"I have no idea," Elliot said. "Don't worry about them.""Let's get a bigger one, then!" Avery said. "Ten inches, maybe?"Elliot turned to the shop assistant and said, "Ten inches.""Sure thing. Are you guys on a date? You look cute together," said the shop assistant with a smile.A wave of embarrassment washed over Avery's face, turning her porcelain skin ruby red.On the other hand, Elliot glanced at the desserts on display and asked, "Do you want to get anything else to bring home?""It's fine…" Avery answered."Go ahead and get something for your mother."Avery noticed the rosy tint in Elliot's cheeks, chuckled to herself, then said, "Sure! I'll get something."They left the bakery an hour later.Elliot was holding the cake with an uncomfortable expression on his face.There were not many people out on the streets.The temperature outside was around 41 degrees Fahrenheit, but the warmth from the sprouting love helped him fight the cold.When they arrived at the restaur
Soon after, Elliot opened his eyes and blew out the candles on the cake.The curtains were pulled back, and light flooded the room once more. "What did you wish for, Elliot?" Ben asked with a grin."Do you always reveal your birthday wishes to people?" Elliot countered.The room burst into laughter.Elliot cut a slice of cake and placed it in front of Avery."You should eat the first slice," Avery said as she pushed the cake back to him."I can't eat that much," Elliot replied.He picked up a fork, took a bite out of the slice, and pushed it back to Avery.It was as if a giant pink heart popped up between them, engulfed them, and separated them from the rest of the room.The crowd began to roar and make fun of them."Should we start calling Miss Tate Mrs. Foster now?""Why don't you give it a try? I don't think the boss would mind!""Hahaha! Miss Tate wouldn't mind either, right?"…Avery was so embarrassed and uncomfortable that her ears and the back of her neck turned
At the door to the guest room, Avery said, "I'll take you back to the room. I can come back here to rest after that. I'll join you after I wake up."Elliot entered the room and said, "I'm tired, too."Avery was stunned."You didn't eat anything! You should go eat—""Drop it. Get some rest."How could Avery possibly drop this?She did not feel good about letting him starve on his birthday.She rushed back to the private room to get Elliot something to eat.Everyone in the room happily helped her."Get some more meat, Miss Tate! You have to make sure he eats it all! He lost so much weight after his accident.""We'll leave the boss to you, Miss Tate! Take care of him for us!""Get some rest after you eat, Miss Tate. We won't bother you at all!"…Avery left the room with flushed cheeks and returned to the guest room with a tray of food.Elliot was texting someone.Avery placed the tray of food in front of him."Don't you want to take the sweater off? It looks like you're s
The boom of a gunshot pierced through the night followed immediately by the sound of car tires coming to a screeching halt.Avery felt like her eardrums were about to burst as she held tightly onto Elliot.Tears were streaming down her face as her body shook uncontrollably.The tires of the black sedan had been blown up. It had swerved and crashed into the cotton candy stand that Avery had purchased cotton candy from. Elliot had his arms wrapped around Avery as he watched coldly the car from the corner of his eyes.Someone was trying to kill him but had failed.Then came the sound of another gunshot.This time the bullet had hit the driver's seat. Avery and Elliot were surrounded by cries of terror as people scattered and sought shelter from the danger.Avery's skin was cold to the touch.Elliot cradled her face in his hands, stared at her terrified face, and said hoarsely, "Don't be scared. It's over now."Avery's chest rose and fell at a frantic pace. Uncertainty flick
Avery placed her phone on the table.Her mouth suddenly felt dry, so she picked up the bowl of soup that Ben had passed her.Ben knocked on the table, then said, "Hey! Do you two think we don't know you're secretly texting each other right now?"Avery was afraid that Elliot would blurt out something shocking, so she quickly said, "We're both full now, so we're heading home!""Sure! We're full too," Ben teased. "Full from watching your PDA!"…Rosalie heard the news of the assassination attempt on Elliot and rushed through the night to the Foster mansion.Her face turned cold at the sight of Avery."When Mr. Foster was about to get hit by the car earlier, Miss Avery threw herself at him and wrapped him in her arms!"The bodyguard had witnessed the entire scene and felt obligated to report what he saw to Rosalie."If I hadn't shot its tires, the car would have crashed right into them. Miss Avery would have been crushed to a pulp and died on the spot. However, her shielding Mr.
"I deal with it myself," Elliot answered in a level-headed tone. "However, you may assist me if you're worried."Avery felt like she had just dug her own grave.Of course, she would be concerned if Elliot were to take care of his hygiene needs on his own, but what was the difference between watching him take a shower, and giving him a shower?They entered the bedroom, and Avery shut the door behind them."Could you pass me the walking stick, please?" Elliot asked in a deep, low voice.Avery was just about to ask him where the walking stick was when she spotted it and handed it over to him.Elliot held his walking stick and used it as a support as he struggled out of the wheelchair. "Are you okay?" Avery asked in a panic."I'm fine. I've been taking a shower by myself for the past few days," Elliot answered with a hint of humor in his voice. "Did I scare you?"Avery blushed, then said, "Were you messing with me on purpose?""I just wanted to see your reaction," Elliot said, t
Avery reentered the bedroom with a first aid kit in her hand.She knelt down by Elliot's legs and began to undress his wounds.His injuries were more severe than she had imagined.A large piece of skin was missing from his leg, revealing the bloody red flesh underneath…He must have been in agony!Elliot barely twitched while Avery treated and dressed his wounds.He noticed that her breathing had turned heavy."It looks worse than it is. It doesn't hurt," he said, his voice piercing through the silence. He wanted to make her feel better, but she did not want his false consolation.Avery poked his wounds with her finger, causing Elliot to inhale sharply. "Tell me again how much it doesn't hurt," she said as she glared at him with reddened eyes.Elliot placed his arms behind him, then narrowed his eyes and said, "It doesn't hurt."He was betting on her not poking at his wounds again.Her heart would ache at his pain."Go to bed! You have to be on bed rest for at least ano
The news of Cassandra's death came out around 7 a.m. the next morning.She had jumped out of the window of the hotel room she was staying in and had died upon impact.The police retrieved Avery's contact information from identification that Cassandra had left in her hotel room.Jack was dead and Wanda was abroad.The only person who could identify Cassandra's body was Avery.Avery was still half asleep when she answered the call.Even after she had hung up, she thought she was dreaming. It was not until she snapped out of her trance and checked her phone's call history that she realized she was not in a dream.She leaped out of bed, skipped breakfast, and rushed to the hotel where the incident had taken place.…"She had jumped, Sir. When we opened the door, she ran to the window and jumped before we could do anything. It was obvious that she was ridden with guilt."Elliot's subordinate reported the events surrounding Cassandra's death to him.Elliot took a sip of coffee,