Chapter 3
Standing at the entrance of the café was Damien in a tailored suit. With his refined air and model-like frame, many customers couldn’t resist stealing glances at him, their amazement plain to see.
Beside Damien was a clean-cut man in his early 30s who was equally poised.
Autumn recognized him.
That was Luther Huffman, a professor in computer science at Averpark University. She’d recently read on a forum that he was currently researching the reliability of data-driven AI.
Behind them was Damien’s assistant, Scott Keller, who had a folder in his arms.
Since Caldwell Group was the leading tech company in Havenmoor, Luther was probably there with Damien for a business meeting.
Autumn did not want to run into Damien at all, but leaving right then would only draw their attention. And so, she could only pray that they wouldn’t see her.
Alas, luck wasn’t on her side that day.
It only took a second for Damien to spot her, his eyes locking onto her with unerring precision.
Their eyes met.
As if he were merely looking at a stranger, Damien looked away coldly.
He couldn’t care less that she was there.
Following his gaze, Scott also spotted Autumn. With the same exact nonchalant reaction, he turned and said, “The private room is this way, Mr. Caldwell and Professor Huffman. Please, after you.”
Autumn quietly breathed a sigh of relief, only for the three to abruptly stop in their tracks.
Out of the blue, Luther asked, “Mr. Caldwell, do you know the lady by the window? Pardon me for asking, but I couldn’t help but notice you and your assistant glancing over to her.”
Damien had expected Autumn to appear at the company, but who would have thought she’d find her way there? He wasn’t too surprised, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see her.
Damien answered perfunctorily, “She’s just a housekeeper of mine.”
Luther was momentarily stunned.
He had asked not because Damien was looking at her, but because he remembered seeing her at a laboratory in Averpark University.
Averpark University was one of the best institutions in the country—no matter how poorly a graduate did in life, they’d still never need to become a mere housekeeper.
Not only that, he was sure that the person he was thinking about was a true prodigy.
At the moment, Luther’s lab was facing a technical challenge. If he could get a genius like that to join his lab, the challenge could be overcome in no time.
But for some reason, that particular person had vanished mysteriously a few years back.
Luther had even looked up all the achievements and other related information of every graduate student, but none of them matched the genius he remembered, as none of them stood out.
Given her brilliance, he believed that a mere handful of her academic papers would’ve made waves across the field.
Becoming the youngest professor in Averpark University’s history would’ve been a piece of cake for her, and maybe she could even make it into the Computer Science Research Institute’s Hall of Fame.
The future of that person had been limitless.
Thinking of this, Luther sighed inwardly. He must be mistaken, so there was no need to dwell on it. “Let’s go, Mr. Caldwell.”
Without a second glance, Damien entered the private room.
Autumn’s fingernails scraped against her cup, producing a harsh, grating sound.
Barry had once visited her and Damien’s home and, after tasting her cooking, declared he wanted to marry someone with her culinary skills.
Hearing that, Damien had plainly remarked, “So, a female chef is all it takes to satisfy you.”
Maybe it really was true that loving someone could make one dumb.
At the time, Autumn did not think much of that comment.
But looking back now, she found herself laughably pathetic.
Three years of devotion, and all she got in return was the label of a chef and a housekeeper. What a joke.
All of a sudden, Autumn was overwhelmed with discomfort. It was because of the belated realization that caused the pain, making her feel like a thousand tiny needles had pierced her heart relentlessly.
After Damien had entered the private room, Scott walked over and knocked on her table to get her attention.
Autumn snapped out of her thoughts, looking up.
With a displeased expression, Scott asked coldly, “What are you doing here? Didn’t Mr. Caldwell warn you not to check his whereabouts anymore?”
When Hank had been seriously ill before, Autumn had to contact Damien’s secretary because she was unable to reach him. Eventually, she found him at a bar, completely wasted.
When she tried to help him back then, he had pulled her onto the couch and kissed her passionately, which both shocked and thrilled her.
