Chapter 332 His Daughter Deserves Only the Best
Nathaniel felt an overwhelming guilt towards Aurelia. He wasn't there when she was on the brink of death, nor when she gave birth to their two children.
He knew he had failed her, but in Joe's eyes, he was worse than a failure; to Aurelia, he was a disaster. If it weren't for this wretched man, his sister wouldn't have had to suffer so much.
Joe said coldly, "When she gave birth to the two babies, they were in the wrong position, and the doctor recommended a C-section. On top of her previous injuries, she had another cut on her stomach. The first time she got out of bed after the delivery, Aurelia was in so much pain that she was trembling all over but still forced herself to move as the doctor instructed. After giving birth, she suffered from severe anemia, and the car accident had already done significant damage to her body. She didn't recover for years, became much weaker, and often had low blood sugar, sometimes fainting without warning."
Joe recounted all the hardships Aurelia had endured over the years. He felt sorry for his sister and wanted Nathaniel to feel the weight of his guilt. It was all his fault! Why should he get to happily have two children while Aurelia bore all the suffering alone?
Nathaniel felt a deep pain in his heart as he listened. He had only seen her glamorous exterior, while he was immersed in the joy of having a son and daughter. But all of that was earned through Aurelia's struggles.
Nathaniel followed the GPS and drove in silence for a long time before speaking, "Joe, I promise you, something like this will never happen again."
Joe snorted from the back seat, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"We're men, and you know how much weight those words carry. We're businessmen; we value integrity. I don't like people who don't keep their word; I prefer those who take actions. That said, you should know I don't like you, and I hate seeing you around Aurelia. My mom doesn't like you either. As long as I'm around, I'll protect her; she doesn't need a useless man like you," he said.
Nathaniel was silent for a moment. "I understand."
How could he not know that Joe disliked him? Aurelia had suffered so much because of him, and he didn't dare to hope that her family would accept him so quickly. If Joe accepted him easily, that would be unusual.
In no time, the car arrived outside Joe's residential complex.
Joe glanced outside and, in a commanding tone, said, "Drive to the building entrance."
Nathaniel acted as the driver, probably for the first time in his life, being so humble in front of someone.
After dropping Joe off, he lit a cigarette, took a moment to calm down, and then called Chris, "Chris, do you remember your company bought some ad space at the airport? Can I use it for a day?"
Chris had just finished showering, and his fiancée, Nova, was waiting for him in the bedroom. This call was really ruining the mood, and he answered irritably, "Fine. Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up!"
Nathaniel held back his frustration. "Then arrange someone for me!"
Chris found his assistant's number on his phone and sent it to Nathaniel. "Contact my assistant for anything else. Don't call me again; I'm busy!"
He hung up.
Nathaniel overheard a woman's voice in the background.
After contacting Chris's assistant, he called Zack. For the first time, Zack refused his boss, "Mr. Heilbronn, my wife is sick. Even if you fire me tomorrow, I can't come to work now."
After hanging up, Nathaniel felt a pang of sadness.
It seemed like the whole world was flaunting their happiness in front of him.
Nathaniel gave a bitter smile. Alright, no help tonight.
The next morning, Aurelia went to the office.
It was Patrick's first day taking over, and significant changes were expected internally. With personnel management and workflow adjustments on the horizon, Aurelia knew she had already burdened him by leaving such a big mess. She couldn't just not show up.
As she expected, the company was in disarray.
During the time Norman was in prison, the various departments were barely functioning. The management was embroiled in infighting, mid-level employees were busy choosing sides, and the lower-level employees were slacking off and just collecting paychecks.
Once such habits were formed, they were hard to break. Given the work atmosphere, Patrick would have his hands full for a while.
Aurelia spent two hours in Patrick's office looking at reports. It was an unfamiliar industry and business, and it gave her a headache.
But for Patrick, it seemed as straightforward as breathing. The issues she struggled to understand, Patrick could identify at a glance and patiently explained to her.
Managing a small startup with a few dozen people and a publicly traded company with thousands of employees were worlds apart. By the end of the morning, Aurelia hadn't grasped all the nuances; she only knew it was incredibly complex.
The plane ticket Aurelia bought for Dorothy was landing around noon. She checked her watch; it was time to head out to pick up her daughter.
Given Nathaniel's recent behavior, Aurelia expected he would call to pick her up so they could go to the airport together. Surprisingly, her phone had been quiet all morning, and Aurelia didn't feel comfortable relying entirely on Nathaniel to pick up Dorothy.
It was his first time being a dad; who knew if Nathaniel could handle it?
Aurelia informed Patrick and then called a cab to the airport. On the way, Aurelia kept looking at her phone. There was less than half an hour until Dorothy's flight landed, and Nathaniel still hadn't contacted her.
Aurelia couldn't shake the feeling that the father of her two children was unreliable; he might have gotten busy with something and forgotten about it.
When she arrived at the airport and found the exit corresponding to Dorothy's flight, she was stunned by the overwhelming Frozen-themed decorations.
She almost thought she had walked into Elsa's castle from the animated movie.
The hall was covered with posters of Elsa, the floor had Frozen-themed designs, and the exhibition area was filled with Elsa figurines and dolls. The arrival hall had been transformed into a Frozen wonderland.
There was no doubt in her mind that this was Nathaniel's doing.
Aurelia looked around but didn't see Nathaniel. She took out her phone to call him when she felt a presence behind her.
She turned around to find Nathaniel standing there, holding an Elsa plush toy.
Seeing his tired yet excited face, Aurelia couldn't help but chuckle. "Did you stay up all night doing this?"
Nathaniel rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit unsure. He had little experience with kids and didn't know how to win a child's favor. "I don't know if Dorothy will like it."
Aurelia had been a bit annoyed with him for being an unreliable father, but she was now impressed by his effort. "She'll love it."
Aurelia's smile deepened. At least he was trying.
There were many people in the hall waiting for arrivals, and the two of them stood out in the crowd.
Nathaniel had been busy all night, thinking about holding Dorothy. Now that it was almost time for her flight to land, he was getting nervous.
He had rarely been nervous in his life. When he first took over the family business, his grandfather tested him by having him sign a billion-dollar deal on his own. He hadn't even flinched.
Now, picking up a child at the airport, he was so nervous his palms were sweating.
He hadn't seen "Frozen," so he made a point to do some research. Not many malls were open late, but he managed to scour nearly all of Imperick to gather the necessary materials. With the help of some workers, he decorated the arrival hall.
He wasn't entirely satisfied, feeling it was a bit rushed and lacking in detail.
For his daughter, everything had to be perfect.
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