Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 368: Balance

They drove in silence for a bit, then Tom glanced at Dawn. "You’ve gone quiet. What are you thinking?"

Dawn looked out the window. "The funeral. It’s today. I’m just thinking that Genevieve is probably there right now."

"Yeah. I was told it’s a cremation," Tom said gently. "Do you want to go?"

She shook her head. "No." She sighed. "I haven’t told Josh yet that he’s dead. I’m not sure I know how to."

Tom was quiet for a bit. "Maybe taking him to the funeral would’ve helped."

She shook her head again. "You said it yourself that he’s being cremated. That’s not something I want Josh to witness at his age."

Tom nodded. "I don’t expect you to do that either."

Silence settled between them for a bit, then Tom spoke again. "If you are very curious about the funeral, you could call Genevieve."

"No," Dawn said quickly, shaking her head. "I don’t want to give him another thought."She turned to him. "Maybe you can tell me about my father instead. I tried searching for details about him on the internet, and I saw lots of articles talking about what a wonderful president he was and how much he changed his world by his activism. I didn’t see much about him as a family man. What was he like when he wasn’t being a politician?"

Tom smiled at that. "I don’t think there was ever a time when he wasn’t a politician."

Dawn’s brows pulled together. "What do you mean?"

"He barely spent time with family. He believed his purpose was to be a politician. His life was dedicated to changing the world and making the world a safe place. The world always came first."

"Hmm. That’s sad," Dawn said thoughtfully, thinking that he wouldn’t have been a good father to her even if he’d been alive. "How did your Dad feel about that? Was he proud of his father?"

Tom sighed. "Unfortunately, he wasn’t. My Dad never really got along with him. He had resentments because his father chose to be a father to the world rather than to him, so he in turn spent his life being a better father to us."

She folded her arms lightly. "He decided to become the opposite of his father."

Tom nodded. "Yeah. He made a choice. He said, ’If my father chose the world over me, then I’ll choose my children over the world.’ And he followed through with it in every way possible, helping all three of us fulfil our dreams. He was a wonderful husband and a super dad. He’s my role model when it comes to being a husband and a father."

Dawn was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "That’s really beautiful. People praise leaders for changing the world. But no one praises parents for showing up every day."

Tom smiled more clearly this time. "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "I believe being present as a parent is harder than being a hero to strangers."

"You’re very perceptive for your age," Tom observed. "Most people your age don’t think this way."

She shrugged. "Maybe because most people my age haven’t lived through what I have. Plus, I didn’t always have the freedom to speak. So I learned to think more."

Tom nodded slowly. "Your head became your safe place."

"Yes," she said softly. "Exactly that."

After a few seconds, he said, "If you ask me, I’d say Lawrence was a good grandfather to us. That much I can say. He’s one of the reasons I-Global stands today. He invested in my dream, and because he’s a person of integrity, his friends were willing to invest in a college student’s dream."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Investing financially in your dreams makes him a good grandfather?"

Tom’s lips curved. "He couldn’t invest his time because he was pursuing his own dreams, but he invested what he could afford to, his money. And that’s good enough for me. There was not a moment I was in doubt of his love," Tom said, then sighed softly when he remembered how upset he’d been with his grandfather before his death.

"Money isn’t everything. I’m sure he provided financially for your father, but that wasn’t enough," Dawn muttered.

Tom chuckled. "Do you know what makes people disappointed or resentful?" He asked, and Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"I’m sure you’re about to tell me," she said dryly.

Tom laughed. "Expectations. When you expect people to act in a certain way or do things in a certain way and they don’t do it, you feel disappointed and slowly resentment builds..."

Dawn cut in before he could finish. "Is it possible to not have expectations, especially when it involves our loved ones? Expecting your father to be more attentive or loving isn’t a bad thing."

Tom smiled. "I never said it was a bad thing, but I did say it leads to disappointment and a build-up of resentment over time. When you know how people are, you should adjust your expectations of them. Lawrence Hank wasn’t a perfect father, but he was a good man and he showed up for his family in the capacity he could. The Hank name is what it is because of Lawrence Hank. My father could afford to focus on raising us and not worry about money because his father secured a trust fund for him. I’m saying this because I do not want you to think your father was a bad person simply because I said he was more of a politician than a family man."

When Dawn didn’t say anything, Tom continued. "Lawrence Hank was brilliant. He was charismatic and fearless. When he spoke, people listened. When he entered a room, he owned it. He had a wonderful sense of humour and a loud laugh. He made sure to investigate the people in our lives secretly to make sure people with bad intentions didn’t come close to us. He wasn’t always present, but he cared. That was the kind of person your father was."

Dawn sighed deeply. "Thank you."

They settled into comfortable silence and then after a while, she asked, "Do you think a person can be great in the world and still be great at home?"

Tom thought about it. "Yes," he said slowly. "But they have to choose to be."

She frowned slightly. "How?"

"It’s all about finding a balance. I understand ambition like my grandfather, and I understand responsibility like my father. I like to believe I’m great both in the world and at home. When I’m with my family, nothing else is allowed to interfere with the time. When I’m at work, nothing else is allowed to interfere. Well, apart from my wife," he added with a chuckle.

Dawn laughed as she absorbed that. Then she nodded slowly. "That sounds balanced."

"But if I ever have to choose, I’ll choose my family without thinking twice. Nothing is worth it without my family. I live for them. You inclusive now."

Dawn smiled. "I’m so glad you’re Jamal’s mentor. If you have space for one more mentee, then I’d like to sign up. Unless, of course, you don’t accept female protégés."

Tom chuckled but said nothing as he parked the car in front of the restaurant.

They sat there for a moment, neither of them moving, then they looked at each other and smiled, knowing that they’d just had a really deep conversation that they both enjoyed, and neither of them felt awkward anymore.