Chapter 204: My Darling Daughter

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: My Darling Daughter

Vesper Grayson looked up.

"Miss Rhodes? What are you doing here?"

’Shouldn’t she be in Veridia?’

’My last trip back was so rushed, I didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye.’

"I’m accompanying my husband back to Northolme to visit family. I can’t believe I ran into you here on our very first day back. It must be fate."

"Are you unwell?"

Renee Rhodes chuckled softly. "It’s not me. My husband and I saw a pregnant woman at the airport who was about to go into labor, so we gave her a ride here."

Realization dawned on Vesper, and a sense of admiration grew in her heart. This Mrs. Whitman before her, despite her high status, was completely without airs. She lacked the typical arrogance of the wealthy elite, that high-and-mighty attitude of looking down on everyone.

She was gentle and kind-hearted.

"Good people are always rewarded. You’re truly a kind soul, Miss Rhodes."

"It was nothing, really. If you hadn’t stepped in to save him last time, my husband might not be with us today. I just hope that whenever anyone is in trouble, we can all help each other out."

Good deeds bring good rewards, regardless of the outcome. For years, Renee Rhodes had been quietly and continuously involved in charity work.

"Since you’re here in Northolme, if you need help with anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask me."

"Oh, that would be wonderful. I was just worrying about feeling a bit constrained, being new here and not knowing anyone." Renee Rhodes asked curiously, "Vesper, do you work here?"

"No, I’m here for a prenatal check-up."

"You’re pregnant?" Renee Rhodes’s gaze gently fell on Vesper’s flat stomach, her eyes filled with sincere joy. "Congratulations."

"Thank you. Do you know how long you’ll be staying in Northolme this trip, Miss Rhodes?"

"We haven’t decided yet. We might be staying for a while."

A faint smile bloomed in Vesper’s eyes. She took an invitation from her handbag and handed it over.

"I’m getting married next week. If you and Mr. Whitman are free, I would be honored if you would grace us with your presence and join the celebration."

Renee Rhodes accepted the invitation and put it away carefully.

"We will definitely be there. I’d love to share in your good fortune."

After leaving the hospital, Jared Hawthorne took Vesper to the mall.

He carefully picked out many comfortable maternity clothes and nutritional supplements. As they passed a baby store, Vesper subconsciously paused, her gaze irresistibly drawn to the soft, adorable little clothes in the window display.

Jared Hawthorne followed her gaze, a slight smile playing on his thin lips.

"Let’s go take a look."

It was still early to be buying these things, but there was no harm in preparing in advance.

The shop was filled with a dazzling array of baby clothes, with clear sections for boys and girls. She had originally been hoping her first child would be a boy, but the moment she walked in, her eyes were completely captivated by the exquisite, sweet princess dresses.

They were just too cute, so heart-meltingly soft and adorable.

Jared’s eyes also filled with a gentle warmth as he pictured a soft, cuddly little daughter wearing these beautiful dresses. The thought melted his heart, and he wished he could just wave his hand and buy out the entire store.

"If you like them, buy them all."

"But we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet."

"It doesn’t matter. They’ll get worn eventually."

"By the time the baby is born, the styles will be outdated. Wouldn’t that be a waste?"

She suppressed the impulse to buy everything and only picked out a few close-fitting unisex onesies.

Even though the baby hadn’t been born yet, just looking at these tiny clothes was enough to make her heart melt with affection.

After paying, Jared Hawthorne carried the large and small shopping bags in one hand, carefully staying by Vesper’s side.

In a tea house at the mall, Justine Hughes was chatting with a friend by the window when she happened to glance up and see the scene. A fleeting look of surprise crossed her eyes.

In her memory, Jared Hawthorne had always been cold, distant, and unapproachable. When had he ever been so accommodating and doting toward anyone?

’This Miss Grayson is really something else.’

