Cold sweat dripped down Avery's back.Instinctively, she slammed her laptop shut.She would not have done that if she were working on her thesis.In her earlier frenzy of wild thoughts, she started a new file and wrote down a plan.It was a plan to get a divorce within the next three months.Avery hoped to get a divorce from Elliot before she was seven months pregnant.That was the only way she could survive her last trimester and give birth to the twins peacefully.If her plan failed and the divorce did not go through, then the only thing she could do was disappear.That would be the worst-case scenario.Aryadelle was her home, and she wanted to continue to live and work here. She also hoped that her children could be born and grow up where she did.Avery's overly cautious reaction revolted Elliot.Did she think that he would be interested in her thesis?Or perhaps she was not working on her thesis at all, and she was doing something else?Avery saw Elliot's sullen expres
Avery felt suffocated under Elliot's fiery yet solemn gaze."Are you talking about leaving the recital early today?" Avery began to explain after a moment's hesitation. "My friend texted me saying that she wanted to take a photo with you after the show. I figured that you wouldn't like taking photos with strangers, and I didn't want to explain to her why we were there together.""Why not?" Elliot asked, his voice as cold as ice."It wouldn't exactly be a quick conversation, would it? Besides, you and I are too different from each other. Not only in status but also… in age. Would you be willing to hang out with my friends? We can be pretty immature… Wouldn't it be annoying if they bothered you because of our relationship? Wouldn't you rather have one less thing to have to worry about?"In truth, the true reason why she did not want him to meet her friend was because they could get a divorce at any moment. There was no guarantee that they were going to spend the rest of their lives t
The contents which were below the title were short and simple, for Avery could not figure out exactly how to get out of her situation no matter how much she had thought about it. There was only one sentence: [Divorce Elliot Foster by the end of the year at all costs.]A mixture of rage and bitterness swept across Elliot's face.He was working on himself to change for the better, but she was still hell bent on leaving him.She had created the document the night before… She had played him for a fool!While she pretentiously buttered him up with her gifts and her words, she had been planning her escape in her room! Elliot had thought that Avery was different, but the only thing that was unique about her was that she was a two-faced snake!He slammed the laptop shut and stormed out of the room.The people at the executive meeting at Sterling Group noted Elliot's peculiar mood. From the moment he stepped into the conference room, his brows were furrowed and his expression was ic
"Maybe it's fate," said Chad."That's too bad for my baby sister," responded Charlie."Forgive me for being forward, Mr. Tierney," Chad said. "Chelsea is an exceptional woman, but despite all the years that she's spent by Mr. Foster's side, he still hasn't fallen in love with her. Even if she spends the next twenty, thirty years next to him… He will never love her."A hint of malice flashed in Charlie's eyes as he replied, "Thanks for the reminder."That evening, Elliot took the company's managers out for dinner.After that, Ben dragged him out for drinks.Everyone knew that Elliot was in a foul mood, but nobody knew the reason behind it.That was why they all decided to work together to get him drunk.Once drunkenness began to show in Elliot's eyes, Ben took his wine glass away from him."You haven't said much today. Isn't it stressful keeping everything inside?" Ben said as he switched Elliot's wine glass out for a glass of juice.Elliot raised his slender fingers to his he
Avery smelled the alcohol on Elliot along with the faint scent of tobacco. Suddenly, she noticed that the group of men behind Ben had pulled out their phones and were aiming their cameras at her.They must have been in on it with Ben.Avery gave Elliot a hard shove, but because she was worried about him falling, she reached out and grabbed his arm.Seeing this, the driver hurried over to help, and the two placed Elliot in the backseat of the car.Once Avery strapped Elliot in, the driver passed her a bottle of water.She had worked up a sweat, so she accepted the bottle and took a big gulp of water from it."That was for Mr. Foster, Madam," said the driver.Avery's cheeks turned crimson.She quickly held the bottle out next to Elliot's arm and asked, "Do you want some water?"His eyes were closed and his brows furrowed tightly as if he was in a world of discomfort.He did not respond to her question at all.Avery was not sure if he did not hear her, or if he did, but chose
The cold, night air burst into the car, whipping Avery's hair and calming her nerves. Elliot had said that he was not the only one for her.From that, she figured that as long as she remained adamant about the divorce, he might just agree to it one day.The anxiety she felt dulled into relief with that comforting thought. When they arrived at the mansion, Mrs. Cooper and the driver helped Elliot out of the car.Avery saw that he was being looked after, so she quietly returned to her room.It was not long before Mrs. Cooper showed up in her room and said, "Master Elliot won't let anyone touch him, Madam. Maybe you should give it a try! You just need to wipe his face down and help him change his clothes."Wipe his face and change his clothes?Avery would have no objections if Elliot were still in a vegetative state, but he was not!He might have had a little too much to drink, but he was not unconscious.She had not forgotten the fight that they had in the car on the way home
"Stop acting like a baby," Avery said in a low and gentle voice as she wiped down Elliot's face. "Do you think I want to care for you like this? You stink of booze… Aren't you a clean freak? Was that all an act? I wouldn't even bother helping you if your legs weren't still recovering."The sound of her voice calmed Elliot's breathing, and he was overcome by a sudden wave of drowsiness.Her voice was like a hypnotic lullaby.Once Avery finished wiping Elliot down, she pulled the covers over him and tucked him in.By the time she cleaned up in the bathroom and returned to the bedroom, he was already fast asleep.She finally let out a huge sigh of relief.She sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced around the room.The memory of how her every move was monitored and recorded by surveillance cameras for the first three months she was there sent a shudder down her body.The cameras were probably gone by now.Elliot was erratic and bad-tempered, but he was not a pervert.Avery g
Tammy was holding the menu. She glanced at Jun and said, "Your outfit was pretty tight, so I assumed you liked men. Of course, I'm not saying you can't prefer men. I respect everyone's sexual orientation."Jun almost choked on his water."You've greatly misunderstood, Miss Lynch. I'm straight. Very straight.""And I'm not as promiscuous as you think.""Alright! Let's start over," Jun said as he reached out his hand for a handshake.In order to find out his true intentions for Avery, Tammy shook his hand.Once they had ordered their food, the two of them talked about anything and everything.An hour and some wine later, Jun's defenses crumbled and he began to ramble."I have a friend who got married in a haste. He has feelings for his wife, but he's too scared to show it. When she had gotten into some trouble recently, he had me help her. The funniest thing is that his wife has no idea that I'm friends with her husband. The first time she met me, he had been furious. He didn't t