Chapter 55

Olivia wasn’t horrified that she had offended the Caldwell Group. Instead, she was extremely shocked. “Would Damien really go that far for Emilia?” As soon as she said it, she regretted it. The Caldwell family had made Autumn suffer. Not only did Damien not stand up for her, but he was the one who hurt her the most. Compared to what Damien was doing for Emilia, Autumn had gone through hell. The contrast was painfully brutal; Olivia was certain her words must have made Autumn feel awful.

Tartu nodded without hesitation. “Definitely.” She wasn’t nearly as upset as Olivia had expected. Instead, she was thinking ahead.

Suddenly, an idea struck Autumn. “There’s a charity dinner at Magnolia Hall tomorrow night. Find a way to get an invitation and meet me there.” She paused before continuing, “I’ll try to arrange some time for you to speak with Dawson. That way, people will assume you two are close. Even if Damien tries something, others will think twice before crossing you; they wouldn’t want to offend Dawson either. I’ll also… pho jade a…”

Autumn didn’t know whether Damien would take kindly to being manipulated, but she didn’t care. Olina had stood up for her, and Autumn wanted to return the favor. They were up against someone like Damien, and she didn’t have the power to confront him directly. So, for now, she would use Dawson as her… shield. If Dawson held it against her in the future, she was willing to face the consequences.

Olivia understood immediately. Damien might sabotage her by pulling some contacts, but if she appeared close to Dawson, others would want to work with her regardless. “But… you were avoiding Dawson like the plague last time. Now you sound like best friends,” Olivia said, raising an eyebrow.

Autumn explained, “At Monday’s A Summit—you weren’t there—I forgot to tell you, Dawson is the mysterious CEO of Westgate Group. I’ll be at the charity dinner because I’m responsible for briefing him on the guests.”

Olivia mused. Autumn worked at Westgate Group, but Dawson had always been an elusive figure, known only as a powerful businessman in Clerestia’s elite circles. “Tamle Pomer told me that…” exclaimed Olivia.

“Won is announcing a totally new row,” Autumn replied.

Realization hit Olivia. “An evening gown for an event like that! How you picked out your dress? Let me see.” Anton had always been a striking woman—tall and elegant (5’7”)—and Olivia wanted her to look stunning; she remembered how radiant she’d always been.

Autumn pulled out a photo of the dress she’d bought the other day. Olivia nodded approvingly. “This suits you perfectly. But the price seems low. Not even 20,000 dollars? Are you short on…?”