Chapter 15
It wasn’t Dawson’s intention to speak coldly, but his voice was similar to his personality, cool and distinct, which gave off the impression that his speech lacked warmth.
After Autumn got over her initial surprise, she couldn’t help but grow worried. She hoped that Dawson would not recognize her.
Olivia whipped her head around to look at Autumn, eyes sparkling. She was clearly excited. Autumn shot her a look that warned her to keep quiet. Howard had done his homework in order to invite Dawson to watch the race. “I’ve never heard of this racer. I’ll look into her when I have the time.”
“No need,” Dawson said indifferently. “She’s no longer part of the scene.”
He continued to speak to Howard and didn’t turn his attention toward Autumn, which made her breathe a sigh of relief and “Sun” were the same person.
Dawson didn’t know that she
The racers had been separated into two teams, A and B. Dawson ended up leaving early because he had no interest in them. Since the main character had departed, the gathering also dissolved quickly.
Before Jamie took his leave, he reminded Olivia to let him know when she had reached home safely. Olivia’s driver had sent her to the venue, so she tagged along with Autumn to get back home.
Autumn didn’t even get a chance to start the car before Olivia launched into an excited tirade. “Why did you stop me from revealing the truth just now? If Dawson knew who you were, we might have been able to become acquaintances with him!”
Olivia had refrained from speaking carelessly to Dawson earlier because she couldn’t find a suitable topic to strike up a conversation with him. She didn’t want to get on his bad side by stubbornly talking when he was uninterested.
Autumn explained, “Dawson is Damian’s half–elder brother. They share a father but have different mothers, and he also took his mother’s last name. He livés in Clerestia, so we haven’t interacted much.”
Olivia was stunned for a few seconds by the sudden influx of information. “Doesn’t that make him part of your family then?” she exclaimed.
“In the past, yes,” Autumn.replied seriously.
Olivia’s jaw went slack. “Why didn’t you bring it up before?”
“Dawson attended my wedding to Damien, but he only stayed for ten minutes before he left. I never saw him again after that, so I never mentioned it to you.”
“I see. That makes him practically a stranger to you.”
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Autumn nodded in agreement. “I’m about to divorce Damien, so I don’t want to interact too much with his family. That’s why I stopped you from telling him.”
Other than Hank, Autumn was not fond of anyone who was associated with Damien.
Olivia didn’t push the subject after learning of Autumn’s reasons. “Alright then, I’ll continue keeping it a secret for you. Besides, there’s still Jamie. I can find out more about Dawson through him.”
“It’s still too early to say. Who knows, you might want to get back on the racetrack one
gravitate to you.”
May
en the time comes, the people who like you will naturally
Autumn didn’t have much of an opinion about the future. She smiled when she replied, “We’ll talk about it when the time comes.‘
“It’s still early,” Olivia said as she checked the time. “I want to check out your place.”
It had been too late after they returned from the hospital the last time, so Olivia hadn’t gotten a chance to visit yet. Just as Autumn was about to start the car, the massive screen outside the racetrack began to broadcast the interview portion of the show.
The first person to be interviewed was Emilia. She had placed first in her race. The host said a few lines to fire up the crowd even more before he started the interview. Since the participants in Team B still had to race, the questions were simple, and the participants also answered quickly.
Autumn wasn’t interested af first, until the host said in a conspiratorial tone, “I’m sure everyone noticed that our goddess, Emilia, was wearing a stunning lily necklace during the race. On behalf of the audience, I wanted to ask you if there was something special about the necklace that made you choose to bring it with you onto the racetrack.”
The audience erupted into an uproar upon hearing the host’s questions. No matter the time or place, people loved to listen to gossip.
Autumn stopped what she was doing and quietly watched the screen. Noticing where Autumn’s attention was, Olivia didn’t rush her to leave.
Emilia didn’t show even a hint of stage fright in front of the host, the cameras, and the lively crowd. Her voice was dripping with enthusiasm when she exclaimed, “I didn’t expect everyone to have such top–notch observation skills. You’re right. It’s special because this necklace is a birthday present.”
