Chapter 5 The Ultimate Questioning

• Before Hadden could erupt, Vanessa had already taken Anya back from Rebecca, her face streaked with tears. "Mom, how many times have I told you? She's still young! Stop scaring her! Why do you keep doing this? If it happens again, I'll take Anya and move out."
• Feeling guilty, Rebecca quickly said, "I was just trying to scare her, I wasn't really going to lock her up. As long as you hurry up and divorce this worthless man, everything will be fine."
• Vanessa ignored Rebecca and instead turned to Bill with a sarcastic look. "Mr. Conner, your family is powerful and wealthy. I'm not good enough for you. Besides, I'm already married. Even if I wasn't, I still wouldn't be with you. And now that he's back, I kindly ask that you stop interfering in our lives. Thank you."
• At that moment, Bill's face darkened, but when he looked at Vanessa's stunning beauty, he forced himself to hold back. Secretly, he thought, "Once I get my hands on you, I'll show you who's in charge."
• "Vanessa, what are you saying? Do you have any idea how much Bill has done for us?" Rebecca snapped at Vanessa, her voice filled with anger.
• Then, turning to Bill, she added, "Bill, don't listen to her. In this house, my word is still final."
• Bill smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Rebecca. I'll win Vanessa over with sincerity."
• Hadden's expression grew colder. Bill was openly declaring his intention to pursue Vanessa right in front of him.
• "No wonder he's the heir to the Conners. Look at that grace! Something a certain someone could never compare to."
• "With how beautiful Vana is, only a talented and promising young man like Mr. Conner is a good match for her."
• "Mr. Conner, when you and Vana get married, I'll definitely give you both a big wedding gift."
• The relatives, one after another, sang Bill's praises without any attempt to hide their disdain for Hadden.
• Vanessa trembled with anger, but since these were her elders, she maintained her composure. Her gaze briefly shifted to Hadden, and seeing him stay silent and expressionless, without refuting or reacting to the insults, deepened her disappointment.
• If Hadden had any inkling of Vanessa's thoughts, he'd be tearing his hair out in frustration. His silence was solely out of consideration for her feelings, not indifference.
• At that moment, the housekeeper began bringing the dishes to the table, and Rebecca invited everyone to sit—except for Hadden, who was deliberately left out.
• Hadden found himself at a loss, unsure whether to stay or leave.
• "Daddy, I want you to hold me while we eat."
• Anya's sweet voice suddenly rang out, her big, watery eyes blinking as she waved her tiny arms toward Hadden.
• The moment her voice reached his ears, all of Hadden's anger melted away. Especially hearing the word "Daddy"—his heart nearly melted.
• But Rebecca wasn't willing to let it go and scolded Anya harshly. "Be quiet! He's not your father. Your father is dead."
• Anya's lips quivered, and she looked like she was about to cry again.
• "Come on, Mom!"
• Vanessa's voice was filled with impatience. She picked up Anya from her seat and said with a cold tone, "Hey you, sit here!"
• The words were clearly directed at Hadden, who gratefully nodded and quickly sat down.
• "I want Daddy to hold me!"
• Sitting in Hadden's lap, Anya was overjoyed. She curiously tugged on Hadden's ears and touched his face, giggling with delight.
• Seeing this, a rare softness appeared in Vanessa's eyes.
• As the group gathered around the table but before anyone could start eating, Bill produced an exquisitely wrapped pink gift box and handed it to Anya. "This is my birthday present for you, Anya. Happy birthday!"
• So today was Anya's birthday. The thought of missing out on four years of her life filled Hadden with guilt once again.
• Anya looked at Bill shyly, but being just four years old, she was naturally excited to receive a gift. Her eyes lingered on the pink, cartoon-themed gift box.
• She took the gift and said, "Thank you, Uncle Bill!"
• Bill smiled brightly. "Go ahead, open it! Let's see if you like it."
• Anya was already curious about the pink box, and after hearing Bill's encouragement, she eagerly unwrapped it.
• Inside the outer wrapping was a delicate small box. When she opened it, there was a bracelet inside, glittering with dazzling light.
• "What a beautiful bracelet!"
• Vanessa's younger sister, Vivian Smith, gasped, her face full of envy.
• "When I found out about Anya's birthday, I specially contacted a friend in Glassa who works at a large diamond mine. He secured some raw diamonds for me, and I commissioned a renowned international jewelry designer to create this custom bracelet just for Anya. It's one of a kind."
• Bill's smug look spoke volumes as he highlighted the bracelet's value and his thoughtfulness in choosing such a gift for Anya's birthday.
• "A diamond bracelet, designed by an internationally renowned jeweler, and custom-made? It must be worth a small fortune, right?"
