At breakfast the next morning, Avery and Elliot sat at the dining table in silence.She was having eggs and toast, while he was eating cereal."Thanks for getting my phone back last night," Avery said, shattering the silence between them."I'm sorry about my mother," Elliot said, finally expressing the apology that had been bothering him.Avery's cheeks flushed as she said, "You weren't the one who hit me. Why are you apologizing?""She shouldn't have slapped your face," Elliot said in a stiff voice. "If anyone touched my face, I would—"Before he could finish his sentence, Avery lifted her hand and gently caressed his cheek.His skin was surprisingly smooth and felt good against her fingers.Elliot's eyes were smoldering as his Adam's apple rolled in his throat, while his hand around his glass of milk trembled slightly."Okay, we're even," Avery said as she withdrew her hand and lowered her head to have a sip of her tea.Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, and the sk
If Ben had mentioned this when he arrived at the house, Avery never would have gotten into his car."Mr. Schaffer, I know that all of you want to get on Elliot's good side—" Avery began to say."What do you mean? Haven't you ever gotten presents for your friends?" Ben interjected with a smile. "He always gets us something for our birthdays.""So, you don't get him gifts just because he told you not to? That just shows that you don't see him as a friend at all, but as a boss," Avery said. "I don't think you should drag me into this. If I accept your gifts on his behalf, it would be the same as me accepting gifts from him. If that's the case, I won't be able to take pleasure in reprimanding him when he makes me angry in the future."Ben was bewildered.Took pleasure in reprimanding him?How exactly did Avery treat Elliot every day?Ben began to suspect that his boss had a masochistic side to him."You should think of something else! I'm leaving," Avery said, then turned and began
Avery was distracted until a thought suddenly popped into her head."Did Elliot have anything to do with what happened to Cole Foster?" she asked.Ben was dumbfounded."Why do you think he did? Didn't Cole Foster get into trouble himself with his gambling? What does that have to do with Elliot?"Avery took a sip of water, then said, "He said he was the one who planned it. He even told me to get down on my knees and beg."Ben was at a loss for words.He picked up his own glass of water and took a sip, then said, "What are you two doing? What couple is always getting into fights like the two of you… It turns out you both do it on purpose. Do you both find joy in fighting with each other?!"Naturally, Avery refused to admit it."I don't have such a weird hobby. He's the one who's always provoking me.""Exactly! I'm sure he feels the same!""Which is exactly why we don't get along," Avery said, taking another sip of water."Disagreements are normal in a relationship. Some people
Avery was certain that they did not buy this necklace that morning.How was it now right in front of her?She walked out of her room and bumped into Elliot who was walking down the stairs.She tried to calm the nervousness inside of her and asked, "What's up with this necklace?"On the surface, it might look like this had nothing to do with him, but her instincts told her otherwise.She was sure that Ben told him about it.Elliot's expression was slightly uneasy as he answered, "Ben bought it."After a pause, he added, "I took a look at the price, and it was too cheap. Nobody wanted it so I brought it back to you."Avery was piecing together the words in her head trying to figure out a way to return the necklace to him, but his words made her mind go blank.He gave it to her because it was so cheap that nobody else wanted it.Great!If that was the case, then she would just accept it!"Let's have dinner together," Elliot called out.Avery wanted to refuse, but her body was
"You have the power to reject," Elliot said."Just eat your food!" Avery said. "Even if I decide to work with Charlie Tierney, it doesn't mean that I will fall in love with him. Why do you think that I'll give in to his advances? Do I seem that easy to you?"Elliot fell silent.Avery returned to her room after dinner, opened Charlie's email, and looked through its contents.A wave of uneasiness washed over her after she finished reading it.She did not know a thing about running a company, but she understood Charlie's proposal very well.If they went in the direction that he suggested, Tate Industries might just be able to come back from the dead.If it were not for the fact that Charlie was Chelsea Tierney's brother, she would have immediately agreed to work with him.Avery shut her laptop and lay down on her bed.She picked up her phone and saw a text from Tammy.[I slept with Jun Hertz! Ugh! I think I'm in love with him!]Avery did not expect things to turn out the way th
Jun nodded and said, "That's him! I met him when I was abroad. He's eight years older than I am. We were neighbors when he was in college. I was always following him around back then.""You kept in touch with him despite the huge age gap?" Tammy asked."Yes! I always go to him when I'm troubled," Jun answered.Tammy glanced at his face and teased, "What kind of troubles could a young man like you possibly have?""I want to start my own business, but my family is against it. He has a successful career. Even my dad admires him, so I need him to help me convince him."Tammy was suddenly filled with excitement."What's his name? I'm sure I've heard of him before if he's a successful businessman.""You probably have heard of him," Jun said as he took a sip of water. "It's Elliot Foster."Tammy's eyes widened in astonishment.She let go of Jun's hand and exclaimed, "He's married?! Oh my god! I have a friend who worships him… She'll be devastated if she finds out about this!""Your
Tammy was frantically sending signals at Avery with her eyes, but all Avery could think about was the relationship between Elliot and Jun."Miss Tate, the reason why I never told you that I knew Elliot was because I did not want to make you feel troubled," Jun began to explain himself with a smile. "You didn't exactly get along well before this. I didn't mean to hide it from you… I really do want to buy your father's company."Tammy moved her phone under the table and sent Avery a text.Tammy: [Don't listen to him, Avery! Elliot Foster is the one who wants to buy Tate Industries! It's Elliot Foster!]Avery glanced at her phone on the table and opened up the text.She read it and gazed coldly at Jun. "Did you tell Elliot about your interest in buying my company?" she asked. Jun's warm smile remained on his face as he said, "I did. I asked for his opinion and he told me it was worth a try. As I told you before, I've been looking for investment opportunities ever since I graduated
If he could turn back time, Elliot would not change a thing.He was not perfect.Avery's appearance in his life was what made him decide to try to critique, examine, and correct his own behavior.If it were not for their constant fights and misunderstandings, his feelings for her would not be this deeply rooted in his heart.…Tammy caught up to Avery outside of the restaurant and grabbed her arm."I can't believe you're married to Elliot Foster, Avery! This is massive news!" Tammy exclaimed as her head spun from the excitement of the evening's events.Avery, on the other hand, felt like there was a lump stuck in her throat."You saw it yourself. He's just messing around with me.""Jun said that he just wanted to help you but was too embarrassed about it," Tammy said.She did not think that things were that bad to warrant such a reaction from Avery."Let's head back inside, Avery! We should let him explain…"Avery shook off Tammy's grip. Her tone was determined and cool as