The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 72

**Chasing Light, Finding Peace** – by Rohan Verma

**Chapter 72**

Charlotte Bennett had never laid eyes on Autumn before, and the truth was, she wasn’t even her daughter-in-law yet.

Was she already anticipating the perfect welcome gift?

And even if, in some alternate universe, she and Owen had already tied the knot, it would merely be a marriage of convenience. Wouldn’t it feel strange to accept a gift from his mother under those circumstances?

Just the fact that she was partnering with Owen felt like a monumental victory for her.

Autumn found herself wrestling with an awkwardness that made her hesitate to accept anything further from them.

Her fingers hovered indecisively over her phone’s keyboard, paralyzed, as she struggled to craft a response.

Then, out of the blue, an incoming video call from Owen illuminated her screen.

The unexpected notification startled her, causing her finger to twitch and, in a moment of panic, she accidentally declined the call.

Autumn was left speechless, her heart racing.

Oh no. This is not good.

Is he going to think I hung up on him intentionally?

Before she could devise a plan to mend the situation, Owen switched to a voice call and tried again.

This time, Autumn didn’t dare to hesitate; she answered immediately, her voice tinged with urgency.

“I’m so sorry! My hand slipped,” she blurted out, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

A brief silence stretched on the other end before Owen finally responded, “It’s fine.”

His tone was inscrutable, leaving her feeling even more apprehensive.

“A welcome gift seems a bit excessive, especially since I’m still sorting out some things on my end. Maybe we should just drop it?”

Owen’s response was immediate and firm. “No way. This is a task my mom assigned me. They’re overseas for an international project and won’t return for at least a month. She already gave me the money, and if I don’t handle this for you, I’m pretty sure she’ll have a word with me when she gets back.”

“When an elder offers you a gift, you just accept it. It’s really not a big deal,” he insisted.

Autumn felt the urge to argue again, but Owen’s voice cut through her thoughts with a cool warning. “If you refuse now, my mom will just take you to see her private collection when she returns and make you pick something out yourself. You’ll have an even tougher time choosing then.”

Autumn was taken aback, her mind racing.

Just the thought of that scenario was already making her feel trapped.

“Ahem, okay, the auction sounds good then,” she relented, her voice barely above a whisper.

A soft chuckle floated through the line from Owen.

“Don’t worry about saving my mom money. The dividends she rakes in every year are more than she can spend, not to mention her main business.”

Autumn’s curiosity sparked.

Public information about the Bennett family typically ended with Owen.

Even the details about him were shrouded in mystery.

A family of their caliber didn’t need the internet’s hype; in fact, they preferred to keep things under the radar.

As a result, Autumn still had no idea what Owen’s mother actually did for a living.

“If you don’t mind me asking, your mother… I mean, Charlotte. What exactly does she do?”

Instead of providing a straightforward answer, Owen remained cryptic.

“I’ll set up a meeting for you two when she’s back. You’ll find out then.”

Autumn flinched at the thought.

“We have to meet?”

Why is this contract marriage turning out to be so different from my expectations?

“Don’t worry. You’ll have to meet the parents sooner or later. Besides, you’re incredible; my parents will adore you,” he reassured her.

Autumn was left speechless once more.

Is that really what I was worried about?

Her words were a thinly veiled jab, and as she watched Mars’s face darken through the video feed, his simmering anger evident yet unexpressed, the fury within her subsided a fraction.

“Have your people clear all this out. It smells like someone else, and it’s making me sick.”

“What a relative you’ve got. If it were my family, I’d make them pay for damages,” she added, her voice laced with sarcasm.

Mars’s expression was stormy as he forced a weak smile. “It was my oversight. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“Honey, you’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be working so hard. How about this? You come to the office, and I’ll handle the property inventory,” Autumn suggested, knowing he was just eager to erase the evidence but choosing not to confront him directly.

She smoothly shifted the conversation, casually mentioning that she needed a sum of money for a property swap and inquiring about how much cash he had on hand.

Mars’s eyes darted away, guilt etched across his face. “Me? Where would I get money? You’ve always been the one managing our finances, right?”

“Since we’re doing a swap, let’s first see how much we get from selling the properties. If we need to invest more, let’s just not go through with it,” she replied coolly.

“But this was a private tip I worked hard to get,” Autumn insisted. “Most people wouldn’t share this kind of information. If it weren’t for my connections, I wouldn’t have gotten this firsthand.”

“The real estate market is definitely on the brink of a shift. The more we invest now, the greater our returns will be later,” she continued, her confidence palpable.

Autumn had a killer instinct for investments and had never steered wrong.

Mars believed her without question.

He hesitated, his resolve wavering. “But…”

Autumn’s expression hardened. “Have you been doing something behind my back? Our finances are transparent. If you’re lying, I’ll find out with just one look.”

Cold sweat trickled down Mars’s back as he stammered, “Why would I lie to you? It’s just… a friend of mine started a business and borrowed money from me. I lent him everything I had. Since you need it, I’ll go get it back from him right now. It’s about time he paid me back anyway.”

Autumn played along with his charade. “Then you’d better get that money back, and fast!”

Mars’s mind was racing. He started to call Lydia but thought better of it and opted to send a text instead.

When Lydia saw the message, she exploded with fury.

He was reclaiming the house, and now he wanted the money back too!

Mars Wright, you motherfucker!