Chapter 7

The computer was not password protected, and it started up in no time.

It was so quick that Avery's heart skipped a couple of beats.

She took a deep breath, plugged in the USB drive, then logged into her email.

Once she was logged in, she quickly sent the file to her classmate.

It was strange how smoothly everything went.

She managed to successfully send off the file before noon.

Avery did not dare linger another moment in the study. While she was about to shut down the computer, her hand trembled and she accidentally opened up a file.

The file suddenly popped up on the screen, and she stared curiously at the contents with wide eyes.

…

Avery emerged from the study five minutes later.

Mrs. Cooper let out a sigh of relief and said, "See? Didn't I tell you that Master Elliot wouldn't be back anytime soon?"

Avery was a mess of emotions. It felt like she had discovered Elliot's dark secret.

She should not have used his computer in the first place.

"Are there surveillance cameras in the study, Mrs. Cooper?" Avery asked.

"There's one outside the study," replied Mrs. Cooper.

Avery's face turned pale.

"Then he's sure to find out that I was in his study."

"Just tell him about it yourself when he gets back later. You took less than ten minutes. I don't think he'll be mad," consoled Mrs. Cooper.

Avery's phone beeped, and she pulled it out to see a notification for a wire transfer.

Her classmate banked in three hundred and twenty dollars to her account.

She did not expect the pay to be that high. It only took her two hours, and she already made three hundred and twenty dollars!

The money instantly calmed the anxiety.

She did not want to use Elliot's computer, and she did not mean to see what she saw on it.

She should explain everything to him when he got home and prayed that he would not be angry.

She already agreed to the divorce, anyway. Once that was over, their paths would never cross again.

Whatever secrets he had would have nothing to do with her.

Avery returned to her room after lunch and shut the door.

She sat in front of her vanity, glanced down at her flat belly, and whispered softly, "I don't want to get rid of you either, little one, but your life will be much more difficult than mine is right now if I keep you…"

Perhaps it was due to the drowsiness that came with the pregnancy, before long she had fallen asleep at the table.

Frantic footsteps outside the room jolted Avery up from her sleep that afternoon.

Before she could pull herself together, the room door burst open.

"Madam," Mrs. Cooper said with a fearful expression on her face, "Did you touch something on Master Elliot's computer?"

Avery's heart was in her mouth.

"Is… Is he home? Did he find out?"

Mrs. Cooper was a nervous wreck as she said, "Didn't you say you were just sending a file? Master Elliot said you touched something else. He's throwing a fit in the study right now! I really don't know how I can get you out of this, Madam!"

Avery was so anxious that her heart thumped violently in her chest.

There was only one thought on her mind at that moment: She was dead!

At this rate, she might not even need the divorce because Elliot was probably going to kill her.

Avery's eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cooper. I didn't mean to mess with his stuff. My hands were shaking when I tried to shut it down, and I accidentally opened it up. I swear, I only took one look then shut it down…"

Mrs. Cooper believed her, but there was nothing she could do.

"He blew up at me just now. I might not even be able to keep this job for much longer."

Avery's heart was racing. She was willing to accept her punishment, but she could not drag Mrs. Cooper down with her.

She walked out of the room and decided to explain herself to Elliot.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened on the first floor, and a bodyguard pushed Elliot's wheelchair out.

The mansion only had three floors, but they had an elevator installed.

Avery cautiously watched the wheelchair-bound Elliot. His expression was dark and terrifying, and there was a raging fire in his eyes.

She had guessed that he would be mad about what happened, but she had not expected him to be this furious.

"I'm sorry, Elliot," Avery said through the lump in her throat. "My laptop stopped working this morning, so I used your computer without permission. This had nothing to do with Mrs. Cooper. She tried to stop me, but I didn't listen to her."

She put all of the blame on herself.

The bodyguard stopped pushing Elliot's chair when they reached the living room, and Avery raised her gaze to look at him.

Elliot's eyes were slightly reddened. It looked like she really ticked him off.

Avery's voice was nasally when she spoke again, "I'm sorry."

"You saw everything, didn't you," Elliot said in a low and deep voice that chilled her to the bone.

His hands were clasped together, seemingly relaxed, but his knuckles had turned white.

If he were not stuck to the wheelchair at that moment, he might just break her neck.

This stupidly reckless woman!

Did she really think she was the mistress of the house?

How dare she enter his study and touch his things?

D*mn her!

Avery nodded before violently shaking her head and saying, "I barely remember any of it now. I only took one look then shut it down! I honestly didn't mean to breach your privacy. I was just so nervous at the time. I don't know how I somehow opened the file—"

"Shut up!" Elliot scowled. Hearing her excuses disgusted him even more.

"Go to your room! Don't take one step out of there until the divorce!"

Avery swallowed the explanations she was about to give.

She turned and quickly returned to her room.

She could clearly feel the loathing that Elliot felt for her.

Once Avery's door was shut, Elliot's adam's apple rolled in his throat.

"No meals for her," he said to Mrs. Cooper.

Was he putting her on house arrest and starving her to death while he was at it?

Mrs. Cooper felt bad for Avery but did not dare disobey.

At Elliot’s mansion, his word was the law of the land.

…

Two days later, Rosalie's blood pressure was stable, and she was allowed to be discharged from the hospital.

She immediately made her way to Elliot's mansion.

"How're you feeling, Elliot? What did the doctor say? When will you be able to stand up again?" Rosalie chirped in high spirits as she smiled gently at her son.

"The doctor said I'm recovering quite well," Elliot replied. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you, Mother."

The smile on Rosalie's face died a bit as she asked, "Is this about your marriage? I was the one who arranged it. Avery is a lovely girl, and I like her quite a lot… That's right, where is she? You didn't chase her out, did you?"

"I didn't," Elliot said, then signaled Mrs. Cooper.

Mrs. Cooper instantly headed in the direction of Avery's room.

It had been two days since she had had anything to eat or drink. Mrs. Cooper wondered how she was doing.