Ms. Protich prepared lunch for Leland Burns and watched him finish eating. She then cleaned up the dishes, washed them in the kitchen, and tidied up the dining and living rooms.
Leland Burns told her to stop, saying he could hire a cleaner in the future. But Ms. Protich insisted on cleaning: “It’s no trouble. I’m used to it. If I clean now, it will last a week, and you won’t need to bother hiring anyone. It saves money.”
The cost of hiring a cleaner was insignificant to Leland Burns, but only Ms. Protich would help him save that money.
Ms. Protich knew Leland Burns disliked others touching his things. She never entered his bedroom to clean, focusing only on the living room, dining room, and kitchen-places she frequented.
After cleaning, everything had to be put back in its place. She worried that any hired cleaner might not do a good job, so she preferred to do it herself one last time before leaving.
“Mr. Burns, I’ve finished cleaning and packed my things. I’ll be going now,” Ms. Protich said, knocking on the study door.
The door was slightly ajar; Leland Burns could hear her inside.
“The driver is waiting outside to take you home. You’re staying in North Bankshire now. Make sure you protect Winifred Dawson’s home and don’t let anyone else in.”
By “anyone else,” he likely meant her daughter since he had recently reminded her not to tell her daughter about the insurance.
Ms. Protich felt uneasy about having to guard against her own daughter. It seemed Leland Burns harbored deep animosity towards her daughter, but why? They had never met, and she rarely mentioned her family to him.
Nevertheless, Ms. Protich nodded in agreement. Even without Leland Burns’ reminder, she wouldn’t bring her daughter to North Bankshire.
She knew her daughter’s personality-vain and wanting anything nice she saw. She liked to touch everything, and the valuable items in North Bankshire were too expensive to risk damaging.
Having said their goodbyes earlier, there was nothing more to say now. Ms. Protich took her things and left.
Leland Burns stood by the study window, watching until she got into the car before looking away.
Since stopping the search for Winifred Dawson, everyone had relaxed a bit. Henry and Wesley even took a rare vacation but felt like something was missing.
A call from an overseas hospital about “in vitro fertilization” reminded Henry of what he had forgotten.
“Who wants IVF? I don’t have kids nor plan to,” Henry said in confusion.
Wesley, listening nearby, frowned and realized first: “It must be Mr. Burns’.”
Henry slapped his forehead as he remembered and quickly called Leland Burns.
“Mr. Burns, we were so busy looking for Winifred Dawson that we forgot about the surrogacy plan. The hospital just called; they have a suitable surrogate ready. Do you still want to proceed with IVF?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Once you decide, they can start immediately, and you’ll be a father next year,” Henry said in surprise at Leland’s decision to abandon the plan after all the effort spent on egg storage and finding a surrogate.
Initially, Henry thought surrogacy was unnecessary for Leland Burns since he was young and healthy with plenty of time to meet someone special and start a family naturally.
But after Winifred Dawson’s death and seeing Leland’s reaction, Henry realized how deeply he loved her-it was evident in his every action.
Without Winifred Dawson, Leland’s life felt incomplete.
Now that she was confirmed dead, shouldn’t Leland want a child related to her?
Contrary to Henry’s expectations, not only did Leland stop searching for Winifred Dawson but also decided against having her child.
“Boss, are you sure you don’t want children? If you approve now, they can proceed immediately,” Henry pressed on.
“I don’t want children right now because I don’t have the energy to raise them properly,” Leland explained after a pause.
Henry noted that Leland wasn’t giving up entirely but postponing it due to current responsibilities.
“There are too many things I need to handle right now; I can’t spare attention for raising a child.”
Raising a child could be managed by hiring help; money could solve most problems except for personal involvement which was crucial for bonding.
Henry reflected on his own experiences and agreed with Leland’s approach-better not have children unless fully prepared to care for them responsibly.
The main question remained: did Leland specifically want Winifred Dawson’s child?
With her gone, only their embryos remained viable for six or seven years under current medical standards.
Henry asked directly over the phone: “Boss, do you specifically want Winifred Dawson’s child?”
Silence followed as Leland pondered deeply…
At just 21 years old with much of his life ahead-could he truly find someone else he loved as much as Winifred Dawson? Could anyone ever surpass her place in his heart?