It was Timothy’s idea to send Willow to Faeria, as bthe /bJune climate in Faeria was known to be mildb, /bconducive to healing. Heather would travel with her, with the intention of looking after Gabrie until she was six months old. Timothy had already bought a vi there and had also set aside ample funds to guarantee a luxurious lifestyle for Heather and Willow.

    Heather managed to arrange everything within a week. She had packed all the clothing and necessities for herself and Willow, covering all seasons, along with Gabrie’s foodb, /bfeeding supplies and diapering essentials. Though she was still a baby, Gabrie’s belongingspletely filled fourrge suitcases.

    Heather saw to all the arrangements herself. Having taken care of everything, she looked at Gabrie–her ever lovely granddaughter–before rubbing her sore waist and returning to her room.

    Upon stepping inside, Heather noticed Timothy standing on the balcony, a cigarette in his hand and a deep frown creasing his forehead. She was rather taken aback, as Timothy rarely smoked at bhome/b, let alone with such a troubled expression. They shared a rather loving rtionship, so she naturally walked up behind him, gently caressed his arm, and asked softly, “What’s the matter, Timothy?”

    Timothy stretched out his arm, put out the cigarette, and smiled as if nothing was amiss. b“/bbIt’s /bnothing! I was just a little bothered by something, so I thought I’d have a smoke. You shouldn’t read too much into it.”

    “You’re being unusually verbose, Timothy.”

    “Is that so?” Timothy asked with a grin. He then put his arm around Heather’s shoulder and redirected the conversation to Gabrie, saying that he wanted to see her. 1

    Heather’s attention was immediately diverted. She leaned against Timothy’s shoulder and said gently, b“/bIt’s already sote; the little one is already fast asleep now.”

    Timothy continued to coax Heather, saying, “I’ll see her first thing in the morning, then! I’ll have Gabrieughing heartily tomorrow! I’m certain she’ll love it!”

    Heather brushed it off with a chuckle, saying, “I think Gabrie is rather aloof. You’ll be the one looking like a fool if she doesn’t burst outughing.”

    “I don’t mind being a fool for my own granddaughter!” Timothy eximed. He couldn’t help but think that Gabrie was exactly like her father, Julian, and that aloofness was something innate.

    Heather, sessfully misled by Timothy, went to the closet to get her bathrobe and then proceeded to the bathroom for a shower. She was truly exhausted after a long and busy day.

    Timothy might have fooled Heather, but Willow was not so easily deceived.

    Though the news had been kept under wraps, Willow had still gotten wind of it–Aurelia Group was experiencing a financial crisis, necessitating a b20 /bbillion loan from the bank to address the deficit. However, given the poor economic climate, finding a creditworthy guarantor had proven difficult.

    In the living room on the second floor, Gabrie slept peacefully in her pink crib. Willow, holding the side of the crib, gently caressed Gabrie’s face.

    Annie, standing hesitantly to one side, eventually informed Willow, “It seems like Aurelia Group’s financial crisis has been brewing for about two or three months now. It’s highly likely that Mr. Chapman didn’t want to upset you during your pregnancy, so he kept it from everyone at home.”

    “It’s quite a significant sum–20 billion dors. Those with the financial standing to guarantee such a loan would have been few and far between,” Willow murmured.

    She held a 10% stake in Neb Group, an asset valued at over 40 billion dors. These shares were non, transferable, though, rendering her unable to act as a guarantor. In addition, Insight Corporation was still a rtively smallpany, with its market

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    value barely exceeding five billion dors, making it even less qualified to act as a guarantor.

    Nevertheless, Timothy had been good to Heather and had shown her great affection. He had even chosen to send them to Faeria after the crisis. This familial bond alone had been enough for Willow to decide she couldn’t simply ignore the situation.

    That very afternoon, Willow visited the ounting firm and calcted all her liquid assets, including the real estate and stocks she could liquidate. The total amounted to roughly three billion dors.

    Willow, unconcerned with preserving her wealth, withdrew all of her avable funds. She also instructed her ountant to expedite the sale of her real estate holdings. Her personal financial advisor, with concern, advised a more cautious approach. However, Willow merely smiled faintly in response.

    She had kept all these things from Heather as well.

    Having gathered three billion dors over two days, Willow waited for the right opportunity and then pushed open the door to Timothy’s study, noting that the room was thick with cigarette smoke and Timothy’s face was etched with exhaustion. There was also a crystal ashtray on the desk filled with discarded cigarette butts.

    Upon seeing Willow, Timothy promptly extinguished his cigarette and smiled gently, saying, b“/bIt’s already quitete, Willow. Why are you still awake?”

    He initially wanted to open the window to air out the study, but knowing that Willow was still in her postpartum recovery period, he decided against it.

    Willow walked over and emptied the ashtray, saying, “You should try to cut back on the cigarettesb, /bDad. They’re not good for you.”

    Timothy was momentarily stunned, followed by the welling of tears in his eyes. Willow had just called him “Dad.”

    Heather’s reunion with Willow happened when Willow was already grown and a sessful businesswoman. Thus, having her address him, the stepfather, as “Dad” felt rather awkward to her, though Timothy had always yearned for it. Now that his desire was fulfilled, his happiness was intertwined with a poignant sadness.

    Willow and Heather would be staying in Faeria from then on. Their return remained uncertain.

    Timothy had lied to Heather, telling her that their stay in Faeria would be for half a year. He wasn’t even sure if Aurelia Group would survive the financial crisis. If it didn’t, Timothy would shoulder the consequences alone. He surmised that ensuring the well–being of Heather and Willow in Faeria would be thest thing he could do within his power.

    He had no idea that Willow had known the truth all along.

    Having emptied the ashtray, Willow ced it back on the desk, retrieved a crisp check from her pocket, and ced it before Timothy. It bore the significant sum of three billion dors.

    Timothy was momentarily speechless. He naturally refused to ept it. Willow had toiled so hard for it; she had faced so much adversity. How could he bring himself to take her money?

    Willow insisted that he keep the check, saying softly, “That money you’ve set aside in the Valoisian bank is more than enough to sustain Mom for the rest of her life. Please be assured thate what mayb, /bI’ll look after Mom and ensure that she doesn’t fall into poverty or endure hardship, Dad.” 1

    Herpany, Insight Corporation, was still generating ie, and even if things went south, her capabilities remained a strong asset. She could readily earn a multi–million–dor annual sry in a high–level executive role. She also understood that these three billion dors were a pittance, far from sufficient to alleviate Aurelia Group’s financial crisis.

    It was then that her phone suddenly rang. It was Julian on the line. It was the dead of night, and the silence was profound. It was so quiet that even the sound of breathing was distinct on either end of the phone.

    There was a moment of silence before Julian said softly, “I heard you’ve been short on funds recently and have divested several properties. Is this connected to Aurelia Group’s financial crisis?”

    Willow cut straight to the chase, asking, “Is this your doing, Julianb” /b

    +25 bBONUS /b

    Julian, on the other end of the line, smiled faintly and replied, “You think too highly of my abilities, Willow. You ought to know that Aurelia Group is a financial behemoth worth hundreds of billions of dors. It’s not something I could manipte at will. And besides, Timothy is your family. Why would I do such a thing to him?”

    Though Julian denied itb, /bthere was a certain reservation in his tone Having been his wife for years, Willow understood this nuance. Thus, she remained silent, waiting for him to say more.

    It didn’t take long before Julian broke the silence, proposing a deal with Willow.