Chapter 121: Vulnerable

Avery looks wordlessly at Janetta, Vanessa, and Katherine. The three women all wear the same smug expression. They think it'll be impossible for Avery to trace the leak back to them.

Avery sneers at the women and whispers something in Robert's ear. Robert feels every cell in his body buzz with the excitement of her plan. He agrees to do everything she asks personally to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Janetta doesn't know what Avery is playing at, but she suddenly feels frightened and nervous.

"What's she up to?" she whispers to Vanessa.

Vanessa shakes her head with confusion. She has no idea what Avery is up to, but she knows that her half-sister has changed. In the past, she was like Gabrielle: timid and vulnerable. She'd put up with outrageous demands, no matter how demeaning they were. She also has a bad feeling about Avery's newfound confidence, but she reassures herself that she's safe.

"I didn't do any of the dirty work," Vanessa thinks, "So there's no way Avery can pin it on me, no matter what she plans to do."

Robert soon appears wearing white gloves and carrying a silver tray. Blank papers, a brush, and the file containing the divorce agreement sit atop the tray. Avery asks Robert to put the tray down on the table in the living room, and everyone gathers around to see what will happen next.

Avery is quiet and determined—she knows this is her only chance to prove Gabrielle's innocence. Evan stands to her left and stares at her with a mixture of admiration and wonder. He knows that she's smart, and he's curious to see what she plans to do. He thinks she's like a kaleidoscope: always unpredictable and beautiful.

"Mrs. Howel, I have powder, and brush as you asked," Robert said, "The man you want to see will be here soon."

Avery nods and sits on the couch while Tinder puts the tray down on the table. She carefully slides a pair of gloves onto her hands. She spreads a few blank sheets of paper on the table and dips the brush into the powder. Then she carefully takes the file and spreads powder across it.

"Avery, what are you doing?" Anthony asks, worried she'll create a mess and ruin his new furniture.

Avery is too focused on her task to respond. After several quiet minutes, some slight patterns begin to appear in the powder on the file. Upon closer inspection, they appear to be fingerprinted.

Janetta suddenly turns pale. She wonders if Avery knew that she might try to steal the divorce papers. The thin plastic of the files is ideal for collecting fingerprints.

Kathrine begins to feel anxious as well. She knows that Avery can use the same technique to check for fingerprints on the phone.

"I was the only person to ever touch this file," Avery says, "So if we find any prints on it besides my own, we will know who tampered with it."

"Collect their prints, please," she says to Robert.

Robert nods and collects some blank papers from the tray. And approaches Vanessa.

"Please, Miss Peters," he asks, reaching for her hand.

Surrounded by armed bodyguards, Vanessa knows she can't say no. She dips her fingers onto an ink pad and reluctantly places them on the paper.

"Please sign your name here," Robert asks, offering her a pen.

Robert moves to Janetta next. She takes a step back and shakes her head with feigned arrogance.

"That's dirty, and it will stain my fingers black," she complains, "I'm not doing it."

Robert eyes one of the bodyguards and the man moves to stand behind Janetta. If she won't willingly give her prints, the guard will force her.

"So you admit you did it?" Avery asks Janetta.

Janetta reaches backward to hide her hands. She knows that her prints must be on the file, but if she refuses to give them it'll prove that she's guilty. She takes a deep breath and hopes that the prints on the file are smudged or unclear, then she offers her hand to Robert.

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"I didn't do it," she bluffs, "Take my prints and see."

After Janetta gives her prints, Gabrielle, Kathrine, and even Anthony follow suit. As soon as they finish a maid ushers a man into the room. The man wears a fine suit with gold-rimmed glasses, and he looks like a professor.

"Mrs. Howel, your guest has arrived," the maid says.

"Let me introduce everyone," Robert says, "This gentleman here is one of the pioneers of modern fingerprinting technology. He has been working with prints for over twenty years."

The man sits down and begins to study the prints.

"Although the tools for collecting fingerprints have diversified, carbon powder and ink collection are still one of the most simple and effective ways," he says.

He gives Avery an admiring look before he takes a photo of the prints on the file. He puts the papers under a lamp and compares them closely with the photo of the file. Janetta clenches her fists, feeling her palms sweat—waiting is torture.

Ten minutes pass and then twenty. Since everyone's fingerprints are subtly distinct, the man assesses each print carefully to ensure perfect accuracy. He knows he can't afford to make any mistakes when dealing with Evan Howel. The Howel's have a reputation, and the man fears for his life. At last, he takes off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"The print on the file is a match with this one," he says.

He hands the file and a print card to Avery. The signature on the card reads "Janetta Peters."

"Now what do you have to say to defend yourself?" Avery asks Janetta.

She knew was Janetta without the prints to prove it, but she also knew that Evan would need hard evidence to forgive Gabrielle. Janetta has gone pale, and she backs away from Avery while shaking her head. She looks like she wants to make a run for it, but bodyguards block all of the doors. Suddenly she laughs.

"Yes, I touched the file," Janetta says, "But what does that prove? I was only curious about the contents."

Avery stares at her and wonders at her nerve.

"Run the same test on Gabrielle's phone," Avery commands.

The man repeats the process and finds three sets of prints on Gabrielle's phone: Gabrielle's, Avery's, and Katherine's.

Katherine calmly places her hands on her belly. She's a clever woman, and she knows better than to show fear or panic. She smiles softly and turns to her husband

"Anthony, look, they found Avery's prints too," Katherine says, "It's very possible that she did it. Finding other prints on the phone doesn't guarantee her innocence.

Avery sneers at Katherine's cockiness. Katherine maintains her calm and turns to smile tenderly at Avery. She knows that Avery will be unable to find any other form of proof—if she can explain the fingerprints, she'll be in the clear.

"Avery, why did you have to do all this?" Katherine asks with mock concern, "Though you and Evan are going to divorce, you've been married for a while. I don't suppose Evan would get mad at you if you confessed."

"Really?" Avery looks at Evan.

Avery stands in the center of the room and everyone stares back at her. Evan thinks she looks utterly alone, like a tired swimmer in shark-infested waters. He wants to cross the room and take her in his arms; he wants to protect her from whatever trouble she may have gotten herself into, but her cool expression tells him she doesn't give a damn about what he wants.

With an arrogant shake of her head, she unlocks her phone.

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