Damien had always been cold, so that was the first time he’d ever initiated a kiss.
But the very next second, he murmured the name Emilia.
Autumn had instantly gone ice-cold from head to toe, struggling to break free. Once Damien sobered up, he’d flown into the biggest rage since their marriage.
He didn’t return home for an entire month and warned her that if it ever happened again, he would make sure that they were divorced, and that even if Hank tried to intervene, he’d still go through with it.
Autumn had been too afraid to ever ask about his whereabouts since then, no matter what happened.
As Damien’s assistant, Scott knew how much Autumn cared for Damien, but now he was starting to think something had changed.
She never had the guts before, as she wouldn’t dare lose what little favor Damien still had for her.
For her to show up this boldly, did something happen to cause her to snap?
Soon after, Scott had an answer. “If you’re doing this because Ms. Mason is back in the country, you really ought to reconsider. Think about what she means to Mr. Caldwell. So don’t you think what you’re doing is pointless?”
Emilia had returned with a Ph.D. and passed the selection process to join Luther’s laboratory.
Luther was a giant in the field. His researchers were all top-tier talents working on cutting-edge AI applications.
Scott believed Emilia’s world was far beyond anything Autumn could even touch.
If he were in Autumn’s shoes, he’d know his place. If he didn’t, with how worthless he was, he’d just be crushed by the sheer difference between him and Emilia when they came face-to-face.
But clearly, Autumn lacked that awareness.
Scott and Autumn had never gotten along.
There wasn’t any particular reason for that. It was just that since he was Damien’s assistant, his attitude mirrored his employer’s.
As such, Autumn had endured all of his cold shoulders and sarcastic remarks.
Back then, her world revolved around Damien, so she was always polite to Scott. No matter how rude and cold he was, she never reacted much.
But now, there was no need to put up with it.
Autumn retorted, “And what exactly is pointless? By your logic, if I really were the kind of jealous stalker you say I am, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to stalk him since this morning and secretly follow him everywhere he goes? Why would I even go through such trouble?”
Scott stared at her in surprise.
Autumn had always been meek in front of him. When had she become so sharp-tongued?
But then it dawned on him.
When Autumn lost her baby yesterday, Damien was by Emilia the whole time.
Scott believed that even the gentlest woman would act like this because of such a loss, which was why she was behaving differently.
Still, she wouldn’t keep this attitude up for long.
Scott replied expressionlessly, “I don’t want to argue with you. Mr. Caldwell doesn’t want to see you. Please leave.”
Sure, she could stay and be an eyesore to him, but that wouldn’t do her any good.
There was no need to be immature.
“I’ve divorced Damien. Whatever I do now is none of your business. Don’t try to tell me what I can and cannot do.”
With that, Autumn turned and walked out.
Scott watched her retreating figure, too dumbfounded to do anything but scoff.
How ridiculous of her.
Damien had asked for a divorce countless times. When had she ever really gone through with it?
What was the point of taking it out on him?
And if she was going to make such a bold claim, she should have at least made it believable.
Her wedding ring was still on her finger. Wasn’t it even more laughable to say such an obvious lie?
…
After leaving, Autumn texted Olivia. “Let’s meet somewhere else.”
She had originally planned to go somewhere after meeting up with Olivia, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
At the jewelry store, the clerk used a ring cutter to cut the wedding ring off Autumn’s finger.
Because of all the strange supplements her mother-in-law, Linda Pace, had fed her over the years to help with fertility, she’d gained weight, and the ring had gotten stuck.
Once cut, the ring was treated as scrap and recycled based on the current market price for platinum.
Autumn had never liked anything too flashy, so her ring only had a few tiny diamonds, which weren’t worth very much. The whole thing fetched less than two thousand dollars.
Olivia was so stunned by the paltry amount that she burst out laughing.
“You actually sold your wedding ring? Your act this time is pretty convincing.”
Given how Autumn had behaved the past three years, Olivia did not believe for a second that she’d ever truly go through with divorcing Damien.
