Chapter 348: Waiting for You to Come Back
As everyone expected, Julian Sherman announced that very night that he was withdrawing from the show. The production team also announced that Damien Vaughn would be taking his place.
In an instant, the reality show, *In the Mood for Love*, was pushed to unprecedented heights of popularity.
Over the next few days, Damien Vaughn and Cecelia Archer’s interactions were like those of a long-married couple. They livestreamed doing chores, cooking, and taking walks together. Later, they even started livestreaming their work. The show had explosive topics of discussion every day and trended on the hot search list for over ten days straight.
The Vaughn Group’s market value increased by over ten billion, and its prominence was unrivaled.
This time, his second and third uncles could no longer sit still.
Their faces had been slapped swollen. If this continued, even if Damien Vaughn really did kick them out, no one would speak up for them or sympathize with them. How could they let that happen?
To protect themselves, they had to be ruthless!
The day after the show ended, an opportunity finally presented itself.
Because of the show’s explosive popularity and the subsequent rise in the Vaughn Group’s value, the first round of overseas financing for a new project went quite smoothly. Damien Vaughn had to travel to Rivia to sign the contracts.
On the morning of his departure, Damien Vaughn insisted on taking Candy to kindergarten.
The father and daughter clung to each other at the door as if it were a life-and-death parting. He promised again and again that he would be back soon before Candy finally let him go.
When they got back to the car, Damien Vaughn didn’t get in. "You can just drive to work. The chauffeur can take me to the airport. I’ll call you when I land."
But Cecelia Archer, for once, wanted to see him off. "You don’t want me to take you?"
How could that be possible? Damien Vaughn wished for nothing more than for her to see him off every day, to be with him every day.
"You’ve been working so hard these past few days. Why run back and forth?"
Cecelia Archer said the sweetest thing he’d heard from her since they’d met: "I’m not tired. I want to spend a little more time with you."
Damien Vaughn was so thrilled he nearly rushed forward to hug her.
Cecelia Archer drove. Although she’d said she wanted to spend more time with him, she didn’t say a word the entire way.
But just being able to sit there in silence with her made Damien Vaughn feel incredibly happy.
When they arrived at the airport, the staff members who were traveling with him—from legal, finance, and other departments—were already there.
This business trip would last a week at a minimum, or as long as ten to fifteen days. He desperately wanted to hug Cecelia Archer, but she still hadn’t forgiven him, and there were so many people around.
"Alright, you should head back now. Be careful on the road."
Cecelia Archer looked at his sharp black overcoat and the handsome, unparalleled face above it. It suddenly hit her that this was her husband, the emotional anchor for her and Candy, the pillar of their family. A wave of reluctance to part washed over her.
Before he was in their lives, being a little lonely with her daughter was one thing. But now that they had him, being apart again made her feel an emptiness in her heart.
"I’ll walk you to the security checkpoint."
Cecelia Archer was so different today.
’Could it be because of the show? Has she softened and started to forgive me?’
Damien Vaughn had finally waited for this day. His heart raced with excitement as he took her hand.
Cecelia Archer didn’t pull away. They walked hand in hand, wheeling the suitcase, to the security checkpoint.
This was as far as she could go.
Cecelia Archer looked at him with a soft gaze. "Get some rest on the way. Don’t work yourself too hard. Call me the moment you arrive."
"Okay."
Damien Vaughn agreed, then suddenly lowered his head and leaned close to her ear.
"Can I have a kiss?"
’With so many colleagues watching, and since he already asked, not kissing him would be embarrassing for him.’
Cecelia Archer stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
"Stay safe. Candy and I will be waiting for you at home."
"Okay." Damien Vaughn kissed her back, pressing a deep kiss onto her soft lips.
"I love you, Cecelia Archer."
Cecelia Archer had originally wanted Damien Vaughn to take Ryan abroad with him, but he insisted it was better for Ryan to stay and help her with her work.
Back in the president’s office, Cecelia Archer felt a sense of unease. Her chest felt so empty, it was as if her heart was gone. She called Ryan in.
"Are you busy today?"
Ryan checked the schedule. "Not really. It’s all stuff that can be postponed. President Archer, is there something personal you need to attend to?"
"I feel restless and anxious. I want a drink. Have a couple with me."
Cecelia Archer couldn’t hold her liquor well. She had two drinks, took a nap, and managed to get through the first eight hours after Damien Vaughn’s departure.
That night, Candy came home, and mother and daughter slept together, getting through the next eight hours.
The next day, she grabbed her phone the moment she opened her eyes.
She calculated the time. Damien Vaughn should have landed by now, but he hadn’t texted or called.
She hurriedly called Ryan.
"What time was President Vaughn scheduled to land?"
"6:40 a.m. He should have just landed, or maybe something delayed them mid-flight. President Archer, don’t worry. He should be calling any minute now. He has so many people with him; nothing could have happened."
’I hope so.’
Cecelia Archer, feeling uneasy, kept her phone close as she woke Candy up, helped her wash up and get dressed, and took her downstairs for breakfast.
But by the time Candy was dropped off at kindergarten and she had arrived at the office, Damien Vaughn still hadn’t called.
Cecelia Archer tried calling him, but the call wouldn’t go through.
’It’s an international flight, after all. It’s normal for there to be issues that cause a delay of a few hours. Maybe he’s still on the plane with his phone in airplane mode.’
Cecelia Archer tried to console herself.
But she couldn’t control her anxiety and couldn’t focus on work at all.
Agitated, she opened a news app, and the very first story it pushed to her was about Rivia.
There had been a car crash.
"’At 12:00 p.m. Rivia time, 7:00 a.m. local time, a serious car accident occurred on a major avenue near the airport. A truck driving in the wrong direction plowed into traffic, causing a pile-up involving more than a dozen vehicles. It is the largest and most severe traffic accident in Rivia in recent years.’"
"’According to reports, the first few vehicles that collided with the large truck were driven by Chinese nationals. Some died instantly, while others were trapped inside their cars and could not be rescued. The police arrived at the scene immediately to divert traffic and disperse the crowd. Firefighters also rushed to rescue the trapped individuals, but they were a step too late. The vehicles exploded, and the drivers and trapped passengers lost their lives in the blast. Currently, the truck driver has been detained, and the cause of the accident is under further investigation.’"
’Car crash? Chinese nationals? Explosion?’
A BUZZ filled her ears. Cecelia Archer felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her mind went blank.
Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t hold her phone. All she could do was shout for Ryan.
"Ryan! Ryan!"
Ryan rushed in, flustered. "What is it, President Archer?"
"Am I seeing things? Or am I going crazy? Look at my phone."
Ryan took her phone and looked at it. His face instantly turned as white as a sheet.
"Impossible. It can’t be such a coincidence. There are so many Chinese people in Rivia, it couldn’t possibly be... I’ll call President Vaughn!"
He used Cecelia Archer’s phone to dial Damien Vaughn’s number. "We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is currently powered off."
"Why is it still off? President Archer, don’t panic. I’ll find the numbers for the other staff!"
Ryan hurried out to find the phone numbers of the accompanying staff. He made several calls before someone finally answered.
"Sorry, Ryan. Something happened over here. It’s a total mess; my phone was in my pocket and I didn’t hear it ring. Are we on the news? Did you guys see the news back home?"
"Mr. Miller, what happened?"
"There was a car crash. The finance department’s car was behind President Vaughn’s. It overturned, and several people from finance were injured. They’re at the hospital being treated now. The legal department was a bit better off, but we all have various cuts and scrapes."