5: Her Reveal

Avery

“Come with me!” Mr. Hart said and I was pulled out of the crowd by him, his grip firm on my arm. I didn't resist, curious about what he was about to do, there was a sly smirk on my face as he led me away.

He led me into a room, and I guessed he must have stayed here for the inauguration of my step-sister.

As soon as the door closed, Mr. Hart turned to me, his eyes wide with shock. "Is this truly Avery?” His voice was laced with doubt as he asked and I rolled my eyes.

“What did you think? A look-alike playing tricks, common Mr. Hart, you are a businessman and you know better!”

“Avery, I thought you were dead. Your family held a funeral for you. You can’t blame me,” he shrugged.

I sat down, unbothered, and poured myself a glass of wine. "That's interesting," I said, sipping it contentedly.

Mr. Hart's expression turned serious. "What do you mean by the E7-1987 file, Avery? How do you know about it?"

I set my glass down, my eyes locked on his. "You want to know what I mean? You want to know how I know about it?"

Mr. Hart nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Yes, I do. And I want to know if you're trying to betray your family, you shouldn’t know where that file is except it’s fake, your father did a good job hiding it away from the public eye.”

I laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "Betray my family? I can’t get a hold of the file? You must have thought so low of me Mr. Hart and about betrayal… They betrayed me first. They left me for dead, and now, after two years of surgeries and pain, I'm back. And I'm going to make them pay."

Mr. Hart's eyes widened in disbelief. "Avery, I don't believe you. You love your family."

I shrugged, my expression hardening. "That was in the past, Mr. Hart. Now, I just want revenge, I was a naive fool who believed everyone, who thought as long as I was on good terms with everyone I had no cause to worry but I was so wrong. And you're the perfect person to help me get what I want.”

Mr. Hart stood up, his face pale. "I won't help you, Avery. This is a trap. We never talked after high school and why do you suddenly need my help!”

I leaned forward, my eyes blazing as our gaze locked. "If you want to help me, Mr. Hart, you better be ready to listen. I'll tell you everything, but you have to be willing to believe me."

I sat across from Mr. Hart, my eyes locked on his as I waited for his response, a good response but he only watched him as if I might evaporate from the surface of the earth at any moment. “What’s going on Avery?!” He finally asked, well… curiosity is the key.

"If I'm going to speak, you better be ready to help," I said, my voice firm. "I'm not going to talk just for you to reject my offer."

Mr. Hart leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together as he regarded me. "Avery, I've known you for a long time. I've seen the good in you, the kindness and compassion. What's happened to you? You're...different now."

I laughed, a bitter sound that echoed through the room. "Circumstances, Mr. Hart. Circumstances changed me. I was betrayed in ways I never expected."

"Betrayed?" Mr. Hart repeated, his eyebrows rising. "What do you mean? You mentioned this earlier.”

I took a deep breath, the memories flooding back, my heart raced and it hurt so bad thinking about those ugly experiences I had tried so hard to bury in the deeper part of my heart. "My husband cheated on me with my sister. I caught them two years ago, at my inauguration party. Can you believe it? The very people I trusted most in this world, and they repaid me like that."

Mr. Hart's face went white. "Avery, I...I don't know what to say."

I shook my head, my eyes filling with tears and I blinked severally stopping myself from shedding a tear, I have promised myself never to show any vulnerability in front of anyone. "No one believed me when I said I didn't release those drugs that killed and harmed so many people. They all thought I was responsible, that I was capable of such a heinous act."

"That's not true," Mr. Hart protested. "You were always a kind and caring person. I know you wouldn't do something like that."

I smiled a sad, wistful smile. "You don't know the half of it, Mr. Hart. I found out my mother isn't my biological mother. And she wished me dead, literally. She removed my oxygen mask in the hospital."

Mr. Hart looked like he had been punched in the gut. "Avery, I...I don't know what to say, this is terrible. I'm so sorry."

I stood up, letting out a deep sigh, and walked towards the window, I needed a breath of fresh air if I didn’t want to end up crying here, "I'm here to clear my name, Mr. Hart. The public thinks I'm responsible for what happened two years ago. I'm here to prove them wrong and get revenge on those who destroyed me."

I heard his footsteps echoing in the room as he moved closer to me. "I can believe all this happened, I heard about your accident late and for the past two years, I have always regretted that I let you drive that day, your supposed death hit me and it took a while to finally adjust and believe you were gone, your family were in the news showing how sad they were to lost you and all those time, I don’t know all these happened, how you must have suffered in silence, alone,” he paused and let out a deep breath.

“ I'll help you, Avery. I'll do everything in my power to help you clear your name and get justice."

I turned to look at his face, the sun illuminated his face showing all signs of honesty and sincerity in what he had said. “I knew you were going to help Mr. Hart,” I smiled, glad I didn’t have to talk too much to get to him.

Mr. Hart's eyes narrowed as if he was suddenly thinking. "How do you plan to do this, Avery? How can I help you?"

I smiled, a plan forming in my mind. "I'll provide you with the file, it contains all the evidence you need to take down my family. You can use it to claim your rightful place, while also protecting me and helping me get my revenge."

Mr. Hart's eyes lit up with interest. "What kind of evidence? Are you sure everything is in that file,”

I leaned forward, a sly smile formed on my face, my voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "Everything. From their shady business deals that happened three years ago between you two, to their personal secrets. I have it all."

Mr. Hart whistled, impressed. "You're a dangerous woman, Avery."

I laughed, a cold, calculating sound. "I have to admit, that really sounds sexy,” he chuckled.

“You have become so bold, I love this part of you,” Mr. Hart's expression turned serious as he observed. "I'll do it, Avery. I'll help you. But you have to know, it won't be easy. We'll have to be careful."

I nodded. "I know. But I have an idea. Something that will make this even more interesting."

Mr. Hart raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

I smiled, a mischievous glint in my eye. "Let's get married."

Mr. Hart's eyes widened in surprise. "Avery, that's not possible. Not right now, at least. You have to stay private until we clear your name. If you appear in public, the police might come after you."

I nodded, understanding. "I know. But it's a nice thought, isn't it?"

Mr. Hart chuckled. "You're romantic, Avery. I wouldn't have pegged you as the type."

I shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. So, what do we do now? I thought getting married to you would be more secure, I had it all planned out before coming over to you.” I said and he placed his hands on my shoulders.

“Well… now that I am involved in this, we are going to plan everything together and make sure there is no mistake, getting married to you right now might be the easiest way to clear you off their way for good, you are going to remain hidden until it’s clear enough to reveal yourself.”

“I already showed myself to my stepmom and sister,” I squeezed my eyes shut for a second feeling stupid.

“What?!” His eyes widened in shock. “Don’t worry, you shouldn’t be too bothered if you don’t appear anymore, they might think it’s a hallucination.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” I asked desperately.

"You need to move into my house. It's safer there, more secure. We can't have you out in the open, not yet."