The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge

Chapter 527

"Thank you."

Out of sheer politeness, Gwyneth Langford managed to murmur her thanks.

Hawthorne Everhart climbed into the driver's seat, hands steady on the wheel as he turned toward his own house.

"You don't need to head to the office this afternoon," he said. "I'll show you around so you can get your bearings."

Gwyneth rolled her eyes inwardly. Did he really think she needed a tour of his house? What was it going to be, a couple thousand square feet, maybe a three- story place at most?

But when the car pulled up to Hawthorne's front gates, and she saw the towering iron doors and high stone walls encircling the estate, Gwyneth's jaw all but dropped.

This was nothing like what she'd imagined. In fact, it was so far from her expectations it might as well have been on another planet.

The driveway was paved with old flagstones, their surfaces worn smooth by years of footsteps. On either side, willow trees swayed gently in the early spring breeze, their new leaves shimmering. Two massive stone lions stood sentinel at the gate, jaws clamped around carved orbs. The iron doors themselves were set with dragon-shaped knockers, their patina hinting at decades, maybe centuries, of history.

Even her grandfather's house back in Starfall City paled in comparison to this. Just the grandeur of the entrance made her want to stand up a little straighter.

"This is your home?"

Letting her stay here, even temporarily, seemed absurdly generous. She'd thought her own uncle's mansion in Evermore City was impressive, but this-this was the sort of estate you'd expect to find in the heart of an ancient European capital, not tucked away in a modern city.

"It is. Technically, it's the family estate."

Sixteen generations, passed down until it landed in his hands. He'd once planned to donate it as a historic site, but after a few too many run-ins with disrespectful tourists, he'd decided to take it back and live in it himself.

They stopped before the gates, and almost at once, the heavy iron doors swung open.

light blinking above her head-a security camera. The place might look like something out of another era, but security

"Mr. Everhart, you've returned?"

flickering across his face as he took in Hawthorne

it was the timing. Maybe it was Gwyneth herself. But she couldn't shake the feeling

"Yes," Hawthorne replied.

at Hawthorne's side, then to Gwyneth, who-dressed plainly and looking fresh out of college-felt suddenly self- conscious. The butler said nothing, but the silence

stammered. "There's nothing going on between us. I'm just... here for a while, that's

shot her a look. The butler, face expressionless, turned and started walking ahead, keeping a

adult, you

of her suitcase. The butler's face twisted into something that looked like a grimace. "Noted, Mr. Everhart. If there's nothing else, I'll get back to

secret of his dislike for

fifty," Hawthorne said in a low voice. "You

With his stern face and solemn demeanor, Adkins looked like he belonged in a Dickens novel, not like someone who hadn't

her... like she was some runaway teenager. It made

she muttered. What was that look for,

Hawthorne inside,

she crossed

as if she'd stepped back in time. The corridors, the courtyards, the carved balustrades-everything exuded an old world

radiated age and craftsmanship; these weren't

alone could buy. The history

landscape. She paused, recognizing the seal in the corner. For a moment,

it?" Hawthorne noticed her hesitation and stopped as

said,

not tucked away in some forgotten corner, but hanging here,

her mother's life had revolved around two things—raising her three children and scouring the world for her mother's lost

of remarkable talent, a true lady of