Chapter 8 Miss Me When I'm Gone 82 +5 Free Coins Alice walked out with her arms crossed and stood beside Dawn with a protective stance . " Ms. Peay , you're almost 30 years old , aren't you ? Yet here you are , bullying a young girl . Aren't you ashamed of yourself ? " Sydney's face flushed with anger . " Ms. Alice , this has nothing to do with you . " " Why not ? " Alice looked at her with a mocking smile . " Dawn is like my sister . If you're making things difficult for her , then you're making things difficult for me ." Then she turned to Dawn and winked meaningfully . " If she suffers at my place , certain people would tear me apart , wouldn't they ? " Sydney was so blinded by rage that she didn't immediately grasp the hidden implication in Alice's words . With a cold voice , she said , " I'm simply stating the truth . Dawn and Austin aren't related by blood . People will start gossiping if they get too close , am I wrong ? " " If that's an issue , it's for Austin to decide . Who are you to interfere ? " Sydney opened her mouth but quickly realized she wasn't a match for Alice . Gritting her teeth , she spat out , " I don't have time for this , " and stormed off . Alice rolled her eyes at Sydney's retreating figure before turning to Dawn . " Next time you run into someone this shameless , just curse them out . Don't bother considering their feelings - if she had any self - respect , she wouldn't have said those things to your face . " Dawn had been thinking that . After all , Sydney was Austin's girlfriend . Once they got married , she would be her aunt . If things got too ugly , it would make Harry , Sandra , and Jessica uncomfortable . However , Alice had a point . Sydney clearly didn't care , so why should she ? Seeing that Dawn had taken her words to heart , Alice smirked in satisfaction and linked arms with her . " Come on , Ethan told me to give you a full check - up . If there's even the slightest problem , he'll come after me . " 1/5 21:57 Sun , Sep 14 d Chapter 8 Miss Me When I'm Gone Dawn felt a little embarrassed , but at the same time , she felt warm inside . 82 +5 Free Coins For the first time , she realized that someone could still care for her so meticulously even across great distances . She and Ethan had known each other since childhood . Their relationship hadn't been that harmonious in the beginning . If anything , they were more like bickering rivals . Back then , Dawn was eight years old and had just moved into the Osborne Estate . Seventeen - year - old Austin was busy with school , so she temporarily stayed at the family's estate . Having just gone through a major upheaval in her life , young Dawn barely spoke . No matter how much her family tried to cheer her up , nothing seemed to work . Sandra was even considering hiring a psychologist when she noticed that little Dawn had taken . a liking to the neighbor's dog . It was a golden retriever that played with a ball in the yard every day . Dawn would stand by the fence , watching it with a faint smile . Seeing this , Sandra decided to observe for a little longer without interfering . One day , Dawn crouched by the fence , and her gaze accidentally met the retriever's . At that moment , her little heart skipped a beat - not from fear , but from curiosity . So she stayed put , tilting her head as she studied the dog until a slender hand suddenly pulled the retriever away . In its place was a ridiculously handsome face . The boy's eyes gleamed with amusement . " Hey , little brat , are you trying to steal my dog ? " Dawn frantically shook her head . " I - I'm not ! " " Then why are you staring at it like that ? You're making it shy ." Dawn's eyes widened . Could dogs even get shy ? Ethan was amused by her dazed expression and his desire to tease her grew stronger . He beckoned her and asked , " Wanna pet it ? " 2/5 21:57 Sun , Sep 14 d Chapter 8 Miss Me When I'm Gone Dawn hesitated for a moment , then nodded . " Come on . " 82 +5 Free Coins The moment he opened the gate , he let the golden retriever pounce on her . Caught off guard , Dawn stumbled backward and completely lost her balance . Feeling terrified , she burst into tears . Sandra rushed over in a panic , but when she saw Dawn sobbing uncontrollably , she actually sighed in relief . " This child never cries . It's good that she finally let it out ! Thank you , Ethan . " And so , Sandra asked Ethan to bring his dog over to keep Dawn company more often . However , Dawn decided Ethan was her mortal enemy from that day onward . As the years passed , she wasn't sure exactly when they made peace . Later , when Ethan left for overseas , she went to see him off . By then , he had grown taller than her by a head . His gaze lingered on her face before he reached out to ruffle her hair . His voice was low as he said , " Grow up quickly , Dawn . " Dawn didn't want to make the farewell too sentimental , so she swatted his hand away and urged , " Hurry up and go , or your plane's gonna leave without you ! " Ethan let out a barely noticeable sigh . " I wish it would . " " You're so weird . " Dawn pouted . " If it leaves without you , you won't be able to go . " " And wouldn't that be nice ? " Before she could respond , Ethan shook his head slightly and murmured , " Forget it . Dawn , miss me when I'm gone ." With that , he turned and walked toward the departure gate without looking back . He didn't see how Dawn had stood there watching his back for a long , long time . 3/5 21:57 Sun , Sep 14 d ... 82 Chapter 8 Miss Me When I'm Gone +5 Free Coins After finishing the check - up , Alice came out , rubbing her hands . " That bruise of yours looks terrible . Does Austin have shit for brains ? You're injured this badly , and he doesn't care , but the moment that woman gets a tiny bump on her ass , he's freaking out ? " Dawn shrugged . " Maybe . But I guess it makes sense - Sydney is his girlfriend , after all." Alice raised an eyebrow in surprise . She studied Dawn for a moment , making sure she wasn't upset before saying , " Whatever , he doesn't care , but we've still got Mr. Jackson , don't we ? " " Come on , what do you want to eat ? It's my treat ." Dawn had been planning to treat her instead , so she said , " Let me pay , Alice . Thanks for the treatment . " Alice's eyes gleamed mischievously . " Let Ethan pay . " " Sure ! " The two of them headed to the mall while laughing happily . After their meal , Alice actually did make Ethan pay the bill . Dawn felt a little guilty . Since they hadn't seen each other in two years , she figured she should buy him a small gift . Alice glanced at her youthful , radiant face and teased , " You don't have to buy anything . You're the best gift . " " Alice ! " Dawn shot her a glare . " It's not like that between me and Ethan ." " Aren't you two getting married ? " " Yeah , but ... " But it wouldn't be a real marriage . Dawn didn't know how to explain it , so she just shook her head . " Either way , I still need to get him something . " Seeing Dawn's stubbornness , Alice secretly texted Ethan , " The road ahead is long , my friend . You've got a lot to do to win her over ." Ethan replied with a single question mark . 4/5 21:57 Sun , Sep 14 ... 82 Chapter 8 Miss Me When I'm Gone Alice smirked and didn't reply . +5 Free Coins After wandering the mall for a while , Dawn chose a tie from an independent designer brand after considering her budget . It wasn't expensive , but it cost her half of her remaining savings . Later , Alice dropped her off at home . At the villa's entrance , Alice blew her a kiss . " Dawn , we're friends now . If anything happens , you better call me . " " Got it , Alice . Drive safe . " Dawn was in a good mood as she watched Alice leave before stepping inside . The moment she stepped inside , Austin , who was getting a glass of water from the kitchen , frowned . " What took you so long ? " Before she could answer , his gaze landed on the bag in her hand . " You went shopping ? " Dawn instinctively hid the bag behind her . " Yeah . " Austin's eyes narrowed as he asked , " With who ? " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!