Chapter 17
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It was rare for Damien to strike up a conversation with Autumn of his own volition. He must have seen Dawson’s car.
If they were a regular couple, his question would suggest that he was a little jealous, which in turn would add some spice to their relationship. Unfortunately, Autumn and Damien were not a regular couple.
Since the question was about Dawson, it was clear that the focus of the question was on him. In Damien’s eyes, Dawson, his elder brother who was only older than him by a month, was a taboo existence.
Damien had never brought it up with her since Dawson had been abroad for the past few years. However, Autumn had found out the reasons from David Caldwell, their father, during a family banquet.
David often compared both of them. From how he talked about them, it was obvious that he preferred Dawson. Three years ago, Damien had taken over as Caldwell Group’s president and produced excellent results. However, David had still thought that he was below Dawson.
Despite the position that Damien currently held, David still did not show him the respect he deserved. It was obvious that David had told him many times that he could not compare to Dawson during their youth.
Damien was a strong–willed person. The animosity he harbored for Dawson had festered in his heart for a long time and could not be resolved that easily. As long as Dawson was involved, there was a high chance that Dainien would be upset.
It was why he avoided Dawson as much as possible. If it wasn’t for Frank, he would also avoid the Caldwell residence like the plague.
“I’m not close to him,” Autumn answered honestly.
Her answer was within Damien’s expectations–there was no way that they could be close. He had only asked because Dawson was involved. It had nothing to do with Autumn in the slightest.
Soon, the car arrived in front of the Caldwell residence. Autumn alighted from the car with Damien. In the past, she would use the excuse that they were going to visit Hank to hold onto Damien’s arm. Although Damien didn’t like being close to her, he would still play along in front of Hank.
Autumn used to cherish such moments.
However, the purpose of her visit today was to play her part in front of Hank before she obtained her divorce certificate. She had abandoned such thoughts a long time ago. She strolled into the building, walking even faster than Damien.
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Damien had heard from Rosetta that Autumn had not returned home for more than a week. She also had not contacted Rosetta even once, breaking her previous record from when she ran away from home. Her behavior today was also different.
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He didn’t expect that Autumn would be brave enough to throw a tantrum with him for a week. Although he knew the reason behind her actions, it didn’t mean that he was going to try to mollify her. The mere idea of mollifying Autumn had not crossed his mind even once.
Damien trailed behind her indifferently.
An older person’s body could not be compared to a younger person’s. They were more prone to getting cold, so the heater in the Caldwell residence’s main hall was on full blast. The moment she stepped into the building, Autumn’s frozen hands and feet slowly warmed up.
When she took off her jacket, the maid approached her to take the garment. When she accidentally touched Autumn’s hand, she murmured, “Mrs. Caldwell, your hands are freezing…”
“No worries. They’ll be warmed up soon.”
The maid had spoken up in hopes that Damien would show concern for Autumn. It would be nice even if he just rubbed her hands. However, Damien didn’t react at all. The maid sighed and continued with her work.
Damien was right behind Autumn. When she was speaking to the maid, he noticed the wedding ring on her ring finger. She had worn it after all.
Autumn certainly knew how to play her part. To be honest, Damien hoped that she would take things further. He wanted her to actually divorce him and cause a ruckus until the entire family knew. He wanted her to insist on divorcing him, no matter how much Hank advised her not to. He wanted her to exceed his expectations for once.
It was unfortunate that Autumn would only cause trouble for him that she deemed within reason. As a result, her actions didn’t bother him in the slightest.
Autumn’s left hand flexed when she noticed Damien’s gaze on her. She was wearing the matching friendship ring that Olivia had gifted to her. Since she had decided to drop by, she would play the role perfectly. She didn’t want to waste her energy coming up with a reason as to why she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring if anyone noticed.
Every time they visited Hank, Damien would also wear his wedding ring. Today was no different. However, he was wearing a couple ring that was part of a pair with Emilia’s.
Men’s rings were usually created in the same style, so one had to really scrutinize the ring to notice that something was different. On the other hand, no one would know if Autumn was wearing her wedding ring or another ring altogether.
Autumn didn’t spend too much time worrying about the ring and stepped into the main hall.
Beyond the vintage cabinets, Dawson was seated on a chair that was made of solid wood, quietly enjoying the tea that the maids had brewed. He didn’t raise his hand even when Autumn and Damien entered. It was as if he had erected a barrier around himself, shutting everyone else on the outside.
Chapter 17
22
With Damien’s and Britney’s statuses, they were destined to look down on most people. However, Autumn felt that Dawson was even colder than the siblings. He looked down on others even more when compared to them.
But how the Caldwells behaved did not concern Autumn. She only had to play her part. She entered the main hall silently and chose the seat that was furthest from Dawson. Damien then sank down into the seat next to hers.
Normally, he would pick a seat that was far from hers. She guessed that his seat choice was probably related to Dawson. He loathed Dawson so much that he would rather sit close to her.
Autumn thought she was caught in a ridiculous situation. She could only win when she was up against Dawson.
Other than the maids who were busy carrying out their duties, the main hall was silent since no one spoke. The air turned oppressive and suffocating. Autumn ended up being affected by the atmosphere and felt that it was a little difficult to endure.
Dawson and Damien didn’t seem to be affected in the slightest. They may hate each other, but they knew how to keep up appearances.
When the clock struck 6:00 pm, Britney finally showed up, narrowly avoiding being late. However, she didn’t immediately cling otoDamien and share what she had been up to like she usually did. Instead, she lounged on the couch and got the maids to feed her different snacks.
Britney was used to behaving however she wanted, so she could not accept the suffocating atmosphere in the main hall. She ended up dragging Autumn with her to the dining room to make a quick escape, rendering Autumn speechless.
Britney shot a sneaky glance at the main hall before hastily averting her gaze. Autumn could see a hint of fear flicker in her eyes. It was the first time that she had something in common with Britney. She wasn’t the only one who feared Dawson.
“Later, you need to sit between Damien and… that person, got it?”
Britney was so afraid of Dawson that she didn’t dare say his name.
Autumn swiftly rejected her. “No.”
Britney didn’t expect Autumn to disobey her. She turned upset instantly. “Autumn, don’t forget that this is the Caldwell family.”
The seating was arranged by the housekeeper, but in reality, Hank was the one making the decisions. Britney wasn’t brave enough to go against Hank, so she hoped that Autumn would take the fall in her stead.
Autumn could tell what she was thinking. “Exactly. Even more reason for me not to take your place.”
Britney couldn’t come up with a comeback for that.
Dinner time had arrived. The housekeeper requested that everyone take their seats. After Autumn said her piece, she sat down on her designated seat, ignoring the interesting expression on Britney’s face.
Hank wielded such absolute power in the Caldwell family because he had single–handedly built up Caldwell Group from the ground. He still had the largest majority of the company’s shares within his grasp, so whoever was able to secure the shares in his possession would become the future heir of the Caldwell family.
If everything proceeded smoothly, Hank’s shares would belong to Damien in the future. It would be extremely beneficial to him.
Other than that, Hank was an impressive person in his own right, which was why the younger generation loved and respected him.
When Damien had rescued Autumn from the ocean, he hadn’t left any contact information before taking his leave. To seek out her savior, Autumn had
done her research on Damien. On her way to look for him, she had coincidentally rescued Hank from a car accident.
That incident had kicked off the sequence of events that came after. Although there wasn’t going to be a happy ending, she still felt fortunate that she was given the chance to experience Hank’s love.
As Autumn was distracted with her memories, Dawson, Britney, and Damien took their seats one after the other.
