Eason went to Laura's doctor's office to ask about the results of her checkup. When he returned to the hospital room, Avery was already awake. She was leaning over Laura while tucking the sheets around her.She turned when she heard Eason enter the room. Her eyes still looked a little bleary. "Mr. Lavigne."Her voice was soft and gentle. It had the power to make one's heart soften with it. Eason nodded. "Thanks for taking care of my grandmother."He didn't need to think hard to realize why Avery had stayed at the hospital. Laura wasn't the type to praise anyone easily, so it was easy to see that Avery did have some redeeming qualities."You don't need to be so polite; I didn't do anything much. Besides… I did have your chicken soup for lunch," Avery said. Since she'd taken the chicken soup Eason had prepared for Laura, it was only right for her to help care for Laura.Eason glanced at her. "How was it?""Huh?" She hadn't expected him to ask that. Then, she said a little shyly,
As Avery took her shirt off, her flawless, unmarred back came into Eason's view. A trace of disappointment flitted past his eyes as he averted his gaze. He said seriously, "I'm sorry."Avery tugged her blanket from her bed and wrapped it around herself. Her tearful eyes were aggrieved as she looked at him. "Have I proven myself now, Mr. Lavigne?"Eason parted his lips but found that nothing he said would make the situation better. As he left, he looked up at the second floor to see that the light was still on inside. He couldn't help thinking about how fragile Avery was. Could she be crying?He called Xavier. "Prepare a gift for me. It's for a woman, so make it more exquisite."…Once Eason left, Avery locked the door and went to the bathroom with a clean pair of pajamas. She looked at herself in the mirror. Though the marks on her chest had faded slightly, they were still a gruesome sight.There hadn't been many marks on her back to begin with, so they'd quickly disappeared af
Wendy moved to stand by Avery's bed as she touched the scarf in the bag. Then, she let it go to hold Avery's hand. "When did you move back in here, Aves? Why didn't you tell me?"Avery pulled her hand away and walked past Wendy. "Haven't you already moved out?""Yeah, I just came back to get some stuff." Wendy pointed at the bag. "Is this your scarf?""Yeah." Avery gave her a cold look. "What's wrong with it?""Nothing." Wendy's smile seemed particularly fake. "This is one of LV's latest limited-edition scarves. It's expensive and hard to get. I just wanted to ask you how you got it because I wanted to get one, too."Avery glanced at the bag to see the LV logo on it. She hadn't wanted to accept it when Eason had given it to her, so she hadn't paid attention to the bag or its contents. Was it that expensive?"A friend gave it to me," she said. "I don't know anything else about it.""Which friend?" Wendy pressed. She didn't believe Avery at all. They'd known each other for years,
Eason had probably just woken up. There was a hint of laziness in his voice as he spoke to Avery; it was oddly amorous.Avery's cheeks burned at his words. She explained, "I was returning the scarf to you."He glanced at the desk. "You don't like it?""It's not that." She shook her head. "I can't accept something so expensive, nor do I have any reason to take it.""It's not that expensive. Just think of it as my sincere apology. Or is there something you prefer? I'll have Xavier buy it for you. Or you can pick something out yourself." He sincerely wanted to apologize for his indiscretion."I didn't take what happened that night to heart, Mr. Lavigne, and I won't bear a grudge against you. If you insist on giving me something, it'll only remind me of what happened," Avery said.She wasn't lying. What had happened in the past was in the past. If neither of them mentioned it, it wouldn't mean anything. But if Eason insisted on giving her something to make it up to her, it would be
Avery sat at her desk, staring blankly at the screen before her. Her mind was in a whirl as she thought of the incident earlier. She still couldn't believe what she'd been through. Since she'd been young, this was the first time someone other than Jessica had shielded her like that. And to think that the person doing so was a man whom she'd slept with!There was a warm feeling in her heart.Violet's sobs could be heard from the side. The other female colleagues rushed toward her to comfort her."Don't cry anymore, Vi. Your makeup's getting ruined.""That's right, Vi! Mr. Lavigne didn't say anything bad about you. You're the prettiest and most skilled person among all of us. He'd never say a thing against you!"Violet looked up and glared at Avery when she saw her. "So what if I'm the prettiest or the most skilled person? I still lost out to a certain scheming bitch!"Everyone turned to look at Avery inquisitively. They were most probably trying to understand what relationship A
When Avery realized what Eason was about to do, she was taken aback. "Mr. Lavigne, you…"Eason reached over and pulled her toward him, perhaps because he thought she was being too slow. He didn't realize that his fingers were pressing against the back of Avery's hand.Avery hissed aloud when the pain spread across her hand. She gasped in pain as her face scrunched up on instinct.Eason immediately released her hand and grabbed her wrist instead. He then flipped her hand over and noticed that the entire back of Avery's hand was a bright red color. There were even blisters forming on her skin.Eason frowned. "How did it turn out like this?"He dipped a Q-tip in the ointment and started applying it to her hand. Avery shivered when the tip nudged against her blister.Eason stopped. "We'll have to pierce the blisters."Avery's eyes turned red as soon as he suggested it.Meanwhile, Eason found a needle in the first-aid kit. "It's going to hurt. Bear with it for a while."He was spea
"Hello? Summer?""It's me," Summer said, sounding anxious on the phone. "Avery, where are you and Mr. Lavigne now?""What's wrong?""There's an urgent document here that needs Mr. Lavigne's signature on it," Summer said seriously.Avery glanced at the door and said, "Should I tell Mr. Lavigne about it?""There's no need," Summer said. "I know that Mr. Lavigne is busy with a huge business deal today, and I don't want him to get distracted. Send me the address instead. I'll come looking for you so that Mr. Lavigne can sign the document."Avery thought about it. A business deal involving billions of dollars, like she heard earlier, was definitely a huge business deal. She didn't think much about Summer's request and sent her their address.After that, Avery went to bed and fell asleep.It was dark by the time she got up. She came out of her room and bumped into Eason and Xavier, who were just about to leave the suite.Avery hurriedly freshened up and followed after them.Eason p
"You've got a sense of humor, Mr. Wagner. Mr. Lavigne here has always been concerned about his employees' health," Xavier said.Zach looked at him coldly. "I was talking to Mr. Lavigne, Mr. Jackson. Why don't you mind your own business?"Xavier nodded and said nothing anymore.Eason just sat in his seat as he ran his finger along the rim of his glass. His face was dark. Meanwhile, the smile on Zach's face was also very obviously fake.It was tense in the private room. Just then, someone pushed open the door. A sweet voice was then heard."Excuse me.""Summer Hall?" Xavier exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?""There's an urgent document here that needs Mr. Lavigne's signature," Summer said, bringing the document over to Eason.All the men's eyes were immediately on Summer, the only female in the room. Summer was dressed in a white blouse and black pencil skirt that showed off her curvaceous figure.Zach narrowed his eyes as he felt himself getting excited. "Who's t