Chapter 174 Because He Is Your…
But now, he couldn't help but give Daphne, her ex-husband, an extra glance.
‘What was the deal with this guy? Did he like Daphne or not? If he liked her, why did they divorce? And if not, how did he catch onto these details?’
He had noticed that Daphne was taken aback when Charles had spoken, clearly surprised. Although her emotions were always mild, it's hard to miss the details when you're a keen observer like Gavin.
"Mr. Murphy, you don't like this kind of soup?" Charles noticed Gavin was still fiddling with his spoon and hadn't started eating.
"I'm not picky," Gavin responded and began eating.
In less than five minutes, Daphne had finished her soup while Gavin was still eating.
Charles told Daphne to follow him and led her to delete the surveillance footage.
He took the initiative to let Daphne watch.
Gavin couldn't help but feel a bit more favorable towards him, not as up in arms as when he first discovered that Charles and Daphne had gotten a divorce.
He just wondered if Charles knew the reason for the divorce, would he still feel the same?
Meanwhile, in the study, Charles found the relevant part of the surveillance footage from the time frame in question.
Just as he was about to delete it, Daphne said she wanted to look first. After she watched the events in the living room at double speed, a barely noticeable frown crossed her brows.
Then her eyes landed on Charles.
"What's the matter?" Charles asked, not quite understanding her look.
"Have you run into some trouble lately..." Daphne didn't want to inquire; after all, whatever was going on with Charles didn't have much to do with her.
After watching the surveillance footage, she had only one thought in her mind, ‘Was Charles always so patient?’
If this had been some time ago, and Charles had encountered Gavin making such a scene, he would have thrown him out immediately.
‘Why was he lenient now?’
Piecing together the surveillance and what she had said, Charles understood her point. "No, it's because it's you," he admitted.
‘Because it's you, I'm willing to be more accommodating. Even if you nearly tore down my house like a hyperactive Siberian Husky.’
Daphne couldn't quite identify her emotions, thinking about Gavin smashing her phone, gave her a headache.
‘How can someone be so dramatic?’ she thought.
"Please copy that part of the surveillance for me," Daphne decided, determined to teach him a lesson.
Charles was silent for a moment, "Copy it for real?"
Daphne confirmed, "For real."
Charles gave in to Daphne's requests. He copied the surveillance footage as she had asked and handed it to her.
Daphne thanked him.
After Gavin had finished his soup and cleaned up, he walked in and saw Charles saving the footage onto a USB drive.
He froze. ‘What was happening? Why save it?’ Before he could articulate his confusion, Charles had finished saving and then deleted the last night's surveillance footage.
Daphne didn't linger at Charles's place with Gavin. It was nearly eleven, and she was so tired she could barely stay awake. Once they got in the car, she started dozing off in the passenger seat.
Gavin wanted to ask about the footage being saved, but seeing Daphne's exhausted face asleep, he couldn't bear to disturb her, the car drove on.
By eleven-thirty, they arrived at Daphne's place.
After escorting Daphne inside, she didn't wait for Gavin to ask questions; she handed him the USB drive, "This is what I asked Charles to save for you. You should take a good look when you get back."
Gavin was puzzled as he took the drive, not quite grasping Daphne's intent.
But Daphne didn't explain further, quickly taking care of her nightly routine to wash up and go to sleep.
After he was sure she was safely inside, Gavin left with the USB drive. When he got home and saw the contents, he wanted to kick himself.
‘Why... Why was the ridiculous person in the video him?’ He suddenly understood why Daphne had insisted on having the footage copied for him.
This event was even wilder than what he did last time, and what was truly unthinkable was that Charles had not thrown him out despite the commotion.
The following few days, Daphne and Charles didn't cross paths.
Gavin dutifully went to work at the office and made a point to instruct Gwendolyn that no matter what happened, he must never be allowed to drink more than three glasses again.
Gwendolyn wasn't sure what had transpired, but she agreed to his request.
In the blink of an eye, it was now the 14th of April.
Charles had already returned to Ivrea City. Daphne and Mr. Murphy had their flight tickets for the afternoon of the 14th. In the past, attending Marcus's 80th birthday would have been just a formality for Mr. Murphy due to business cooperation. But this time was different. This was the place where Daphne had once been related to during her years of marriage with Charles.
Since boarding the plane to Ivrea City, Mr. Murphy had been feeling uneasy and fidgety, repeatedly glancing at Daphne with a hesitance to speak. Although their relationship had become more amicable, it was still far from the closeness they shared during her childhood.
Noticing his unease, Daphne asked, "What's the matter?"
"What am I supposed to do once we get there?" Mr. Murphy asked, biting his lip, clearly troubled.
"You don't have to do anything. Just treat it like one of your regular business dinners," Daphne replied honestly, "I'm just there to visit Marcus. There's no need for you to make a fuss."
"Really?" he asked, still doubting that that was all to it.
"Really," she reassured him.
Despite her assurance, Mr. Murphy was still not convinced. If it were just a business party, he would make a brief appearance and depart, he wouldn't linger.
But since the Murphy Group started collaborating with the Lancelot Group two years ago, this was the first time they had received a genuine invitation from the Lancelot family. All the past company galas had nothing to do with him.
"And what if they find out I'm your father and want to talk to me?" Mr. Murphy's worries multiplied, his discomfort apparent, "Should I talk to them?"
Daphne just gave him a sidelong glance and said nothing.
Feeling even more anxious under her gaze, Mr. Murphy pressed, "Should I?"
"This is just a typical business gathering. As the CEO of a partner company, you're there to make an appearance, that's all," Daphne reiterated, "Anything else, just be yourself."
"Be myself? Not pretend to be someone I'm not in conversation with?" Mr. Murphy double-checked.
Daphne simply answered, "No need."
"All right," Mr. Murphy seemed to relax a little, but in truth, he was far from it. He didn't know what the Lancelot family was really like. Although Daphne had told him that the Lancelots were good to her and Marcus had shown her love and affection, he couldn't help but worry as a father.
He had wanted to contact her countless times over the past two years, but fear of upsetting her had prevented him from reaching out.
Two years might seem like a long time for a student, but for adults who have stepped into society, it passed in the blink of an eye. Before he knew it, time had slipped by unnoticed.
Meanwhile, at the Lancelot family's old house, as everyone was busy preparing for the 80th birthday celebration, Charles went to see Marcus. He was still dressed in the suit he hadn't had the chance to change out of after getting off the plane, his handsome face displaying a mixture of indifference and haughtiness.
He called out to Marcus, "Marcus."
Marcus didn't even spare him a glance.
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