Free Web NovelChapter 147: Chapter 147: Cecelia, Aren’t You Forgetting Something?
Leaving right away? Mrs. Vaughn had finally gotten the words she was waiting for. She couldn’t be happier.
But she couldn’t let it show.
"What do you mean by that? Am I kicking you out? Forbidding you from staying with the Vaughn family? Don’t tell me you’re going to run to Damien and say something to ruin the relationship between mother and son, are you?"
Cecelia Archer was utterly speechless.
"If you’re that concerned, why don’t you watch me until I’m out the front door, all right?"
The two of them stopped talking, and the ride home was silent. Cecelia Archer got out of the car, ready to go inside, find Candy, pack a few clothes, and leave with her. To her surprise, Damien Vaughn was in the living room, playing with Candy.
’Shouldn’t he be at work at this hour? Why is he back so early?’
In reality, Damien Vaughn had driven straight home after receiving a message from the driver.
Cecelia Archer walked in, and their eyes met. Her clothes were indeed dirty, but her expression was quite calm, as if she really wasn’t angry.
"Damien, why are you back so early?"
Mrs. Vaughn was a little surprised to see him home.
Damien Vaughn stood up, looking nonchalant.
"I forgot a document at home, so I came back to get it. Did you have a good time today?"
"It was lovely. Your uncles and aunts hadn’t seen me in a long time and were incredibly warm. Everyone really liked Cecelia, too. It’s just that the lunch wasn’t quite to Cecelia’s taste, so she didn’t eat much. We only stayed for a little while before coming back..."
Cecelia Archer couldn’t be bothered to watch her act. "You two chat. I’m going upstairs to change."
She went back to her room, showered, and changed. Just as she was packing her bags, Damien Vaughn suddenly walked in. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Seeing Cecelia Archer folding clothes and putting them into a suitcase, his brow furrowed.
"What are you doing?"
Cecelia Archer made up an excuse, "Isn’t Candy’s surgery soon? I’ll definitely have to stay at the hospital with her for a while, so I’m getting her luggage ready in advance."
Although she seemed calm, it was precisely her excessive calmness—a stark contrast to his mother’s cheerful enthusiasm—coupled with the fact that she was packing, that made Damien Vaughn sense something was wrong.
"The surgery date hasn’t even been set yet. There’s no need to prepare this early."
He walked over and took out the clothes Cecelia Archer had already packed.
"How have you been getting along with my mom these past two days?"
’Why is he asking this? Why is he stopping me from leaving?’
’Gwen Morgan is going to marry him soon, and Mrs. Vaughn likes her so much. Even if it’s hard to explain the situation with Candy to Grandfather, once Gwen gets pregnant, his attention will quickly shift. Is it really that hard to bring up?’
’Why does he have to keep me here and make things so complicated?’
Cecelia Archer was so tired. She really didn’t want to be entangled with them anymore.
"Mr. Vaughn, I think we need to have a serious talk."
’Still calling me Mr. Vaughn? What’s there to talk about? Did she not get along with my mother these past two days?’
Seeing that Cecelia Archer looked ready to speak her mind, Damien Vaughn prepared himself for a serious conversation.
But just as Cecelia Archer finished speaking, her phone rang. It was the hospital.
Cecelia Archer answered. After listening to the person on the other end for a moment, her expression turned ugly.
"What’s wrong?" Damien Vaughn asked her. "Is there a problem with Candy’s surgery?"
"There’s no problem. But the surgery has been postponed again. They told me to continue her medication and prepare to wait for another month. Some important client’s son isn’t doing well, so he’s been moved ahead of Candy in the queue."
Damien Vaughn’s face darkened. ’Just how important is this client? Important enough to cut in front of his daughter?’
"Don’t worry. I’ll give Director Walton a call. You go downstairs and stay with Candy for now."
Cecelia Archer was no longer in the mood to pack. She turned and went downstairs.
Reaching the bend in the staircase, she looked down at Candy, who was sitting on the floor surrounded by toys, dressed neatly and playing without a care in the world. Cecelia Archer suddenly realized that her defiant decision today had been too hasty.
’Neither Damien Vaughn nor Mrs. Vaughn has explicitly told me to leave. They must have their reasons. Since they haven’t said anything, why should I act out of spite?’
’If for no other reason than to ensure her daughter’s safety and security by staying with Damien Vaughn, she shouldn’t have said those things today!’
Mrs. Vaughn had also gone back to her room to freshen up and soon came downstairs as well.
Seeing that Cecelia Archer, who had just promised to leave with her daughter, was now sitting on the floor playing with her, Mrs. Vaughn walked over to her, displeased.
"Cecelia Archer, have you forgotten something?"
Brazenly, Cecelia Archer stood up. "Let’s talk over there, Auntie."
"It’s not that I don’t want to leave. Mr. Vaughn just told me that I can’t leave yet. He previously lied to Grandfather, saying Candy was his biological daughter. Grandfather already treats Candy as his own great-granddaughter, and our sudden departure would be a huge blow to him..."
Mrs. Vaughn’s expression immediately grew furious. She had been slowly sipping her tea, but upon hearing Cecelia Archer’s words, she slammed the cup down in anger.
"So what are you trying to say?"
Cecelia Archer said, "What Mr. Vaughn and I mean is, I’ll stay here a while longer, and he and Miss Morgan will actively try to have a baby. Once Miss Morgan successfully gets pregnant, they can come back and confess to Grandfather. His attention will be diverted, and won’t all our problems be solved?" freewebnσvel.cѳm
’No wonder Damien kept telling her to stay. So this was his plan.’
’Regardless of why Damien lied to Grandfather about the child before, things have come to this point. This is the only way forward.’
"Fine," Mrs. Vaughn said coldly.
"I’ll arrange for Damien and Gwen Morgan to stay together tonight. It just so happens that Damien isn’t too busy today... We’ll go out for dinner together. You just behave and stay home and keep Grandfather company. Don’t you dare cause any trouble for me!"
After finishing his call, Damien Vaughn came downstairs. His mother was sipping tea by the floor-to-ceiling windows, while Cecelia Archer and Candy were on the floor on the other side of the room, building blocks.
He glanced at both sides and was about to walk over to Cecelia Archer when his mother called out to him.
"Damien, come over here for a moment."
Damien Vaughn paused, then walked to her side.
"What is it?"
"I’ve been back for two days, and we haven’t had a proper mother-son chat. Spend some time with me today. Come, sit down, son."
Damien Vaughn frowned slightly and sat down across from her.
Mrs. Vaughn put down her teacup, looked him over and over with a loving expression, and reached out to touch his hand.
"You’ve gotten thinner, Damien."
Damien Vaughn instantly got goosebumps and pulled his hand back.
"Mom, if you have something to say, just say it. If not, I have work to do."
Ever since she had abandoned him at the age of twelve, Damien Vaughn had been unable to feel close to his mother.
No matter how hard Mrs. Vaughn tried to get close to him, it always ended like this.
Before, without Gwen Morgan’s advice, Mrs. Vaughn had been too proud; if he didn’t care, she wouldn’t deign to soften her stance with Damien Vaughn.
But this time, she had returned truly determined to change.
"Alright, alright. If you don’t like hearing Mom say things like that, I’ll stop. But don’t go yet, son. I hear the food in Veridia is famous nationwide now, even creating its own culinary style. Why don’t you take me to try it tonight? We can invite Gwen Morgan along, and we can all have a good chat."
’If she wants to eat good food, she can just go. If she doesn’t want to go out, she can have the chef come back. Why must I be the one to take her?’
