Chapter 15: A Rare Moment of Generosity

Lana Vane took Ethan Hart back to the car and spent quite a while coaxing him.

Shaun had always been sensible and easy to soothe; his emotions were far more stable than most. After a few gentle words from her, he stopped making self-deprecating remarks about not being worthy of her.

However, the grievance Shaun suffered today seemed particularly heavy. Although he didn't mention breaking up again, he spent the entire drive home with his head down, scrolling through his phone with a sullen expression.

Worried about his state of mind, Lana found herself distracted while driving, constantly glancing over at him.

She noticed that he was browsing information about a sports car throughout the trip. Thinking about how much he had endured at the Vane household today, Lana habitually wanted to compensate him. "Do you want to buy a car?" she asked.

Shaun shook his head. "No, I’m just looking."

Despite his words, the longing for that car in his eyes was almost overflowing.

What Lana could least stand was that look of his; every time she saw him sad, she wanted to pluck the very stars from the sky for him.

She was about to open her mouth and say she would buy the car for him another day when Seren Thorne's words unexpectedly flashed through her mind.

{Since the Green Tea guy was wronged today, he’ll definitely play the victim once they leave to trigger Lana’s guilt, subtly suggesting she buy him a sports car as compensation.}

Lana froze suddenly, finding the scene before her eerily familiar.

In the year or so they had been dating, Shaun had indeed never explicitly asked her for anything, yet these "hints" and "longings" for luxury goods seemed to be everywhere.

Lana had provided both his house and his car. While he claimed he didn't want them, he had ultimately accepted everything.

Could Seren actually be right? Was Shaun truly using her sympathy to manipulate her into achieving his own goals?

Lana desperately didn't want to speculate about Shaun this way, but the seed of doubt had been planted. Even as she repeatedly told herself to trust him, her thoughts uncontrollably drifted to the other side.

Shaun was still waiting for Lana to offer the sports car. Seeing her go suddenly quiet, he couldn't help but feel strange. Usually, as long as he gave her a hint, she would realize what he wanted and buy it for him immediately. Why was she silent today?

Was he being too obvious, causing her to notice something was off?

Shaun asked tentatively, "Lana, what’s wrong?"

Lana shook her head. "Nothing."

After saying that, Lana fell into silence, not offering to buy the car like she usually would.

A sense of unease grew in Shaun’s heart.

Lana’s mood had seemed off ever since they went back to the Vane manor for lunch. Had the Vane family said something to her in private? Had they discovered his forged academic credentials, or his mistresses on the side?

There were too many landmines buried on him. Although he had tried his best to erase the traces, with the Vane family's power, it was only a matter of time before they found out.

Lana hadn't investigated his background because she trusted him, but the rest of the Vanes might not be so trusting.

He had to finalize things with Lana as soon as possible.

Since marriage certificates didn't require household registers anymore, he only had to keep Lana under control and get the license behind her family's back. Even if Arthur found out later, there would be nothing he could do.

As for how to get Lana to agree to marry him, that was even simpler. Once she was pregnant with his child, he could secure his status through the baby.

Shaun’s eyes flickered. He gently took Lana’s hand as it rested on the steering wheel, putting on an air of youthful shyness.

"Lana, I have something beautiful at home. Do you want to come back with me to see it?"

Lana had dated several people before and had lived with partners; she naturally understood what Shaun meant.

Seren was right again. This man wanted to "cook the rice" and make it a done deal.

As an atheist, Lana’s convictions were wavering at this moment.

She pulled her hand away from Shaun's. "I have things to do at the company later. Maybe next time."

"But isn't it the weekend? You—"

Lana interrupted him. "Be good."

This was the first time Lana had spoken to Shaun in such a stern tone.

Shaun’s eyes darkened. "Okay. Good luck with work."

On the surface, he acted obedient and sensible, but his mind was already plotting something else.

It seemed Lana was starting to get defensive. He had to find another way to get the job done quickly. It would be best if everyone knew Lana had slept with him. After all, the easiest way to control a woman was through rumors and scandals.

A look of sleazy excitement filled Shaun’s eyes. Once he successfully climbed the ladder and manipulated Lana a few more times, he might even be able to seize ownership of her company. By then, he would be President Han, and no one would ever look down on him again!

Meanwhile, back at the Vane household.

Having eaten her fill, Seren Thorne stood up and rubbed her bulging stomach, preparing to take a stroll around the estate to digest. A life where she could eat her fill every meal was simply too wonderful; she felt her life was complete.

As she walked out of the dining room, she saw Alaric Vane sitting on the living room sofa fiddling with a laptop.

Seren had no interest in him. She gave him a brief glance and continued toward the exit.

However, Alaric called out to her, "Are you free? Tell my aunt’s fortune for me."

Seren stopped and arched an eyebrow. "You believe I can tell fortunes?"

"Yes," Alaric said in a flat voice. "After all, you were right about everything regarding Second Aunt last night. I feel Ethan Hart isn't a good person. See what happens between the two of them."

Alaric had already sent people to investigate Shaun’s past, but the man's records were very clean. It would likely take a significant amount of time to dig anything up. Although he also had people watching Shaun to ensure he couldn't harm Lana, he still wanted to know the outcome from Seren's side to be prepared for any changes.

"I can do it, but it’ll cost you." Seren walked to the sofa and held out her hand. "Three thousand per reading. Pay up front."

Alaric glanced at her and directly transferred 300,000 to her bank card.

Seeing the text notification, Seren counted the zeros, her eyes wide with pleasant surprise.

{Is this the power of a CEO? This is way too generous! I love CEO novels!}

Watching her look so happy, a hint of inexplicable pleasure rose in Alaric’s heart. At least she wasn't calling him stingy this time.

If this woman wasn't constantly thinking about using his money to keep boy toys, he wouldn't mind transferring 30 million, let alone 300,000. But since her intentions weren't pure, she deserved to be poor!

Worried that Alaric might freeze her card, Seren hurriedly began transferring the money to her WeChat wallet. Unfortunately, the daily limit for a single transaction was 50,000, so she had to do it in batches. But for money, a little trouble was worth it.

Seren happily put away her phone and said, "Your aunt won't end up with Ethan Hart. Although he intends to force a 'done deal' with her, his wishes will ultimately fall through."

Alaric asked, "You knew the outcome would be good, so that's why you didn't say a single word to warn her today?"

Seren nodded. "It’s a bit eerie, actually. Whether it was your Second Uncle yesterday or your aunt today, I saw two different fates on them. Their original fates ended quite poorly, but for some reason, their destinies keep shifting and are now heading toward a good outcome."

Seren attributed this strange change to the unstable magnetic field of a book world and didn't think too deeply about it.

Alaric, however, knew the reason.

It was because his family could hear Seren’s inner thoughts, and thus, their fates were being changed.

In a way, this woman was the lucky star of his family.