Chapter 232: You’re That Cute Guy from Back Then?

Chapter 232: Chapter 232: You’re That Cute Guy from Back Then?

"What did Grandfather say to you?"

On the way back, Jared Hawthorne held her hand tightly and asked in a low voice.

"Grandfather knows about my past with Liam Hawthorne and warned me to cut ties with him," Vesper Grayson answered honestly.

Jared’s eyebrow lifted slightly. "It seems you made no secret of your feelings for him. Grandfather saw right through you long ago."

"I’ve already made things clear with him, and he understands my position. There’s absolutely no way I’m going back to him." Vesper squeezed his palm in return, her voice tinged with a hint of melancholy. "It was my poor judgment back then. If I had met you sooner, I never would have resisted our engagement."

At this, she suddenly recalled her grandfather’s cryptic words.

"Honey, have we met before?"

A faint light suddenly sparked in Jared Hawthorne’s deep, dark eyes. "Did you remember something?"

A trace of confusion flickered in Vesper’s eyes as she gently shook her head.

’Could it be that we’ve really met before?’

’A man like Jared Hawthorne—so distinguished, with such unparalleled looks and a noble bearing... if I’d ever met him, there’s no way I would have forgotten.’

’I pride myself on having an excellent memory. I can recall medical texts I’ve read almost verbatim!’

"We have. You just forgot about me a long time ago." The light in his eyes slowly dimmed. ’That was just a moment of false hope. I really thought she remembered me.’

"When? Where did we meet?" Vesper’s heart jolted, and she whipped her head around to look at him.

Jared Hawthorne kept his eyes on the road, driving steadily, his voice gentle.

"Ashmore."

She had lived in Ashmore with her grandfather for a few years when she was young. After he passed away, she moved back to Northolme. She would return on memorial days to pay her respects.

"Honey, tell me a little more. Jog my memory."

"Do you remember saving a badly injured boy in Ashmore all those years ago?"

The memory of that rescue was still vivid, fresh in Vesper’s mind. She had carefully tended to the injured boy, and the two of them had spent several months together on Mount Corvath. After his wounds began to heal, his family came to get him, and she never heard from him again.

A bold thought suddenly shot through her mind.

"You... You’re the boy from all those years ago?" Vesper’s eyes widened in disbelief.

After so many years, the boy had grown into an imposing man. His features and bearing were so completely different that she couldn’t connect him with the boy she once knew.

Jared Hawthorne’s lips curved slightly. "After I left, my family sent me overseas to recover and lie low. Your grandfather brought me to the Hawthorne family’s gate and left. I asked my family to search for you both, but they couldn’t find any trace. After I recovered, I lived abroad for years but never stopped having people look for you. Three years ago, I finally got a lead on you, just as you happened to be saving my grandfather. I seized the opportunity and asked him to arrange our engagement."

’But who would have known you’d be so against the engagement? You even ran away to Ashmore to escape it.’

’I didn’t want to pressure you and make you resent me. By the time I finished my business overseas and rushed to Ashmore, I heard you had already fallen for someone else and were spending all your time with Liam Hawthorne.’

’I was heartbroken, but I couldn’t bring myself to force you into compliance.’

’Your heart belonged to someone else then; you only had eyes for Liam Hawthorne. Even if I had forcibly brought you back, it would have backfired. You would have grown to resent and despise me.’

’If Liam Hawthorne had truly treated you well, protected you, and could have given you a lifetime of peace and happiness, I would have willingly stepped aside and let you be, then moved to New York for good.’

’But in the end, Liam Hawthorne failed you. As soon as he found success, his whole character changed, and he abandoned the person who had stood by him.’

’And that’s what killed any thought I had of letting you go. It gave me the opportunity I was waiting for!’

Vesper stared at him, stunned, as her eyes quietly began to well up. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

’If I had known about our connection, maybe I wouldn’t have fought the engagement. I certainly wouldn’t have gone to Ashmore and missed three years with him.’

"If I had told you sooner, would you really not have resisted?" Jared chuckled. "You might have been happy to realize who I was, but that doesn’t mean you would have been willing to marry me."

’You’re used to doing as you please and don’t like being told what to do. So even if you had recognized me, you wouldn’t have accepted me right away.’

