Chapter 144: Chapter 144: The House Was Trashed

The moment the question was asked, the room fell silent, followed by a long, awkward pause.

Wyatt Shaw, however, leaned back lazily in his chair, taking deep drags from his cigarette. After finishing one, he stubbed it out in the ashtray, looked up, and sneered at Howard Kensington.

"Since when the fuck do you have two sisters-in-law?"

Howard Kensington tried to decipher the meaning of that sentence. Believing he had it all figured out, he raised his glass to Candice Yates.

"Miss Yates, to a pleasant collaboration."

’Out with the old, in with the new. All men are like that.’ That was his interpretation.

Candice Yates smiled smugly, leaned forward to clink glasses with Howard Kensington, and then downed her drink in one go.

"That role of Hannah Reid... I like it. I’ll be taking it."

"Miss Yates, you have excellent taste. This role was practically made for you. No one is more suitable."

Meanwhile, Yvonne Sutton was still holding her wine glass. Lynn Hughes clinked glasses with her.

"Miss Sutton, perhaps we can collaborate some other time."

Yvonne Sutton smiled back. "Alright."

After finishing her drink, Yvonne Sutton gracefully toasted everyone one more time. Some raised their glasses, others didn’t, but she drained hers before leading Claire Lawrence out of the private room.

Claire Lawrence’s head was hung so low it almost touched the ground. Yvonne Sutton patted her on the back.

"It’s just one role. It’s not a big deal."

Claire Lawrence shook her head. "If I’d known Wyatt Shaw was going to be there, I wouldn’t have asked you to make the introduction."

"We had an amicable divorce. It wasn’t so bad that we can’t ever see each other again. It’s fine."

Claire Lawrence had lost her enthusiasm, and Yvonne Sutton wasn’t feeling it either. The two of them finished half a bottle of wine before parting ways.

Yvonne Sutton left the pub and started walking alone toward the subway station.

The pub was in an alley. The alley was very narrow, and it was a long walk to get out.

Yvonne Sutton walked on, wrapped in her overcoat. Sensing footsteps behind her, she glanced back. A person was lighting a cigarette, walking far behind her. She couldn’t tell if they were following her.

Yvonne Sutton didn’t stop walking until she reached the mouth of the alley.

"Oh, Miss Sutton?"

A black Maybach was parked at the entrance to the alley. Mr. Webb got out of the driver’s seat.

Yvonne Sutton nodded at him. "Mr. Webb, long time no see."

"Indeed. Are you alone, Miss Sutton?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Shaw is at the pub too."

"Mmm, he’s come out as well."

As Yvonne Sutton spoke, she glanced back but didn’t see Wyatt Shaw.

Just then, Mr. Webb’s phone rang. He answered it, said a few words, and hung up.

"Miss Sutton, let me drive you home."

"There’s no need. You should drive them."

"Mr. Shaw said that Miss Yates’s driver will take them back to their place, so I can get off work. It’s perfect timing; I can give you a ride since it’s on my way."

"I still don’t want to trouble you."

Insisting it was no trouble, Mr. Webb had already walked around to open the car door for her.

"It’s quite late now. It’s dangerous for you to go back alone."

Yvonne Sutton remembered how she had almost been hit by a motorcycle the night before. The thought still scared her, so she didn’t refuse further and got in.

During the drive, Mr. Webb told her a lot about what had happened with Wyatt Shaw over the past year. Because Mr. Rhodes’s health wasn’t good, Wyatt had completely taken over The Rhodes Group and was therefore extremely busy.

Because he was so busy, his meals were irregular, and he’d developed stomach problems. His temper had also worsened, and everyone around him was intimidated by him. The only exception was Candice Yates; he was very good to her, granting her every wish, and they were even starting to talk about marriage.

At this point, Mr. Webb realized he had said too much and gave a dry laugh.

"But I don’t think Mr. Shaw is happy with Miss Yates. And if he’s not happy, why would he still want to marry her?"

He shouldn’t have said that either. Belatedly, Mr. Webb snapped his mouth shut.

Yvonne Sutton didn’t reply. Whether he was happy or not had nothing to do with her anymore. ’But I still hope he’ll be alright.’

Mr. Webb dropped her off at the entrance to her alley. After getting out of the car, Yvonne Sutton waved to him and walked inside.

As she neared her home, she saw a crowd of neighbors gathered. Her heart sank. She rushed over and saw Stewart Pace grappling with the man from across the street.

"Yvonne Sutton, oh my, you’re finally back! Your house has been trashed by this drunk!" a neighbor lady exclaimed, pointing at Yvonne’s house as soon as she saw her.

Yvonne Sutton looked inside. The first thing she saw was that her pomegranate tree had been knocked over. Then she saw that all the glass windows on the first and second floors were shattered. The first-floor door had been forced open, and the inside was completely wrecked.

She stood in stunned silence for a long moment. Looking back at Stewart Pace, she saw he had pinned the man to the ground and was punching him again and again.

The man was tall and sturdy. He was probably at a disadvantage because he was drunk and couldn’t muster his strength.

"You bastard! You bully! I’ll teach you to smash up our clinic!" Stewart Pace was furious. He landed a punch on the man’s mouth, knocking out one of his front teeth.

Just then, the man’s son ran out in his pajamas. Seeing the scene, he rushed forward and bit Stewart Pace on the arm.

Yvonne Sutton quickly tried to pull the boy off. The boy, who was about ten, was surprisingly strong and shoved her away.

Fortunately, the police arrived at that moment. They pulled Stewart Pace and the man apart. When they saw the boy was still trying to bite Stewart, they simply handcuffed him to his father.

Half an hour later, they were all at the police station.

The police reviewed the situation and watched the surveillance footage. It was clearly the drunk’s fault, so they let Stewart Pace go first.

"Officer Miller, do you think this man could be the thief who’s been stealing from and vandalizing our clinic multiple times over the past year?" Yvonne Sutton asked the officer who had been handling her case.

Officer Miller glanced at the man, who had fallen asleep on a bench, and then back at the surveillance monitor. "It’s a possibility."

He paused, then thought for a moment. "But do you have some kind of grudge with him?"

Yvonne Sutton thought for a moment before telling the officer about the case where her mother was hit by a motorcycle and the drunk driver fled the scene.

"He was sentenced to twelve years back then. He should still be in prison."

"You don’t recognize him?" the officer asked.

Yvonne Sutton shook her head. "Actually, I never saw the man’s face."

"We’ll look into what you’ve told us. We’ll question him tomorrow after he sobers up. Don’t worry."

Stewart Pace had pulled a muscle in his back during the fight with the man, and he also had a number of other minor injuries. Since their clinic had been trashed, they had no choice but to go to a hospital for treatment.

Yvonne Sutton took him to Seacliff Hospital. As they entered the general outpatient lobby, Stewart Pace was suddenly in too much pain to stand up straight. She quickly supported him. When one arm wasn’t enough, she turned sideways and wrapped her arm around him, letting him lean his weight on her.

"Sorry, didn’t mean to take advantage of you like this," Stewart Pace said.

Yvonne Sutton gave an exasperated laugh. "You’re still in the mood for jokes?"

"I don’t want to fall again, so you’d better hold me tight."

Yvonne Sutton laughed and patted Stewart Pace’s back. Just then, she saw Wyatt Shaw walk in through the entrance. His eyes immediately fell on them.

Candice Yates followed behind him, and she also saw them the moment she walked in.

"This is a public place, you know. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you two to be all over each other like this?"