This was Elliot's chance to start a deep conversation with Avery."Shea and I—"He began to speak, but the photo on Avery's phone screen grabbed his attention."Who's this man?"He looked a little familiar.Elliot kept glancing back at the photo. He was sure that he had seen the man before, but could not recall anything about him.Avery snatched her phone back."You haven't changed at all. You're still just as controlling. Is this a common problem that older men face?"She shoved her phone into her bag, then said mockingly, "He's a celebrity I've been following recently. He's handsome, right? Not only that, but he's also very young. I've recently been into this type of man."Elliot gritted his teeth in rage.Was she calling him old?He planned on having a proper conversation with her, but it looked like there was no need for that!After all, she had no interest in older men and only liked young men!"What did you want to tell me just now?" Avery asked.The anger in Elli

Tammy's words left Avery speechless. It was all her own fault!Why did she have to accept Elliot's gift?!Things would not be this awkward if she had just rejected it.Avery hung up on Tammy, then called Mike and said, "Don't you think you should tell me before reorganizing a birthday party for me?""What if I told you, and you said no?" Mike said. He knew her too well. "If I inform everybody else before I tell you about it, then you would have no choice but to show up."Avery laughed bitterly."You have fun with everybody on your own, then! I'm not going!""I already invited Elliot Foster! That shameless man accepted the invitation right away!" Mike said mockingly. "Your ex-husband sure is thick-skinned, Avery. Why do you like men like him?"Avery lifted her hand to massage her temples, then hung up the phone.Tammy called again less than a minute later."Elliot's going to the party, Avery! I thought that someone as proud as him would definitely decline the offer, but he d

[No problem! I can handle my drink!][I have a pretty high tolerance, too!][It's all of us against Elliot Foster. We've got this!]Mike broke into a grin as he read the enthusiastic messages in the text chain.Why was he gracious enough to invite Elliot to the party?This was his true motive.Picking on Avery meant picking on him.There was not much Mike could do to defeat Elliot but getting him blackout drunk was right up his alley!That night, Rosalie asked Elliot to bring Zoe over to the old Foster mansion for dinner.Dinner began once the two of them arrived."You should visit more often when you have the time, Dr. Sanford," Rosalie said with a smile. "Elliot is usually too busy to spend time with you."Zoe nodded and said, "Alright. I'll come by more often as long as you don't find me bothersome.""Why would I? You are so outstanding, I like you very much!!"After a pleasant dinner, Rosalie called Elliot over to her room for a private conversation."Dr. Sanford seem

The wild ambition in Zoe's eyes was clear and undisguised.Cole felt his dying soul being awakened.Now that he was in the same boat as Zoe, her success meant his success.Women could gain honor through their children, and so could he.He would gain honor from his child!…At 10 p.m. that night, a black Rolls-Royce pulled into Elliot's mansion.Elliot had attended a dinner event tonight.He had done this because one of the country's top entrepreneurs in the drone industry was in attendance.Elliot wanted to understand every aspect of Avery's company.From the information he had gathered at the dinner, he discovered that although Tate Industries had been rebuilt, it had hit a wall when it came to their sales. Alpha Technologies was formidable abroad. The attention and reputation it had achieved were outstanding. However, Avery did not bring Alpha Technologies to Aryadelle. Instead, she had revived Tate Industries. Although products were same, a different brand also meant

"That's right! I'll do anything as long as it's for the money!" Avery yelled as her voice trembled and a flush colored her cheeks. "Mind your own business!"A savage fury rose in Elliot's eyes."Clear the place!"At his order, his bodyguards instantly kicked out everyone from the restaurant, including Norman who slumped on the floor.In an instant, Avery and Elliot were the only two people left in the grand restaurant.Avery shoved at Elliot's chest and snapped, "Elliot Foster, you scoundrel! You're such a jerk!"Despite all of her efforts, Elliot did not budge."Weren't you willing to sell your body? Let me help you with that!"With his large hand, Elliot tried to tear her blouse.The color vanished from Avery's face."Don't touch me! Elliot! Please don't touch me!" she begged."If other people can touch you, then why can't I?! Is it because I didn't pay you?"Elliot had completely lost his reason.He took his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out all of the cash from it,

