Chapter 267: Look At Your Sorry State

On the way back, the enclosed car was unusually quiet.

Nancy Linton turned her head to look at the ever-silent Liam Hawthorne beside her and spoke softly.

“Are you sure you don’t want to meet my friend’s daughter?”

She had gone to great lengths to set him up with people recently, but he had rejected every attempt, using his busy work schedule as an excuse.

Nancy Linton knew that his work was just an excuse. The real reason was that he still hadn’t forgotten Vesper.

She knew better than anyone how painful and difficult it was to tear someone from your heart—the unrequited love, the lingering obsession.

She had devoted half her life to Kevin Hawthorne, only to be left covered in scars before she finally saw the light.

But sadly, she was no longer young.

Besides, from start to finish, all this regret and this missed opportunity were entirely Liam Hawthorne’s fault.

He was just like Kevin Hawthorne—unfaithful to his partner and now paying the price for his own mistakes.

“Mom, I don’t have any plans for that right now.” Liam Hawthorne’s voice was flat, betraying little emotion.

Nancy Linton sighed. “But you promised me you’d try to let go of the past.”

“I am trying to move on,” Liam Hawthorne said, his gaze fixed ahead. “But I can’t just accept someone new right away. That wouldn’t be fair to her.”

‘How ironic. Back when he took Vesper’s love for granted, he cheated on her without an ounce of guilt. And now he was suddenly concerned about being fair to others.’

‘People only realize how much their actions hurt others after they’ve lost everything.’

Nancy Linton’s expression was complicated, and her voice was tinged with regret. “If only you’d figured this out sooner, things wouldn’t have ended up like this…”

‘If he had known how to cherish her back then, Vesper would be her daughter-in-law right now.’

‘They were such a perfect match. In the end, he was the one who pushed her away and ruined it all.’

She had looked into it and knew exactly how much Liam had suffered over the years. If he hadn’t met Vesper, he might still be struggling, and she never would have been reunited with her son.

‘Everything comes down to fate. In the end, they were simply not meant to be.’

“Fine. I won’t pressure you about your personal life anymore.” Nancy Linton suddenly let it go. Forcing a relationship without mutual love would only be the start of another tragedy. “I don’t ask for anything else from you. I just wish you peace and happiness in the years to come.”

‘Children will make their own way in life. Her child was already grown; she shouldn’t interfere or force things anymore.’

“You too,” Liam Hawthorne replied quietly, then changed the subject. “What about you? What are your plans?”

“To live the rest of my life for myself, of course. To find who I am again.” Nancy Linton smiled faintly, her expression a mixture of relief and self-mockery as she watched the cityscape blur past the window.

‘Looking back now, how stupid she had been to be so obsessed with Kevin Hawthorne, willing to give up everything for him.’

‘He never even took her seriously.’

‘She was only now learning that you must love yourself first.’

‘But it’s never too late to have a revelation.’

…

「Meanwhile, at the Forrester estate.」

Butler Soya stood to one side, bowing slightly as he clearly and methodically reported his findings.

“Madam, we have the full story. Two nights ago, during the storm, someone broke into Miss Sloan’s home at Whispering Breeze Lodge with ill intent. The Young Master received a distress call from Miss Sloan that night and rushed over. He fought the intruder hand-to-hand and injured his left arm.”

Mrs. Forrester’s brow furrowed, her expression turning grave.

“Is Nolan’s injury serious?”

“It doesn’t seem to be serious. The Young Master only called for Mr. Hawthorne; he didn’t go to the hospital. The police, however, have opened a case and are investigating.”

“Do the police have any leads?”

“Not yet,” Butler Soya replied truthfully. “The intruder who broke into the villa that night had facial injuries, but his face doesn’t match anyone in the police database. No useful evidence was left at the scene, so the investigation is at a dead end.”

Mrs. Forrester’s eyes darkened. “Do you think this was a random incident, or was it premeditated?”

Butler Soya lowered his head and shook it. “I can’t say for sure.”

“Then just say what you suspect.”

Butler Soya paused for a moment before beginning his analysis.

“There have been no similar break-ins in the district recently. The perpetrator had a very specific target and was extremely familiar with the streets, surveillance blind spots, and escape routes around Whispering Breeze Lodge. Despite days of investigation, the police haven’t found any evidence that the intruder cased the area beforehand. This suggests it wasn’t a crime of opportunity, but something that was planned for a long time.”

“To know all of that so well, they must have had a physical map of the routes in that busy area.”

Mrs. Forrester’s eyes turned sharp, and she immediately said in a deep voice, “Go to the Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning immediately.”

…

Meanwhile, Nolan Forrester’s assistant, Ian Jarvis, had followed the same lead and zeroed in on the planning bureau.

