Chapter 6: Evan's Kiss

"You're nothing but a horndog."

Avery is a bit dizzy. The obscene words coming out of her mouth are a drastic contrast to her normally docile demeanor. It's sensually thrilling.

Evan presses his lips together, "Don't forget that it was you who drugged me and begged for me to love you. It was you who writhed underneath me. And after such an amorous night, this part…"

He trails his fingertips from her collarbone to her still smooth belly. His meaning can't be clearer. Avery shudders at the thought of having a child with Evan and shakes her head from right to left. She jabs her finger into his chest in protest, but Evan sees her movement as a flirtation.

He has given her plenty of leniencies today, allowing her to invite the press and Leonie into his home, allowing her to publicly announce a divorce. He wants to see what Avery has up her sleeve, but his patience is wearing thin.

He abruptly grabs her fumbling hands and presses them above her head before leaning down to kiss her. Her breath smells like wine and it makes him feel intoxicated. Avery moans, feeling her temperature rise. It seems like the entire world has turned upside down.

She doesn't want to kiss him, but her body betrays her and she squirms beneath him. Her sanity reminds her to fight back and she rocks her head from side to side. Evan takes this as a provocation and kisses her even more deeply.

Suddenly, her stomach starts to churn. She can't bear the thought of Evan kissing her like this. From someplace deep inside herself, she finds the strength to push Evan away. But she is not fast enough; the contents of her stomach suddenly rise and she vomits all over Evan before rushing out of the room.

In seconds Evan becomes gloomy and morose. Is kissing him that revolting? He presses the bell on the bedside table and a young maid rushes in, out of breath, "Yes, Mr. Howel?"

"Clean it up," he orders, "Including my wife."

Then he walks straight to the bathroom. The young maid stares at Evan's back and can't help wondering how he manages to look elegant and handsome in such an unfortunate situation. Tearing her gaze away from Evan, the maid rushes after Avery.

"Don't mind me. Just change the sheets and I'll go back to clean up," Avery says, suddenly sober.

She doesn't feel the least bit guilty that she threw up on Evan. Instead, she's amused; the look on his face was priceless. She returns to her room after ordering the maid back into Evan's room. As she walked to her room, she reflects on her marriage. Evan hadn't touched her once in the three years they'd been together. He hadn't even allowed her to sleep in his bed. She's sure that last night was an accident.

Evan's maids find it odd that he slept with her as well. Though her memory is patchy because of the drug she's been dosed with, she vaguely remembers a conversation between two of his maids.

"I heard that Mrs. Howel once tried to seduce Mr. Howel by climbing onto his bed, naked," one maid had said, "But he kicked her off so viciously, she injured two ribs. She couldn't get out of bed for months after that."

"She was asking for it," the other replied, "Everyone knows that Mr. Howel isn't into that kind of thing."

"But he did make love with her last night," said the first, "I can't believe it. Since when does Mr. Howel enjoy the company of women?"

"Hush. I heard it's just because he was on Viagra. He can't get hard for her without it. It's just not possible. If he wasn't into Avery for the past three years, he wouldn't suddenly throw himself at her last night."

"Isn't interested in making love with women?" Avery thinks, "Ha!"

She sneers at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The maids don't know this new Evan: the new Evan wanted to make love, again and again, the new Evan couldn't take his hands off of her. She idly wonders if he somehow passed his revulsion for sex to her. She used to yearn for him to touch her, but now the mere thought makes her nauseous. She doesn't ever want him to touch her again.

"If some other woman wants him that way, she can have him," Avery thinks.

An image of Leonie casting seductive glances at Evan rises in Avery's memory.

As Avery cleans herself in the bathroom, Leonie sits with Mrs. Howel in the quiet and tasteful east wing of the Howel mansion. The Howel residence consists of one main mansion situated on a large plot of land, but the family also owns dozens of other houses and condos of various sizes throughout the city. Even at the height of their power and prestige, the Summers family's residence wasn't half the size of the Howel mansion.

Ever since the Summers family began to lose money and prominence, it's been Leonie's responsibility to restore her family's reputation. The easiest way to do that is to marry well, and there's no better candidate than Evan. An alliance with the Howel family would do more than restore the Summers family's status; it would elevate them to new heights.

