My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: If Only President Vaughn Liked Men

The next day, the equipment began arriving, and everyone threw themselves into their work.

Cecelia Archer recorded data, fetched various items, and handled logistics for the team. Though it was tiring and cold, she felt fulfilled and happy to be busy.

She sent photos documenting their work to the group chat. Miles away, Damien Vaughn watched as they gradually installed products bearing the Vaughn Group name atop the high mountain, and he, too, felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

At the same time, he noticed the harshness of their environment. In every photo, people’s faces were bright red, and their fingertips were a deep, purplish color.

’Cecelia must be in the same state,’ he thought. He immediately had someone send them a set of lightweight, thermal down jackets and gloves.

Before the team could even get too emotional, Damien Vaughn noticed in the next day’s photos that Mr. Lee’s face was so dry it was peeling. He promptly had someone send them skincare products as well.

The technicians were moved to tears the moment they received the skincare sets, each one worth a small fortune.

"I heard President Vaughn isn’t married. I wonder if he’s into men. He’s so good at pampering people—his wife would die from happiness, wouldn’t she? Maybe I should just sacrifice myself and be his wife!"

"You call that a sacrifice? If President Vaughn even looked my way, it’d be the luck of a lifetime! Don’t even try to compete with me, I’m going to be his wife!"

"Why shouldn’t we compete? You talk as if President Vaughn has already picked you. It’s an open competition, and we’ll see who wins. I want to marry him too!"

"Speaking of which, have any of you ever seen President Vaughn? I hear he’s super tall, handsome, and really young. It’s a shame I’ve never even seen him once. You can’t find any pictures of him online, either."

As the others indulged in their wild fantasies, Mr. Lee glanced at Cecelia Archer, who was diligently writing a report beside him. He thought to himself:

’If it weren’t for this young woman, would President Vaughn be so considerate toward a bunch of grown men? Not a chance in hell.’

’I didn’t expect this girl to have such an effect. Judging by how attentive President Vaughn has been lately, it looks like something is about to happen between those two.’

Besides her work, Cecelia Archer also made a friend in her spare time: a thirteen-year-old middle school girl named Albedo, who was also home for summer vacation.

Other than Albedo, no one else in the area spoke Mandarin.

Albedo had lost her parents at a young age, so now it was just her and her older brother at home. Her brother was Abel, the twenty-one-year-old who had wanted to snatch Cecelia to be his wife that one night.

"My brother isn’t a bad person," Albedo explained. "He just thought you were beautiful and assumed you’d be okay with the bride-snatching tradition. I’m sorry. He’s never left this village in his life, so he doesn’t know what the outside world is like."

"In fact, my brother is a very, very good person. He’s never had a day of schooling, but he heard that education is important, so he’s always made sure I study. I rarely do any of the housework. He herds our dozens of cattle all by himself. He works so hard."

Albedo was very pretty, and Cecelia, having seen her homework, knew she was a very diligent student as well.

Perhaps it was the easy empathy between girls, but Cecelia’s heart went out to her.

When Albedo didn’t understand a problem, she would ask Cecelia for help. When the nights got too cold, Cecelia would invite her to sleep in the RV and even let Albedo use her shower.

In just ten short days, the two had forged a bond as close as sisters.

Mr. Lee was highly skilled, and the work progressed smoothly. After twelve days, however, Frostfall was on the verge of entering its own unique winter, bracing for a severe drop in temperature and heavy blizzards.

Mr. Lee was concerned the team couldn’t take the physical strain, and he worried that travel would become even more difficult after the temperature plummeted. The experiment was nearly finished anyway. Product performance tests had consistently shown no issues. They could monitor it remotely for a while after returning, and if all went well, it could go into mass production.

He decided to stop the experiment and head back.

That night, Cecelia made a special trip to Albedo’s house to say a proper goodbye, but no one was home.

She had wanted to give Albedo the clothes and supplies she had used during her stay. Disappointed that she couldn’t find her, she went back to her house early the next morning.

This time Albedo was home, but she was crying.

Cecelia saw her kneeling on the floor, packing a pile of dry rations while wiping away tears. She rushed over to ask what was wrong. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Where are you going so early in the morning? Why weren’t you home last night? I came by to see you a few times. Did something happen?"

Albedo looked up at her, then threw herself into Cecelia’s arms and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Winter is almost here," she cried. "There’s a blizzard coming tonight. My brother should have been back with the herd by now, but this year... I started looking for him yesterday afternoon and searched all night. I’ve checked every place I can think of nearby, but there’s no sign of him. I’m so worried." freёweɓnovel.com

"My brother told me... our parents died when they didn’t make it back before the first winter storm. They froze to death outside. Do you think he might...?"

Hearing this, Cecelia’s heart clenched with anxiety.

But her brother had years of herding experience. ’And with what happened to his parents,’ she thought, ’he would surely have prepared in advance.’

"Try not to panic. He might already be on his way back. Let’s just wait a little longer."

Albedo shook her head frantically, unable to stop her tears.

"No, I have to find him. You don’t understand, I’m panicking inside. I have this terrible feeling that something has happened to my brother."

"So many unexpected things can happen on the trails. He’s all alone. If he had an accident, no one would ever know. If he’s gone... I’ll be snatched and forced to marry someone right away. I’d rather die out there with him than stay here waiting for that to happen."

Cecelia was stunned. "What? You’re only thirteen! If your brother doesn’t come back, they’ll snatch you, too?"

Albedo nodded. "Yes. Here, girls as young as eleven get snatched."

"But what if your brother is already on his way back? What if you run off, miss him, and get snatched by someone else?"

"I can’t worry about that now. I’ll have to leave it to fate. Whatever happens, I can’t just sit here and wait."

Cecelia glanced at the time. It was just past six in the morning. They still had more than two hours before their nine o’clock departure.

The sky was overcast and the wind was howling, but it wasn’t snowing yet.

"Alright, here’s what we’ll do. I’ll drive you. But you have to promise me that whether we find him or not, you will be back here with me before nine o’clock. Have faith that your brother will be okay. He knows what’s at stake for you; he’ll fight with everything he has to get back."

"Really? You’re amazing!"

In this weather, Albedo wouldn’t get far on foot, even after a full day and night of walking. But a car was a different story.

Overcome with emotion, Albedo knelt before Cecelia and kowtowed.

"You’re such a good person! If my brother comes back safely, we will both be forever grateful! My parents in heaven will thank you, too!"

"There’s no time for that. Let’s go."

The other RVs were still and quiet; everyone else was still sound asleep.

Since she planned to be back before nine anyway, Cecelia didn’t want to cause a commotion. She quietly led Albedo to the car and drove away.