Free Web NovelChapter 130: Chapter 130: Who Dares to Be Mad at President Vaughn Besides Her?
Any good mood she had was completely gone.
In a fit of pique, Damien shoved the gift boxes, sending them crashing into the backseat with a loud CLATTER.
"If you don’t like them, then throw them out. I’m Damien Vaughn. I don’t do something as humiliating as returning a gift for no reason."
Cecelia: "..."
The oppressive silence between them lasted the entire drive back to the Vaughn estate.
The moment the car stopped, Damien slammed the door and strode off. A few steps behind, Cecelia went straight to the children’s room.
A small floor lamp cast a warm, yellow glow across the room. On the soft, cozy bed, Candy and Annie were fast asleep in their cartoon pajamas, their heads nestled close together.
The two children were so adorable and sweet. Watching them sleep so peacefully, the gloom in Cecelia’s heart finally began to lift.
’The Vaughn estate is nice, but it’s not a place we can live in forever. Besides, he’s about to have a new girlfriend.’
’Candy, Mommy will take you away from here tomorrow.’
’At least I was able to trade our old house for a large apartment. After we leave here, we won’t have to worry about having a roof over our heads.’
’It’s just... I feel bad about Old Mr. Vaughn.’
’During our time at the Vaughn estate, he has been genuinely kind to me, to Candy, and to Annie as well.’
’If I just up and leave, will he be able to accept it?’
’And his legs... I said I would help with his physical therapy until he recovered before I left...’
’Sigh... Things rarely go as planned.’
’I’ve already broken my word twice. I swear, from now on, I will never casually make promises to anyone again, nor will I ever speak in absolutes.’
Cecelia tossed and turned in bed, her conscience weighing heavily on her. She didn’t drift into a groggy sleep until just before dawn.
In her groggy state, she had a dream.
In the dream, Old Mr. Vaughn sat on a dais, smiling contentedly. The seats below were filled with esteemed guests, all of them applauding to welcome the bride and groom.
It was Damien’s wedding, and the bride was Gwen Morgan.
He in his suit and she in her wedding gown, they happily exchanged rings and kissed, all to the stirring sounds of the wedding march...
"Mommy! You’re back! When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me? I missed you so much!" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Candy woke up, and upon seeing Cecelia, she happily pounced on her, pulling her from the dream.
Cecelia hugged both children and apologized. In that warm moment, clarity washed over her.
’Maybe Old Mr. Vaughn will call me heartless the moment I leave. Maybe he won’t be able to accept my lies. But once Damien brings Gwen Morgan home, everything will be fine.’
’They’ve known each other for years, they know each other inside and out, and their families are of equal standing. When the time comes, he’ll be grateful that I was sensible enough to leave.’
’That settles it!’
’Time to get up and clear the air with Damien, so he doesn’t have to beat around the bush anymore.’
After getting everyone ready, Cecelia led the two children downstairs.
Damien and Old Mr. Vaughn, early risers as always, were already at the dining table drinking coffee. The two children dashed over to them.
"Great-Grandpa! Morning!"
"Daddy! You’re finally back! I missed you so much!"
Damien picked Candy up, sat her on his lap, and planted a kiss on her little cheek.
"I missed you too. Were you a good girl yesterday, Candy?"
"I was! I beat Great-Grandpa in a game yesterday, and he even praised me!"
They touched foreheads, and Damien praised her dotingly.
"You’re such a clever girl."
Previously, Cecelia had actually been happy to see Candy and Damien being so affectionate with each other.
After all, he was Candy’s biological father, and she saw it as him making up for all the years of fatherly love her daughter had missed out on. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
But after yesterday, all she saw when she looked at Damien was a complete scumbag. Not wanting her daughter to be badly influenced by such an immoral person, she hurried forward and pulled Candy off his lap.
Both Candy and Damien froze, stunned. Cecelia nudged Candy toward Old Mr. Vaughn.
"Go play with Great-Grandpa. I need to talk to him."
"Mr. Vaughn, could you come outside with me for a moment?"
He didn’t know what she was up to, but Cecelia hadn’t spoken a word to him for a full ten hours, not since she’d rejected his gifts yesterday. Since she was the one to break the silence, Damien was more than willing to accept the olive branch.
One after the other, they stepped out of the living room.
Cecelia stood under the eaves, basking in the morning sun and breathing in the crisp, clean air.
"Mr. Vaughn, I..."
BUZZ—BUZZ— Damien’s phone rang.
’Who has such terrible timing, calling right now?’
He was about to decline the call, but then he saw the name on the screen.
"Director Gordon."
"President Vaughn, we have news from the bone marrow bank..."
In the blink of an eye, Damien was at the airport with Cecelia and Candy, embarking on a journey to Corvane.
「Meanwhile, in the USA」
A stream of photos flooded Mrs. Vaughn’s phone.
She had only swiped through a few of them before, seething with uncontrollable anger, she called Gwen Morgan.
"A child out of wedlock? The girl is already three and doesn’t even know who her father is, and Damien just brought them home?"
"Not only did he bring them home, but he also lied to Old Mr. Vaughn, claiming the child is his? And now he’s parading that woman around everywhere, buying her a five-million-yuan bag in one go?"
"Is this—is this still my son, Damien? This woman... she’s a complete nobody, someone you wouldn’t look at twice in a crowd. Is he blind, treating her like some kind of treasure?"
"His aunts were dropping hints about this just a few days ago, but I thought they were just jealous, deliberately trying to drive a wedge between me and my son. I didn’t believe them. I, Jessica Bell, could never raise such a brainless son! Gwen, you’ve really made me eat my words."
"I’m so disappointed. No, I should say I’m heartbroken. My son—Jessica Bell’s son—has always been the most brilliant one, in his studies and in every other way, ever since he was a child. He has always been my pride, the pride of the entire Vaughn Family. But now..."
"Old Mr. Vaughn has really gotten old and senile, letting him run wild like this! Isn’t this just leading him to his own ruin? Does he want him to become a public laughingstock?"
"I’m flying back right now! That boy... if no one stops him, who knows how that vixen will ruin him!"
On the other end of the line, Gwen Morgan smiled to herself.
Damien stayed in Corvane for a day while Candy underwent a series of tests. Her data was a match for the donor found in the bank. As soon as the specialists finished up their current cases, they could schedule the surgery. Cecelia was thrilled.
Once the tests were over, Damien had to return to the corporation to handle business, so the three of them set off on their journey home.
As the plane began its descent, Cecelia watched the affectionate father and daughter pair huddled together. She bit her tongue, then bit it again, but finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
"We’re not going back to the Vaughn estate when we land. You can go your own way, and I’ll take Candy back to my old apartment. You don’t need to worry about the surgery anymore, either. Since it’s all been arranged, I can take it from here."
"Thank you so much for taking care of us during this time, and thank you for helping Candy find a doctor. As for the money I owe you, I’ll pay you back slowly over time..."
Damien’s expression grew darker with every word she spoke.
’He’d thought that after spending the whole day together, taking Candy to her check-up, speaking with the doctors, and then staying together overnight, Cecelia would have forgiven him for his rude behavior with the gifts. But she was still holding a grudge?’
’And not just any grudge, but one this serious!’
’Leaving the Vaughn estate? Telling him to stay out of it from now on?’
’Heavens above! In all his years, no one had ever dared to give him the silent treatment—no one but Cecelia Archer!’
’If Candy weren’t here, he would grab Cecelia and demand to know what on earth went through her head all day!’
"What is the meaning of this? Are you just going to burn the bridge now that you’ve crossed it?"
