Winifred calmly finished speaking, then calmly looked at Leland.
She didn’t know if Leland was just acting too well, or if he had truly forgotten the past insults and was no longer bothered by them. He continued eating his bun without stopping, only pausing to swallow it and take a sip of complimentary tea before speaking.
“I don’t know if I will face retribution. Do you not do things knowing you will face consequences?”
“That’s true,” Winifred laughed. Leland was right, no matter the outcome, she would do what was necessary. To gain something, one must give something in return.
Winifred pondered for a moment. She was born into this environment, where if she didn’t take action, others would. Take Aubrey, for example. Her goal was to drive her away, but Aubrey had miscalculated. Winifred was not an ignorant girl who would let herself be manipulated.
Winifred didn’t ask Leland if he would hate her for his mother’s death and seek revenge.
Some things weren’t worth tearing apart, besides, it had been too long since the incident. Instead of saying Winifred was partially responsible for his mother’s death, it was more accurate to say that the biggest sinner was his father.
Even if Leland hated her, he still stayed by her side, working for her, caring for her.
“When we get back, he will definitely ask me what happened at the hospital. I’m starting to think, were those words meant for me through Aubrey’s mouth, to deliberately disgust me.”
Winifred had never had a good impression of Gregory, and now, with Aubrey maliciously tearing open a gap, flooding it with malice that seemed unstoppable, she was beginning to hate Gregory even more.
Leland asked, “What do you plan to do?”
“I will do what you would do. Will you help me?” Winifred asked in return.
“I am your loyal guard dog. Loyalty to the master is the duty of a dog. Whatever you ask of me, I will do.”
Winifred’s mood instantly improved upon hearing this.
What to do…
After thinking for a moment, Winifred said, “Let’s put off the recording for now. Let him ask Aubrey himself, see how much she reveals.”
Aubrey was no longer worthy of her intervention. Let her fate be of her own making.
Before that, she needed to confirm whether she had any blood relation to Gregory. If not… then Aubrey’s words might hold some credibility, making Winifred more vulnerable.
If there was a blood relation, then she would be safe.
As for her mother, she had no intention of investigating. There was no point, as she wouldn’t find anything concrete. She could only judge through Gregory’s expressions.
…
The Dawson family.
Gregory was indeed waiting in the living room, sitting on the couch as Winifred entered.
As Winifred’s car hadn’t even stopped yet, Mr. Hamilton went to inform Gregory, “Sir, Miss is back.”
“I know.”
Gregory had built his success by mastering the art of controlling his emotions. Mr. Hamilton couldn’t tell if Gregory was angry or not.
But yesterday, for the first time, Mr. Hamilton saw Gregory explode in rage at Winifred, nearly flipping the table. In the short span of one night, Gregory’s face no longer showed any sign of anger, looking as calm as usual. Emotionally, Mr. Hamilton tended to lean towards Winifred, having watched her grow up.
After notifying Gregory, Mr. Hamilton hurried to the door. Seeing Winifred getting out of the car, he waved anxiously. When Winifred approached, he leaned in and whispered, “Miss, Sir is waiting for you inside. Please be on your best behavior when you meet him.”
“I understand, thank you, Mr. Hamilton.” Winifred smiled brightly. But as soon as she crossed the threshold, her smile vanished, a drastic transformation that only Leland noticed.
The radiant smile was now replaced by a lowered head, barely forcing a smile on her face. The lingering paleness on her face was just right.
As Winifred walked in, she was prepared. Seeing Gregory, she didn’t panic. It was a defining moment.
“Dad, I’m back…” Winifred timidly called out, her voice hoarse. Like a misbehaving child, she slowly made her way to Gregory, keeping her head down.
“Did you meet Aubrey?”
“Yes, I even bought her some fruit. Dad, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have upset her. But when she said some things to me, I just couldn’t handle it. She’s planning on marrying into the Dawson family to be my stepmother…”
“What did she say to you?”
Sure enough, when Gregory heard this, his expression changed, albeit subtly, but Winifred noticed. Lowering her gaze, her voice tinged with sorrow, she said, “She told me my mom is dead. She also said that any son she has will inherit the Dawson family’s fortune. Dad, is my mom really dead? Didn’t you all say she ran off with someone after giving birth to me?”
“Did she really say that to you?”
Winifred didn’t know if Gregory believed her words. Her statement was half true and half false. Besides, Aubrey was clearly aiming to secure her position through her unborn child. Hadn’t she considered inheriting the family’s wealth? If she didn’t have ambitions, why would she pursue Gregory, twenty years her senior?
“Yes, so Dad, is my mom really dead?”
Seeing a hint of obscurity in Gregory’s eyes, Winifred anxiously awaited his response. Gregory stared at her face without speaking, eventually raising his hand to touch her head.
Touching one’s head was common in a father-daughter relationship. Gregory had done it before, but this time, Winifred was overwhelmed by Aubrey’s words. As Gregory’s hand neared her head, she had an instinct to flinch, but she resisted, even Leland, observing from the sidelines, tensed up.
After patting her head, Winifred looked up, tears welling in her eyes as she said, “Dad, I shouldn’t have been rebellious or made you angry… Although my mom wasn’t around when I was young, I always felt that no one could replace her. I despise women who marry into the Dawson family with ulterior motives. But after Aunt Liu’s incident, I realized that whether my mom is alive or not, she is still a stranger to me. You, who raised me, are the one who matters. You are too lonely…”
Winifred’s words were touching. Gregory sighed, making a decision, “You are grown up now and it’s time you knew some things. Your mother is indeed no longer with us. I didn’t tell you the truth because I didn’t want you to suffer, but now, I think you have the right to know.”
So, was Aubrey’s disgusting claim true?
Clearly, he could have just told her that her mother was dead, but chose to perpetuate the lie that she had left with another man. Was this an attempt to make Winifred hate her own mother?
Did Gregory love that woman or hate her?