Chapter 670 A Chance Encounter with Caitlyn
Early in the morning, Frederick and Charlotte showed up, lugging a bunch of stuff with them. Besides the usual supplements, Charlotte brought along a set of ruby jewelry.
The villa was buzzing with excitement. Jesse was proudly showing off his dog, Snowflake, to Frederick, even pointing out Snowflake's two rows of nipples. "Grandpa, isn't Snowflake adorable?"
Frederick scooped him up in a hug. "Absolutely, very adorable!"
He had a soft spot for kids and took Jesse and Nicole for a stroll. Meanwhile, Kingsley was in the kitchen, whipping up a feast, leaving Charlotte to chat with Amara. Even though Amara had already had Jesse, Charlotte still shared her parenting tips with her, gently and thoroughly.
Finally, Charlotte said softly, "Jesse's about to start kindergarten. When this baby comes, you might get a bit busier. But Amara, if you want to keep working, we will get your back. The kid can stay with us, or you can move back in so you can take care of the baby at night."
Amara was touched. She'd heard from Landon about Charlotte and Frederick's past. She figured after such an adventurous life, Charlotte deserved to relax. As for the kids, she and Kingsley wanted them, so there was no need to burden the grandparents.
She said softly, "Before the baby comes, I'll quit my job at Mr. Carter's company. As for work..."
Amara gently stroked her belly and said quietly, "When this baby goes to daycare, I'll only be 30. It won't be too late to restart my career then."
Charlotte wanted to say something but ended up just smiling gently. She said softly, "You must really love Kingsley!"
Amara gave a faint smile, revealing a small canine tooth that made her look very cute.
Charlotte couldn't help but say, "You look a lot like Gavin's wife. Her name's Molly. Kingsley and Gavin seem to have similar tastes. They get along well and do business together. You should connect more with Molly. She's quiet, and you two will get along."
Amara nodded. Charlotte chatted with her a bit longer, then they went downstairs to wait for dinner.
Just then, Billy arrived, carrying large bags of hometown goodies, some freshly dug from the ground.
When he saw Charlotte, his eyes widened. He usually didn't get to see one of Seattle's top socialites. But remembering he was Amara's family and didn't want to embarrass her, he composed himself and smiled. "Mrs. Hawkins! My mom told me Amara's pregnant again, so I brought some nourishing stuff for her."
Charlotte smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you!"
Billy shyly scratched his head. "As long as you don't mind. I've always caused Amara a lot of trouble."
Billy was close to Amara, so Charlotte said, "Amara thinks of you as a brother. How could there be any trouble?"
Just then, Frederick returned with Jesse and Nicole. Seeing Billy, he thought of Tristan, who had called him to complain about everything Kingsley had done. Now, Frederick had mixed feelings.
Only Kingsley could pull off something like that.
But since everyone was happy, it wasn't the right time to bring it up. So Frederick politely chatted with Billy about the customs of Stellaria City. Billy acted very respectful around him.
After a while, Frederick went to the kitchen.
Kingsley was busy with the big meal. Hearing footsteps, he thought it was Amara and said, "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to rest more and chat with my mom? You two rarely get to see each other."
Frederick stood behind Kingsley. He put one hand on his hip, lit a cigarette, and snorted, "You can't even tell it's me by my footsteps? Does your wife walk this heavily? I see you're paying less attention to details these days."
Kingsley turned off the stove. He turned around and looked at Frederick. Although Frederick's face didn't show much emotion, Kingsley was someone perceptive. He turned back and continued cooking, asking softly, "Did Tristan come to you to complain?"
With that out in the open, Frederick started laying into him. "What kind of mess have you made! First off, Billy is Amara's brother. Even if he's unfaithful, you shouldn't meddle in his affairs. You could pay Billy to keep it quiet, but what if his wife finds out? Amara doesn't have many relatives, and her dad just passed away."
Kingsley replied calmly, "I just brought Billy's family issues to light; it's not a bad thing!"
Frederick was fuming. "You always have an excuse! I think Amara is just being fooled by you."
Kingsley chuckled. "She weighed the pros and cons and thought I did well."
Frederick was at a loss for words. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and continued, "And what about Tristan Church? A vice president of the company, and you had him do such ridiculous things. When it got out, you wanted to send him to some remote country. He has a family, and this is absolutely unacceptable."
