"Of course I know him! We used to go out for drinks together all the time! Did he tell you that he's really close to Chelsea?" Ben said as he deliberately mentioned the main point.A hint of shock appeared on Avery's face as she said, "He said they weren't close.""He lied to you, then," Ben said. "You have to really think about this. Why does he suddenly want to invest in Tate Industries? What's the catch?""Are you saying it could be a trap?" Avery asked.Ben shook his head and said, "I'm just saying that you need to look at this from every angle. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and gold doesn't just drop from the sky. You and Chelsea just had a falling out very recently, and now her brother is interested in investing in your company. Aren't you worried?""I am," Avery answered."You have to think about this carefully… Anyway, let's eat," Ben said, then hollered, "Elliot! I'm done talking to your wife. You can come out now."Avery almost choked at the sound of Ben calli

Could it be that they had spent all the embezzled money?!How was it possible for them to spend that huge sum of money this quickly?Avery took a deep breath and answered the phone.Before she could say a word, Cassandra screamed from the other end of the line, "Avery! Is the Super Brain program my dad developed with you? Give it to me now!"It sounded like she was crying, and she also sounded terrified. Something snapped inside of Avery."How dare you call me, Cassandra?! Your uncle embezzled Dad's money! Did you know that's a serious crime?! The police are investigating him right now!""What does that have to do with me?! I wasn't the one who took the money! I just want the Super Brain program! Bring it to me right now! You have to get it to me tonight!"Cassandra's voice got louder and more hysterical.Avery's brows furrowed at the sound of the background noise on the phone."Where are you right now, Cassandra?!"Cassandra burst into tears and wailed, "Help, Avery! I'm a

Elliot knew everything that Avery had said while she was strapped to the lie detector!Was he truly the one behind everything?Did Elliot want to get his hands on Tate Industries' new program?Cold sweat dripped down Avery's back as she thought about all of this. She hung up on Cole and walked out of her room.Elliot and Ben were done with dinner and were smoking in the living room.Ben immediately killed his cigarette in the ashtray when he noticed Avery."Do you want to join us, Miss Tate?"Avery nodded and walked toward Ben.Once she was standing in front of him, she said, "I'd like to speak with Elliot alone."Ben was taken aback.Was this her way of kicking him out?Embarrassed, he stood up and said, "I'll leave now. You two have a good talk. You could take a walk outside, too. The weather's nice."He hurried out of the house right after.Avery sat down where Ben was sitting. She thought of how Cole was about to get his finger chopped off and that motivated her stra

Avery would not hand over what her father had left to her to anyone.She refused to let anybody take it from her.Her words were harsh, but not only was Elliot not scared, but he also found it hilarious."What are you smiling at?" Avery asked when she saw his smile."You," he mocked. "You're self-righteous, arrogant, and you're digging your own grave."Avery could force herself to accept the first two, but what did he mean by her digging her own grave?"Get back to your room! Just looking at you gives me a headache."Elliot's face suddenly darkened, and his voice was low and deep."I didn't do anything. You must have a headache because you're sick," Avery said indifferently. "Don't you have a family doctor? Should I call him?""F*ck off!" Elliot growled through gritted teeth.Avery returned to her room in a terrible mood.She shut her laptop, walked over to the bed, and lay down.She had fallen out of love with Cole a long time ago. If it were not for Cassandra's phone ca

Before Elliot reached the living room, Avery quickly ran back to her room.Rosalie was having trouble breathing, and she felt like she was about to suffocate, but the sight of Elliot immediately calmed her down."Elliot… My son…"Rosalie weakly reached out her arm to Elliot, who hurried over and held her."Divorce Avery Tate… Go tomorrow… Get a divorce…" Rosalie said with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, my son… I was blind… I found you such a dirty woman…"Elliot lifted his hand to wipe the tears off of his mother's face, then said, "Don't meddle in my affairs with Avery, Mom. You also don't need to bother with Cole.""Cole got his finger chopped off… He must be in so much pain! He said you did it, but I know that isn't true… How could you do something so cruel to your own family? You're not that kind of person…""If you bring up this idiot in front of me again, I'll get the driver to send you home right now," Elliot said with a frightening expression on his face. "I w

