Chapter 355

Erica heard every word with piercing clarity. Vincent had erased every single report and related trace! She had poured out money, pulled every string she could, and unleashed an army of bots. All of it, just to fan the flames of scandal, to drive Vincent back to the Jones family estate, to bury him beneath the family pressure.And in the span of five minutes, he had torn it all down. Her fortune and effort-wasted, scattered like as in the wind.

Erica's fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She forced herself to breathe evenly,to hold on to the last thread of composure.

After hearing what Vincent had said, Sharon wasn't worried about people gossiping. She knew better than anyone the weight the Jones Group carried.

"Vincent, how's Hannah?" Sharon's voice rasped with urgency, the weariness of age woven through every syllable.

That was where Sharon's concern truly lay. Hannah's parents had been in a horrific car accident-her father had not survived, and her mother was still recovering. And now, Hannah had been dragged from her own wedding in front of countless eyes. How could she possibly endure all this?

On the other end, Vincent's voice came steady, low, unshaken. "Don't be concerned, Grandma.She is doing well."

But Sharon did not believe him. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, her tone weighed down with frustration and aching persuasion. "Vincent, Hannah has been through a lot recently. Her father just passed away, and she was finally ready to rebuild, to lean on someone. Why did you have to snatch her from her soon-to-be groom? She'll only grow to hate your guts for this."

Vincent's grip on the phone tightened, knuckles whitening. After a long pause, his voice dropped lower,resolute and heavy. "So be it. Let her hate me. All I want is for her to stay by my side."

"This is torment-for both of you!" Sharon saw it wih frightening clarity. If he continued this path, only

anguish awaited him and Hannah.

"Since I forced this, I'Il shoulder the punishment that follows." Vincent's words fell sharp, like a vow sealed in iron. Then, in a tone buried deep with barely restrained possession, he added,"Grandma, I cannot stand by and watch her become another man's wife."

Silence stretched across the line.

In the end, Sharon released only a deep, weary sigh. She said no more. She knew-there was no changing his mind. Vincent had always been unyielding. Once his will locked onto something, there was no prying him loose. But Hannah... Poor Hannah...

And then, Erica's voice tore through the stillness, sharp, high, and quivering with emotion."Vincent! You're not actually planning to remarry Hannah, are you?"

A brief silence followed, heavy as stone. Then, Vincent answered without the slightest hesitation,"Yes."

One word. That was all it took to shatter the last glimmer of hope Erica clung to. "What about me?" Her voice broke into a scream, hysterical, raw with years of desperation. Tears streamed unchecked, her heart splitting open. "I've waited for you all these years! I've loved you for so long-why can't you see me?"

But Vincent's reply came like a blade of ice, merciless and cutting."Drop it, Erica. Don't think I'm blind to what you've done."

Erica went rigid, her blood freezing. He was onto her doings? The car crash. The murder attempt. Every scheme she had crafted with such care, believing them flawless. He knew everything?

Vincent's voice came sharp as a whip, every syllable precise and unrelenting. "This media circus-the rumors, the slander-I'm keeping record. The only reason you're not facing consequences yet is because the time hasn't come."

Relief flickered briefly through Erica's tense body. So that was all he meant.

But Vincent gave her no chance to recover. His tone turned even colder, a frost-laced blade sliding against her throat. "And one more thing-the crash that killed Hannah's father and injured her mother is tied to you."He had already sent men to gather the proof.

Erica forced her breath steady. "Vincent, I admit I stirred the media storm because I love you, but | would never harm anyone. Don't accuse me of something so vile just because you refuse my feelings. That truly breaks me."

Vincent's silence was suffocating. Then, with a sharp click, the call ended.

Erica stood frozen, her complexion drained to the pallor of ash.

The living room sank into suffocating quiet.

Sharon and Danica exchanged unreadable glances, their eyes turning toward Erica with a weight she could not bear.

Meanwhile,at Luminara Group, a mountain of work kept Hannah firmly occupied.

Though confined, she had finally been given purpose. Her days fell into rigid order. She moved like a finely tuned machine, each action deliberate, stripped of emotion-except when documents crossed her desk.Only then did a spark flare in her eyes, the sharp, commanding glint of a CEO flickering back to life.

Every day,without fail,Vincent joined her for dinner.

Hannah never spoke first. Vincent rarely broke the silence either-yet his gaze lingered on her constantly,unwavering, unreadable.

There was but one exception. Each evening, Hannah asked about her mother's condition.

And every time, Vincent gave the same measured response. "Same as before." Or, "Stable."

But tonight, halfway through dinner, Hannah still didn't ask about her mother.

Vincent's brow shifted almost imperceptibly, the faintest twitch betraying unease. After a few seconds, he spoke, his voice low and steady. "Your mother's condition remains unchanged, but she's now able to get out of bed."

Hannah gave a soft nod, her expression unreadable. Then, after a long pause, she lifted her eyes to him and asked, "Got any wine?"