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,

Avery pulled out her phone and called Cole."Hello? Avery?" Cole answered."Cassandra's dead. Did you know?""What?! What do you mean she's dead?! I'm at the hospital for a checkup… She was fine when I talked to her on the phone last night—""Did you fight?""No!" Cole exclaimed.A few seconds later, almost as if he had remembered something, he added, "I remember now. Cassandra was here when Uncle Elliot came home for dinner last time. It wasn't a pleasant night. Uncle Elliot told her that she won't have much longer to live, and she's been terrified about that conversation ever since—""That's impossible! I was with Elliot all night. He didn't do anything!"Cole sighed, then said, "Why do you lose all reason every time Uncle Elliot's involved? I'm just saying what I know. You're the only one I'd tell this to. If the police asked me, there's no way I'd mention this…""Listen up, Cole Foster! You better not have anything to do with Cassandra's death. The police will get to the b

The tension between Elliot and Avery grew drastically.They were seated next to each other, but it looked like they were on the verge of war.Afraid that they would break into a fight, Mrs. Cooper quickly brought over a fresh fruit platter."Have you had lunch, Madam? I left some food out for you."Avery shot to her feet and stormed toward the dining room.Elliot watched her walk away. He could not figure out her thoughts. If she was furious, she probably would not stay for lunch.However, the rage in her eyes made it impossible to deny that she was mad.Avery had skipped breakfast and lunch, so her stomach was beginning to ache from hunger.She took over half an hour to finish her food since wolfing it down would only cause indigestion and add to her current discomfort.When she walked out of the dining room, Elliot was no longer in the living room."We tend to act impulsively when we're angry, Madam. Maybe you should get some rest for now," Mrs. Cooper said.Avery's head

If Elliot had been run over last night, would it be guaranteed that the perpetrator would be punished? Even if the murderer paid for his crimes, would it bring Elliot back to life?Absolutely not."I'm not blaming you, Elliot… I just can't immediately accept the way you handled things…" Avery said in a voice as soft as cotton."You don't need to accept it. You just need to know that I would never hurt anyone who was innocent.""Okay.""Get some rest," Elliot said, then gently caressed Avery's back to get her to fall asleep.Wrapped in his arms and surrounded by his unique scent, Avery quickly fell into a deep slumber.At 5 p.m. that evening, Avery got a call from the police requesting her presence at the station right away.She hung up the phone and rushed out of the house without telling Elliot.When she arrived at the station, her gaze immediately fell on Wanda's bloodshot eyes.Those same eyes filled with revulsion at the sight of Avery.The two women were escorted into

Avery violently shook off Wanda's grip on her arm.She recognized the car as Elliot's and strode over to it.When the door to the driver's side opened up, the bodyguard got out and charged straight at Wanda.Avery was afraid that he was about to strike Wanda.She rushed to the bodyguard's side and held him back."Don't touch her! Her daughter just died. It's only natural that she'd be emotional."Ha… I guess you haven't been kicked out of the Foster family yet! You're pretty good at seducing men, aren't you?" Wanda mocked.The bodyguard raised his arm in preparation to slap Wanda across the face.Avery stopped him once again and said, "Get back in the car. I'll get in after a word with her."The bodyguard shot an intimidating glare at Wanda, warning her not to lay a finger on Avery.Wanda felt a chill run down her spine, but she had to put up with it.Now that her daughter was dead, she had to stay alive!That was the only way she could avenge Cassandra.Once the bodyguard

"Yes, Mom. It's me," Elliot answered.Avery choked and began to cough violently.He actually called her mother "Mom"!"Here's the thing. Avery said she feels like eating your cooking, but it's not convenient for me to go to your place. I'm thinking of booking a restaurant nearby, and I was wondering if you'll be able to come and cook there," Elliot said in a gentle and calm voice."Sure! Just send me the address and I'll be right over," replied Laura."Thank you," Elliot said, then hung up the phone and sent an address to Laura.Avery stared at him in complete shock, completely bewildered by his actions."Are you insane? I was just simply saying that… You actually called my mom out to cook for me?!" Avery exclaimed. "You never used to take my words seriously. What's going on with you?""I'll take you seriously from now on," Elliot said as his eyes and tone turned serious.A wave of warmth washed over Avery and turned her cheeks red. She felt like she could hear her heart thump

At the restaurant, Laura laid out the completed dishes on the table."Come with me for a second, Avery," Laura called out to her daughter.Avery followed her mother and walked toward the bathroom."Did you and Elliot get into a fight?" Laura asked."Is it that obvious?" Avery responded, her face void of emotion.Perhaps it was because she had been disappointed so many times that she became numb to the feeling."It is. You look like a couple that's on the verge of divorce," said Laura. "The expression on your faces is exactly what your father and I looked like when we went to sign the divorce papers."Avery could not hold back a laugh."We didn't talk about the divorce. It's just… About having kids… We can't talk about it.""I see. Is he still not willing to have kids? Did he say why?"Avery shook her head and said, "He has depression. Every time I think about that, I tell myself not to dwell on things.""That poor thing." Laura sighed. "What's the point of having all of that