Chapter 110
The Morgan Group was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere that afternoon.
William dragged his exhausted body out of work. As his car passed by that little snack shop in the city center, his eyes flickered slightly. Such a small place, and the taste was just so-so to him. He couldn't understand why that picky woman at home loved eating from this shop.
"Stop the car."
James immediately looked for a place to pull over when he heard the command, afraid that being even a second slow would earn him a scolding. At this critical moment, he didn't dare provoke James.
The car slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
William glanced out the window and said to James,
"Go buy some snacks to take away."
James thought to himself, William wouldn't normally even glance at this kind of roadside shop. Why would he want to eat from here today?
He was about to get out when he heard his boss in the back seat speak again,
"I'll go myself."
William got out of the car, buttoned up the top button of his suit, and strode toward the snack shop, looking handsome and distinguished.
Both his car and his presence were completely out of place on this old street.
The snack shop wasn't big, but it was clean inside. It was past mealtime now, with just a few scattered customers.
William looked at the menu, ordered a bit of everything, and told the server to pack it up.
A moment later, he came out of the shop carrying the takeout boxes and got back in the car.
James suddenly realized - this was for Mrs. Ava Morgan, wasn't it?
Oh no!
He didn't dare say that Mrs. Ava Morgan was no longer in Emerald City. He knew William would explode.
After hesitating for a long time, he decided to keep this secret. If there was going to be an explosion, better let it happen at home.
James stepped on the gas, his mind racing the whole way.
When he drove the car back to SilkGrove Estates, he wished he could escape on a pair of rocket boots.
William got out, carrying the packed snacks, and saw Ava's car parked in the yard. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve up.
He went inside and put the snacks in the small kitchen first, thinking to himself that if that woman threw another tantrum, she'd be ungrateful. He wouldn't indulge her anymore. What had she become from all this spoiling?
He went to his room for a quick wash and changed into casual home clothes.
Ava wasn't in the master bedroom. When he passed by the second-floor study, he looked in, but she wasn't there either.
Downstairs, Lily was mopping the floor, and the TV wasn't on today.
"Lily, where's Ava?"
Lily stopped what she was doing and leaned on the mop with both hands,
"Mrs. Ava Morgan said she was going on vacation with Grandpa Howard today. She left with her suitcase at noon. You didn't know about this?"
William froze in place, his heart sinking.
That woman really had some nerve, daring to make her own decisions and slip away right under his nose, leaving without a word. And here he'd been thinking about her love for snacks, worried they'd get cold on the way back, having the shop wrap them in several layers. His kindness had been wasted.
"Lily, is there any food at home?"
Lily had finished mopping and was putting things away in the kitchen,
"Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Ava Morgan said you've been working late these past few days and probably wouldn't be home for dinner. You still haven't eaten this late? How about I make you some noodles?"
William was already boiling with anger. Before, when he came home late, she would personally cook him a nice late-night snack. When had she ever ignored him like this?
The way things were now, how was this even a home?
"No need."
William replied to Lily. His appetite was gone from anger.
He sat down in the small kitchen, opened the snack boxes he'd bought, and tried eating with some vinegar. He couldn't taste anything good about it. The more he ate, the angrier he got. He threw the remaining half box of it straight into the trash.
He pulled out his phone and scrolled for a while, finally calling Howard.
In Shadow City, Ava and Howard were sitting in the yard, enjoying the sea breeze while playing chess.
Howard's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID but had no intention of answering. That jerk needed to be left hanging for a while.
Howard placed a chess piece, calm as still water, as if he hadn't heard the phone ring.
Ava reminded him,
"Grandpa, don't you want to answer that call?"
Howard paused and directly pressed reject.
The two turned their attention back to the chess game.
A few seconds later, the phone rang again.
Howard snorted, "So annoying, keeps calling even though I didn't answer. No sense at all - how does he run a company?"
Ava heard Howard's tone and guessed the caller was William.
She casually picked up a nut from the table,
"Grandpa, you should still answer it. What if it's something important?"
Howard seemed to be in a bad mood when his grandson was mentioned. "What could he possibly want? Isn't it just complaining that I took his wife away?"
Ava was caught off guard and didn't respond.
After the phone rang for a while, Howard still answered, asking impatiently,
"What are you calling for? You've ruined my good mood."
On the other end, William felt quite defeated. Howard had rejected his call, and when he finally got through, his tone suggested he didn't really want to talk to him.
"Grandpa, where did you go on vacation?"
"Shadow City."
William raised an eyebrow, "So when are you two coming back?"
Howard scoffed, "We? Don't tell me you're calling because you missed me. You haven't been back to the Morgan Mansion for over half a month and didn't call once, but as soon as your wife's gone, you're calling right away. If you want to know when Ava's coming back, ask her directly. What's the point of asking me? I'm not going back today!"
William was thoroughly told off, but he was angry yet didn't dare speak up - he didn't dare provoke Howard. Having his thoughts exposed was a bit embarrassing, though at least that woman wasn't there to witness it.
"So when is Ava coming back?"
"If you want to know, ask Ava yourself. Why are you calling me? I'm not your wife - how would I know when she wants to end her vacation? Maybe she'll like it here and won't go back at all."
After Howard's outburst, he immediately ended the call.
He was still muttering unhappily, "He's too embarrassed to talk to his own wife, beating around the bush by asking me. I don't know what he's being so awkward about. Ava, don't pay attention to him. Let's just leave him hanging, let him guard an empty room alone."
Ava choked on her water. She hadn't realized before how adorable Howard was. Those things Howard just said to him - just hearing them was satisfying.
"Right, let's leave him hanging. Grandpa, let's continue our chess game."
The yard was filled with laughter and cheerful voices again.
The atmosphere on the other end was quite different.
William regretted making that unnecessary phone call. He didn't get any useful information and got scolded instead.
Howard's temper had become increasingly willful these past few years. Somehow, Ava had him wrapped around her finger. He didn't care about his own grandson but was completely on his daughter-in-law's side.
He felt utterly defeated.
Back in the bedroom, looking at the empty side of the bed, he couldn't help but pull out a cigarette. When the lighter sparked, he remembered it had been a while since he'd smoked in the bedroom.
Ava had never really minded before, but recently, for some reason, she'd been particularly opposed to his smoking. Every time he smoked, she would stay far away and wouldn't let him near her until the smell of smoke on him had completely dissipated.
Thinking of this, he irritably threw the cigarette into the trash and buried himself under the covers.
The pillow also smelled of Ava's shampoo. He'd been awake for two days and a night, already exhausted to the point of barely keeping his eyes open while handling documents at the company, yet now he was lying there getting more and more awake, his mind full of every little thing about Ava at home.
Damn it!