Chapter 138: Avery's Boldness

As intended, Avery's words make Mrs. Florence Howel quite anxious.

"Leonie, I haven't tasted your fish soup," she says in a conciliatory tone, "How about you make some for me?"

Leonie wants nothing more than to stab Avery with one of the silver forks. She doesn't know if the pregnancy is genuine or pretense. If Avery's faking it, it's okay—the truth will come out soon enough.

"But if she's truly pregnant, that's bad," Leonie thinks, "Evan's grandfather will send Diana back if Avery's pregnant. If Evan and Avery are finally divorcing, Diana can't come back because she stands to gain the most from the divorce. Leonie knows she can't allow Diana to come back until she's secured her position and married Evan, but she also doesn't want Avery to have Evan's baby."

In the kitchen, the chef guts and skins the fish and gives it to Leonie. Leonie hearts oil in a pot before throwing the fish in. The hot oil splashes onto her bare skin, and she jumps back and screams in shock.

Avery leans back in her chair and smiles. After Leonie screams, Avery can hear pots and ladles banging against each other. Between the screams and the clanging metal, the kitchen sounds like a battlefield. Mrs. Florence Howel frowns, and the wrinkles around her eyes deepen.

The milky fish soup is ready soon and the maid places a small bowl of it in front of Avery. Mrs. Florence Howel glances at the liquid and frowns with distaste. The soup smells too fishy and Avery feels her stomach churn. She looks away with a small frown.

"I lost my appetite," Avery announces.

Leonie is enraged. Though she's just sat down, she stands up and waves her arms at Avery.

"First you want to drink it and then you don't want to drink it," Leonie snarls, "Make up your mind, lady!"

"Interesting," Avery says, smiling sarcastically, "I didn't know you had to be a hothead to become Evan's wife."

Leonie flushes with shame and embarrassment, frustrated that she allowed Avery to get a rise out of her.

"What the hell do you want to eat then?" Mrs. Florence Howel snaps.

Mrs. Florence Howel doesn't like to see Avery upsetting Leonie and she hates Avery's arrogance. She feels that Avery has completely spoiled her appetite. She wants to tell Avery that she doesn't care if she eats or not, but she knows she can't. Avery is already weak and half-starved—if she continues to avoid food, she may miscarry and Mrs. Florence Howel doesn't want to be held responsible for that.

"I'll tell them to make chicken soup," Florence says in a nicer tone, "Pregnant women have to eat something nutritious."

"I heard that the kitchen staff all went up to the mountains to hunt game," Avery says, "And they say wild animals are more nutritious."

"You can't have that," Leonie argues, "That's for my birthday party tomorrow."

"Fine, then I won't eat," Avery snaps, "Where's my phone? I want to check Google to see if starvation can cause a miscarriage."

Mrs. Florence Howel can't believe Avery's boldness. Starvation will cause a miscarriage.

"Go tell them to cook whatever she wants" Mrs. Florence Howel growls.

With a satisfied smile, Avery stretches and rises from her chair.

"My whole body is a little sore, and I think I should rest for a bit," Avery says, "I hope the delicacy is ready when I get back."

Leonie is furious, but she knows she's powerless to do anything. Until she can prove that Avery is faking the pregnancy, she has to cater to her every whim. Avery raises her eyebrows mockingly at Leonie and then slowly leaves the room. She returns to the main building and calls Robert from a landline. Robert answers the phone with a speed that surprises her.

"Mrs. Howel?" he asks.

"Robert, is Evan awake?" Avery asks, "How is he? Is he okay? Is his grandfather giving him a hard time?"

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Robert remains quiet. Her voice sounds panicked and slightly unhinged, and he wonders if she realizes how bad she sounds.

"Mr. Howel is fine," Robert answers after a long pause.

"Then can you put him on the phone?" Avery asks.

"It's not a good time right now," Robert says.

Avery senses that something is wrong. Robert's tone seems strange and she wonders what information he's withholding from her.

"Is he with you?" Avery asks.

Robert is Evan's butler, and he's rarely far from Evan's side.

"I'm sorry, he isn't," Robert says.

"Will he come back tomorrow?" Avery asks, the panic coating her throat.

"I don't know," Robert responds.

Avery sighs. She wants to ask more questions, but she realizes it's pointless. For whatever reason, Robert is insisting on withholding information. She hangs up, feeling depressed and weak. When she remembers that it's her birthday tomorrow too, she feels worse.

As a child, she was treated like a groveling bastard. No one on the Peters family acknowledged her birthday, though they threw numerous parties for Janetta and Vanessa's birthdays. In the Howel household, she was just as despised. No one has ever celebrated her birthday before. She recalls Evan making her promise to make and give him a gift on her birthday and she wants to cry.

"I'd give him anything, if I could just know he's okay," she thinks.

She walks to her room and enters her dressing room. There are closets embedded in walls holding designer purses, expensive jewelry, and neatly-organized designer watches. Avery unlocks a drawer and stares at the three gift bags inside. Each gift bag contains a birthday present she carefully selected for Evan—one for each year they were married.

The first bag contains a man's wallet. Evan threw it into the bin without so much as looking inside the bag. The second contains a tie clip which she also had to dredge out of the trash. The third contains a silk tie that he also threw away. Avery stares at the gifts and tries to think of something Evan doesn't already have.

"Is there anything in the world he can't just buy for himself?" she wonders.

The bright moon shines through the stained glass windows, casting colorful light onto her pale skin. She looks out the window and beyond the gate to the Howel estate. A small child gives the guard at the gate a paper box and says something to him.

Beyond that, a group of young girls and boys float flowery lanterns in the river. Fireworks burst across the night sky and the girls gasped and shouted in surprise and admiration. In the distance, Avery can vaguely hear Lucky barking. She curls up in the window seat and looks down at the grounds. Unlike the noisy scene outside, the house feels as quiet as a mausoleum. A warm breeze enters through the window and Avery sigh. Time passes and a maid knocks at the door.

"Mrs. Howel, security said one of the kids left this for you," the maid says.

Avery turns around, and the maid sees her silhouetted against the window. The full moon shines behind her like a silver aura. From where the maid stands, Avery looks looks like a goddess sitting on the moon. The maid feels transfixed by Avery's beauty and almost forgets to give her the package.

Avery examines the white paper bag, sealed with white tape. It looks ordinary and humble.

"They've checked it, of course," the maid assures her," It's nothing dangerous."

Avery nods. Nothing enters the Howels' home without careful inspection. Every food item, package and vehicle is examined by the security team. Avery nods and the maid leaves. After the door shuts behind her, Avery opens the package and sees a white phone. She turns the device on. The image on the screen terrifies her so badly, she almost throws the phone out the window.

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