Chapter 35: Miserable Couple

Michelle gives a fake laugh, "Do you think I'm stupid? You want me to believe this is some kind of weird, flirtatious game between you and Mr. Howel?"

Avery glares at her.

"What's the problem? Are you very scared of your husband?" Michelle taunts, "Alas, you probably should be. All of our classmates admire you for marrying into such a rich and noble family, but I know that the wives of rich and noblemen often suffer greatly. Besides, I heard that your husband has refused to touch you every night for the last three and a half years."

The waiters nudge each other, but Avery remains flinty-eyed and silent.

"Last month your uncle stayed with us, and I heard him saying that you jumped into the sea to commit suicide. I never would have believed you'd do something like that, but later I heard that you were just desperate for your husband's attention."

Michelle continues, "When that backfired, you tried to slit your wrist. And now you're telling me that Mr. Howel asked you to take photos of him and another woman in secret. Let me guess, you want me to believe it's some fetish he has: getting off on his wife watching him cheat. Well, I just don't believe someone like you."

Michelle pretends to sigh, "Really, Avery, you're pathetic. And I imagine you and Mr. Howel are the most miserable couple in history."

The waiters exchange glances again, but their expressions are different from one another. One is surprised, another looks amused, and a third looks sorry for Avery.

Avery still listens politely. She admires Michelle's ability to invent such elaborate stories. She's heard all of these insults before, and they no longer have the power to upset her. Listening to Michelle talk, she feels stupid forever caring what the Howel or any other high society family thought about her. 

"If I wasn't so stupid I never would have fallen in love with a man like Evan Howel," she thinks.

"So, you took photos of him in secret," Michelle says, "What do you think he'll do when he finds out? Will he punish you? Will he hit you? Will there be a divorce?"

Her tone changes back to mock sympathy, "What can I do, Avery? I know it's hard when a husband has an affair with another woman, but I have to keep the hotel's reputation safe. People have come to rely upon our discretion."

Cindy becomes increasingly excited as she talks, but she's slightly concerned that Avery doesn't seem more upset or heartbroken. Still, she's enjoying herself too much to stop.

"Oh yes, once Mr. Howel finds out, I imagine he'll make your life rather miserable. To be honest, I feel a little bad for you," Cindy says, pinching the petals between her fingers.

Abruptly, she turns to the waiters, "Grab her!"

"Is this the Zuri Hotel's famous service?" Avery asks coldly, "Even if Mr. Howel  doesn't like his photo being taken, you think a proud and well-respected man like him would tolerate others bullying his wife."

The waiters are horrified by Avery's words and they freeze. Michelle is concerned as well. It doesn't seem right that Avery is so calm and level-headed in such a bad situation.

Avery steps forward threateningly, and the waiters retreat against the bathroom wall.

"Since you don't believe me, I can show you the phone. As for the photos, you can delete them or ask Evan what he wants to be done," Avery says with mock helplessness.

Michelle's eyes gleam with a victory. Avery has done exactly what she wanted her to do. The phone contains the evidence and will allow her to make her case to Evan and see that Avery is adequately punished.

"You can run but you can't hide, Avery," Michelle thinks.

"Can you get out now? I'm quite anxious to use the restroom, and I'd prefer to do so without an audience," Avery says.

Cindy glances at her doubtfully.

"What's wrong. Are you afraid that I'll run away?" Avery asks as she closes herself into the stall.

No one responds, but Avery hears several sets of footsteps.

"Thank goodness, they've finally left," she thinks.

Avery opens the stall door and glances around the bathroom. After affirming that she's alone, she opens the window and climbs onto the sill. She jumps to the ground without a second of hesitation.

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In the restaurant, Evan raises his arm and looks down at his limited-edition watch. Almost twenty minutes have passed since he sat down at the table. He checks his phone and is disappointed to see that Avery hasn't taken any new photos. He raps his knuckles impatiently on the table, and Robert hurries to his side.

"Go and check on Mrs. Howel," he orders.

Robert Tinder steps away almost running into a woman, in a short black skirt. She's carrying a bright red phone that looks identical to the one he gave Avery earlier in the day. He immediately realizes that something has gone wrong and runs out of the restaurant and down the hall.

Michelle doesn't notice Robert; she's too busy staring at Evan. The breeze from the floor-to-ceiling windows gently ruffles his thick hair. Michelle gets lost in thought, examining his pert nose, chiseled face, and muscled figure. She stumbles and almost bumps into his table.

Evan hears someone approach and turns to stare coldly at the stunned woman. Her heavy perfume annoys him, and he frowns. Before he can say anything, he sees the phone in her hand.

"Mr. Howel. Nice to meet you. My name is Michelle Cindy and I am the Client Manager at the Zuri Hotel," Michelle says self-importantly.

She looks at the seat opposite Evan out of the corner of her eyes and is surprised to find it empty. The white velvet European chair must be intended for Leonie. On the table, a cluster of white lilies is tied with a matching white silk bow.

"This is not the Zuri Hotel's usual décor," she thinks, "Evan must have specifically asked for such a romantic and beautiful setting."

"Where did you get that phone?" Evan asks.

Though impatient, his low voice sounds incredibly attractive.

"What a perfect man!" Michelle thinks, "Why did Avery get so lucky?"

"We found someone using this phone to take photos of you in our restaurant," she says.

She hands Evan the mobile phone. As she bends over, he sees that one of her buttons has been fastened in the wrong buttonhole, and he can see directly down her shirt. Michelle looks at Evan and sees that he has the same phone in black. She rolls her eyes.

"Avery is really pathetic," she thinks, "She even got the same phone as her husband."

"She's still in the restroom," Cindy says, "As soon as we became aware of what she was doing we confronted her. She openly admitted to taking secret photos of you."

"Taking photos in secret?" Evan asks.

He doesn't bother to check Avery's phone. Instead, he looks at him again. If Avery had taken any photos they would have been automatically uploaded to his phone. There's still nothing.

"What exactly did she say?" he glances at Cindy sternly.

"Well, she admitted that there were photos on her phone, and she even handed it over of her own free will."

"She handed it over?" Evan asks, confused.

"There are no photos, but she gave the phone to someone else. What is she trying to do?" he wonders.

Cindy quietly raises her eyebrows and carefully observes Evan's expression. The man looks furious.

"Taking secret photos of him must be even more taboo than I thought," she thinks.

"Mrs. Howel is probably afraid that you will punish her," she says, "So she asked me to give you the phone."

Footsteps approach the table and Robert sprints over.

"Mr. Howel, Mrs. Howel is gone!" Robert gasps.

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