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It shouldn't have been so difficult. Leonie grew up with Evan and everyone expected the two of them to marry. Avery appeared out of nowhere, and her marriage to Evan surprised everyone.

"Leonie, what is it you were saying about Avery pushing you down the stairs?" Mrs. Howel asks.

"It's water under the bridge now, Mrs. Howel," Leonie says coyly, "I understand if Avery hates that I'm close with Evan. I'm fine now, and I don't want to dig it up again."

"You think she tried to harm you because you grew up with Evan? Leonie, you're too kind to forgive her."

"I know how Avery must feel," Leonie says, "After years of marriage Evan still doesn't care for her at all. Given my history with Evan, she has every reason to be hostile to me."

"I'm so sorry you have to deal with her behavior," Mrs. Howel says, "But don't trust the press. Evan is using this story about the pregnancy to try to hide the truth about Avery—no one wants that to be publicized. You understand, right?"

Despite her age and gray hair, Mrs. Howel has a healthy ruddiness in her face. She talks to Leonie with great energy. Leonie sits next to the older woman and pours tea for the two of them. Her gestures are perfect and graceful, her every move reflecting her status and upbringing as an elegant woman. Mrs. Howel has known Leonie for her entire life and she sees in her the granddaughter-in-law she wishes she had.

"I know, Mrs. Howel," Leonie replies, "Evan does what he has to do to protect the family name."

"I'm glad you agree. You know you wouldn't have to tolerate this terrible situation if it wasn't for Evan's grandfather," Mrs. Howel says with a sigh, "That stubborn old man forced Evan to marry Avery."

"It's okay, Mrs. Howel," Leonie says sadly, "Evan is out of my league."

"Nonsense. You're so much better than Avery. I'll tell Evan to ask for your parents' permission to marry you soon after he divorces that horrible woman."

Mrs. Howel signed with frustration. Just when the divorce was finally going to occur, Evan had to interrupt it. She can't read Evan's mind, and she doesn't fully understand why he behaved like that. She knows that Evan has always disliked Avery and demanded that they sleep in separate rooms. She knows why Avery still hasn't gotten pregnant after three years of marriage.

Evan opposed the marriage three years ago. To persuade him, his grandfather had promised that he'd stop interfering with Evan's personal life if he married Avery. He also promised to end the marriage if she didn't produce an heir within the first four years. Mrs. Howel overheard them agreeing to this as she carried tea to them one afternoon. She knows that if Evan refuses to sleep with Avery, she can't bear his children, and if Avery can't bear his children, he has to divorce her. She suspects that the pregnancy announcement is meant to be some sort of distraction for his grandfather.

"But Mr. Howel chose Avery to marry Evan," Leonie says, fighting to curb the wild hope she suddenly feels.

Mrs. Howel lowers her voice and whispers, "If she doesn't get pregnant in six months, Evan's grandfather will force them to get a divorce. He's getting impatient for an heir. Even if Evan opposes the divorce, he'd have no choice but to obey his grandfather. The two of them agreed."

"Really?" Leonie's mood brightens. She smiles and enchanting dimples appear on her soft cheeks.

"Really!"

Mrs. Howel takes the tea that Leonie offers her and inhales deeply. The high-quality tea has been perfectly steeped. She takes a sip before speaking.

"I've asked the maids to prepare a guest room in the main house for you. Please make yourself at home and don't worry about wasting your time with an old woman like me. I want you to focus on Evan. Rest assured, no one will dare to ask you to leave while you're here as my guest."

Leonie blushes and lowers her voice, "I appreciate it, Mrs. Howel."

"Don't worry about it," Mrs. Howel replies. She sips her tea again and adds, "Evan asked you to come here and his intentions are clear. It's only a matter of time. The room is ready and he knows where to find you. Don't make him wait."

"I knew he was the one who sent that text," Leonie says happily.

She can't imagine why anyone else would have sent her the mysterious text asking her to come to the Howel residence. She has been waiting for this moment for almost four years, and she doesn't want to lose another opportunity to marry Evan and save her family.

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