Chapter 18
David and Vera Watson, Damien’s mother, were absent from dinner. Dawson's presence made a tense situation highly likely if they had appeared. Their absence was fortunate. The empty seat between Dawson and Autumn was left vacant for Hank.
Autumn glanced at Britney and noticed her glare. She found it amusing. Being forced to dine with someone she was terrified of was one of the rare hardships Britney had to endure. Britney truly had lived a pampered life.
Hank arrived just as Autumn finished her thoughts, causing everyone to rise. Hank was 73 this year, but one could still see his youthful handsomeness, despite the etched lines on his face. He was 5’9”. His body seemed free of rickets; his back was as straight as a board. When younger, he carried himself with a severe demeanor, but age had greatly softened his character. As a result, his grandchildren were less afraid of him than his own son.
Britney sighed in relief when she spotted Hank. “Grandpa, I heard from the housekeeper that you’ve been under the weather. Why did you only tell us after you recovered? You shouldn’t shoulder the burden of your illness by yourself.”
“It was just a common cold,” Hank explained. “If I’d asked you all to come over before I recovered, I would have spread it. Come on, let’s all sit and eat.”
Hank swept his gaze over the younger generation, one after another. His gaze finally rested on Autumn. His voice held concern as he asked, “Did you get thinner?”
Autumn hastily scrambled for an excuse. “I’ve been working out recently, so maybe I lost some weight.” In the past, she’d dedicated all her non-work hours to Damien, leaving no time for self-care. Her colleagues had told her she looked haggard last week, which made sense given her recent miscarriage and divorce. She couldn’t look better even if she tried. She’d applied light makeup before coming, so her face might look alright, but perhaps her body had indeed thinned. Autumn disliked being weak. She hoped to readjust her body through exercise and diet. She wanted to be healthy again. By next week, she should be able to slowly resume exercising.
Hank approved. “Working out is good for you. It keeps your body healthy, but you should take care not to get too thin.” Autumn nodded.
Britney launched into a complaint. “Grandpa, you have no idea how much Autumn has changed recently. She scolded me and called me immature earlier.” Autumn wanted to stop her; Britney was fabricating things. But Britney continued. “She even berated me for being late. I was picking out a gift for you. It wouldn’t be right to pick a gift without putting my heart into it, right?”
Britney attempted to manipulate the situation. “You misunderstood me, Autumn, so you should apologize. I’ll forgive you if you apologize,” she whined, not aggressively. If Autumn didn’t apologize, those unaware of the truth would assume she was petty. It was clear she needed to take cover against Britney’s erratic behavior. She wasn’t going to endure it hoping for a happy ending like she had in the past.
However, she didn’t get to respond before Damien spoke, “You’re in the wrong. Apologize.” Autumn looked at him. His gaze commanded obedience. She had to consider the bigger picture and avoid causing tension at the family banquet.
Of all the people at the table, Damien understood his sister best. He didn’t need to think too hard to know Britney was intentionally stirring up trouble. However, Damien didn’t care who was right or wrong—he was going to get Autumn to concede to Britney.
If they were alone, Autumn would refuse to apologize. But Britney was skilled at persuasion. She’d mentioned the gift for Hank to elevate her moral standing. If Autumn didn’t apologize, Britney would continue to play the victim. A few more whines would subject Autumn to a barrage of criticism.
Autumn decided to endure a little longer before conceding. It wasn’t every day she saw Hank, so she didn’t want to be embroiled in conflict. She lowered her head slightly and murmured, “Sorry~”
“You’re complaining to me over something so small?” Hank asked. “Let’s eat dinner first.” Autumn looked at Hank. His eyebrows were white, and his eyes hazy. Despite that, he saw the situation clearly.
From Hank’s perspective, the incident was a minor scuffle. Their argument wasn’t serious enough to warrant his intervention. However, he also knew Autumn would face hardship. Hank was fond of her, which is why he showed favoritism. It made Autumn’s heart squeeze.
Since Hank had spoken, Britney had to swallow her words, however unhappy she was. She regretted coming to the Caldwell residence. Not only did she have to tiptoe around Dawson because she feared him, but she also had to endure Autumn’s anger.
Dawson was one thing—she didn’t dare get on his bad side. But in her eyes, Autumn was merely Damien’s babysitter. In the past, Autumn had done whatever Britney asked, which pleased Britney immensely. She couldn’t believe Autumn was disobedient; it angered her beyond words.
