For a moment Dawn's mind stuttered. There was silence. Awkward silence. It extended for a second, two and then for eternity.

"Dawn?" came a voice from the other side.

"Y— yes," she asked as if she hadn't heard her correctly.

"I want you to come and take over the reins of the Wyatt business…"

As Lily lay in her hospital bed after the brain stroke, she felt utterly helpless. Whatever she had in her hands, all the years of supremacy, all the years of domination over her son and his wife, crumbled in a few days. Everything came to a standstill. Cecilia, the girl whom she had pinned hopes upon was not talking to her. God knows where she was holed. She didn't even come to talk to her or take heed of her for one single day. Lily cried a lot on that part. She had made sure that all the business goes to Cole and Cecilia, but things with Cole never worked out. And so Cecilia was her obvious choice. But that girl… she hadn't shown her face. Lily had sent so many people to talk to her, but they all came back with one answer, "Give that woman a fuck!" All of Lily's hopes had dashed.

With Anne in jail and David not even bothering to come back to check upon how his daughter was doing, Lily was not left with much of a choice. If she didn't concede to Dawn this time, the Wyatt's would be completely wiped out. She was the only one with the sharpest of brains in the family who wanted her father's business to grow as against anyone else. However, she was also the one who brought the downfall of it. But the downfall of what? She realized that only crumbs of it were left as Anne and Helena ate it from the inside like termites.

With her condition, there was no other option left. "Will you come Dawn?" she asked. "There's no one left…" she said as the last modicum of her ego, her dignity, her arrogance crumbled. A tear left her eye. She knew that once she would become okay within a few months time, she would be as good as new and push out Dawn all over again out of the business.

Dawn laughed bitterly. When she stopped she said, "You are one clever woman, Lily Wyatt." It was difficult to call her Grandmother. The woman had lost all the respect. "You want me to come and take over the business because you are left with no one." The way she said, it was as if she understood Lily very well.

Lily closed her eyes. She had thought little of Dawn but the girl was smarter than her father also. She won't.

"The thing is… I will, because I would love to see the Wyatt's soaring high all over again. But…"

Lily's heart rate accelerated. "But what Dawn?" she asked in as less exciting a tone as she could manage.

"I have my terms and conditions."

She was a tough nut. But Lily wiped her tears and smiled. 'I am tougher,' she said to herself. It would be interesting to play the cat and mouse game with her. At this point of time she needed Dawn to build it back. She would use her acumen and her intelligence and then a few months later, she would throw her like a fly out of a cup of milk. "What terms?" she asked.

"I will send them through my lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Lily asked with a shock.

"Yes, I will send some documents with my lawyer. Only after you sign them, will I take over the business." What she didn't say was that if she didn't sign them, she would then also take over the business.

"Okay…" Lily replied. "Send your lawyer." She would keep Hertz by her side to understand the terms and conditions of her Granddaughter.

Daryn came out of the bathroom, drying his hair, "Who was that baby?" he asked looking at Dawn's anxious gait.

"Lily Wyatt."

Daryn frowned. "Why did you pick up her phone? She is bad news."

"She wants me to join the Wyatt business."

Daryn's mouth fell to the floor. That was what Neal wanted to do exactly a few weeks back and at that time she had refused and now she herself had called. "Not bad," he said with a lopsided smile.

"Hmm…" she said pensively.

Daryn didn't dwell on it much, else Dawn would have gone back into a gloomy mood. "Today we go for your ultrasound babe," he reminded her in order to divert her attention.

"Yes!" she replied.

"Have you been drinking water?" he asked. The bladder had to be full.

"I have had three glasses of water already!" she said in an irritated voice. "Yet, I don't feel pressure in my bladder."

He chuckled. "Then have one more. In fact I will be carrying a flask of flavored water for you. After all you are a werewolf, you might need more water."

She laughed with him. "I am nervous."

"Don't say that Dawn. I am more nervous." He had planned on framing the first picture of his child and keeping it forever or maybe enlarging it and putting it on the wall behind their bed. His family…

Dawn walked up to him. "Is it okay if I announce this during the party that I am planning on giving for the holidays?"

"Of course darling," he replied. He would be becoming a proud father. The pure blooded female werewolves went into heat no more than twice a year, but because Dawn was a neotide, she had regular periods like a human and that meant many more babies and it also meant that she was more fertile than other females of the clan. And it also meant that she had busted the myth that purebloods and neotides couldn't have babies. Yes by all means she should announce. If it were for him, he would blare it on those huge megaphones or sirens to tell it to his clan while he proudly pounded his chest.

"Then get ready fast!" she urged.

A knock on the door disturbed them and when Dawn opened it she found Gayle and Cole standing there, all ready in their casual clothes. She looked at her watch. It was 9AM. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Why haven't you gone to the school? And don't you have to go to the senator's meeting today?"

"No, we will be accompanying you," said Cole stubbornly, as if he won't listen to a 'no' from her. "It's not like you become an uncle everyday."

"Exactly my thoughts," Gayle added.

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Fineee! I will be ready in another twenty minutes."

"We are waiting downstairs."

Dawn shook her head. Was she going to win a battle?

"I think they did the right thing Dawn. I was hoping that they also come with us," said Daryn as he wore his shirt. He needed all the support.

Half an hour later, the Silvers were on their way to the hospital with each of them in their own thoughts. Neal joined his alpha the moment they walked in the hospital. He was already waiting there. As for Quetz, 'You will have to tell me everything when you come out.'

'Gah! I will!' Dawn had replied. The men in her life were pretty nosy.