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

"Is this Miss Avery Tate?"The low, deep voice on the other end was warm and polite."Yes, and you are?" Avery asked."Hello, I'm Charlie Tierney from Trust Capital. I got your number from your company's HR department. I'd like to propose a collaboration," said Charlie."Trust Capital?""That's right. Do you have time to meet up today? I'm near your office right now," Charlie said in an earnest and sincere tone.After a moment's consideration, Avery accepted his invitation.Once they decided on a meeting point, she called the HR manager at Tate Industries."Do you know Charlie Tierney from Trust Capital?""He's an impressive investor. Trust Capital is one of the country's top ten investment banks, which was why I didn't hesitate to give him your number when he asked for it earlier," answered the HR manager."Got it," said Avery."Do you need me to accompany you when you go to your meeting? I'm worried that you'll get overwhelmed if you go alone," asked the manager.Morale a

"I heard that you're not interested in selling, which is why I won't bring that up," Charlie said. He decided to cut to the chase and said, "I'd like to become a shareholder."Avery's eyes instantly lit up."Are you serious about this, Mr. Tierney?" she asked."Of course, I am. However, there are two things I need to discuss with you before we sign the contract," Charlie said as he took out a document. "This is a proposal that my team and I put together. Tate Industries won't make it for long if it continues on its current course. We're running a business, not a charity. Firstly, only profit can ensure a company's sustainability in the long run."Avery opened the document that Charlie had handed over to her and roughly sifted through it, and said, "Can I bring this proposal back and discuss it with my team, Mr. Tierney?""Of course.""Thank you," Avery said as she picked up her glass and took a sip of water.She then stared earnestly at Charlie and asked, "What is the other matt

"Is Avery worth that much?" Jun asked, slightly shocked."She's worth that much because she's my wife," Elliot said as an icy chill rose in his eyes. "If she were not married to me, Charlie Tierney wouldn't bother with any of this."Jun was even more confused than before."If he wants to give Avery the money, then let him! Isn't this just him throwing free money at her?""She's my wife!" Elliot snapped."Oh, okay… I get it. What do you plan on doing? Increase our offer? She will definitely go with Tierney's offer if we don't.""Not necessarily.""If that's the case, then why are you so upset?"Jun could tell from Elliot's tone that his emotions were all over the place.Elliot wanted to acquire Tate Industries so that Avery could be free of its debt and troubles.She was still in college, and she lacked the knowledge and experience when it came to running a company. It would be better for her to sell the company, pay off the debt, and make some money while she was at it. Tha