Chapter 90

If this had been the old Autumn, she definitely would have obeyed Damien. But now? Not necessarily. Barry also noticed that after Autumn made up her mind to get divorced, she had completely changed from who she used to be. Maybe it was because the old Autumn only ever lit up when she looked at Damien. But now, her whole being seemed to shine.

At that thought, Barry pressed a hand to his chest, trying to steady his racing heart. He wasn’t a young man anymore—he really needed to get a grip. Even so, he couldn’t shake the nervous, excited feeling inside.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Emilia asked.

“If you’re curious, go ask her yourself,” Barry said, his tone relaxed and casual, leaving no cracks. “Though, I suppose you think too little of her to even want to ask.”

Barry admitted that Emilia was exceptional and understood the pride she carried, which was why she looked down on Autumn. But everyone was different. There was no need to argue to determine who was wrong or right. Sometimes, it was fine to just muddle through.

Emilia didn’t like hearing that at all, but Barry’s laid-back smile made it so that if she got mad, she would only look petty and unhinged. So, she could only give him a cold reminder.

“Just remember who your real friends are.”

After that, she ignored him.

“Of course, you’re all my good friends,” Barry said sweetly.

“Cut it out,” Damien warned icily.

Barry clicked his tongue. “What? I wasn’t even arguing with Emilia. Do you have to be this protective? Can’t I even tease her a little?”

Damien’s silence made it clear that even teasing was off the limits. When it came to Emilia, he never gave an inch.

Barry shrugged. “Alright, I surrender. Autumn didn’t say anything else, so I don’t know if she’ll resign. If you want to know, go ask her yourself.”

Damien furrowed his brow briefly but decided to let the matter drop. There was no way Autumn had the guts to not resign. In the past, whenever they fought and Damien didn’t come home, Autumn would call Rosetta. If Rosetta didn’t know where he was, Autumn would turn to Barry for answers. So this time, Autumn had probably gone to Barry because she wanted to apologize to Damien.

Well, at least she wasn’t so foolish as to be completely hopeless. She knew that Dawson was his trigger, making him completely off-limits!

As the thought crossed his mind, Damien’s expression turned icy. Even if Autumn apologized to him this time, he wouldn’t let her off easily.

The tennis court wasn’t closed off, and just as Damien finished that thought, he saw Autumn. She had changed into a white tennis outfit. She was considered tall among women, with long, slender legs. The simple white outfit suited her well—she even gave off a rare youthful energy. Besides apologizing, did she also want to play tennis with him?

Damien frowned with annoyance at her wishful thinking. Emilia saw her too. She frowned briefly, then looked away dismissively. Rosetta had once said that aside from cooking, Autumn had no hobbies whatsoever, making her personality dry and boring. Tennis was a difficult sport to pick up. It typically took 20 to 30 coaching sessions just to barely grasp the basics of forehand shots, backhand shots, and serving. And for anyone hoping to become truly skilled, it required at least six months of training. Emilia disliked practicing under the sun, so she rarely trained and was only at a beginner level. Her rallies were average at best, but Autumn didn’t know how to play at all. Yet, she had changed into tennis gear, looking like she was ready for a match. Could she have wanted Damien to teach her?

Did she really have the nerve to think that? Wasn’t she afraid that if he turned her down, it would be a brutal slap to her own face? Did she have no self-respect at all? Still, Emilia didn’t pay much attention to her and began swinging her racket. She hadn’t played in a long time, so her form was a bit awkward.

Seeing this, Damien walked over and placed his hand over hers to patiently guide her.

Autumn slowly approached from outside the court. She hadn’t heard from Barry that Damien and Emilia would be here. But seeing him now, she wasn’t surprised. She happened to glance over just as Damien was personally coaching Emilia. The two were practically pressed together, looking quite intimate. She watched for two seconds, then calmly looked away.

“Autumn!” Barry called out.

She gave him a small nod.

Damien frowned and told Barry, “Have her wait before coming over.” He had no time right now to listen to her apology. Also, he found it extremely irritating to have her hang around in his line of sight.