Kingsley didn't stop what he was doing. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Dad, you've been retired for a few years now! He isn't the same as when he was with you. When I first took over, he probably thought I was young and easy to push around, so he did a lot of outrageous things. He used his position to embezzle nearly four hundred million dollars. Out of respect for Grandpa and you, I didn't send him to prison but gave him a warning. However, he didn't hold back and thought he could fool me. Now, I really can't tolerate him anymore. If he doesn't want to go, his other option is prison."
Frederick was stunned.
Kingsley slowly turned around and smiled faintly. "I think he knows what to choose."
Frederick realized. "You deliberately had him do this?"
Kingsley didn't deny it.
Frederick didn't say anything more. He silently finished his cigarette, then patted Kingsley on the shoulder and said, "Kingsley, you've grown up! No matter how ruthless your methods, use them on outsiders. Amara is your future wife; be mindful of your limits."
"I know, Dad!" Kingsley said, watching Frederick leave.
He turned back and plated the food from the pot, which looked and smelled delicious—just what Amara had asked for.
Before dinner, Naomi arrived. Seeing Frederick and Charlotte, she felt a bit uneasy and thought it might not be appropriate to join them for dinner.
Frederick said, "Why wouldn't it be appropriate? Come, sit down!"
Before Naomi could sit, Billy eagerly pulled out a chair for her, putting on a show of chivalry. Naomi usually ignored him, but with Amara's in-laws present, she didn't want to make things awkward for Amara, so she said nothing.
Billy immediately said, "Naomi, you look really nice in that outfit today."
Naomi pressed her lips together.
Since Frederick found out about the situation between Billy and Naomi, caused by his son, he felt ashamed. He quickly turned to Charlotte and said, "Youth is different, isn't it? How long has it been since you complimented me?"
Charlotte added a piece of roast meat to his plate. Given their high status, no one dared to laugh, except Jesse, who said, "Grandpa is afraid of Grandma! He always listens to her."
Amara was afraid Jesse might mention something embarrassing, so she quickly changed the subject. Sure enough, Jesse and Nicole obediently continued eating.
The meal went smoothly.
After dinner, Frederick and Charlotte had some matters to discuss with Kingsley.
Naomi had work in the afternoon. After talking with Nicole for a bit, she left. Billy immediately followed, wanting to drive Naomi to her workplace.
Naomi still hadn't forgiven him and refused his offer.
Billy had no choice but to follow Naomi to the villa entrance, watching her leave from the bus stop. On his way back, he felt anxious and regretful. With Naomi gone, Billy planned to check on Nicole before leaving to avoid upsetting Hailey.
As soon as Billy walked in, he saw Amara.
Billy was surprised. "Amara, what are you doing out here? The sun is so strong, what if you get sunburned? Kingsley would be heartbroken!"
Amara smiled lightly. "It's no big deal!"
They walked and talked.
Amara asked him, "Since when did you get so close to Kingsley? Borrowing four million dollars just like that, not everyone has that privilege."
Billy understood her implied meaning. He started to sweat a bit and felt uneasy for a while. Finally, he stopped and lowered his voice. "Amara, I brought this on myself. I'm not afraid of him! Even without Tessa, someday I would still be tempted by other women. Although Naomi doesn't pay much attention to me now, she's living her life well, and Nicole and my mom are doing fine too. I've truly changed for the better. As long as Naomi is willing, I'll treat her well for the rest of my life."
Amara listened quietly. In the end, she just walked back to the villa with Billy.
Kingsley was standing at the entrance.
Amara looked at him, then turned to Billy and said softly, "You better keep your word!"
Billy's lips moved, and when he spoke, his voice trembled slightly. "I will! I won't do anything foolish again. I'll be devoted to Naomi! If I mess up again, I'll despise myself."
Amara gave a faint smile.
Billy watched her, then waved to Nicole, who was looking from the second-floor balcony. "Nicole, I'm off to work. When I make enough money, I'll buy you a Ferrari!"
Nicole didn't say anything but didn't turn away like she used to.
Billy looked up at her for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and left. When he got into his car, he wiped his face and slapped himself. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for my inability, Nicole would have lived with us. I really brought this on myself!"
Kingsley took Amara back inside.
Frederick and Charlotte were also preparing to leave, and they couldn't help but say a few more words. Kingsley put his arm around Amara's shoulder and said softly, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of Amara."
Frederick snorted, "You're quite good at taking care of Amara, even looking after her families inside and out!"
His words had a double meaning, which only Charlotte didn't understand, leaving her confused.
In the car, Charlotte scolded Frederick for his comment, "What you said was wrong. It's not unreasonable for Kingsley to take care of Hailey's family. After all, they took good care of Jesse."
