Chapter 645 I'll Make It for You Every Year from Now On

In the dining room, Cecilia couldn't take her eyes off Alaric.

She always thought Alaric had a way of saying the saddest things in the most detached way.

"That time I went for training, it was my birthday," Alaric said. "Before I left, my mom made me a birthday cake. She said her biggest wish was for Francis and me to live well."

Cecilia felt a pang of sadness hearing that.

Every parent wants their kids to be healthy and happy. It's a basic hope, but it's not always guaranteed. Parents don't usually remind their kids to "live well" like they might with older folks. For kids, it's more about hoping for a bright future and happiness.

How hopeless must someone feel to make such a simple wish?

"My mom's cake, like yours, wasn't very tasty," Alaric added.

His tone was so indifferent, it was hard to tell what he was feeling.

"But it was warm." Alaric smiled. "That was the first and last time I had a cake made by my mom. The next time I saw her, she was a corpse floating in the sea. At that moment, I understood what my mom meant by 'live well,' and I seemed to understand why they abandoned us and put us through such harsh training."

"Alaric." Cecilia grabbed his hand, holding it tight to give him some comfort. "I'll make you one every year from now on."

Alaric chuckled softly, his eyes glistening with what might have been tears, or maybe it was just a trick of the light. He said, "Okay."

And just like that, the sadness was tucked away.

Alaric never seemed to let himself get too down; he didn't allow himself to be sad.

After finishing the cake, Alaric headed to work.

Cecilia left with him but had the day off.

After dropping off Alaric, Augustus turned back to the Lockhart Group to pick up Cecilia.

Cecilia had a surprise planned for Alaric.

Back home, George looked at Cecilia, a bit surprised.

Then he caught on to what she was up to.

George helped Cecilia decorate the room.

He was just as protective of Cecilia as Alaric was.

Maybe even more so; George would freak out over the slightest hint of danger.

Cecilia couldn't help but be amazed.

George and Alaric were so alike.

Once the house was all decked out, Cecilia waited happily for Alaric to come home.

In the afternoon, Cecilia called Dashiell and Cassius, inviting them over for dinner that night.

They both agreed right away.

Cassius seemed pretty excited.

It looked like taking care of Lily after she had the baby had left Cassius feeling a bit bored, and he was eager for a change of scenery.

Dashiell, on the other hand, was much calmer.

He just said he'd try to leave work on time.

After hanging up, Dashiell dove back into his work.

Sometimes, he buried himself in work to feel accomplished or maybe to numb his thoughts.

"Mr. Rainier." Daphne knocked and walked in.

Dashiell acknowledged her.

Daphne said, "Just a reminder, there's a high-level meeting in ten minutes."

"Okay." Dashiell nodded.

Daphne left respectfully.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.

Since Seraphina left Dashiell, he seemed even more absorbed in his work. He had always been diligent, but now it felt like he was a soulless robot.Daphne sighed.

She couldn't figure out what Seraphina saw in Sebastian.

Dashiell was clearly way more impressive than Sebastian.

Ten minutes later, Dashiell was in the high-level meeting room.

They had these weekly meetings to go over the past week's work and plan for the next one.

Dashiell was all business, giving a detailed report on the company's operations, focusing on the current market expansion of major groups, and things were looking up.

Unity World Bank wasn't doing so hot, and there were rumors that their headquarters might pull out of the Yakurosean Empire.

It wasn't just a rumor.

Sebastian knew Unity World Bank was indeed planning to bail.

He had a major fallout with them.

If he hadn't gotten to the Unity World Bank rep from the Yakurosean Empire first, and considering their business dealings were already shady, they would all be in legal trouble if the conflict went public. The other side didn't dare to openly clash with Sebastian and had to suck it up. But from now on, Sebastian was blacklisted in the international banking scene. He'd be shunned, meaning if he didn't stick with Everhart Bank, he'd have a hard time in the industry.

Sebastian listened to Dashiell's report, getting angrier by the minute.

He kept it together.

Dashiell wrapped up his report.

The room burst into applause.

No one had high hopes for this market expansion, but Dashiell pulled it off.

If anyone still called Dashiell incompetent, they were just being petty.

Dashiell went back to his seat.

The board members were all singing his praises.

Seraphina was still at these high-level meetings, sitting in the far corner, watching Dashiell shine. She thought, Dashiell was really thriving without her.

She smiled.

It was a bit bittersweet, but she had to admit, it was good.

She quietly lowered her head, listening to everyone praise Dashiell.

Only a few people knew how much effort Dashiell had put in to get these results.

In the middle of this harmonious meeting, board member Jeffrey spoke up, "I have to say, Mr. Rainier has brought us great surprises since joining Everhart Bank. In dealing with Unity World Bank's aggressive entry, we gave them a perfect counterattack! Those eyeing the Yakurosean Empire can only look on in envy!"

Other board members chimed in.

It was clear they were trying to butter up Dashiell.

"I genuinely admire and even respect Mr. Rainier. But..." Jeffrey changed his tone.

Dashiell seemed to know what was coming, looking at him calmly.

"When Mr. Rainier joined the company, he made a promise. I wonder if that still holds," Jeffrey brought it back to the original point.

No matter how well Dashiell performed, they would still hold him to his past promises.

Before Dashiell could speak, Atticus jumped in, "The work done during this period has far exceeded what Dashiell promised. There's no need to dwell on past matters. The market needs flexibility, and so do people!"

Such obvious favoritism towards Dashiell made Sebastian's face darken.

Deserted Wife Strikes Back
Detail
Share
Font Size
40
Bgcolor