Chapter 117
Ava brought the vegetables she'd picked from the yard to the kitchen, then went back to her room to pack her suitcase, grumbling to herself the whole time—does quitting a job really have to be this much trouble?
After she finished packing, she went to say goodbye to Howard.
Coming downstairs, she found someone talking with Howard in the living room. The person had a slim build and a gentle, refined voice—who else could it be but Michael?
"Michael, you're here?"
Ava greeted him politely, then got straight to the point.
"Grandpa, I need to go back to Emerald City. I won't be able to stay here with you for a while, but I'll come back once I'm done with everything."
Howard squinted his eyes, thinking to himself that the troublemaker must have taken his words to heart—at least his efforts weren't wasted.
"You do what you need to do. I have Jeremy with me, don't need you. Young people should live like young people. Why would you want to stay with an old man like me?"
"Oh, Grandpa, are you saying I'm annoying you?"
Howard rubbed his forehead, thinking about how women of all ages love asking that question. His late wife had said it all her life, and it had been a long time since anyone had asked him that.
"Of course not. Go on back. Have the driver take you once you're packed. Next time you come, try to bring me a great-grandchild."
Ava's face turned red from the teasing.
Michael, who had been quietly listening, raised his arm to check his watch.
"It's almost lunchtime. Why not leave after lunch? Even driving fast on the highway, it'll take nearly four hours to get to Emerald City. If you leave without eating, you'll be hungry on the road."
Hearing about going hungry, Howard immediately changed his tune. "Right, eat first, then go. No rush."
He couldn't let his granddaughter-in-law go hungry. The girl was already thin—how could she give him a great-grandchild if she didn't take care of that small frame of hers?
Michael covered his mouth and coughed.
"I happen to be leaving this afternoon, too. We can go together."
And just like that, it was settled. Ava went along with it.
Howard went back to his room to rest, leaving Ava and Michael alone in the living room.
After a few awkward seconds, Ava felt she should say something to ease the atmosphere.
"Michael, what brought you here so suddenly?"
"Howard brought a whole group of people here, and the Morgan Mansion suddenly felt quite empty. I wasn't used to it, so I came to see how you're all settling in and if there's anything you need."
"Grandpa's been sleeping pretty well these past couple of days. The day before yesterday, he slept for nine hours straight. This morning, Jeremy had to wake him up for breakfast."
Everyone in the family knew Howard had insomnia. They'd consulted many famous doctors about it, but nothing helped much. Sleeping nine hours straight was really good for Howard.
Michael's lips curved up, his eyes resting on Ava's waist and abdomen for a few seconds before quickly looking away.
"Seems like this place is quite suitable for elderly people and children. How about we buy a bigger villa in Shadow City in the future and renovate it properly? I think this one's decoration is a bit half-hearted. Next time, we should get a renovation team from Emerald City."
Ava was surprised. The place they were staying at was already the biggest villa in the nearby wealthy coastal area. The decoration obviously couldn't compare to the Morgan Mansion, but you could tell a lot of money had been spent on it.
"Michael, isn't that too much? We don't live here year-round, just come for summer vacation. We're here less than three months a year."
Michael adjusted his glasses.
"If you like it, you could stay here all the time and not go back."
Ava vaguely felt the conversation was getting awkward, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Michael, does resigning from the Morgan Group really require submitting a resignation report and doing a month of handover work?"
"The company does have that rule. It's usually for employees involved in important projects, like department managers, vice presidents, and so on. Regular employees don't need that long for handover. If they don't have much on their plate, they can leave the same day they resign. At most, a week of handover is enough."
Ava laughed to herself and asked again.
"Does a resignation report have to be approved by HR to be valid? Doesn't count if other leaders approve it?"
"No. A resignation report can be approved by any leader above the HR manager level."
"So can William handle employee resignations?"
Michael's eyes crinkled.
"Even the HR manager's position is decided by him. What do you think—does he have the authority to sign off on a regular employee's resignation?"
The fire in Ava's heart flared up. That jerk had clearly been working with the HR manager to trick her into coming back.
No way she'd let him get what he wanted.
In no time, the servants had prepared a table full of dishes.
Since Michael was visiting today, they'd specially added several seafood dishes.
At the table, Howard didn't forget to tell the kitchen while eating.
"Pack up yesterday's pastries for them to take on the road. Fill up the thermos, and wash plenty of fruit."
Ava swallowed her food and spoke guiltily.
"Grandpa, I've decided not to go back."
Howard paused mid-bite.
"Why aren't you going back now?"
"Grandpa, I don't really have anything to do back there. I'd rather stay here with you and enjoy the sea breeze."
Howard said nothing, but his heart was pounding. How could this young couple keep living apart? Were they planning to have a baby or not? All those lunches Jeremy had been delivering to the two of them every day—was it all for nothing?
Uma, who was in charge of cooking, came over to ask.
"Mr. Morgan, should I still prepare the food?"
Howard glanced at Michael beside him, who was eating with his head down.
"Prepare it anyway. There's still someone who needs it for the car ride."
Michael put down his utensils.
"Dad, I'm not leaving this afternoon either. I'll have my people at the company handle things and stay with you for a few days."
Now neither of them was leaving. What was there left to pack? Uma went back to the kitchen to continue cleaning, and the driver who'd been ready to go relaxed—he could even take a nap after lunch.
Only Howard showed nothing on the surface, but felt vaguely unhappy inside. He wanted to send his granddaughter-in-law back as soon as possible.
After the meal, back in his study, Howard told Jeremy to call William and tell him to drop everything and come pick up his wife.
Jeremy immediately dialed and put it on speaker. After a few rings, the call connected.
"Mr. William Morgan, Mr. Howard Morgan wants you to come pick up Mrs. Ava Morgan right away."
William was silent for a few seconds.
"She hasn't left yet?"
"Mrs. Ava Morgan was planning to leave after lunch with Mr. Michael Morgan, but for some reason, during the meal, they both changed their minds and decided not to go."
Hearing that Michael had gone there made William feel uncomfortable all over. Before, when he was recovering abroad, he wouldn't come back twice a year. Now suddenly he's so attentive?
Running over there after not seeing Howard for three days—William didn't believe it for a second.
William immediately called James over.
"Cancel tonight's dinner with Mr. Moore. Move the important meetings to this afternoon. Don't schedule anything after 7 PM."
Though James didn't know the reason, he blindly guessed it had something to do with Mrs. Ava Morgan.
Tonight's dinner with Christopher Moore had been scheduled a week ago. The Morgan Group had always purchased jewelry raw materials from overseas at high prices.
Christopher from Gleamora Gemstone Trading specialized in gemstone procurement, getting them directly from mines, cutting out several middlemen. His prices were a full half cheaper than what the Morgan Group was paying. If this deal went through, the Morgan Group could save at least several hundred million dollars in costs every year.
What could make him push back a contract worth hundreds of millions?
"Mr. Morgan, Mr. Moore's schedule is hard to work with. If we cancel this time, it might be hard to schedule again."
"If we can't schedule it, then we won't. Can't the Morgan Family do business without him?"
James was taken aback and hurried off to make arrangements.