Her friend beside her said, "Vesper Grayson really has some skills. She used that pretty face of hers to wrap Jared Hawthorne, the head of the Hawthorne Group, around her little finger. She even managed to get Sheryl Garland, someone he’s known for years, sent away."

Justine Hughes gave a faint smile. "I don’t think Miss Grayson is the type to stir up trouble. It’s not her fault she’s beautiful."

"Justine, you’re back in the country this time. Are you planning to leave again?"

"Yes. After my surgery, I’ll go back to my dance troupe."

"What about Tristan Forrester?"

"He’s already married. I can’t be the third party who destroys someone else’s marriage."

"But they only registered the marriage; they haven’t even had a wedding. You and Tristan Forrester were on-again, off-again so many times back then, and you always reconciled, didn’t you? I know you’re career-oriented, but no matter how strong-willed a woman is, she eventually has to return to family life. You should think about your future."

"Once they’ve registered, they’re a legally married couple. I can’t bring myself to break people apart."

She sometimes felt regret, but she had chosen her own path and couldn’t blame anyone else.

The night before Tristan Forrester and Bella Thorne registered their marriage, he had called her. He said that if she would just come back and marry him, he wouldn’t marry anyone else. But at that time, she was about to head to an international competition and simply couldn’t give it up.

Later, she won the competition and was bathed in glory, but that was also when she heard the news that he had gotten married.

Sadness, heartbreak, confusion—a thousand emotions churned within her. But the pride in her bones wouldn’t let her bow her head. She could only pour all her energy into her dance, practicing desperately, refusing to admit that her choice had been a mistake.

’You can’t have your cake and eat it too, after all.’

Patriarch Forrester had never liked that she was always in the public eye. But dance was her only source of confidence and support; she could never give it up. She refused to be a dodder vine, a woman who clings to a man for survival, trapped in a grand mansion, spending her life serving her husband, raising children, and waiting on elders, just to be a "proper" Forrester daughter-in-law.

"The one who isn’t loved is the real third party. You and Tyson were so in love back then; he might not have gotten over you all these years. It would only be natural if you two got back together." Her friend continued to persuade her, "Have you forgotten how your second uncle’s family took everything from you after your grandfather passed away? If you had married Tristan Forrester back then, how would they have dared to humiliate you like that?"

Justine Hughes’s long eyelashes trembled slightly.

When her uncle’s family had turned on her so cruelly, it wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of asking Tristan Forrester for help. But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words, afraid of rejection and humiliation.

In the end, she only gave him one last look from afar before quietly leaving Portclyde.

Then she recalled seeing how Tristan Forrester and Bella Thorne had been interacting these past couple of days.

It was clear he wasn’t completely devoid of feelings for Bella Thorne.

That woman took meticulous care of Patriarch Forrester and was attentive to Tristan Forrester in every way. It was almost impossible to find any fault with her.

Seeing her lower her eyes in silence, her friend sighed softly.

"Back then, who in the entire school wasn’t shipping you two as a couple? I just think it’s such a shame."

...

The afternoon sun was warm. Shiloh Sloan took advantage of the good weather to plant the hydrangeas she had bought that morning in her yard.

She was only halfway done when a frantic knocking suddenly came from the door.

She put down her gardening tools and got up to open the door.

She had just pulled the door open a crack when it was violently shoved open from the outside.

"My dear daughter, you really made me work to find you."

"It’s been years. You’ve certainly blossomed into quite a beauty."

Quentin Chandler’s gaze roamed over her body without restraint, his eyes churning with undisguised malice and hatred.

Shiloh Sloan’s entire body froze.

In an instant, the memory of that suffocating, desperate night from years ago, a night that had pushed her to the brink of collapse, came rushing back.

Humiliation, fear, and a bone-deep sense of powerlessness seized her. It felt as if her blood had instantly frozen into ice, her limbs so stiff she could barely move.

She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. Forcibly suppressing the chill and terror surging within her, she looked up coldly at the man. Her voice trembled, but every word was clear.

"Quentin Chandler, get out now. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police and reporting you for trespassing."