Chapter 4: Chapter Four: Full of Grievances

"Only this once, I'll take you to her place. But if she refuses to see you or doesn't let you stay, you must come back and not cause any more trouble for yourself!" This was the biggest concession Lambert Vaughan could make.

"Thank you, Dad! Let's go." Samuel Vaughan, excited, sat up from the bed but fell back due to a sudden bout of dizziness caused by low blood sugar.

"Samuel Vaughan, don't push my limits," Lambert Vaughan glared at him, unable to understand what about Phoebe Conrad attracted his son so much.

"Dad, I'm sorry, Anzhi is wrong." Knowing that his father had already made a significant compromise by allowing him to meet Phoebe Conrad, Samuel Vaughan knew he couldn't overstep further.

Lambert Vaughan arranged for someone to watch near Phoebe Conrad's house and then left after dropping Samuel Vaughan off at her door. Samuel Vaughan, with his heart pounding, trembled as he pressed the doorbell.

Phoebe Conrad was cooking when she heard the doorbell. "Xiaoshuang, the doorbell rang, go open it."

At that moment, Xiaoshuang was engrossed in a game involving a hacker alliance, and told the dog Toby, who was watching, "Toby, go open the door."

When the door opened, Samuel Vaughan was stunned by the sight of a giant Tibetan Mastiff. Toby, sensing a familiar scent on the small figure before him, affectionately rubbed against Samuel Vaughan.

"Who is it?" Phoebe Conrad, holding a dish, walked out and saw a boy and a dog staring at each other. "Young Master? Why are you at my house?"

Xiaoshuang, lured by the smell of food, came out and, seeing Samuel Vaughan, whose appearance was strikingly similar to hers, her eyes lit up. She had seen photos of Samuel Vaughan online and knew he was Lambert Vaughan's son. To her, Samuel Vaughan exuded wealth, but she hadn't expected him to look so much like her.

"Toby, quickly invite the Young Master in."

Hearing the excitement in Xiaoshuang's voice, Phoebe Conrad immediately gave her a stern look, "Brat, get those bad ideas out of your head!"

Toby, tugging at Samuel Vaughan's clothes, pulled him into the house.

When Gloria Vaughan returned home and heard from the servant that Lambert Vaughan had taken Samuel Vaughan to Phoebe Conrad's place, her heart skipped a beat. If they found out Samuel Vaughan was Phoebe Conrad's child, she would be finished!

Back then, when Phoebe Conrad was staying in a suite, Gloria Vaughan entered and found Lambert Vaughan, the heir of the Vaughan Group, lying on the bed. She had planned to strip and lie next to him, pretending she had been defiled, forcing Lambert Vaughan to take responsibility. But right after she told her mother about the plan, her mother ordered her to leave. Lambert Vaughan was known for his cold-heartedness and hatred of being manipulated. It was impossible to become Mrs. Vaughan through such a scheme, and Lambert Vaughan might even retaliate against the Song family. Though reluctant, Gloria Vaughan understood her mother's advice and left the room.

What Gloria Vaughan didn't expect was that Phoebe Conrad became pregnant, which seemed like a godsend. She bribed the doctors and nurses who attended Phoebe Conrad during childbirth, taking the first-born son and having them dispose of the other two fetuses. She then took the baby to the Ji family, becoming the high and mighty Mrs. Vaughan.

If anyone discovered that Samuel Vaughan was Phoebe Conrad's child, everything she had would vanish. She couldn't allow that to happen!

"Tell me, where is that woman's house?" Gloria Vaughan demanded from the butler.

"I'm sorry, Madam, the young master instructed that for the safety of the little master, we cannot disclose the address," the butler replied politely but with a hint of distance.

"I am Anzhi's mother, can't I know?"

"Anzhi's mother? Gloria Vaughan, do you deserve that title?" Lambert Vaughan's voice suddenly appeared, startling her.

"Mr., please let me explain, I..." Gloria Vaughan, surprised by Lambert Vaughan's sudden appearance, remembered he had told her not to call him husband, only 'Mr.' since their marriage.

"What do you have to explain? That you disappeared right after your son returned from the hospital, or that you still had the mind for shopping and beauty treatments? Gloria Vaughan, this is my last warning. Don't forget, you married into the Ji family because of Anzhi. Stay out of Samuel Vaughan's affairs from now on."

Gloria Vaughan, gritting her teeth in anger, could not argue. This time, she had indeed lost control. In the past, Samuel Vaughan merely ignored her, but this time he had directly insulted her and thrown things at her. With Phoebe Conrad's appearance, she had lost her composure and forgotten to act the part of a virtuous mother.

Although Phoebe Conrad wanted to send Samuel Vaughan back, not wanting any more ties with the Song family, Samuel Vaughan looked at her with big, teary eyes, making it hard for her to turn him away.

"Well, why did you come to my house? And how did you find my address?" After dinner, Samuel Vaughan sat obediently on the sofa, while Phoebe Conrad sat opposite, looking like a judge.

"Phoebe, don't scare him, he's a young master, he's money!" Xiaoshuang whispered beside her.

"I think you should stop calling yourself Xiaoshuang and just admit you’re a money-grubber," Phoebe Conrad shot a glance at Xiaoshuang, who was clearly fixated on wealth.

"I... I, miss Mommy!" Samuel Vaughan said timidly, pointing at Phoebe Conrad, his big round eyes instantly filling with tears, as if they would spill over any second.

"Oh, don't cry! Phoebe, why don't you keep him? Since Lambert Vaughan sent him here, it's like a family visit. By blood, you’re his aunt anyway." Despite her greed, Xiaoshuang hated seeing others cry. She also felt an inexplicable closeness to Samuel Vaughan, perhaps because he was the young master.

"You... Mom, Song... No!" Samuel Vaughan, who had been playing the pitiful card, turned cold at Xiaoshuang's words, pointing at Phoebe Conrad and shaking his head.

Phoebe Conrad thought Samuel Vaughan simply had a bad relationship with Gloria Vaughan and didn't pay much attention. Now, it seemed more complicated. Last time, she noticed the young master wasn't just quiet. "Yes, yes, she isn’t. It's getting late, both of you should wash up and go to sleep. Oh, you can wear Nicola's clothes for now; you two seem to be about the same size."

"Thank you, Phoebe." Samuel Vaughan nodded obediently, called her Phoebe, and went to the room with Xiaoshuang.

"Hey, young master, why did you come to our house?" Xiaoshuang asked, lying in bed that night.

"Mom, save, me." Samuel Vaughan originally wanted to say he wanted Phoebe Conrad to be his mother, but felt it was inappropriate to say in front of her.

"That's it? Well, young master, there's something I need to discuss with you about staying here." Xiaoshuang's eyes sparkled as she looked at Samuel Vaughan.

Whether it was the lighting or something else, Samuel Vaughan felt Xiaoshuang was looking at him like a piece of fatty, juicy meat, her eyes gleaming with dollar signs.