"Mr. Everhart?"


    "Where is Ms. Everhart?" Hawthorne''s stomach was in knots. Gwh had gone out yesterday, and he''d seen Connor drop her home. Unable to reach her, he felt a profound sense of unease. If it weren''t for that piece of paper he now knew about, he feared Gwh would have already vanished.


    "Ms. Everhart is upstairs painting. She''s been at it for hours. I just checked on her a little while ago, and it seems she''s fallen asleep," Butler Parham reported, detailing Gwh''s every move to Hawthorne.


    "Okay. I understand."


    "Mr. Everhart, Ms. Everhart''s appetite has increased significantlytely, and she''s sleeping a lot more."


    The butler found it strange. Mr. and Ms. Everhart seemed to be constantly at odds, yet Ms. Everhart was eating and sleeping soundly. In contrast, Mr. Everhart had lost a noticeable amount of weight. He barely touched his favorite dishes prepared by the kitchen staff. The lines of his face had be sharper, and despite not staying upte, faint dark circles had appeared under his eyes. Butler Parham knew they were from ack of sleep. He had never seen Mr. Everhart in such a state; he was truly, deeply in love with Ms. Everhart. And Ms. Everhart was taking it all in stride. What grudge could be so insurmountable that she would continue to torment him like this? But it wasn''t a servant''s ce to meddle in his master''s affairs, so he could only follow Mr. Everhart''s orders and take good care of Ms. Everhart.


    "That''s good to hear," Hawthorne said. Hearing that Gwh was home, his heart finally settled. "Keep an eye on her and report back if anything happens."


    Hawthorne got his car and personally drove Patti to lunch. Sitting in the back seat, Patti secretly took a photo of Hawthorne. His profile was cast in shadow, and she blurred the photo slightly before posting it with the caption: "On a date with my love."


    She and Hawthorne weren''t


    connected on any social media tforms, so neither would see the other''s posts. However, Patti had colleagues from thepany on her friends list. While others might not recognize him, anyone from The Everhart Group would immediately know it was their boss. They kept theirments quiet, with a few sycophantic followers leaving a like


    a vague, "So jealous-" But it was enough to satisfy Patti''s vanity.


    She then pulled up the photo and sent it directly to Gwh via text message.


    "Mrs. Everhart, having lunch with my boyfriend today. Care to join us?"


    Right now, she was Hawthorne''s most valuable asset. She had spent tens of millions of his money and had been warned, though she had paid a small portion back. Patti knew that as long as she helped Hawthorne bring down James, he wouldn''t bother chasing her for a few million. Her biggest worry was Gwh. As long as they remained married, she would never feel secure.


    Gwh, feeling the effects of her pregnancy, had been drowsy all day. After painting for several hours, she feltpletely drained, as if she''d exhausted everyst brain cell, and her body had reached its limit. She ended up sleeping the entire afternoon.


    When she woke, she habitually reached for her phone and saw the message from Patti. The photo was clear: it was Hawthorne. He was peeling a shrimp for Patti. The photo was taken from Patti''s angle, capturing Hawthorne''s focused expression. Gwh was reminded of the first time he had cooked for her at home; he had looked exactly the same then. Focused and full of affection.


    So, a person''s feelings really could be faked. Patti must have already been back in the country at that time, yet he could still pretend to be deeply in love with her, carefully peeting shrimp and cooking for her. Back then, she had beenpletely captivated by his handsome,posed demeanor and suave


    charm. Any woman would be


    susceptible to that kind of emotional


    investment, especially a girl like


    Gwh with so little dating


    experience. Bill Crawford had been about absolute control and games; he treated Gwh like a pet, something new and interesting. Because she refused to sleep with him, he found the idea of a tonic courtship-charming her before the final conquest-to be a thrilling challenge.


    Hawthorne''s method of pursuit, however, was universally effective. Who could resist


    a man so gentle and devoted, who also possessed such stunning looks and high


    status?


    Looking at the photo, Gwh felt


    her eyes welling up with tears


    against her will. She felt the two stupidest things she had ever done were, one, believing Hawthorne, and two, confronting him with Connor and the others. All she had gotten out of it was heartbreak. After staring at the photo for a moment, she closed her eyes, deleted the picture, then went into her album to permanently erase it before blocking Patti''s number.