Chapter 25: Act as Victim

Leonie emerges from the darkness and blocks Avery's path back to the house. Avery frowns slightly, wondering what Leonie is up to. 

"Miss Summer, what's the matter?" she asks.

"How sweet of you to see Dr. Meyer off at the gate," Leonie says, "You seemed reluctant to part from him—the two of you made such a touching picture!"

Avery crosses her arms; she refuses to tolerate Leonie's scheming. Avery has no patience Leonie after the other woman tried to frame her for drugging the candle.

"You eavesdropped on us?"

"Do I need to eavesdrop? It's obvious what's happening: you're both adulterers!" Leonie says, "Dr. Meyer came to visit you under the guise of giving medical advice to Mr. Howel, and you cooked his favorite dish for dinner. You're both shameless—conducting your affair in Evan's own home!"

Leonie gives Avery a smug, condescending glare.

"Sure, whatever you think," Avery says dismissively, "Now if you'll please excuse me."

Avery isn't in the mood to waste time with Leonie. She wants to try to persuade Francis Howel to expedite the divorce, and she knows that timing is everything. The news that she's unfit for pregnancy has shocked and upset him, and she may be able to use his outrage in her favor. Avery tries to pass Leonie but the other woman blocks her path—weaving left and right so Avery can't get past her.

"So you're the woman Dr. Meyer was talking about," Leonie says, enjoying herself, "Is that why you saw him off—after his sad confession at dinner, you wanted to reassure him and pledge your love? What would happen if Evan knew about your adulterous relationship with Dr. Meyer? Do you still think he'd still take your side if he knew you were a cheater?"

"Frankly, I don't care," Avery says, "You can go ask him if you want to know."

Avery smooths her windblown hair. Though Leonie is half a head shorter than her, she blocks her path with an imposing manner. Avery is unintimidated. She looks at Leonie with mild amusement, as if she finds the other woman a joke. This infuriates Leonie.

Leonie flushes with anger, "You think I won't tell Evan, but I will. Do you think he'll take your side again, Avery? You think you've beaten me, but you don't even know who the real competition is. Evan is deeply in love with my sister, Diana. You're just a substitute and, to be frank, a vulgar sex toy."

Avery stares coldly at Leonie. Leonie acts like a polished upper-class woman in the company, but in private she shows her true colors. Though Leonie's information isn't a surprise it does make Avery uncomfortable in a way she can't quite explain to herself.

"So what?" Avery says lightly, "I'm still better than someone who desperately wants to be a toy but can't even arouse Evan's interest."

"You little—" Leonie grabs Avery's hair in anger, "How can you act so confident and unapologetic when you're cheating on Evan?"

Avery slaps Leonie across the face with a swift backhand. Shocked, Leonie lets go of Avery's hair and raises her hand to cover her face. She looks ridiculous, frozen in a pose of astonishment and self-defense. She can't believe that Avery has just hit her.

"In the last few days, Avery has changed dramatically," Leonie thinks, "Though she's been bolder ever since announcing the divorce, she's been almost fearless since this morning. Ever since Evan took her side she's been like a woman reborn."

In the past, Avery was too meek to defend herself against Leonie's bullying tactics. When Leonie deliberately fell down the stairs and blamed Avery, she seemed unable to say a word in her defense. Leonie thinks about the rumors she's heard in the last few days and Dr. Meyer's announcement that Avery is unfit to bear children.

"She must have some kind of disease," Leonie thinks, "The maids seem to think Avery suffers from some sort of mental illness which explains the sudden personality change. But if Avery's mysterious disease causes infertility, Francis Howel will be livid. Avery won't keep the title of Mrs. Howel for long if she's barren."

It takes a while for Leonie to tame her temper. As the second daughter in the Summers family, Leonie grew up spoiled by her maids and pampered by her parents. She's not used to people refusing to give her what she wants, and she's not used to being hit.

She rants and raves, waving her hands in Avery's face, "You! How dare you beat me?"

