Chapter 185: Avery's Motive

Avery gags and accidentally swallows the thick pudding. Ruby lets her go and smiles victoriously. Avery anxiously wonders what Ruby has put in the dish. She thinks, Have I been poisoned?

She rises to her feet and raises her hand to slap Ruby. Before she can hit the other woman, Michelle flies across the room and hits Ruby with a backhanded slap.

"What are you doing?" Andrew asks from the door.

Ruby quickly releases her grip on Michelle's hair and covers her face with her hands. Avery can see her rubbing her eyes violently to make them water. So she's going to play the victim, Avery thinks. She's pathetic.

Andrew is wearing a bathrobe, and a belt around his waist is tied loosely. The top of the robe is open, exposing his tanned and chiseled chest muscles. He runs his fingers through his wet hair, and a few drops of water slide suggestively down his chest. He seems to be accustomed to spats between the women, and he walks into the room as if nothing unusual is happening.

"Mr. Clifford, Michelle, hit me!" Ruby pouts.

"Why did she hit you?" Andrew asks, sounding bored.

He takes a warm towel from a servant, wipes his hands, and glances at Avery. Avery wants to scream at him for being so indifferent. She pushes Ruby away and tries to leave the room. She has to get to the bathroom and throw up immediately. Already, she's wasted too much time.

Ruby grabs Avery's arm, digging her long fingernails into Avery's soft skin. "You can't go!" Ruby says.

"Let go!" Avery hisses.

She pinches Ruby's hand, and Ruby withdraws her arm but quickly grabs Avery by the waist. Avery struggles, but the other woman is surprisingly strong. She looks at Andrew and mouths a silent plea for help. Andrew nods at one of the guards.

"Miss Ruby, stop fighting," the guard warns, forcefully dragging her off, Avery.

"Mr. Clifford, Michelle put abortion drugs in the pudding!" Ruby shouts.

A horrible chill creeps up Avery's spine. She turns on her heel and sprints to the bathroom, knocking a chair over in her panic. She can hear Andrew and the other women chasing after her, but she doesn't care. The only thing that matters is saving the baby.

She throws herself onto the bathroom floor and digs her fingers into her throat. She retches and retches, but nothing comes up. She tries again, shoving her fingers as deep as she can. She retches until she can't breathe, but the toilet bowl remains clean.

"Give her some water," Andrew shouts.

Exhausted and miserable, she rests her head on the cold toilet seat. The entire bathroom smells antiseptic, and she can't help thinking about hospitals. She rubs her stomach. I'm so sorry, little one, she thinks, I'm so sorry, Evan. Ruby's whiny voice pulls her from her reverie.

"Mr. Clifford, I heard that Michelle was making crème pudding in the kitchen for Miss Avery," Ruby says. "When I went in, I saw her putting something in the pudding. She seemed very nervous about being seen—it was really suspicious. I decided to investigate and I found some abortion pills in her room. I don't know why anyone would do something so horrible to Miss Avery."

Two bodyguards immediately grab Michelle and pin her hands to her side. Michelle doesn't struggle. Instead, she glares icily at Ruby.

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"If you thought there was an abortion drug in the pudding, why on Earth would you force-feed it to Avery?" Michelle asks.

"I just wanted to prove that Michelle had drugged the pudding," Ruby says, her eyes wide. "I wanted to see her reaction. I didn't mean for Avery actually to eat it."

"There are many ways to prove that the pudding is was drugged, why would you choose to make Avery your lab rat?" Michelle sneers. "Besides, you don't accidentally shove a spoon down someone's throat. You just want her to miscarry because you're a miserable, jealous bitch."

"Stop trying to pin this on me, you're the one who wanted her to miscarry," Ruby says, sounding upset. "You're the one who put the pills in the pudding."

"But you made her eat it, not me," Michelle says. "Besides, I didn't put any sort of drug in the pudding. I swear on my life."

"What was in the glass vial then?" Ruby asks.

Though the guards are still holding her, Michelle smiles. "Extra sugar," she says. "I was afraid that the pudding wasn't sweet enough. I read that pregnant women crave sugar, and I wanted to make a pudding Avery would enjoy."

Avery groans and lifts her head from the toilet seat. Andrew strokes her hair and back. "Don't touch me," she snapped, "If you actually care to get someone to test the pudding."

Andrew gently pulls Avery to her feet and guides her away from the toilet. She feels too weak to refuse his help. He guides her to a small loveseat and sits close beside her. The carefree bachelor's attitude has disappeared, and he looks like he's plotting violence.

Finally, a servant returns to the bathroom, "There's no drug in the pudding!"

It relieved tears well in Avery's eyes. She gently rubs her stomach and vows never to put the baby's life at risk again.

The guards release Michelle, and she flies across the room and slaps Ruby twice across the face. "You vicious woman!" Michelle screams. "You're so jealous of Avery, you wanted to make her miscarry, and then you thought you'd pin the blame on me. I know it's bad for pregnant women to get worked up, so one slap is for her, and the other is for me."

Andrew rings the service bell and calls for more bodyguards. "Come in and take these women away," Andrew orders. "I don't want to see them again."

Ruby cries, "Mr. Clifford, I know it was wrong to force Miss Avery to eat the pudding, but I've learned my lesson. Please don't send me away."

A few women throw themselves onto their knees to beg for mercy. Before they can say much, the bodyguards rush in and drag them out of the room. Michelle glanced uncertainly at Avery and then walks from the room on her own, holding her head high.

"Wait a minute!" Avery sighs, "Let her stay." She knows that Michelle is clever, and she suspects that she intentionally let Ruby sees her adding the powder to the pudding in the hopes that it would lead to something like this. Though Avery knows just how dangerous Michelle can be, she doesn't want to be left alone with Andrew. She hopes she can use Michelle to distract Andrew. She looks at Andrew's doubtful expression and says, "There's really no need to send her away since she didn't drug me."

"Fine, let her stay," Andrew says with a shrug. Michelle's tense shoulders seem to relax. She raises her head and looked proudly at Ruby, her eyes flashing with her victory.

Avery simply rubs her abdomen. She closes her eyes, and Evan's proud face appears in her mind. It seems I think of him whenever I'm in crisis, she thinks, I wish he were here now. 

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