Chapter 205: Jealous

Avery leads the bodyguards to Lucky's parlor in the North Wing, and the men exchange nervous glances outside the door. Lucky howls and claws at the door from the inside. When Avery opens the door, Lucky leaps onto his hind-legs and throws himself at her, he licks the side of her face.

"Down Lucky," she commands, trying to push him away.

He whines but obeys. She strokes his fluffy head and smiles when he licks her hand. Sarah rushes across the room and wraps Avery in a warm hug.

"Welcome home," Sarah says.

Avery hugs her back. Though the Howel mansion feels like a prison, this small parlor is the closest thing to a home she's ever known—both Sarah and Lucky seem genuinely happy to see her again. Lucky rubs his body against her legs, and his tail wags so fast his entire body shakes. Avery stumbles slightly.

"Lucky, no," Sarah scolds. "She's pregnant now. You have to protect her and the baby."

Lucky growls low in his throat, and Avery turns to see the bodyguards carrying her suitcases into the room. Lucky raises his hackles and stalks toward the guards.

"Stop it, Lucky," Avery says.

The dog whines and sinks into an uneasy crouch, but he stays in place. Avery sighs and looks around the room. It smells like a dog, and it's smaller than her old bedroom, but she prefers it. She can't bear to spend any time in the room where Evan and Leonie made love, and Lucky's room is the furthest corner of the mansion. Since most of the servants are afraid of Lucky, Avery will have peace and privacy.

Robert enters the room behind the bodyguards and clears his throat. Lucky growls and Avery pats his head reassuringly.

"Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Howel, but I'll be taking Lucky with me now," Robert says with a nervous gulp.

"Where are you taking him?" Avery asks, trying to hide her amusement. The thought of nervous Robert trying to wrestle Lucky is hilarious to her.

"Well, Mr. Howel is concerned that Lucky might have all kinds of germs and bacteria on him," Robert says. "He doesn't want to expose the fetus to anything that could be dangerous. We're relocating Lucky to another part of the house."

"No, you're not," Avery says. "If Evan is so worried, you can tell him that I'll manage Lucky's cleanliness myself. In fact, I'll give him a bath right now."

Avery grabs Lucky's collar and leads him out of the French doors and onto the sunny lawn. Sarah rushes to give orders, and two servants drag a large copper tub into the sunlight. Avery grabs the green garden hose and adjusts the temperature, testing the water with her fingers to make sure it's not too cold.

"Get in the tub, Lucky," Avery says, snapping her fingers.

Lucky lowers his head, but he leaps into the tub. Avery points the hose at Lucky and showers him with water. Lucky immediately shakes his coat, sending droplets of water flying through the air. The water glitters and shines in the bright mid-morning sun.

"Stop that," Avery says, laughing.

Lucky seems to think it's a game. He wags his tail and shakes his coat again, sending even more water through the air. Avery laughs and squirts him with the hose.

Evan pounds his aching fist into the mahogany table, and the water glasses jump.

"No, that's unacceptable," he shouts. "How long have you been working on this proposal?"

The gray-suited businessmen exchange nervous glances. And then a phone begins to ring.

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"Who the hell left their phone on?" Evan asks.

The men anxiously pat their pockets and check their briefcases, but the ringing continues. Evan reaches into his own pocket and sees that Robert is trying to video chat with him. He ignores the call and puts his phone on the table.

"I have some business to take care of," Evan says. "Let's take a thirty-minute break. And when we return, I want some goddamn answers."

The men look confused, but they run out of the room, clutching notebooks, papers, and laptops. Evan waits until the door shuts behind him and unlocks his phone. He sees that Robert has left him a video message, and he opens it immediately.

Avery appears on the screen. The sunlight makes her fair hair glow a beautiful golden color, and she smiles with real delight. Her entire shirt is wet and slightly see-through, but Evan can't take his eyes off her laughing face. He wonders, Is it really so fun to wash a dog? As soon as the video ends, he sees that Robert has sent him another.

He opens it immediately and watches as Lucky's bath continues. Avery gently massages the soap into his thick fur and whispers into his ear. This is ridiculous, Evan thinks, Now I'm jealous of my own dog. He runs his finger across the glassy screen as if he were stroking Avery's face.

The third and final video shows Avery blow-drying Lucky. She clearly has no idea she's being filmed, and she smiles as the dog's thick coat becomes even fluffier than normal. She pats Lucky on the head and lets go of his collar. He runs into the house, and she follows. The video ends.

Avery collapses onto the sofa and grabs her phone. She doesn't want to admit it, but she feels weaker than normal—even the simplest activities left her feeling exhausted. She opens her email and scrolls through dozens of advertisements, coupons, and spam. She checks to see if Diana has replied, but there's still no response.

She sighs, and Lucky worriedly lifts his head. He trots across the room and rests his chin on her stomach, but she pushes him away and continues scrolling.

She sees an email from Claire at the Zuri Hotel and opens it immediately. She skims through the first paragraph of pleasantries and reads Claire's vague updates about the hotel. Claire has been handling the daily business in Avery's absence, and she seems to be doing a good job. Avery is about to delete the email when she sees Bryan's name.

Avery blinks and rereads the sentence. It seems that Bryan has changed his phone number and lost Avery's contact information. He called Claire and told her that he needed to speak to Avery as soon as possible. With a wave of guilt, Avery remembers her Nanny. She wonders if the woman's illness is the reason behind Bryan's mysterious request. Oh my god, Avery thinks. I can't believe I haven't thought about Nanny in days. I hope she's okay.

Avery stands and rummages through one of her suitcases, changing into a dry shirt and crisp trousers. She runs a hand through her hair and grabs a purse.

"Mrs. Howel, what's going on?" Sarah asks.

"I'm going out," Avery announces.

"Don't you need to rest?" Sarah asks uncertainty.

"It's fine," Avery says. "I won't be that long."

She calls Bryan from the car, and he gives her an address. He sounds vague and distant over the phone, but that's not unusual for him. Soon the driver pulls up in front of the Royal Dynasty Hotel.

A mob of paparazzi crowd outside the hotel, waiting to see what famous person will arrive next. A red carpet has been rolled out, and it's littered with white rose petals — a long line of black limousines idle in front. Avery instructs the driver to take her around the back, and she enters the hotel through the worker's entrance.

She immediately finds herself in the backstage area at a fashion show. People rush back and forth in various states of undress while assistants and makeup artists shout and bump into each other. The babble of voices is deafening, and the room is boiling hot.

Avery cranes her neck and looks for Bryan. A woman is carrying five identical pairs of high-heels bumps into her without apologizing. Finally, Avery spots him. He's standing in the middle of the room, and he seems to be in a heated argument. 

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