At the Lynch Mansion, Tammy took out a t-shirt for Avery."What on earth happened to you? How did you manage to fall and rip the buttons of your blouse off?" Tammy looked at her all suspiciously and guessed, "Avery, did you get into a fight with someone?"Avery replied as she put on the shirt, "Yeah, you guessed it.""And you lost right? You look terrible. Shall I hire you a bodyguard?" Tammy said as she poured Avery a glass of water. "You are now worth 100 million dollars. It’s essential to have one. Look at Elliot, he has a bunch of bodyguards following him around. I heard they are all extremely well trained…"Avery smiled wryly and said, “If that’s the case, I don’t need to hire anyone else.”Tammy asked, “Why?” and as she asked the question, she understood. "Is he out of his mind? Why he finds trouble with you?"Avery took a sip of the water and placed down her glass."Thanks for the shirt. I'm heading back to the office now." Mike had called her to get some updates on the d

Elliot opened the bag and found his shirt and cash inside.He shoved the bag, and it fell to the ground. "Get rid of it!" exclaimed Elliot coldly."Alright," said Chad as he picked it up and walked out the door.At the mall, Mike was flinging multiple pieces of clothing at Avery for her to try on. "You got to try it on for you know if it fits," said Mike as he pushed her into the fitting room."You've such a good boyfriend, Miss. It's rare to have an attentive man!" The salesperson grinned as she said to Avery, "Do you need my assistance?"Avery shook her head vigorously, "I can manage."Mike and Avery spent the entire afternoon walking the length and stretch of the mall. Soon the boot of the car was filled with shopping bags. Mike had not only bought clothes for Avery, but he had bought some for Hayden, Layla, Laura, and himself as well. Avery decided not to go shopping with Mike in the future. She took Mike to a random restaurant because she was so famished at this poin

Chad's face turned hot. 'Didn't Elliot say he was not going to come today? Why had Elliot suddenly appeared? Did his words not mean anything?' huffed Chad silently to himself. Both Ben and Chad dashed toward Elliot as they tried to ask him their questions.Elliot answered, "I just happen to be around the corner, so I thought I'd drop by and check the party out.""I thought you'd be too chickened to come!" Mike walked toward Elliot and pulled him toward the bar. "Today, we are gathered here to celebrate Avery's birthday. Rule number one, no yelling is allowed, and secondly, no fighting. Let's all drink!"Mike handed Elliot an empty glass before proceeding to fill it with liquor. Avery was stunned. Did they really intend to start drinking before they had dinner? She saw a group of men staring at Elliot. They were led by Mike, who in turn, was flanked by the managers.She realized what was happening! As she made to approach them, Tammy stopped her. "Let them be!" She pulled Avery

Avery had flipped open the album to find that it was filled with photos taken during their college years. It was a precious gift. "We are best friends, that's how! Other than my own photos, the rest of them are mostly yours," Tammy said as she looked at Avery lovingly. "A toast to a friendship that lasts forever!"Avery raised her glass and cheered, "Friendship forever!" She took a sip and placed the glass down.Someone patted her shoulder. It was Ben looking red in the face. "Come sit with us, Miss Tate!" Ben pointed at the table next to hers and said, "Tell your staff to behave themselves, any minute now and we will be hammered." Ben looked rather pitiful. "You're kidding Ben, you are a master at drinking!" teased Tammy.Ben sighed and said, "That was all in the past. I'm getting older now…"Avery got up and followed Ben to the table that was not far away. Ben signaled her to sit where Mike had once sat. The seat was next to Elliot's. She glanced over at Elliot and saw him st

Elliot suddenly held Avery's hand. She released her grip on her phone, and he instantly released her hand. Ben was right, he was directing the speech toward her. The managers’ jaws dropped.Oh shit! Was something about to happen? Avery's face burned, and she took a gulp of the juice that she had filled her glass with.Fortunately, today was only her birthday celebration and not her actual birthday. 'Getting a lecture on my birthday celebration, what a treat!' thought Avery sarcastically. Elliot went on and on about his secrets of success while raising his glass from time to time and drinking with everyone.He did not seem to have forgotten that today was her birthday celebration.Avery had two plates of pasta and a plate of fresh fruits. An hour later, and he was still droning on. She propped her head up with her hand as she gazed at him. Elliot cleared his throat and turned to her, "Avery, did you understand what I just said?""Let's drink!" Avery looked down as she helped hers