Chapter 17
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 he was a little jealous, adding spice to their relationship. Unfortunately, Autumn and Damien were not a regular couple.
Since the question was about Dawson, its focus was clear. In Damien’s eyes, Dawson, his elder brother (only a month older), was a taboo existence. Damien had never brought it up with Autumn since Dawson had been abroad for the past few years. However, Autumn had learned the reasons from David Caldwell, their father, during a family banquet.
David often compared them, obviously preferring Dawson. Three years ago, Damien had taken over as Caldwell Group’s president and produced excellent results. However, David still thought him inferior to Dawson. Despite Damien’s current position, David still didn’t show him the respect he deserved. It was obvious David had often told him he couldn't compare to Dawson in their youth.
Damien was strong-willed. The animosity he harbored for Dawson had festered for a long time and couldn't be easily resolved. As long as Dawson was involved, Damien was likely to be upset. This is why he avoided Dawson as much as possible. If not 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 they could be close. He had only asked because Dawson was involved; it had nothing to do with Autumn.
Soon, the car arrived at the Caldwell residence. Autumn alighted with Damien. In the past, she would use the excuse of visiting Hank to hold Damien’s arm. Although Damien disliked being close to her, he would 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 obtaining her divorce certificate. She had abandoned such thoughts long ago. She strolled into the building, walking even faster than Damien.
Damien had heard from Rosetta that Autumn hadn’t returned home for over a week and hadn’t contacted her once, breaking her previous record from when she ran away. Her behavior today was also different. He didn’t expect Autumn to be brave enough to throw a tantrum with him for a week. Although he knew the reason behind her actions, it didn’t mean he would try to mollify her. The mere idea hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Damien trailed behind her indifferently. An older person’s body can’t compare to a younger person’s; they are more prone to getting cold, so the heater in the Caldwell residence’s main hall was on full blast. The moment she stepped inside, Autumn’s frozen hands and feet slowly warmed up.
When she took off her jacket, the maid approached to take it. Accidentally touching Autumn’s hand, she murmured, “Mrs. Caldwell, your hands are freezing…”
“No worries. They’ll be warmed up soon.”
The maid had spoken hoping Damien would show concern. Even a hand rub would have been nice. However, Damien didn’t react. The maid sighed and continued her work.
Damien was right behind Autumn. When she spoke 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 she would take things further—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 she deemed reasonable. As a result, her actions didn’t bother him in the slightest.
Autumn’s left hand flexed when she noticed Damien’s gaze. She was wearing the matching friendship ring Olivia had given her. Since she had decided to drop by, she would play the role perfectly. She didn’t want to waste energy explaining why she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring if anyone noticed.
Every time they visited Hank, Damien also wore his wedding ring. Today was no different. However, he was wearing a couple’s ring that was part of a pair with Emilia’s. Men’s rings are usually created in the same style, so one had to scrutinize the ring to notice anything 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 sat on a solid wood chair, quietly enjoying tea brewed by the maids. He didn’t raise his hand when Autumn and Damien entered. It was as if he had erected a barrier around himself, shutting everyone else out.
Chapter 17
With Damien’s and Britney’s statuses, they were destined to look down on most people. However, Autumn felt Dawson was even colder than the siblings; he looked down on others even more.
But how the Caldwells behaved didn’t concern Autumn. She only had to play her part. She entered the main hall silently and chose the seat furthest from Dawson. Damien then sank down into the seat next to hers. Normally, he would pick a seat far from hers. She guessed 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 carrying out their duties, the main hall was silent. The air turned oppressive and suffocating. Autumn was affected by the atmosphere and found it a little difficult to endure. Dawson and Damien didn’t seem 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 to Damien and share what she had been up to like she usually did. Instead, she lounged on the couch and had the maids feed her different snacks.
Britney was used to behaving however she wanted, so she couldn’t 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. She became upset instantly. “Autumn, don’t forget that this is the Caldwell family.”
The seating was arranged by the housekeeper, but in reality, Hank was making the decisions. Britney wasn’t brave enough to go against Hank, so she hoped Autumn would take the fall instead.
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 in 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, so whoever secured those shares 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. 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.