Leaving You Bereft (Willow and Julian) novel Chapter 218

It was Timothy’s idea to send Willow to Faeria, as the June climate in Faeria was known to be mild, conducive to healing. Heather would travel with her, with the intention of looking after Gabriella until she was six months old. Timothy had already bought a villa 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 Gabriella’s food, feeding supplies and diapering essentials. Though she was still a baby, Gabriella’s belongings completely filled four large suitcases.

Heather saw to all the arrangements herself. Having taken care of everything, she looked at Gabriella–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 home, let alone with such a troubled expression. They shared a rather loving relationship, 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. “It’s nothing! 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 Gabriella, saying that he wanted to see her. 1

Heather’s attention was immediately diverted. She leaned against Timothy’s shoulder and said gently, “It’s already so late; 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 Gabriella laughing heartily tomorrow! I’m certain she’ll love it!”

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

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

Heather, successfully 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 20 billion 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, Gabriella slept peacefully in her pink crib. Willow, holding the side of the crib, gently caressed Gabriella’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 dollars. 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 Nebula Group, an asset valued at over 40 billion dollars. These shares were non, transferable, though, rendering her unable to act as a guarantor. In addition, Insight Corporation was still a relatively small company, with its market

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value barely exceeding five billion dollars, 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 accounting firm and calculated all her liquid assets, including the real estate and stocks she could liquidate. The total amounted to roughly three billion dollars.

Willow, unconcerned with preserving her wealth, withdrew all of her available funds. She also instructed her accountant 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 dollars 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, “It’s already quite late, 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 cigarettes, Dad. 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 successful 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 the last thing he could do within his power.

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

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

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