"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
"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