Chapter 29
Of course, it was Duneson who had casually given the order. Jamie didn’t really understand the reason either, but said, “What Mr. Faulkner asked her to do was important. Once it’s done, there’s no need to head back to the office.” Della didn’t ask further after hearing that Astume hung up. Being sent out on fieldwork occasionally came with the perk of a break. She decided to use the free afternoon to nap. Though her cold had been suppressed, proper rest was still important. Otherwise, with lowered immunity, it could come back.
She was just about to head out when she happened to glance sideways—and saw the trench coat in the trash. Autumn stepped in her tracks. She had worn it briefly while driving last night. She hadn’t expected Dawson to throw it away right after. It was from a luxury brand, and judging by its condition, it had probably only been worn once. To toss such an expensive item without a second thought, Dawson had to be a serious germaphobe.
Autumn couldn’t help thinking about that cold, expressionless face of his. Unlike those who put on a face of aloofness to attract attention or appear unique, Dawson was icy through and through. He didn’t care what others thought. Detached and indifferent to everything around him, he was a true iceberg. Being around him felt like reaching into a freezer—one careless move, and you’d get frostbite. Good thing she’d put on shoe covers before entering. Otherwise, she might’ve triggered one of his aversions.
Britney had spent the whole afternoon shopping with friends. After dinner, she drove her sports car over to Damien’s place, fully intending to stir up trouble—exaggerate things and get him to scold Auburn right then and there. She parked outside the villa and glanced toward the house—only to see Damien and Emilia walking side by side toward the main building. She hadn’t expected Damien to bring Emilia home. Who knew what they were planning to do tonight?
Not that she cared what they did, but the sight gave her a new idea. The point of tartling was to get Damien to punish Autumn. Now there was a more efficient way. Britney secretly recorded a video, revved the engine, and left to meet up with Serena for drinks. She sat in the corner of the bar, sent the video to Autumn, and couldn’t help but imagine how miserable Autumn would be when she saw it. But just as she hit send, a red exclamation mark popped up. Britney could hardly believe what she was seeing. She double-checked. She really had been blocked. Autumn—this glorified ninny—had dared to block her? What was she thinking?
Serena, who was chatting with another friend, turned and noticed Britney’s darkened expression. “What’s wrong?” Britney could have asked someone else to forward this video to Autumn, just to make sure she saw it. But that was too much of a hassle. Serena, “de me a Lavor.” Serena was a computer science major. She wasn’t great with her coursework, but her hacking skills were solid. She took Britney’s phone, and not long after, the video had been successfully sent to Autumn.
Britney immediately followed it up with a few more messages, venting her anger the way she liked best. “Autumn, so what if you blocked me? Did you watch the video? It’s a little gift from me. Hope you enjoy it. But I’m warning you, don’t ever block me again. Or else, I’ll keep sending you more gifts like this. Now that Emilia’s back, there’s no shortage of footage for you!” “You’ve been making me really unhappy lately, Autumn. I’ll give you one last chance. My birthday’s coming up. You’d better figure out what I like and make me happy. If you don’t, you know what happens.”
Meanwhile, Autumn had slept all afternoon. After dinner, she was busy working on her thesis.