The backend office records clearly showed that a week ago, someone had specifically searched for and retrieved the planning blueprints for the entire Whispering Breeze Lodge area. Cross-referencing with the government service hall’s surveillance footage confirmed that an on-duty employee of the planning bureau named Todd Warner had privately printed out a complete set of detailed route maps for the area.

What’s more suspicious is that this employee suddenly submitted his resignation three days ago and rushed through the departure procedures.

Ian Jarvis dug deeper and found that the man had bought a plane ticket to Europe the day before yesterday and had left the country yesterday.

“Keep an eye on him,” Nolan Forrester ordered, his voice low and his eyes narrowed. “The moment he lands, take him into custody.”

“Yes, sir.” Ian Jarvis hesitated. “Mr. Forrester, during the investigation… I also saw Butler Soya.”

Nolan Forrester looked up, his eyes dark as ink. “Why was he there?”

“I asked. It seems he was there for the same reason we were,” Ian Jarvis surmised. “I don’t think this has anything to do with your mother!”

“We’ll see if she’s involved or not. A full investigation is the only way to clear her. As for the company, proceed with the plan.”

“Understood.”

‘She thought that without the Forrester Family to back me up, I’d lose everything and be left with nothing, didn’t she?’

‘Well, I’ll show her what kind of crisis the Forrester Family will face without me. We’ll see if she can still act so high and mighty, looking down on everyone and controlling everything.’

‘I’ll make her lower her head and beg me to come back and save the day.’

‘I will be the victor in this silent war.’

…

“We leave next Monday. We’ll call you and send you photos then,” Vesper Grayson said with a smile.

The old master nodded. “Good, good. You must take good care of yourself and the baby.”

“With Elias here, he’ll take good care of me,” Vesper Grayson added. “And you have to take good care of yourself. Make sure you eat the nutritional meals I prescribed for you on time.”

“I definitely will! I need to live to be a hundred to be with my great-grandchild.”

Elias Hawthorne listened to their conversation, a faint smile on his lips.

‘Aside from his late grandmother, he had never seen the old master so obedient to anyone.’

“Oh, right. Grandpa Forrester is going back to Portclyde tomorrow. He asked me to let you know.”

The old master was surprised. “He’s leaving so soon?”

“Yes, all four treatment courses are complete. He’s regained feeling in his leg and can stand and walk slowly for short periods.”

Portclyde was Grandpa Forrester’s home, after all. At his age, being away for too long, it was natural to get homesick.

“Vesper, you’re amazing!” The old master looked at her, his eyes shining as if he were looking at a rare treasure. “Are you interested in joining the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association?”

‘With such superb medical skills, it would be a real waste and a shame not to do something more with them!’

Since its founding, the Hawthorne Group has been deeply involved in philanthropy and charity, continuously donating medical equipment to major public hospitals to support the development of the medical field.

It also established a private charitable foundation specifically to help children with disabilities, providing them with free medical treatment, rehabilitation assistance, and living support.

‘Many children suffered from rare and special conditions that left even senior experts helpless after multiple consultations. If Vesper could get involved, it would not only benefit society but also bring renewed hope to many families in despair.’

‘Of course, this was just his personal idea. He wouldn’t force it on anyone!’

Vesper Grayson, unaware of the old master’s thoughts, declined the proposal to join the medical association.

“Uh, right now I just want to focus on having a safe and healthy pregnancy!”

‘A person only has so much energy, and she was only human. The morning sickness had been awful lately. She didn’t say anything, but it was torturing her and leaving her with no patience for anything else.’

‘She had started studying medicine with her grandmaster simply because life in the mountains was boring and she had no one to play with. She spent her days with her grandfather, identifying, gathering, and drying herbs, and reading medical books to pass the time.’

‘Over time, she absorbed everything, and her natural talent became apparent.’

‘Her grandmaster thought her own grandfather was a dull student, so he set his sights on her, coaxing her to become his successor.’

‘In truth, she didn’t have many desires. As long as she was financially independent and had enough money to live on, she had no grand ambitions to conquer the world!’

‘Work was just a way to pass the time, to give herself something to do.’

‘With her current wealth, she could afford to just coast and still live lavishly for the rest of her life.’

“If you’re not interested, then don’t worry about it. Just follow your own plans.”

‘Right now, nothing was more important than Vesper carrying on the Hawthorne family line!’

“Grandpa, your granddaughter-in-law is low-key. She doesn’t like being in the spotlight. Besides, I don’t want her to become famous. She’d be too busy and wouldn’t have any time for me.”

‘Jared Hawthorne wished she wouldn’t work at all, so he could cling to his sweet, soft wife whenever he wanted. He wanted to be the only one in her eyes.’

The old master shot him a sideways glance and chuckled. “Just look at you. Utterly hopeless!”