Chapter 144: Birthday Celebration

Avery stares at Leonie at a temporary loss for words. If she rejects Leonie's offer, she'll look petty and childish. Leonie has all the skills of an award-winning actress, and the guests are eating out of her hand. They whisper back and forth, praising her generosity and sweetness.

"Since Evan didn't hold a birthday party for you, I'll celebrate your birthday!" Leonie announces.

Some guests begin to applaud her kindness, and Leonie leads Avery to a large pink cake. Leonie's statement has the intended effect, and the gossiping crowd murmurs again.

"How pathetic—her own husband won't even throw her a birthday party," some women whisper, "How dare she ruin Leonie's birthday party? She's so spiteful! Shame on her."

"Why did the Howel family ever choose her to marry Evan?" asks a man.

"I heard that they're on bad terms with each other and have already signed a divorce agreement," says another man.

"Don't talk about Avery, like that," a woman whispers, "I can understand her. After all, Evan is away, and she must be feeling quite lonely without him on her special day."

Avery holds yesterday's video recording and photos in her hand. Originally, she wanted to expose Leonie's attempt to kidnap her last night, but it seems Leonie has outsmarted her this time. Avery worries that the crowd won't believe anything she says. She feels stuck and despair starts to rise in her chest.

"Who said her husband won't throw her a birthday party?" a loud voice shouts.

A man walks into the yard, followed by a large group of bodyguards. The man is handsome and arrogant and moves with the grace of a nobleman. When the ladies present sees him, their hearts all begin to palpitate with excitement. The guests fall silent as if they've been frozen in place, and they turn to stare at him with rapt attention.

The bodyguards behind him, escort two identical bearded men. They push and shove the men roughly as they walk. Avery looks at her husband with astonishment.

Yesterday Robert wouldn't even tell me Evan's whereabouts," she thinks, "How is he here today?"

Leonie glances between Evan and the two kidnappers she hired. Her face flushes with panic and she begins twisting her dress in her hand. Mrs. Florence Howel looks equally horrified.

"Evan, you are back so soon?" Florence asks in a weak voice.

"Come here," Evan commands, looking intently at Avery.

Leonie uneasily walks a few steps toward Evan, but she's frightened by his fierce eyes.

"Avery, Come here!" Evan repeats.

Instead of waiting for her to approach him, he crosses the distance in a few short strides and wrapped her in his arms.

"Mr. Howel, what about these two people?" Robert asks, limping behind Evan.

"Let them point out the person who wanted to hurt my wife!" Evan snarls.

He surveys the crowd aggressively and the people gossiping about Avery lower their heads with guilt and embarrassment.

"Evan, I..." Leonie stutters, gnawing her lower lip.

"Are you scared?" Evan asks Avery.

He presses his palm onto the back of her hand and folds his hand around hers. When he came back home, he heard from servants that Avery was almost kidnapped. He immediately asked one of his bodyguards to investigate it. Avery still hasn't recovered from the astonishment of seeing him and subconsciously nods her head.

"Don't worry," Evan whispers tenderly, "I'm here. No one dares to touch you now."

After feeling helpless and alone, Evan's presence fills her with warmth. She wants to lean into his embrace but reminds herself of all the times Evan has ignored her suffering in the past.

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"What if the one who dared touch me is someone you're close to?" she asks him.

"There's no exception to what I just said!" Evan growls.

"Really?" Avery asks, "What are you going to do to punish them?"

"Avery! You are such a devil!" Mrs. Florence Howel hisses, "Can't you show me some respect?"

"I never said it was you, Mrs. Howel," Avery says, raising her head from Evan's chest, "But perhaps you're feeling guilty."

Mrs. Florence Howel coughs with rage.

"Evan, it's none of Mrs. Howel's business," Leonie says, stepping in front of Mrs. Florence Howel, "It was all me! You can punish me or beat me, but Mrs. Howel is our elder, and I won't allow you to raise a hand against her."

"Evan it's Leonie's birthday today," Mrs. Florence Howel says, "We can talk about it later."

Mrs. Florence Howel is desperately trying to control the damage to the family's reputation. She knows that this confrontation on the lawn will likely appear in every gossip magazine in the morning. She's terrified of making a fool of herself and ruining the family.

Evan's eyes sweep fiercely towards the two strong kidnappers who eye the bodyguards worriedly. Their legs seem to tremble in fear and they look at Leonie mournfully.

"Point to the person now!" Robert says, kicking them with his good leg.

"Miss Summers paid us to kidnap Avery," one of the men whispers.

Moments ago the crowd lauded Leonie as a generous and caring woman, but their opinion turns quickly. They begin to whisper and exclaim over what a good actress she is.

"Evan, aren't you listening to me?" Mrs. Florence Howel says in a rage.

"Avery is my wife," Evan said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "From today forward, anyone who dares to touch her without permission will be kicked out of the Howel family."

He turns to glare coldly at Leonie. Mrs. Florence Howel trembles with rage. After a long pause, she clears her throat.

"I must have misheard you," she says, "Did you really just say that to me?"

Evan casts a condescending look at his grandmother.

"No matter who it is," he says coldly.

The guests gasp with shock. They can't believe he would dare to insult his grandmother for a woman.

"Evan, have you forgotten that I'm your grandmother?" Mrs. Florence Howel asks.

"Are you deaf or senile?" Evan asks wickedly, "Didn't you hear me clearly?"

Mrs. Howel almost faints with anger. Avery regards him with surprise and confusion. She's been married to Evan for three and a half years, but he's never intervened on her behalf. He's allowed these people to humiliate and torment her for years. Just days ago she was locked in a cold, dark room and starved for three days.

Although he saved her life a few days ago, she thought of that as some sort of fluke. Now she feels truly protected.

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