It was dinner time at Starry River Villa."Avery, Wesley came by to see you this afternoon," Laura said with bright eyes. "He told me that he was going to settle down here in Aryadelle…"Avery figured out what her mother was thinking from the grin on her face."Mom, I know you're hoping I'll find someone to get married to soon, but please don't pull that face while we are in public. Otherwise, people would think I'm desperate for marriage!" Avery pleaded. "I'm still in my twenties. I'm still young! This is the time I should be focusing on my career. Once I'm successful, men will be lining up to marry me."The smile on Laura's face vanished."I'm not pestering you… I just really think that Wesley's a great man. He took care of you the whole time you were abroad! Don't you see how well he treats you?""Am I supposed to marry anyone who's good to me? In that case, Professor Hough was good to me, too!""Fine! Keep acting blind! Wesley really is a good man. You might never find someo
That afternoon, Ben showed Elliot a photo of Avery and Wesley together."Avery's new boyfriend."Elliot glanced at the picture, and his eyes darkened as he asked, "Isn't that Professor Hough's assistant?"He took Ben's phone from his hand and zoomed in."Do you know this man?" Ben asked as his interest rose. "Rumor has it that Avery took him around Tate Industries all afternoon. They were walking side by side, chatting and laughing with each other. They looked especially close to each other!"Elliot passed the phone back to Ben and said, "I know him.""Oh. I think they look pretty good together," Ben said deliberately when he saw Elliot's expressionless face. "One has a gentle aura, while the other is elegant—"Elliot looked up and shot a cold look at Ben."You never have anything nice to say, do you?""I'm innocent! It's just that, looking at the jewel you picked for Avery makes me think you still have some love for her," Ben teased. "You didn't want to give her a necklace, e
Zoe's words left Avery frozen in shock."If I'm right, the children are yours and Elliot's," Zoe said as her wicked laughter traveled through the phone.Avery could not help but feel a chill run through her body."Adoption papers are private and confidential!" she retorted as she clenched her fists tightly."Of course! Adoption papers wouldn't typically be disclosed, but my father isn't just your average Joe," Zoe said as she let out an arrogant, maniacal cackle. "My father's connections in Bridgedale confirmed that you lied! I heard Elliot hates children and had always been determined not to have them. I wonder what he'd do if he finds out that your children are his!""Zoe Sanford! You're going too far!" Avery snapped furiously."Am I the one going too far, or are you?! Elliot is my boyfriend now! You're his ex-wife! You're divorced! Why do you keep getting in between us?" Zoe shrieked in a much sharper voice than Avery."I'll keep your secret on the condition that you never me
Zoe's body trembled uncontrollably."You! You—"Her head was buzzing as she turned blue in the face."I was also at Elizabeth Hospital that day, and accidentally caught a glimpse of the person who operated on Shea," Avery said sternly as she watched the fear and anxiety on Zoe's face. "If you want to threaten me, then you must first properly consider if you can handle being discarded!"At that moment, the drinks and desserts arrived.Avery casually began to enjoy her afternoon tea."I underestimated you, Avery Tate!"Zoe went from having the winning ticket in her grasp to being completely helpless in a matter of minutes."We're even! Let's just pretend like nothing happened! I won't tell Elliot about your secret, so I hope you can keep your lips sealed, too!""Weren't you pretty cocky just now?" Avery mocked. "All you had was a tiny bit of leverage, and you decided to act so conceitedly. How could you be in research with that attitude? Even after ten years, you won't be able t
Since Avery booked the largest ballroom at the hotel, Elliot went ahead and booked the smaller ballroom right next to it.He wanted to see for himself exactly how grand Avery's birthday party would be.…That weekend, everyone who received an invitation to the party gathered in the largest ballroom— Astor Hall— at the Oasis Hotel."Why isn't Avery here yet?" Tammy asked Mike the moment she stepped into the banquet hall. "She hasn't even replied to my text from last night."Mike shrugged, then explained, "She's been busy lately. I don't know what she's busy with, but I already sent her the address, and she promised to be here.""Okay… Isn't she busy with stuff at the company?" Tammy asked."She isn't! I really don't know what she's been so busy with. Everyone has the right to their own personal space. We might be close like sisters… I mean, brother and sister… I won't force her to tell me anything she doesn't want me to know about.""I see… Since she's been busy, who's the one w
Wesley noticed the fight as he left the hall.When he rushed over, he realized that things were not as simple as they seemed.Mike was getting beaten up by two men, and one of those men was Avery's ex-husband, Elliot Foster.Wesley quickly yanked Mike to his side, then asked Elliot, "Why are you hitting Mike?"Elliot had arrived three minutes ago.When he saw Mike pinning Chad down and beating him up, his blood pressure shot up like a launching rocket, and he kicked Mike without another word. Once he had leveled the playing field, the fight became a two-against-one brawl. "He was hitting my assistant, Mr. Brook," Elliot explained as he dusted himself down. "Chad's weak and can't handle a fight."Wesley noticed Chad's broken glasses, then shot a glare at Mike."Avery's phone's turned off. We don't know if something's happened to her," he said. "I'm going to look for her now. You can either go back to the hall and entertain the guests, or you can come with me to search for her
Avery's car doors were locked!There was only a piece of glass between them, and Elliot had no way of getting to her.The bodyguard rushed over with an emergency hammer, smashed the windshield open, and jumped into the car.Once he was in, the bodyguard unlocked the doors.Elliot opened the door to the driver's seat and took Avery in his arms.She had no visible injuries, but her breathing was shallow!She looked as if she was in a coma.Otherwise, she would have been startled awake when the bodyguard broke the windshield.At the hospital, after giving Avery a thorough examination, the doctor said, "She fainted from lack of oxygen. You sent her here just in time, so she's not in any danger. All she needs is some rest. She'll be fine when she wakes up.""How did she end up with a lack of oxygen? Did her test results show that something was wrong?" Elliot asked."Her blood tests showed that all of her vitals are fine… Apart from some low blood sugar, there weren't any issues,"
"We're friends," Wesley answered."Professor Hough had plenty of female students. You're not this close to Zoe Sanford, are you?" Elliot said mockingly. "Do you have feelings for Avery?"Wesley felt a strong sense of hostility from him."Isn't Avery allowed to start a brand new relationship?" Wesley asked with a gentle smile. "Mr. Foster, has Avery ever said anything about your relationship with Miss Sanford?"Elliot's eyes filled with a frosty chill as he said, "That's one thing I find strange. When I asked you to help me find the student that the professor mentioned before he died, you gave me a list of names. Why didn't you just tell me that it was Zoe? She said she knew you. You probably know her, too, right?"Wesley was surprised to find that Elliot was not as clueless as he had thought."Of course, I know her. However, it's been many years since she graduated, so I can't comment on her skills now. Which is why I gave you the list for you to find out for yourself."Elliot w