My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Autumn Has Gone, Winter Has Come

"Damien!"

"Damien!"

The words had barely faded when his second and third uncles rushed forward, each grabbing one of Damien Vaughn’s arms.

"It’s not even dawn yet, what are you doing? Even if you don’t care about yourself, you should at least think of your grandfather! He’s an old man! Are you trying to worry him to death?"

"Stop this nonsense and come back with us!"

They used a great deal of force, but Damien Vaughn’s was greater.

He didn’t want to go back. His heart felt hollow. Without Cecelia, if Candy was also taken away by some stranger, he would go mad.

Without a word, he violently shook his body, and his uncles nearly lost their grip on him.

"Damien! You used to be so sensible. Why have you suddenly become like this? Can you please stop?!"

"Ryan, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and help!"

Ryan rushed over, but he didn’t dare physically restrain Damien Vaughn, so he could only plead.

"President Vaughn, I’ll go look again at dawn. You’re not well. Why don’t you go back and rest first?"

Damien Vaughn remained silent, like a wounded leopard. He shot them a dark, menacing glance before shaking his body again.

His uncles struggled to hold him back. "He’s too strong, Dad! We can’t hold him!"

"Exactly! We can hold him for a moment, but not forever. This isn’t a long-term solution!"

The old master, trembling, spun his wheelchair around to face them and commanded the doctor.

"Give him the shot! I want him back in the house today, even if you have to knock him out cold!"

The doctor received his orders and took out a pre-filled syringe.

"My apologies, President Vaughn."

Four large men rushed forward together and pinned Damien Vaughn down. After the injection, he gradually fell still.

Damien Vaughn refused to eat or drink, lying in bed for another full day and night.

That morning, Mrs. King wheeled the old master into Damien’s room bright and early.

"I’ve arranged everything. The guests will be arriving soon, you just need to make an appearance. Damien, it wasn’t easy for the Vaughn Family to get where it is today. All over Veridia, countless rivals are waiting to see us become a laughingstock, waiting for a chance to tear us down and climb over us. You’re a man. You know what’s most important."

After speaking, he placed a set of clothes and a white flower at the foot of the bed, then had Mrs. King quietly wheel him out.

The villa was silent. Everyone, dressed in black and wearing white flowers, waited downstairs.

As time ticked by, some hoped Damien Vaughn wouldn’t show up. It would tarnish his image in the old master’s eyes, giving them a chance to move up.

Others were anxious, staring eagerly at the top of the stairs, hoping he would appear soon.

Amidst everyone’s hidden agendas, Damien Vaughn ultimately did not disappoint the old master. With just two minutes to spare before they had to leave, he silently descended the stairs.

Black shirt, black suit, black pants, black leather shoes. Whether it was because of the all-black attire or some other reason, in just two or three days, he had become noticeably thinner.

The white flower on his chest made his face look deathly pale. Because he was thinner, he seemed even taller.

He was becoming more and more like a statue carved from ice.

A slight stir went through the crowd. When Damien Vaughn reached them, the old master breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let’s go."

The guests arrived soon after, and the memorial service began.

After the silent, oppressive funeral for his mother, they returned to the villa, and Mrs. King hurried to Damien Vaughn’s side.

She watched his expression, cautious and apprehensive.

"Damien, I made some food—all your childhood favorites. Please eat a little... Your body can’t take much more of this. The entire Vaughn Family is counting on you."

"Your grandfather lost his mother as a child, his wife in middle age, and his son in his later years. Now he’s just buried your mother. He has it harder than you do. If anything were to happen to you..."

She truly saw Damien Vaughn as a son.

Seeing him punish himself with silence and fasting made Mrs. King’s heart ache.

Damien Vaughn glanced down at her. Through her cautious and humble demeanor, he seemed to see his own grieving grandfather...

Two seconds later, Damien Vaughn miraculously nodded.

Mrs. King’s eyes lit up with joy. "You’ll eat? That’s wonderful! Just wonderful! Will you eat downstairs, or should I bring it to your room?"

Damien Vaughn loosened his tie, his tone calm.

"Downstairs. Where’s Grandfather? Did you not make any for him?"

"I did! I did! He hasn’t been eating much lately either... He’ll be so happy you’ve come around. I’ll go get him from upstairs right now."

Damien Vaughn sat at the dining table and, with silent composure, picked up his rice bowl. Soon, Mrs. King emerged from the elevator, pushing the old master’s wheelchair.

Seeing him eat—though without a trace of enjoyment, mechanically stuffing food into his mouth—still brought the old master a great deal of relief.

The two of them sat facing each other. The house was utterly silent.

After finishing one bowl, Damien Vaughn had Mrs. King refill it. Seeing an opportunity to speak, his grandfather tentatively began.

"Damien, don’t hate me..."

"I’m going back to work tomorrow."

Damien Vaughn cut him off, his expression so placid it was impossible to read.

"I am still Damien Vaughn. As long as I’m here, the Vaughn Group will always be number one in Veridia. And you will always be my grandfather."

With that one sentence, he swept away all of the old master’s worries.

Seeing his grandson finally back on his feet, he was so moved he wanted to cry.

"Your word is enough."

Just as Damien Vaughn had said, he was still Damien Vaughn, and the Vaughn Group was still the number one company in its industry. Everything was as it had always been; an outsider would never have guessed that anything major had happened recently.

But Ryan could keenly feel the change in President Vaughn.

Compared to his former pride and aloofness, he was now like a robot, devoid of emotion and warmth.

He did nothing but work, eat, and sleep. His schedule was followed to the minute, and he never spoke a superfluous word.

Aside from asking about the search for Candy every morning, Ryan couldn’t sense any sign of life in him.

The Indian summer finally ended amidst this long, oppressive atmosphere.

A month later, as a heavy rain fell, the temperature in Veridia plummeted ten degrees, and winter set in.

「The Grant Residence.」 Dressed in a black cashmere turtleneck with her long, smooth hair draped over her shoulders, the slender Cecelia Archer sat reading by a massive floor-to-ceiling window, a blanket covering her legs. Shane Grant walked in.

"You haven’t fully recovered yet, why are you dressed so lightly? Here, put on a jacket."

He draped a fuzzy cardigan over Cecelia Archer’s shoulders.

Cecelia Archer caught it, pulling it closer around herself.

"The heating is on, so I don’t feel cold. Why are you back in the middle of the day?"

"I was worried about you, so I came back to check. How long have you been reading? Be careful with your eyes."

"Not long. Where are Candy and Annie?"

"They’re building blocks in their room. I peeked in; they seem very happy... The visas came through. Once I finish this project I’m working on, we can leave this place for good before the New Year."

’Leave for good before the New Year?’

Cecelia Archer’s gaze shifted from her book to the yellowing forest outside.

"Okay."

She closed her eyes and let out a soft breath.