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As she speaks, she pushes Avery in the chest for emphasis. She pushes hard enough that Avery staggers backward toward the edge of the fountain. Avery quickly regains her footing, but from the corner of her eye, she sees human figures in the mansion's doorway. She hesitates and then with a dramatic wave of her arms, she steps back and allows herself to fall into the fountain.

With a loud splash, she crashes into the fountain and lands on her back. She immediately sits up, shocked by the cold water. Though the fountain is shallow and the water only comes to Avery's chest, servants flock to the fountain to help her. They stumble over each other until a maid and a bodyguard seize her hands and pull her to her feet.

Leonie still has a red mark on her face from where Avery slapped her. Avery knows that Leonie will try to play the victim, manipulating the story to make Avery look bad. By falling into the fountain when Leonie pushed her she's evened the playing field.

"Evan, Mr. Howel, Mrs. Howel, I—" Leonie is eager to vent her grievances before Avery can get a word in.

"It's not Leonie's fault," Avery interrupts, "I hit her first and that's why she pushed me into the water."

Avery's soaked clothing clings to her body and drips water onto the ground. She maintains a neutral expression, neither embarrassed and humble nor haughty and arrogant.

Leonie is baffled. She was surprised when Avery managed to regain her balance after she pushed her. She was even more stunned when Avery faked the fall and threw herself into the fountain, but as soon as she saw the Howels' she understood Avery's plan.

"Why has this bitch just admitted she hit me?" Leonie wonders, "I thought she was going to try to blame me as the aggressor, but now she's taken the blame. What am I supposed to say now?"

Leonie doesn't know what to do or how to act. Avery's honesty has surprised her, and she's not sure how to regain control of the situation.

"It's all my fault," Avery continues, "Leonie misunderstood when she saw me with Dr. Meyer. I was too inarticulate to explain myself to her, so I slapped her in a fit of rage."

Leonie widens her eyes in surprise and shakes her head desperately. Avery has managed to bring up Dr. Meyer first, and Leonie is scared she'll lose the chance to accuse Avery of adultery.

Evan narrows his eyes, "What did she see you doing with Dr. Meyer?"

Avery looks at the ground and answers, "Dr. Meyer was a distinguished guest personally invited by Mr. Howel, but he had to leave suddenly. You and Mr. Howel were in the study and Mrs. Howel and Leonie were in the kitchen preparing medicine, so as a part of the Howel family, I thought it was my duty to send him off. It seemed rude to let such an important visitor leave without a proper farewell."

She pauses and looks up from the ground, "Besides I wanted to thank him personally for being my nanny's attending doctor. I walked him to the gate to say goodbye. Somehow Leonie got it into her head that I'm having an affair with him. Naturally, I was outraged that she'd suggest something so shameful and I slapped her. As a member of the Howel family, it personally upsets me to hear people tarnishing the family name with filthy rumors."

Avery casually glances at Leonie. She's decided to use Leonie's tricks against her. Before, Leonie always played the victim, but now Avery is paying her back in kind.

"That's not true!" Leonie splutters, "You! You! You—"

Leonie is too furious to speak clearly, and her face is flushed a bright red. Leonie knows that the Howel family cherishes its reputation. Avery is implying that Leonie has tarnished the reputation by imagining that Avery is part of a scandalous affair.

Avery looks at Evan calmly, "Everyone knows that I only have eyes for my husband. How could I even look at another man when Evan is so perfect? It makes no sense for me to even think about adultery when I'm so happily married. I wonder, Leonie, are you questioning Evan's charms?"

Evan raises his eyebrows. If she's happily married, this is the first he's heard of it. Besides, he saw the whole process clearly from the door. Avery stumbled toward the fountain, regained her footing, and then voluntarily threw herself into the fountain the next second.

Evan squints at Avery. He was surprised that she confessed, and he's even more shocked that she's flattering him, but she's no longer the woman she once was. The new Avery refuses to suffer indignities in silence, and she has become as sharp and cunning as a fox.

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