Chapter 102: Special Friends

"Fine, do whatever you want," Andrew says. He shrugs his shoulders and looks up at Avery with flirtatious eyes, "But it all depends on whether Gabrielle is willing or not."

"I'm unwilling to go with you," Gabrielle whispers, with a lowered head.

"Well, Felicity, it looks like your sister is unwilling to go with you," Andrew says tauntingly.

"Gabrielle!" Avery scolds, giving her sister a warning look, but Gabrielle avoids her sister's gaze, staring down at her hands folded on the table.

"Gabrielle, go get your sister a glass of milk and a sandwich," Andrew orders. Andrew pours a packet of sugar into his coffee. He stirred it with a small silver spoon, his elegant hand making lazy loops through the air.

"Mr. Clifford, you're not well enough to drink coffee," Gabrielle quietly interjects.

She looks at Andrew quickly, lowers her head as if embarrassed, and walks away from the table. Avery knows that Andrew sent Gabrielle away deliberately and she doesn't stop him. She scoots her chair closer to the table to let Gabrielle pass and looks expectantly at Andrew.

"I'm warning you, Andrew," she says, "Don't you dare touch my sister."

"What if I do touch her?" Andrew asks, carelessly tapping the small spoon against the table.

"Just try me," Avery says flatly.

Her eyes flash and she looks ready to fight Andrew. Andrew simply smirks.

"Wow, I didn't know that Gabrielle had such a tough sister," Andrew says, "But I like to think that we're special friends now—especially after I spent a small fortune on you last night. Shouldn't you be gentle with me?"

"I'm not your special friend," Avery hissed through gritted teeth, "I just want to take my sister away."

"The problem is she doesn't want to leave me," Andrew says, looking at Avery with a half-smile, "I'm sure you see it, too: she's obedient to me."

"Fine—what do you want?" Avery asks.

Avery knows Gabrielle will not willingly leave Andrew, and she also knows that playing tough and trying to force her sister will only make matters worse. The only way to save her sister from Andrew is to convince him to send her away.

"I want you to take care of me instead of her."

Andrew's smile becomes even more mischievous. Avery can't decide if he means what he says or if he's just playing with her.

"Screw you!" Avery hisses.

"Why are you so mean?" Andrew says with a mock offense, though the glint in his eyes shows he's not offended in the slightest, "But you still owe me a favor, right?"

Avery agrees without stopping to consider the consequences. No matter what she promises him now, they'll be strangers as soon as she checks out of the hotel and returns to the security of the Howel estate. Andrew smiles victoriously to himself, but Avery is too preoccupied to notice his expression. He can feel his heart beating wildly out of control; he's excited to have a woman like Avery in his debt.

Andrew agrees to release Gabrielle from her contract with him in the evening. Avery accepts his condition and considers the favor she now owes him. She hopes to put it off for the indefinite future—she already has enough on her mind without catering to the whims of this dissipated playboy. She promises to find him a special nurse to compensate for the loss of Gabrielle.

When Avery returns to her table, Evan has just finished his call. He strides up to the buffet and helps himself to a glass of milk and several small pastries, sandwiches, and fruits. He sits down and slides the tray across the table to Avery.

"Did you solve the issue?" he asks.

Avery helps herself to a breakfast sandwich and takes a bite before she responds.

"Yes," she finally says, "When we go back home, can we stop at my family's home first? I want to see Gabrielle get back safely."

Evan gazes at her steadily from across the table.

"Move back to the presidential suite," he says.

Avery returns his gaze. She understands that this is his condition for helping return her sister to her family home.

"Alright," Avery agrees.

She picks up the sandwich and prepares to take another bite, but Evan grabs her wrist and guides the sandwich to his mouth instead. As Evan chews a waiter appears carrying a latte with an elaborate heart shape in the foam.

"Are you Felicity Winter?" the waiter says, "Mr. Clifford sends you this coffee and asks me to remind you that you owe him a favor."

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Avery turns her head and sees Andrew raising his coffee mug to flirtatiously toast her. She knows that it means he has persuaded Gabrielle to return to the Peters family home with her. She gives him a glare in return.

