. He’s the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. The more you back down, the more he’ll take advantage."

"It was just a difference of opinion on a decision. I’m not willing to let the company waste resources on a project with no future." Liam Hawthorne poured her a cup of tea and looked up. "Is there something you came to see me about?"

Nancy Linton looked at him, her expression hesitant. She seemed to want to say something but held back several times before finally speaking.

"Vesper and Jared Lambert’s wedding has been set."

Liam Hawthorne’s pupils contracted sharply. His throat tightened, and his voice came out strained and hoarse. "When?"

Nancy Linton took a gold-foil invitation from her bag and handed it to him.

"In one week."

His fingertips trembled slightly as he took the invitation and slowly opened it, remaining silent for a long time.

’So, in the end, she’s going to marry someone else.’

’If I hadn’t been such a bastard back then, Vesper should have been my wife.’

A bitter feeling instantly surged into his sinuses, and hot moisture welled up in his eyes.

"Luke, let it go." Nancy Linton sighed softly. "You and her were never meant to be. There’s no turning back in life. Once you miss your chance, it’s gone for good."

To completely extinguish any lingering hope he might have, Nancy Linton added one more thing.

"Vesper... she’s pregnant."

A single, hot tear finally broke free, tracing a path down his jawline and landing on his black shirt, where it slowly spread into a small, dark patch.

’She got pregnant with another man’s child so quickly.’

Nancy Linton patted his shoulder. "The old master is very pleased. Luke, love isn’t about obsessive possession. If you truly love her, you should let her go and wish her well."

He understood Nancy Linton’s unspoken message. He had only just returned to the Hawthorne Family, and everything had to be done according to the old master’s wishes. A single misstep would only earn the old master’s displeasure. Given how biased the old master could be, if he stubbornly refused to let go and did something inappropriate, his future would no longer be the smooth sailing it was now.

After a long time, he said softly, "I understand."