“A birthday present!” the host exclaimed just as enthusiastically. “Did your boyfriend give it to you?”
Ernilia smiled. “No, but it was from a very important and very special person whom I really like and really admire. It’s indeed very special to me, so I hope that I’ll be wearing this necklace to every important event in the future!”
The host was an expert on picking up subtle cues. “Since you’re experiencing an important moment right now, he must be here to witness your win with his own two eyes, am I right?”
The audience cheered loudly and screamed their agreement, turning the atmosphere even more lively.
Emilia smiled, but she didn’t respond to the host’s question. Instead, she turned to look in a certain direction. The director pointed the camera toward where she was looking. The camera couldn’t pinpoint who it was she was looking at because of the large number of people in the area, but it did capture
Damien on the screen.
He was extremely eye–catching in the crowd since his bearing and appearance were a league above everyone else. Even though the camera did not zoom in on him, Autumn was able to recognize him on the screen in an instant.
Gentleness overflowed from Damien’s eyes. At that moment, there was no one else reflected in his gaze but the woman who was being celebrated by the crowd. He displayed his fondness for her boldly and openly.
Damien’s actions were his response to Emilia.
Autumn pursed her lips before she quietly started the car. Halfway through their journey, Olivia suddenly said, “She might have placed first in her team, but after Team B’s results were released, she ended up placing fourth in the entire race, so she didn’t go up on the podium to receive an award.”
Olivia had been engrossed with her phone the entire time. It turned out that she had been watching a livestream of the race.
Autumn didn’t respond to her immediately and continued driving the car. A few minutes later, she finally said, “You don’t have to be too worried about how I feel, Olivia. You don’t need to always comfort me either. My mind is the clearest that it has ever been.
“The better Damien treats Emilia, the faster I can leave. The moment I can watch them get married and have children without experiencing any sort of emotion, then I’ll know that I’ve completely recovered. I’ll know that I’m in a better place.”
Olivia didn’t immediately respond upon hearing Autumn’s words. She stared at Autumn’s hands on the steering wheel and noticed that they were steady. The sight made her feel immensely relieved.
When Olivia really thought about it, she realized that Autumn had never actually broken down in front of her after her divorce. On the contrary, she had always carried herself with a steady air.
Although Autumn had indeed set herself on a difficult and winding path for the past few years because of a moment’s impulse, there was nothing she could do about it now. Besides, no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t make mistakes over the course of their life.
If one made a mistake, all one had to do was fix that mistake.
Life provided plenty of room for mistakes to be made.
Since Autumn was able to grip the steering wheel firmly, naturally, she would be able to grasp a life that truly belonged to her from now onward.
Olivia patted Autumn’s shoulder and said, “Sorry, I underestimated you.”
Autumn aimed a self–deprecating jab at herself. “You must have been shocked by how I behaved like a lovesick fool for the last three years. I guess that’s why you don’t have any confidence in me anymore.”
Her words caused Olivia to burst into laughter, which in turn made Autumn laugh along with her.
When they made it to Flery Residences, Autumn gave Olivia a tour of her new living space. She lived in an affluent area where a single square foot cost 30 thousand dollars. It was a large condominium that had been lavishly decorated, and the living environment was just as good.
Olivia had been worried that Autumn would be living a tough life, but now she could rest easy. However, she was surprised by the sheer number of documents, along with Olivia’s drafts, that were scattered all over the dining table, which was over 9 feet long. Her study was also filled with all types of research materials.
Olivia knew that she was average when it came to her studies, so she had established a business immediately after graduation. She felt a headache coming on just from looking at all the materials laid out before her. She gave Autumn a thumbs–up.
“I’m going to need to borrow your laboratory soon,” Autumn said.
Olivia pondered how to slot Autumn into the schedule. “Why don’t you drop by together with that senior from Averpark University who refuses to share her name? You can help me gauge how capable she is.”
