After exiting the hotel, Dawson pulled Jasper over and casually found a stall to have supper.
Just like that, the father-in-law whose net worth was over tens of billions and his son-in-law casually sat at the stall selling supper and started drinking beer. They ate cheap grilled meat too.
Jasper knew that Dawson was not in a pleasant mood, so he did not say much and got the boss of the stall to serve some peanuts and pickles that need not be cooked. He also ordered a dozen bottles of cold beer.
Accompanying the father-in-law and getting drunk together was one of the things a qualified son-in-law should do.
They opened up the beer and gulped down half of the bottle. Dawson held onto the bottle and hit it hard on the oily table.
He loosened up his necktie and unbuttoned one of the buttons on his shirt collar. Dawson lifted his eyes and said to Jasper with a bitter smile, “Was I really that embarrassing today?”
Jasper shook his head and said seriously, “Not at all, you’re the man!”
Dawson smiled and said, “Wendy’s mother, Linda, had followed me since she was 19 years old. She was the daughter of a lecturer in a university. Back then, I was just a poor brat from the village with nothing.
“But it was nothing like those stories. Her whole family supported her decision and treated me very well. Besides, the very first fund I had for my business was also provided by her dad. He took out the money with his salary and savings to aid me.
“Even though Linda was born with congenital cardiovascular malformation, it wouldn’t affect her daily life. The doctor mentioned that there was no cure to this disease but she could at least be able to live up to 70 years old.”
At that time, the boss of the stall served the grilled meat. Jasper took two bites of it. Then, he lifted his bottle of beer and clinked it with Dawson’s before drinking. “It’s a wonderful story.”
Dawson drank all of the remaining beer in one shot and let out a long sigh before saying, “Yeah, it’s wonderful. Even though Linda’s parents were very supportive of us, their relatives and Linda’s pursuers and friends all looked down on me.
“With Linda’s status, she could definitely find a better husband. For the first few years after our marriage, all of her friends were living much better lives than us.
“In order not to let Linda feel that she was having it worse than others, I worked my *ss off to earn more money. It was then that I started to neglect her.”
Dawson’s hand was clenching the bottle of beer. His fingertips became white because he was exerting too much strength.
“Ten years ago, at the most crucial time when I was competing with Sebastian, I lost everything in a single night. All the outsiders were saying it was because Sebastian obtained the financial support of a big boss from Swallow Capital.
“But I know that it was only part of the reason. The most important thing is that Linda got a heart attack and she just passed away without any prior symptoms, leaving behind me and Wendy who was only very young at the time.”
Dawson’s gaze was filled with sufferings and remembrance. “Ever since Linda married me, she had never once lived a happy day. In the end, she just left the world like that. It was because of her passing’s impact on me that I failed to win against Sebastian.
“I’ve thought it through. As a man, we shouldn’t have the right to be talking about our careers if we can’t even take good care of our wives and children. Hence, I’m now placing more of my attention on Wendy. She’s my only hope.”
Dawson’s body slightly trembled when he was saying that. His tone started to sound like he was choking. “All this while, Wendy and I thought that the heart attack was just an accident that occurred coincidentally, but now I know that it’s all because of Sebastian. He was the one behind this entire incident!
“He ordered people to kidnap Linda. Linda, who was already frightened, was then told that I was met with an accident. How could she have accepted such a huge shock? It was no wonder that at the time, Linda’s main attending doctor said that before she died, she had suffered from a huge shock and torture. I couldn’t think things through at that point!
“But now I understand. I’ve thought through it. It was all because I was a fool who wanted to find success in my career, who self-proclaimed to be smarter than others, and who boasted about having never been defeated!”
Smack!
Dawson raised his hand and gave himself a tight slap.
Subconsciously, Jasper wanted to stop Dawson’s hand. When he raised his eyes, however, he saw the man who would never furrow his brows and always looked like nothing was able to defeat him with his face covered in tears.
It was not an embarrassing thing for a man to cry.
He was strong. It was just that the incident had triggered him to be depressed.
Seeing Dawson in such a miserable state, Jasper’s heart was dwelling with a sense of respect for him that he never had before.
He was a man who had lost his wife ten years ago, a man with a net worth of billions but never showed off.
He was a man who was able to feel regret and suffered because of his late wife who passed away ten years ago.