Chapter 91

But before Barry could say anything, Autumn had already walked away. She hadn’t intended to stop in the first place.

Seeing this, Emilia remarked, “Autumn still listens to you.”

Damien hummed emotionlessly in acknowledgement. Autumn had always been that way. So, he knew all too well that no matter how rebellious she acted or how much she seemed to have changed, the outcome was always the same—she would come back in the end.

Barry, whether because he now understood Autumn’s true intentions or because he was already preparing himself to have a fallout with Damien, felt a faint discomfort hearing this exchange. He swallowed that discomfort and called Jayden, “Hurry up and get over here, or I’m going to be stuffed full of their PDA.”

Emilia clearly enjoyed that and quickly brightened up again. Barry only smiled faintly. He had always been good at saying what people liked to hear, but it didn’t mean he was emotionally invested. He was simply used to not rejecting others and making sure they felt cared for.

Because of that, some people accused him of being a master manipulator and a total flirt who was sure to break hearts. But those who had actually been around him for a while mostly said that deep down, he was cold and indifferent. He seemed to treat everyone warmly, but in truth, he didn’t care for anyone. In the end, he had been called every bad name in the book.

Barry never bothered to explain himself. He could accept many people—it wasn’t that he looked down on everyone, but everything depended solely on whether he was in the mood. He followed his whims; that was all.

Off to the side, Emilia found it strange. Wasn’t Barry supposed to be playing with Rico? Why was he only rushing Jayden? She wanted to ask but hesitated. At that moment, asking too much might make Barry notice what she was thinking. He was a very perceptive man, after all.

The tennis courts had east and west entrances. Autumn had gotten a message from Rico and, by coincidence, entered from the west side. This led her to cross paths with Damien. Meanwhile, Rico and the others didn’t run into them because they had come in from the east entrance. There were quite a few courts, with two connected side by side.

Autumn stepped into the fenced-in tennis court and, besides seeing Dawson and Rico unpacking rackets from their sports bags, she was surprised to spot Della. She hurried over and said with a smile, “Ms. Coffrey, you came too.”

“Do you know how to play?” she asked.

Before Autumn could answer, Rico cut in. “She doesn’t, but I’ll teach her later.” As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Dawson. Dawson was speechless.

Autumn also looked toward Dawson. He was dressed in a simple gray tennis outfit. With his broad shoulders, long legs, and slim waist, he looked good in anything. Tennis had originally been a sport for the aristocracy, and at that moment, Dawson really did look the part.

Just as she was about to look away, Dawson’s gaze suddenly shifted toward her. As their eyes met, she was about to nod in greeting. But then she heard him say, “If you don’t know how to play, go find a coach. Don’t get in the way here.”

Both Autumn and Della were struck mute. Dawson’s sharp remarks were reserved for people he was close to. With most people, he wouldn’t even spare a glance or a word. It was probably because of the charity banquet work that Autumn had made a good impression on him.

The more Delia observed Autumn, the more satisfied she was with her. Though her detached personality didn’t allow her to show it on her face.

“If you don’t know how to play, I can’t partner with you. Mr. Faulkner likes tennis, so you need to learn. That way, you’ll be able to come out anytime and get some exercise with him.” Autumn was momentarily at a loss for words. Della said it as if playing tennis with Dawson was now part of her job responsibilities—and an important one at that. But with many executives, it was common for assistants to accompany them for leisure and entertainment. If an assistant couldn’t keep up or had no relevant skills, they likely wouldn’t be invited again. After all, aligning with the boss’s interests was practically a required skill in the workplace.

Autumn suddenly understood why Della had been assigning her certain tasks lately—she was being trained.

Rico was about to say something when Della swept her cold gaze over him. “You, play with me,”

“No. Autumn doesn’t know how to play, and I’m happy to teach her. Besides, Robin and Jamie are on their way. Just call and rush them over.”

Dawson was dumbfounded. Ignoring the look on his face, Rico walked over to Autumn. “How about I show you the basic swings first?”