Chapter 320: A Kiss

The intern continues, "Avery cheated. She seduced Mr. Howel, trading sexual favors for his vote in the competition. I can prove it, too."

The news is like a bomb. Within seconds everyone is talking—some audience members even climb onto their chairs to shout to their friends across the room. Sophie raps her knuckles against the podium, but she can't calm the frenzy.

Avery slumps down in her chair, trying to make herself invisible. She can feel dozens of eyes on her, and she can tell that most of the audience hates her. Crystal taps her on the shoulder and makes a clicking sound with her teeth.

"Oh, Avery," Crystal says, shaking her head with mock pity. "I thought you were better than this. I can't believe you broke the most important company rule over some silly competition. You know what this means, don't you? You'll lose the contest, and you'll never work in this industry again."

Avery ignores Crystal and looks across the aisle at Evan and Rebecca. Evan raises his eyebrows, and the corner of his mouth twitches up in a smile. He shoves his hands into his pockets and strikes a casual pose. Rebecca stands next to him looking stricken—her face is pale, and her large eyes shimmer with tears.

Sophie taps on the microphone, and a booming sound echoes through the room. The audience members stop talking and turn expectantly toward the stage. Avery looks up at her friend and mentor and feels a wave of panic.

Sophie knows that Evan is my ex, she thinks. But what if Crystal found out about the kiss in the parking lot? Sophie will hate me for lying to her and, Oh god, Rebecca will be heartbroken.

"These are very serious accusations, and we're going to get to the bottom of this," Sophie announces.

"May I say something?" Rebecca asks. "Miss Stone, I know you want to win, but there's no need for this nasty sort of trick. Honestly, I think your design is exceptional, and you should be proud of the work you produced. My boyfriend chose Miss Peters' design, but I know it was a difficult decision for him. Miss Peters went above and beyond with her design, and my boyfriend's decision is not a negative reflection on your work."

Avery covers her face with her hands. I don't deserve Rebecca's friendship, she thinks. She's far too good. I swear if I get away with the kiss in the garage, I'll never go near Evan again. Rebecca will never have to worry about me betraying her trust. But even as she makes the mental promise, she knows it's not true. Her stomach churns with guilt.

"Miss Arlington, you're one of the loveliest clients I've ever worked with," Crystal says. "And trust me, I'm not doing this to win. The truth is incredibly important to me, and I think everyone deserves to know the truth about Avery. You especially deserve to know if your boyfriend was unfaithful."

Rebecca's lip trembles, but she says, "I trust my boyfriend."

"Don't be naïve," Crystal snaps. "Men are scoundrels—they always want another woman."

The audience explodes into gossip again. Avery wants to cover her ears and run from the room, but she can't help but overhear the designers and employees.

"Oh my God, I think Crystal has finally lost it," a female voice says. "She's always had a bad temper, but this is crazy. She insulted a client in front of everyone."

"Not just any client," a deeper male voice says. "She insulted Mr. Howel. She's definitely going to get fired."

"No way," the woman says. "Don't you know, she's protected by a powerful patron. It's rumored he's a very important man. She can do whatever she wants."

"There's no way that man is more powerful than Mr. Howel," the man says. "Just you wait and see. She'll be out of here before the end of the day." 

"Want to bet on it?" a new female voice asks. "I know, Crystal. She may have a temper, but she always has a plan. She wouldn't accuse Avery of seducing a client unless she had some sort of proof."

"You might have a point," the man says. "If Avery's innocent, why doesn't she defend herself? Do you see her? She's just sitting there in silence."

Avery twists her hands in her lap. She knows she should say something, but she doesn't know what she should say. It seems pointless to lie and deny the relationship. She steals a glance at Evan, hoping he'll do something to silence the crowd. If not for me, surely he'll do it to protect Rebecca's feelings, she thinks. But Evan continues to stand with his hands in his pockets, his lips twisted in a strange smile.

"I have evidence," Crystal shouts, running up to the stage. "Look!"

She grabs the remote from the podium, and a picture flashes across the screen. Avery's stomach drops. In the center of the photo, she and Evan are locked in a passionate kiss against her car. Evan's hand is in her hair, and her arms are around his neck. In the background, she can see the D.O. parking lot. It's blurry, but she recognizes her name painted on the wall by her parking space. She suddenly understands the bright flashes she saw in the parking lot—they were the flash of a camera.

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"Avery, what's going on?" Rebecca asks, running across the aisle. "I don't understand. Please tell me what happened?"

"Do you have anything to say to Evan's girlfriend, Miss Peters?" Crystal asks.

"Crystal, don't talk nonsense," Sophie says, pushing Crystal away from the podium. "Do you have any idea who Avery is?"

Crystal pulls away from Sophie and says, "I couldn't keep this a secret. Miss Peters pretended she didn't know Mr. Howel, but it's clear she did. This competition is unfair, and Miss Peters' behavior is disgusting."

Avery squints at the screen, wondering if anyone else has noticed the background of the picture. The photo is zoomed pretty close, and most parking garages look the same anyway. She takes a deep breath and stands up.

"Yes, I kissed my ex-husband," she shouts. "If we never shared a kiss, how would I have gotten pregnant?"

For a moment, the room falls silent, and then it explodes with noise. People shout questions, encouragement, and insults at the top of their lungs. Avery listens to the crowd shout, but the one person she wants to hear most is silent. Rebecca stares at her, her mouth open with shock.

"Wait, I'm confused," a male voice says. "Avery was married to Mr. Howel? For real?"

"Do you think they divorced because of Miss Arlington?" a woman asks.

"I'm sure," the man says. "You know how these rich men are. They get bored with their wives so quickly. As soon as they get what they want, they're ready to move on to the next one."

Avery can't take it any longer. She pushes past Rebecca and runs backstage to get her purse. She hears Rebecca chasing after her and she runs faster. But even in high heels, Rebecca overtakes her.

"Avery, wait," Rebecca says, grabbing her hand. "Is it true? Were you really married to Evan?"

"I was," she says.

"And—and, the baby is his?" Rebecca asks. "I thought it was Andrew's?"

"No, the baby is Evan's," Avery whispers.

"Oh," Rebecca says. There's a long silence and then she asks, "Why didn't you tell me before? Did you want to humiliate me?"

"No, of course not," Avery says. "I just—well, I'm embarrassed about the whole thing. I was trying to forget about it."

"I can't believe this," Rebecca says. "I came to this country without any friends, and out of all the women I could have befriended, I chose my boyfriend's ex-wife. I'm so embarrassed. I really treated you as a friend, Avery."

Avery looks down at her shoes. She wants to leave, but Rebecca is still holding her by the wrist.

"Tell me, why did you two get divorced?" Rebecca asks. "Wait, I'm sorry. That's none of my business. It's just a lot to process. Evan never told me he'd been married before, and this was a horrible way to find out."

Avery bites her tongue and tries to think of something to say, but her mind has gone blank. She wants to tell Rebecca the truth, but she's not even sure what the truth is. She looks down at Rebecca and wonders how the other woman is staying so calm.

"Okay, Avery, I've thought about it, and I forgive you," Rebecca says. "Clearly, you have your reasons for wanting to keep your past quiet, and I can understand that. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay friends. If you say it's over between you and Evan, I believe you." 

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