Avery was in the middle of getting an ultrasound at an unknown county hospital."The babies are developing nicely… Come back for an anomaly scan when you reach the five-month mark," said the doctor."Thank you, Doctor," Avery said as she let out a sigh of relief."Don't mention it. I was really close to your mother back in school," the doctor said as she passed a copy of her ultrasound scan to Avery. "She told me that the father doesn't want kids, so you came all the way out here for your checkup… Avery, raising two kids by yourself isn't going to be easy!"Avery took the copy of the scan, smiled, and said, "It's fine. I can do it!""As long as you're prepared.""I'll get out of your hair now. I'll call you again before we come by next time," Avery said, then left the examination room.Laura saw her walk out, then immediately walked up to her and asked, "How are the babies? Is everything alright?""Everything's normal. Are you tired, Mom? I'm exhausted!" Avery said as she yawne

"I'm pregnant, so I can't just simply take medication," Avery said. "It'll be fine after a few days. I just need to cover it up with makeup for now.""You… Get some more sleep!"Laura patted her legs, urging Avery to lie down.Avery shook her head and said, "I'm not tired anymore. I'll just look through my phone."When she turned on her phone, she noticed the missed call from Mrs. Cooper.She thought of calling back, but the crowded bus was noisy. After some consideration, she decided to talk to her when she got home.Suddenly, the day's headline popped up on one of the news apps on her phone.It read, 'Cole Foster Carried Out of Casino in the Dead of the Night! Suspected of Owing a Loan Shark Money!' Avery took a deep breath and clicked on the headline.She saw the photos of the night before.There was one of Cole being carried out of the casino, and one of him being taken to the hospital.The familiar face next to him belonged to none other than Cassandra.Avery had not

A few words from Elliot were enough to make the defensive walls around Avery's heart crumble. She had left the house at six in the morning and turned off her phone. He could not reach her and came all the way here.If that was the case, was he worried about her?"You must be Elliot," Laura said as she noticed the awkward air in the room. "Avery was having a bad day, so I took her out to relieve some stress. She's fine now. Let me get you something to drink!""Mom!""No, thank you."Avery and Elliot spoke at the same time, making the atmosphere even stranger."He's leaving now, so don't mind him. You should sit down and get some rest," Avery said as she led her mom to the couch.She was subtly kicking out her unwelcome guest.Elliot took the hint and stood up."I'll be going now. I'll come by one day to visit," he said.Laura wanted to send him off, but Avery pulled her back and said, "I'm leaving now, too. Stay at home and rest, Mom."She then got up and trailed behind Ell

"If you ever gamble again, I'll cut off both of your arms myself!" Henry snapped through gritted teeth."Why are you snapping at him? He just woke up! How could it be possible for him to lose all of that money by himself? I'm sure it was that brat, Cassandra Tate!" Olivia cried, then walked out of the room and called Cassandra over.Cassandra walked into the room, took one look at Cole on the hospital bed, and hung her head in guilt."Mom… Why are you blaming Cassandra? Someone deliberately set me up last night, or I wouldn't have lost that much money!"Cole's voice was weak, but he was more lucid now."It was Uncle Elliot… Nobody else could have done this! He found out that I used to date Avery Tate and hates me to death now!""I know it was your uncle! He doesn't care about you or your father!" Olivia cried hysterically. "There's something wrong with him. He's not normal. We shouldn't provoke him!"Henry shoved his wife aside and yelled, "What are you saying in front of an out

The admiration on Chelsea's face instantly vanished into thin air."I can't be one hundred percent sure about this, but I'm at least eighty to ninety percent sure of it," Charlie continued. "I never told you because I was on decent terms with him before. Besides, I figured that his merits could make me overlook this matter."Chelsea felt a chill run through her entire body. It felt like an eternity before her trembling hand managed to bring her glass of wine to her lips."He might be impressive, but he has a huge disadvantage. You shouldn't worship someone like him. If you were to marry him, I'd be worried for your safety," Charlie said indifferently as he cut into his steak."I'm sure he had a reason for doing it… I don't believe that he's a bad guy…" Chelsea mumbled after a moment's silence. "I would know if he was a lost cause. I spent all these years by his side, so I know him like the back of my hand."Charlie chuckled at his sister's gullibility."There was a serial killer