Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband
Chapter 123: The Dawns

Chapter 123: The Dawns

"Edwina Dawn had two sons—Matthew and Daniel Dawn. As far as I know, between the two of them, they only have three children: Ava Dawn, Lucien Dawn, and... I can’t seem to remember the third one. So, how exactly are you related to her? Are you Ava Dawn, or are you the illegitimate child of—"

"Neither," Serena cut in, her smile bitter, tinged with a sadness she had long grown used to. "I am indeed a Dawn, but nothing more than a glorified servant in that family." She paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing, her tone hollow. "I’m the daughter of Edwina Dawn’s youngest son—Edward Dawn."

Aiden’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t interrupt. Serena could tell he was piecing the story together, but he didn’t yet know all the pieces.

"My father, Edward, was disowned by Edwina when he chose to marry my mother. She was never considered ’worthy’ in their eyes. And later, after my parents had the audacity to die, I was left to Edwina’s care. Can you imagine? The woman who cast her own son out of her life was now forced to raise the child of the woman she despised."

Serena let out a hollow laugh, one that held no warmth. "So yes, while we’re biologically related, my grandmother and I were never... legally bound. I was nothing but a burden to her, at first. She kept me out of duty, not love. Edwina Dawn never wanted me. I was a reminder of her son’s defiance, a living, breathing symbol of her failure to control him."

Aiden remained silent, his eyes fixed on her, absorbing every word. He could sense that this was something she hadn’t shared with many people.

She gave a small, humorless smile, the memories of her youth flooding back. "We met when I was a teenager but even then things weren’t that easy. Our relationship was rocky at best. At first, she barely acknowledged me—treated me like air. And that gave the others to do the same.

But over time, after a few bumps in the road, things changed. Or at least she tried to. But her children and grandchildren were not happy with the arrival of another contender to their ’right.’ And the more my grandmother tried to protect me or keep me away, the more things they tried to do to get rid of me.

This, in someway, brought us closer. Or at least, as close as Edwina Dawn could allow herself to be with someone. At that point, she knew her sons were already eyeing her position, so she kept her distance from me, showering her affection only from far away."

"I was around sixteen when everything changed though. My grandmother suffered a major heart attack. It happened so suddenly, and the entire family... well, they chose to ignore it, to act as though it was a minor inconvenience. Everyone was too busy eyeing her wealth, her position, already plotting who would get what."

She shook her head, her expression hardening as the bitterness resurfaced. "They didn’t care about her. They were vultures, circling, waiting for her to die so they could pick apart the pieces of her empire. It was as if they had been waiting for that moment their whole lives."

"I was the only one who stayed by her side, in that cold, sterile hospital room. I think that is why I was able to understand you better when you were sitting there in that hospital room alone...Anyway, for days, I sat there, praying she would make it through. I didn’t even know if I truly loved her or if I was just scared of being left alone all over again? But I didn’t want her to die. Not like that."

"And then... something happened," Serena said, remembering the past as if it had happened yesterday. "She survived. I remember the moment she opened her eyes. I didn’t expect her to even notice me there. But she did. After that, she began to see me differently. I became someone she could trust, someone she needed. And this time, she did so openly."

"By then I was already a business prodigy, my prowess in business clear. Even though I made it abundantly well known that I had no interest in the family industries, Matthew and Daniel tried every trick in the bag to get rid of me. They started small of course, trying to create misunderstandings between me and her."

Then, when they could not do that, they tried to harm my reputation and malign me." She turned her head to look at Aiden then, but even so, her gaze was looking far into the past. "I was almost ra*ed. In fact I would have been if not for Sid..for someone to save me that night."

"They were not happy that each of their plan had failed. And then, grandmother announced my engagement... to a close friend. Someone I thought I could trust. But... they found a way to break that off. Ultimately, when nothing worked, someone from the family seemed to have decided to simply get rid of me and Edwina Dawn. And so began the attempts to kill her and me..."

"We found out too late, that she was being poisoned. In fact, I never even knew... I was studying away at university when I received the news of her almost dying. By the time I returned, she was barely there, hanging on to say goodbye. And tell me that she was not dying a natural death."

Finally, Serena’s gaze turned to Aiden and this time, Aiden felt a jolt at the anger and hatred he saw there. "So, Aiden Hawk, you are neither my friend nor my family. We are husband and wife in name only and that is all we will be. As it happens, I am also currently in need of a husband, and hence I will not be dissolving the contract. But that is it. I... I would like us to not see each other again until the divorce..."