Flash Marriage With Mr. Sheffield: Go Away, Cheap Man!-Chapter 101: Julian Hawthorne Returns to the Hawthorne Family Estate
The attendant replied, "President Sheffield? No, I don’t know."
Julian Hawthorne said, "You guys go eat, I’ll cover today’s lunch expenses. I have something to do, so I won’t join you."
Upon hearing this, Anabelle Spencer smiled wryly, understanding clearly in her heart.
He just called Clara and said they would have lunch together without mentioning anything about having plans. Now that Clara isn’t coming, he suddenly has something to do.
Ha, men. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Although Julian Hawthorne was the Spencer Family’s favored marriage candidate and he indeed had no obvious flaws, Anabelle Spencer didn’t have feelings for him.
There was someone else she was hiding in her heart.
Someone impossible to be with.
...
After lunch, Clara and Silas Sheffield returned to the hotel together.
In the elevator, Silas stood beside Clara, donned in a perfectly tailored black custom suit without a single wrinkle, his hair slicked back, revealing an exceptionally handsome face.
In the small, bright space, it was just the two of them.
The light floral and fruity scent of Clara’s perfume filled the air, causing Silas to close his eyes for a moment, taking a deep, almost imperceptible breath.
Top-tier inhalation.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was dark, tinged with desire, his voice deep and electrically magnetic as he said, "Come to my room for a while, hmm?"
Clara immediately refused.
"No, Anabelle will be back soon, and we’ll be heading back to Veridian this afternoon. I need to go pack my things."
Their flight was at 4:30 p.m.
It was already 1:30 p.m., and after packing, they would leave for the airport. Anabelle would surely be back at the hotel soon, too.
Despite being rejected, Silas Sheffield wasn’t upset, a hint of a smile lingering in his dark eyes, "Okay, join me tonight then."
Clara neither agreed nor refused.
They both understood without saying a word.
After all, they were returning to Veridian that afternoon, and they’d surely end up sharing a bed that night.
When Clara returned to her hotel room, Anabelle wasn’t back yet, so she started packing her luggage.
...
After leaving the exhibition center, Julian Hawthorne went back to the Hawthorne Family’s old mansion.
His long-absent grandson returning home made Madam Hawthorne, Emily Carver, truly overjoyed. She stood up from the sofa with a smile, welcoming him.
"Julian, you’re back! Grandma missed you so much."
Though Madam Hawthorne had accepted Vincent Hawthorne’s two illegitimate children back then, allowing them to be acknowledged and live with the family, she genuinely disliked the woman who schemingly aimed to marry into the Hawthorne Family.
Therefore, she couldn’t bring herself to like the woman’s illegitimate son and daughter.
Madam Hawthorne’s favorite grandson was Julian Hawthorne.
Three years ago, the arranged marriage between Julian Hawthorne and Anabelle Spencer was decided by Old Mr. Hawthorne and Master Spencer during a game of chess.
The two old men, in high spirits after a game, casually agreed upon their grandchildren’s lifelong matters.
At that time, Julian had just returned to the country with his mother Catherine Montague from Montania, at the age of twenty-three, having only been through one relationship which just ended, so he was certainly not willing to marry hastily.
Another crucial reason for his refusal to ally with the Spencer Family through marriage was his upbringing.
From the age of three, he lived with Catherine Montague in Montania. Raised solely by her, he felt no nurturing bond with the Hawthorne Family.
He had never met Old Mr. Hawthorne in those twenty years, and even when visiting the country, he only went to the Montague Family, never the Hawthorne Family.
Despite this, upon returning to the country and shortly after his parents’ remarriage, Old Mr. Hawthorne exerted intense pressure with his feudalistic authoritarian style, forcing him into a marriage with the Spencer Family.
Why should he comply?
For twenty years, from age three to twenty-three, he did not enjoy any of the Hawthorne Family’s resources or wealth.
For the sake of cementing the Hawthorne Family’s status and forging a strong alliance between the Hawthorne and Spencer Families, should his lifelong happiness be sacrificed?
How could such a favorable deal exist in the world?
Infuriated by his grandson’s defiance, Old Mr. Hawthorne declared harshly, "You’re my grandson, and what I’ve decided cannot be changed unless you renounce the identity of a Hawthorne heir!"
Although Julian appeared mild and even-tempered, he was not one to be pushed around easily.
While bearing the Hawthorne name, he also identified as part of the Montague Family.
In the years spent abroad, Catherine Montague had advanced her beauty brand singlehandedly, amassing significant personal wealth, and the Montague Family itself was a formidable force.
She too disagreed with Julian’s arranged marriage to Anabelle Spencer.
Though reunited in marriage with Vincent Hawthorne, she was successful in her own right, financially independent, and indifferent to the Hawthorne Family’s opinions.
Even Old Mr. Hawthorne’s authority meant little to her.
With his mother’s backing, Julian decisively separated himself from the Hawthorne Family, freeing himself from Old Mr. Hawthorne’s constraints.
Unable to maintain face, Old Mr. Hawthorne ordered the concealment of Julian’s identity as the fourth Hawthorne heir, forbidding him to enjoy any conveniences from the family’s status.
Due to his upbringing abroad, few acquaintances in the upper echelons of domestic society knew him.
Additionally, Old Mr. Hawthorne tightly guarded Julian’s identity as the fourth Hawthorne heir, so, working for the Sheffield Group for three years, Silas Sheffield remained unaware of his status.
Julian was initially hired by Sheffield Group through his own abilities.
Within two and a half years at the powerhouse public company, he rose from entry-level to department director.
Setting personal emotions aside, even Silas Sheffield appreciated Julian’s capabilities.
"Grandma." Julian flashed a small smile and walked over to Madam Hawthorne.
"Oh my, you’ve lost weight," Emily Carver remarked, scrutinizing Julian from head to toe, "Working outside must be hard; you’ve slimmed down quite a bit."
Helping the elderly woman to the sofa, Julian chuckled, "Not really, my weight hasn’t changed much."
"Nonsense, Grandma’s eyes are like scales; if I say you’ve lost weight, then you have," she lovingly patted his hand, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Perfect, stay and have lunch with Grandma."
With that said, Emily Carver instructed the staff to prepare several of Julian’s favorite dishes.
Julian sat on the sofa, engaging in conversation with Madam Hawthorne.
Moments later, the Hawthorne family’s illegitimate child, Henry Hawthorne, returned home.
Spotting Julian seated on the sofa, Henry halted abruptly, surprise overtaking his features, quickly masking the flash of disdain with a smile.
He walked over to greet him, "Julian."
Julian’s demeanor turned frosty; his earlier warmth vanished as he faced Henry, "Mm."
A mere "Mm," not even bothering to call him "brother."
Though Henry and Jessica Hawthorne were acknowledged as the second and third young Hawthorne heirs, to Julian, he only recognized Connor Hawthorne as his brother.
Observing Julian’s indifference, Henry masked his annoyance with a grin, "Weren’t you in Veridian? When did you return?"
"Yesterday," Julian’s eyes flashed impatience, clearly reluctant to engage further with Henry.