Frederick gave a bitter smile. He couldn't possibly tell Charlotte all the shady things Kingsley had done. In the end, he could only say, "You don't know how cunning Kingsley is. When I was young, I couldn't be as bad as him!"
As he spoke, his attention shifted back to Charlotte. "With our good genes, we should have had more kids when we were young!"
Charlotte leaned back in her seat and said softly, "You were so busy when you were young, donating blood at the hospital, going abroad for lawsuits. How would you find the time to have more kids?"
Frederick felt a pang and reached out to touch Charlotte's still beautiful face, saying softly, "You still remember those days!"
Charlotte turned her head and kissed him on the lips, and Frederick felt instantly satisfied.
The next day, Amara went to the office.
To her surprise, Landon was there. She was quite surprised because Landon had been in Boston and hadn't come to the Seattle branch for a while. He seemed to be avoiding Caitlyn.
In the CEO's office, Landon sat on the sofa, initially wanting to smoke a cigarette but then putting it away. "Amara, I heard you're pregnant?"
Amara was bending over to pour him some water and was startled by his words. "How did you know?"
She thought Landon might have been in contact with Caitlyn, but to her surprise, Landon smiled faintly and said, "Hazel told me."
She gently placed the brewed tea on the table in front of Landon and asked slowly, "You keep in touch with Hazel?"
Landon gave a faint smile.
Amara guessed that he hadn't let go of Caitlyn, but what could be done? Landon was already married and would soon have a lovely child in a few months.
There was no possibility for them to be together, so Amara didn't bring up Caitlyn.
After a moment of silence, Landon suddenly asked, "Is she doing well?"
Amara looked at him for a moment before saying, "Same as always! It's not easy to grow a company, but she's working hard."
Landon felt sad but didn't ask further.
Before leaving Amara's office, he gently picked up the transfer letter on the table and said softly, "I guess you won't need this anymore. But Amara, this opportunity will always be here for you."
Amara felt a bit reluctant. During her most difficult times, it was Landon who helped her. She had grown up in the Carter Group, and she had deep feelings for it.
But now she had new choices and needed to replan her life.
Amara held back her emotions and smiled lightly. "I will find the most suitable successor for you."
Landon shook his head. "No one is more suitable than you!"
He had promoted Amara and valued her, but to him, Amara was not just a subordinate; she was almost like family. They shared the same background, and he wanted Amara to be happy, which would also bring him comfort.
She had refused the Hughes Group, something Landon hadn't done. In some ways, she was more resolute than he was.
Landon stood up and slowly left. As the office door gently closed, Amara looked at the transfer letter, feeling a sense of closure.
To this day, she finally dared to admit that Kingsley was more important to her than anything else. The future she had once strived for was all because of him.
Landon left. He had come on a whim, saying he wanted to see Amara, but he knew what was really on his mind. He just wandered aimlessly down the street.
Eventually, he arrived at a restaurant that Caitlyn loved. She often dragged him there during his breaks, ordering a lot but always leaving the rest for him to finish because she was afraid of gaining weight.
Thinking of the past, Landon had a faint smile on his lips.
The restaurant owner recognized him and was pleasantly surprised. "Mr. Carter! What a coincidence, Ms. Robinson is also here, sitting at the back. Should I tell her so you can dine together?"
Landon was surprised. He raised his hand slightly and walked inside himself. Passing through the decor, he saw Caitlyn, dressed in a business suit, sitting quietly.
In front of her was just a single serving.
It had been a long time since he last saw her. Her face had lost its youthful innocence and gained a touch of mature womanhood, along with some fatigue.
When her food arrived, she tied her hair back with a rubber band and began to eat quietly. She had little appetite and barely ate; it was clear she had lost a lot of weight.
Landon stood there, watching quietly. He knew he should leave immediately because he had promised not to disturb her, but he couldn't move his feet.
Suddenly, Caitlyn paused. From fifteen feet away, Landon saw two crystal-clear tears fall from the corners of her eyes. She quickly wiped them away with a tissue, probably not wanting to cry or lose her composure.
Landon's hand trembled in his pocket. He had lived his life freely, never regretting anything, but now he truly regretted it.
What did it matter if thousands of employees depended on him?
Without the Carter Group, they would still find ways to make money. But without him, Caitlyn had never been happy again and always cried.
Landon ultimately didn't call out to her because he couldn't makeany promises.
Just as he was about to leave, Caitlyn suddenly looked up, her eyes red and staring at him in shock and surprise.
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