Chapter 76
"Is that all?"
William was a bit unwilling to let it go. "Nina and Oscar will miss me. What about you? Will you..."
"Will I what? Don't tell me you think I'll miss you too?"
Emily laughed at his words and hastily looked away.
She turned her head so quickly that she didn't catch the flash of disappointment in William's eyes.
Right, how could Emily possibly miss him?
A while back, when he returned to the organization and didn't show up for so many days, when something happened at the funeral home, Emily handled everything perfectly. She even took the kids to move and go on that variety show, incredibly busy.
Although she was taking care of three children by herself, she didn't seem flustered at all, and the kids' quality of life hadn't gotten worse either.
Emily really was capable of handling things on her own. She didn't seem to need his help, so naturally, there was no reason for her to think of him.
"Hey, we're talking business here, don't change the subject."
Emily pulled the conversation back on track. "Since you've already decided to go back, do it soon. I'm sure your family will be thrilled to know you're still alive."
"Oh, right, are you taking Aiden with you?"
That question really stumped William.
William could tell that Aiden really liked Emily. Although Aiden had never called Emily mom, Aiden had secretly told William that he wanted to call Emily mommy, but felt it would be too presumptuous and Emily might not be happy about it, so he hadn't said it out loud.
If he took Aiden away, Aiden would definitely be unhappy. But if he didn't take Aiden, William didn't know how to explain it to his family.
Once someone traced things back to Emily, it would definitely cause trouble for her.
After thinking it over, William threw the question back. "What about you? Do you want me to take Aiden back?"
Emily rolled her eyes at him. "Am I asking you, or are you asking me? If you don't want to answer, forget it. When you leave, the answer will naturally come out."
"Then let's ask Aiden's opinion."
William stood up with Emily. "If he's willing to stay, I won't force him to leave. Aiden is old enough to have his own ideas. Even though I'm his father, I shouldn't decide too much for him."
This answer satisfied Emily. She treated Oscar and Nina the same way, not treating them as children but as independent people, like friends, fully respecting them.
William didn't stay long before leaving. He wasn't going back to the Brown family today. Before going back, he needed to make thorough preparations, and at the very least had to delay a few more days.
First, William still had many things to finish. Second, he wanted to stay in the shadows a bit longer to see what other shameless things Clarence might do.
Raymond was getting on in years, spending his days at home tending to flowers and plants, hardly ever going out.
William's parents were immersed in grief. Even if they wanted to manage the Brown Group, they lacked the energy and were willing but unable.
William had become a dead man in others' eyes, so didn't that make the Brown Group Clarence's domain? Now it was time for him to go back.
At the same time, in the back garden of the Brown Mansion, Raymond was trimming flower branches.
The flowers and plants grew well in summer, but there were also more insects. Raymond's favorite flowers had quite a few bugs. He didn't trust the gardener to handle it and insisted on doing it himself.
When Clarence entered, he saw this scene and immediately frowned. "Dad, why are you doing the servants' work again?"
He walked over and grabbed the watering can from Raymond's hand.
"How many times have I told you? Leave tending the flowers to the gardener. At your age, you should just stay home and enjoy your retirement."
"Look at you, fertilizing and watering. What if you slip and fall?"
Just hearing Clarence talk like this, you'd really think he was a filial son. Any outsider would have nothing but praise.
But Raymond didn't even glance at him, taking the watering can back and continuing to water the flowers.
"Sitting around at home all day, I can't stand it. Doing something I enjoy helps pass the time, makes the days less boring."
"Clarence, didn't you go to work? It's not even time to get out of work yet, so why are you here? Did something happen at the Brown Group?"
Clarence smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Dad. Now that I'm in charge at the Brown Group, nothing will go wrong. Even if something does happen, your son can handle it."
"Then what are you doing back here?"
Clarence sighed and had the nearby servant leave first before saying, "Dad, did you forget? In a few days, it'll be the Day of the Dead."
Raymond's watering motion paused slightly, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes. "Right, the Day of the Dead."
He looked up at the sunset in the west, William's image seeming to reflect in his cloudy eyes.
"Time really flies. William has been gone from us for so long already."
"Yes."
Clarence was also reflective. "Dad, I came specifically to ask you—we should set up an altar for William on the Day of the Dead, right?"
"Do whatever you think is right. William's parents still haven't recovered. You can't really ask them."
Clarence nodded quickly. "That's what I was thinking. Right now, they can't handle anything related to William, especially William's mother. She cries whenever she hears William's name. How could I dare upset them? I could only come ask you. So you mean we should follow the customs?"
"Of course."
Raymond answered decisively. "You don't need to ask me about such small matters. Now that you're managing the Brown Group's affairs, naturally, you should also handle family matters."
"I'm already old. How could I have the energy to deal with these things? From now on, just make your own decisions."
"Thank you, Dad!"
Clarence was first surprised, then overjoyed.
He had come to ask precisely because he was afraid Raymond would think he was overstepping, but unexpectedly, Raymond had finally been open-minded for once and delegated authority.
This was good. From now on, he could do certain things more freely, no longer as restricted and anxious as before.
Compared to Clarence's happiness, Raymond's expression remained neutral throughout—neither particularly happy nor unhappy, still watering flowers and humming a little tune.
Clarence chatted with him for a few more moments, then turned to leave. But he paused at the main gate and looked back at Raymond with suspicion.