• Vivian's eyes sparkled with greed, clearly wishing the bracelet was hers.
• Bill leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile and said casually, "The diamonds themselves aren't that expensive, but getting that jeweler to do the work cost a pretty penny. All in all, it came out to about 90 thousand dollars."
• "Ninety thousand dollars!"
• The relatives gasped in shock.
• "Mr. Conner truly is generous as the heir of the Conners."
• "And he's so good to Anya. Once Mr. Conner becomes Anya's father, her childhood will be so much happier."
• "Exactly. Anya is so lucky to have Mr. Conneras her future dad."
• The relatives completely disregarded Hadden's presence.
• Basking in their praise, Bill smiled even more smugly and shot a taunting look at Hadden. Vanessa's expression grew darker by the second. While she was deeply disappointed in Hadden, she had never agreed to marry Bill.
• "It's Anya's birthday today. You didn't come with a gift, did you?"
• Vivian suddenly asked mockingly, causing everyone to turn their gaze toward Hadden.
• "Of course I did," Hadden replied.
• Hearing Hadden's words, Anya's face lit up with excitement. To her, no gift was more precious than one from her Daddy.
• Rebecca frowned. Hadden had arrived empty-handed. If he really had a gift, where could he possibly be hiding it?
• Everyone else shared the same thought.
• Under the scrutiny of the crowd, Hadden casually removed a pendant he had been wearing around his neck.
• "Pfft!"
• Vivian couldn't help but laugh out loud, her face filled with exaggerated disbelief. "Hadden, this is the birthday present you prepared for your own daughter? A cracked stone? Did you pick it up off the side of the road?"
• Hadden shook his head and responded honestly, "I found it in the Glery Desert."
• His words were met with uproarious laughter.
• Vanessa, who had held a shred of hope for Hadden, felt her face stiffen. This was the first birthday he was spending with their daughter, and yet the gift he brought was just some stone he'd picked up? And in front of all these relatives? It felt like a slap in my face.
• No one knew that this seemingly ordinary stone from the Glery Desert had saved Hadden's life numerous times. Every crack in it held a story, a memory of the dangers he had faced.
• Only Anya was absolutely delighted upon seeing the pendant. She tilted her little head up and giggled, "Daddy, I love it! Please help me put it on!"
• Hadden's face softened as he carefully placed the pendant around his daughter's neck.
• Surprisingly, the small stone, though covered in cracks, looked beautiful on Anya as if it had been custom-made just for her.
• But because it came from Hadden, no one would ever acknowledge its true value.
• "A stone picked up from the desert? What's so special about that?"
• Rebecca scowled, then turned to Vanessa. "Hurry up and put Mr. Conner's bracelet on Anya. Let's show some people the difference between heaven and earth."
• She took the opportunity to praise Bill while mocking Hadden.
• But just then, Hadden picked up the diamond-encrusted bracelet and tossed it straight into the trash without even looking at it.
• His action left everyone stunned. Did he just throw away a bracelet worth 90 thousand dollars?
• "What do you think you're doing?" Rebecca shouted in fury.
• Hadden frowned slightly. "This bracelet is harmful to wear."
• "That's nonsense!"
• Bill, usually composed and polite, was now furious. Seeing Hadden toss the bracelet had pushed him over the edge. "I put a lot of effort into getting that bracelet made. How dare a worthless man like you insult it?"
• Hadden looked at Bill coldly and asked, "You claim this bracelet, studded with red diamonds, cost you 90 thousand dollars?"
• Bill replied angrily, "Any problems, huh?"
• "If you really spent 90 thousand dollars, then you're just a fool with too much money."
• Hadden sneered and didn't give Bill a chance to retort before continuing, "Red diamonds are the rarest type of diamond, so rare that they don't even have a fixed price. You almost never see them on the diamond market. They only appear at high-end auctions.
• "In 1987, Sabbadin Auction House auctioned a 0.95-carat red diamond that sold for 880 thousand dollars—equivalent to a price of 920 thousand dollars per carat. In today's currency, that's over 8 million dollars.
• "And this bracelet you've given has at least 1.5 carats of diamonds, right? So tell me, how did you manage to get a red diamond bracelet for just 90 thousand dollars?
• "This isn't a natural red diamond. It's an irradiated, color-treated diamond. Diamonds like these are highly radioactive, and prolonged exposure can cause serious health problems. And yet, you had the audacity to gift this dangerous bracelet to a four-year-old girl. What exactly are your intentions?"
• Hadden's sharp gaze locked onto Bill as he fired off one soul-piercing question after another, leaving Bill speechless. The entire room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Bill, whose expression had become grim. Even Vanessa's gaze had darkened considerably.