Hank had the housekeeper serve wine. “Grandpa, my gut has been unwell recently, so I’ve been refraining from drinking,” said Damien. Hank didn’t force Damien to drink. He asked Dawson instead, and the latter didn’t refuse.
“It’s been three years since we last saw each other.” It was hard to conceal the love in Hank’s eyes as he looked at Dawson. He asked what Dawson had been up to for the past three years. Dawson discussed his overseas work in detail. Hank nodded, listening. Despite rarely smiling, his face was lined with mirth. It was obvious Hank was very happy Dawson had returned to visit him.
Since he’d just recovered from his illness, Hank didn’t limit his drinking. Dawson matched every sip Hank took. Every time they clinked glasses, Dawson’s glass had less wine than Hank’s. They truly shared a tight grandfather-grandson bond.
When Autumn had visited Hank in the past, she’d learned some information from talking with both Hank and the housekeeper. David had been involved in two relationships simultaneously, resulting in two pregnancies at once. Dawson’s mother was an influential lady in Clerestia. Seduced by David’s handsome face, she gave birth to a child. Upon discovering she was the mistress, she caused a huge uproar for the Caldwells. On the other hand, though Vera came from an average family, they held a certain status in Havenmoor. They wanted the Caldwells to take responsibility for what had happened.
David had no idea how to handle the situation, so he had Hank get involved. Vera had married into wealth. With only a month until her child’s birth, she wasn’t willing to get a divorce. She only asked for a sincere apology and wanted him to never repeat the mistake. As a result, Hank was primarily occupied with comforting Dawson’s mother, Dahlia Faulkner.
Dahlia never imagined she would be tricked by a handsome man. She wanted to tear David’s family apart and force the Caldwells into bankruptcy, and she was willing to do anything to achieve it. After conducting an investigation, Hank learned the head of the Faulkners had passed away, and the siblings were embroiled in a conflict over the inheritance. Dahlia had a wild heart. Winning the inheritance was difficult because sons were prioritized at that time. Hank offered her a deal—if he helped her gain the inheritance, she would forget about David’s wrongdoings.
In the end, Dahlia successfully became head of the Faulkner family. Naturally, Dawson would become a Faulkner again. However, since Dahlia had just inherited the position, she lacked the energy to raise a child. After a bloody internal struggle, she was also extremely wary of the other Faulkners. On the contrary, she trusted Hank more than her own family. She had a condition—David was not allowed to interact with Dawson. From birth until age seven, Dawson lived with Hank at the Caldwell residence.
Some of Hank’s friends had asked him in the past if he was frustrated that the grandson he’d raised didn’t share his last name. Hank didn’t mind in the slightest. He only needed the seven years he spent with Dawson to prove he was Dawson’s biological grandfather. If Hank hadn’t personally nurtured them, it didn’t matter if they shared his last name; he still wouldn’t have an emotional attachment.
Reality proved his opinion correct. Though many years had passed, Dawson still didn’t get along with David and Damien. However, he continued to visit Hank. The strongest connection between two people is definitely forged out of love. Autumn and Damien may be tied together by their marriage certificate, but lacking an emotional connection, their marriage was doomed to fail.
Autumn had never been chatty at family banquets. She ate quietly as always, listening to Hank and Dawson’s conversation. “I’ll be staying in Havenmoor for the time being,” Dawson said. Hank was overjoyed upon hearing his words. Autumn lowered her eyes while Damien gripped his fork tightly. It was obvious he was upset by the news.
Hank asked them to stay the night. Seeing Damien didn’t reject the suggestion, Autumn had nothing to add.
Chapter 18
Hank fell asleep after 10:00 pm. At 11:00 pm, Britney sneakily tried to escape. She didn’t want to be forced to eat breakfast with Dawson the next morning. Every guest room in the Caldwell residence had a study of varying sizes built next to it. The study and the room were connected by a door in the shared wall, usually kept shut.
After discussing Caldwell Group business, Damien remained in the study. Before sneaking out, Britney secretly sought out Damien. She couldn’t help herself and wanted to complain. “Damien, can’t you control Autumn? She’s getting bolder and opposing me at every turn now. If you continue to leave her be, I’m going to be forced to act according to her moods one day.”