When she looks back, she notices that the atmosphere at her table has suddenly become tense; Evan seems to radiate fury. With a straight face, Evan throws the coffee cup to the ground. The mug shatters and the coffee spills everywhere. The waiter is terrified and immediately squats to pick up the pieces of the cup and wipe the floor with a towel. Evan suddenly grasps Avery's wrist.

"Are you ogling him under my nose?" he asks furiously.

People around them have stopped eating and are looking at them curiously. Avery frowns slightly; Evan's grip is hurting her wrist. She doesn't want to cause a scene and quarrel with him in public.

"Are you crazy?" she whispers back, "It's not what you think."

"So what is it?" Evan asks.

Avery sighs and places her free hand gently on top of Evan's. She strokes the back of his hand as if she's smoothing the fur of an angry lion.

"Mr. Clifford once helped Gabrielle. He recently had an operation and he requires special care and assistance as he recovers. Gabrielle is a nursing major, so she thought she would pay him back by caring for him," Avery explains.

She looks at Evan and sees the mistrust in his eyes.

"Gabrielle wasn't willing to go with me," she continues, "I was worried that she would get hurt if she stayed with Mr. Clifford—she's so docile and innocent and she's up against that wolf of a man—so I asked Mr. Clifford to do me a favor and release her."

"And what were his conditions for this favor?" Evan asks, tightening his grip on her wrist.

"There were no conditions—now I just owe him a favor. Let go of my hand now," Avery says, pulling her hand out of his loosening grasp, "I plan to hire one of the best nurses from the best hospitals to replace Gabrielle, though Mr. Clifford is being…difficult about it."

"Leave these matters to Robert," Evan says.

Though he accepts her explanation, Evan doesn't want her to have any additional contact with Andrew.

"Can we go back home tomorrow?" Avery asks, "The weather forecast says that the storm will let up by tomorrow morning."

Evan nodded his agreement.

After breakfast, Avery prepares to follow Evan back to the room so she can treat the wounds on his back. As she leaves the restaurant, Avery glances at her sister, but Gabrielle turns her back to Avery, hiding her expression from sight. Andrew raises his eyebrows and gives her a playful look.

As they enter the room they see that Robert has already prepared medicine, water, and clean gauze. To Avery's surprise Evan cooperates with everything, he takes his medicine without complaint and washes it down with a long gulp of water. Avery takes the empty glass from his hand and reaches out to help him take off his shirt. Evan grabs her hands and gently raises them to his lips, kissing each of her fingers before releasing them.

Avery ignores his flirtation and returns to work. She pulls his shirt off and removes the bloodstained bandages from his back. Though the wounds on his back have been treated, they've become pale and puckered and some of the sutures have started to tear.

"If he's not more careful, the wounds may begin to fester," she thinks.

She soaks a cotton swab with the disinfectant salve and gently applies it to his wounds, worried she might be causing him pain. Evan turns his head to watch her as she treats his back; he's intrigued by the way her face looks when she's concentrating on something. He's fascinated by her.

Although he's used to enjoying the finest of medical care, this is the first time his nurse has ever made him feel so warm and relaxed in body and mind. After applying for medicine, Avery helps him put on his clothes. She smoothes the shoulders of his shirt with an almost caressing gesture.

"It's done," she says simply.

He pulls her into his arms. She can smell the salve lingering on his skin.

His embrace seems to contain an odd mix of emotion and desire. Avery thinks he seems to be temporarily out of control. He holds her tightly in his arms, enjoying her warm presence. Then he quickly lets her go and looks away.

"Every time I have to let her go it seems to get harder," he thinks.

Afraid that he might lose control again, Evan quickly calls for Robert. Soon Robert knocks at the door and enters with two bodyguards. The bodyguards carry luggage with them; they've packed all of Avery's things and brought them up from the staff dormitory.

"Mrs. Howel, we've taken the liberty of collecting your things for you," Robert said, "Besides, we've arranged for Miss Peter to spend the night in the suite next door."

Avery is surprised to find that Evan has considerately arranged everything for her.

"Is Gabrielle already in the next room?" Avery asks.

"No, she said she would come up after dressing Mr. Clifford's wound one last time," Robert explains.

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