"So... you know about all the stupid things I did during my three years with Liam Hawthorne?"

"Yes. I went to Ashmore to see you a few times. It was obvious how much you liked him."

"..."

"The engagement was my idea, but I didn’t want you to hate me. If he treated you well and you were truly happy, I would have stepped aside. But I also have to thank him for not cherishing you. It gave me the chance I was waiting for."

’If she and Liam Hawthorne had made it work, he would have returned to New York and never come back to Northolme.’

’Not interfering would have been his greatest blessing for her.’

Vesper’s expression was complex. "When did you fall for me?" she asked, curious.

"From the moment you asked me to pledge myself to you, I’ve never forgotten you." Jared recalled something and chuckled.

It was when Jared’s injuries were almost healed. He had gone with her into the mountains to gather herbs. He told her she had saved his life and asked what she wanted as a reward.

Back then, she had looked up at the handsome boy and said with childlike innocence, "Since I saved your life, you have to promise to marry me!"

She remembered the boy being stunned for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Okay, then I’ll wait for you to come marry me!"

Spring flowers bloomed around them as they looked at each other and smiled, their laughter innocent and pure.

It was just a childish joke, but she never imagined Jared Hawthorne would actually take it to heart.

A lot happened after that, and she had slowly forgotten, casting the memory to the back of her mind.

Who would have thought that Jared Hawthorne had remembered all this time, never giving up his search for her or his promise?

Seeing her silence, Jared glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Prue, you haven’t forgotten, have you?"

"Of course not... I was young, but my memory is excellent. If I’d known, I would have told you my name."

"It’s my fault. I never got the chance to tell you who I was."

’He was being hunted back then. A lot of people wanted him dead. The fewer people who knew his identity, the safer he was!’

’But looking back, when Henry Grayson took him back to the Hawthorne Family, he must have already known who he was.’

"It’s all Grandfather’s fault for sending you away without telling me!" Vesper pouted. "I asked him about you later, and he just said you’d gone home safely and reunited with your parents."

’So I didn’t ask again. What more could a little kid think to ask? I was just relieved to hear he was home safe.’

’Later, I’d occasionally remember and ask Grandfather about the boy.’

’Grandfather said we were from different worlds and that I should forget about it.’

Jared said in a deep voice, "Grandfather was probably afraid you’d get dragged into the danger."

"Maybe," she pressed, unable to wait. "But who sent those people to hunt you back then? Did you ever find out?"

"No. The assassins are dead, so there’s no proof. I never ran into any other trouble while I was abroad. They probably stopped because they were afraid of being exposed."

Or perhaps it was because he was always surrounded by bodyguards, and the tight security left them with no opportunity to strike.

...

That night, Miss Sterling and Mr. Sterling both began coughing up blood uncontrollably.

Sean Sterling called the family doctor, but there was nothing they could do.

"Grandma, Dad, let me take you to the hospital, okay?"

Miss Sterling waved a dismissive hand, weakly wiping the brownish blood from the corner of her mouth. "There’s no need. If the hospital could have done anything, we would have been cured long ago!"

Mr. Sterling clutched his mouth, his face pale. "Sean, if something happens to us... you must take good care of your older brother... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH."

He broke into another violent coughing fit.

He opened his palm, revealing a smear of brownish-red.

Sean Sterling gently patted his back, his voice choked with emotion. "Dad, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of my brother."

Once they left the bedroom, Sean Sterling gave the family doctor a look, and the two headed downstairs.

He dismissed the servants.

"So, how is it?" Sean lit a cigarette and asked.

The family doctor said, "Mr. Sean, judging by their condition, I’m afraid they don’t have much time left. A matter of days, at most."

Sean’s hand, holding the cigarette, froze.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes..."

"I’ll have to trouble you to stay here for the next few days. Be on call at all times."

"My being here won’t make much of a difference."

"Then just put on a show. We can’t just watch them like this without doing anything, can we?" Sean took a drag from his cigarette. "Keep them on a glucose drip or something. Just don’t let them die too quickly."

’There are still so many company documents that need their signatures for the transfers!’

’Weren’t those old fossils against him taking over the Sterling Group? As long as Miss Sterling and Silas Sterling sign over the company shares and all of the Sterling Family’s assets to him, then even if people are unhappy, they’ll just have to suck it up.’