Chapter 148
Ava went back with the agent to sign the contract. Looking at the elevator card in her hand, she felt much better.
She had really taken the first step - leaving William.
Those three years could never come back.
Jack called. Ava hadn't heard from him in a while, so she picked up eagerly.
"Jack, did you find something?"
Jack cleared his throat. "Ava, that mysterious person investigating your mother's accident is named Robert Davis. He's a big real estate player from the south."
Ava's heart jumped. Robert - that name sounded familiar. She quickly recalled it was the man who had clashed with William on the yacht that day.
Why would he investigate her mother's accident? Could it be?
"Jack, can you find out if there's any connection between my mother and Robert?"
Jack sounded troubled.
"Ava, please don't ask me to dig into this Robert guy. He's a real tough character. If he finds out I'm investigating him, he'll throw me in the ocean to feed the fish."
Between making money and staying alive, Jack chose the latter. He valued his life too much to mess with that devil.
Ava said disappointedly, "Alright then, I'll think of something else."
There must be some connection between Robert and her mother. Otherwise, why would he come all the way from the south to Emerald City to investigate a case from years ago?
If they were completely unrelated, it didn't make sense.
Jack advised,
"Ava, I also found out he came to Emerald City specifically for this. He's been here for a while now. I'm telling you, don't act rashly. This big shot really can't be messed with. His methods are just as ruthless as William's."
Jack was clearly terrified of Robert. Ava didn't push him further, just told him to keep investigating her mother's car accident and not worry about the rest for now.
When Ava returned to Lucas's place, Olivia's car was parked downstairs.
She followed the smell of hot pot inside. After running around all day, her stomach was growling.
The three of them hadn't gotten together in a long time.
Olivia took Ava's hand and looked her over carefully.
"Hmm, your belly's showing a little now. William still hasn't noticed?"
A careful person would have spotted her pregnancy by now. William was just too careless.
Ava smiled. "It's a good day. Let's not talk about him."
Lucas had already prepared the hot pot ingredients. The vegetables were washed and arranged on plates, and the pot was bubbling away.
"You two stop chatting and come eat."
The three of them sat in a circle. Lucas opened a bottle and poured two glasses, giving Ava plain water instead.
"Today we're celebrating Ava leaving that jerk. May her future be smooth sailing with no more disasters."
Lucas compared William to a disaster. The three of them looked at each other and smiled, clinking glasses.
Halfway through the meal, Ava told them about renting an apartment.
"I'm planning to move out tomorrow. You guys should come visit when you're free."
Lucas froze.
"Where are you moving to? You're not going back to William, are you?"
If she lost her mind and went back, he'd be the first to object this time.
Ava smiled.
"I rented a place in the eastern part of town. I'll probably be busy with work for a while, just focused on making money and building my career."
Lucas sighed.
"That's what I'm talking about. You should have figured this out sooner. With your skills, who needs a man? Let all the jerks go to hell. But still, why do you need to move out of my place to build your career?"
Olivia chimed in,
"Why don't you come stay with me instead? It'll save you the trouble of going back and forth for prenatal checkups. I can do them for you directly."
Ava felt warm inside. Having two friends who truly cared for her was more than enough.
"I don't want to disturb your lives. Besides, I eventually need to walk my own path. Think of it as getting used to it early. I can't rely on you forever - I have to face things myself. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've thought it through."
Seeing her smile as she said these words, the siblings could tell she wasn't overthinking things, and they felt much more at ease. They were glad to see her being so positive.
Ava shared her plans.
"After the divorce is finalized, I'll leave Emerald City and go to a city with a nice environment. I'll focus on design work and raising the baby."
Olivia paused with her utensils.
"Will the three of us still be able to get together?"
Lucas had a different attitude.
"I support you leaving. The farther the better. If you stay in the same city, William won't let you and the baby live in peace. He might even try to take the child later. Best to hide somewhere he can't find you."
Hearing Lucas put it that way, Olivia changed her tune.
"Right, don't let that bastard see the child. Let him raise someone else's kid instead."
The meal lasted two hours.
The next day, Ava moved to the apartment in the eastern part of town. Lucas made time to drive her over. After checking the place thoroughly for safety issues, he finally left feeling reassured.
Ava ordered some necessary household items online. She didn't dare buy too much - after all, in a month she'd be leaving Emerald City. Buying too much would be wasteful.
The delivery came right to her door, and she spent the whole day organizing.
Over the next few days, she threw herself completely into design work. She couldn't slack off anymore - she needed to make lots of money to support herself and the two little ones.
Raising kids nowadays wasn't like it was before, when just feeding them was enough. Besides food and clothing, everything had to be taken care of. The babies in her belly would already be without a father's love - she couldn't let them suffer materially while living with her.
She'd been so busy these past few days that time flew by. Only when going to bed at night did Ava realize she'd left the unopened bottle of prenatal vitamins at SilkGrove Estates. She'd hidden it in a pretty concealed spot, but she still felt uneasy about it.
If William found it, she'd be done for.
At this thought, her heart grew anxious, feeling like William's call would come any second.
At that moment, William was sleeping in the restroom behind his office. He hadn't been home in five days.
He still hadn't figured out how to face Ava. He wanted to keep Ava at the company to help him out, but didn't know how to bring it up.
After all, she hadn't been happy in the Morgan Group's design department before.
And she'd made it clear that she'd resign after the press conference. He'd approved that resignation email, too.
He'd racked his brain but couldn't come up with a good approach.
The Lolly that every company was fighting over was his wife, yet now he didn't dare ask her to do anything. He felt guilty.
Emily called, crying.
"William, Sarah had a heart attack. She's being resuscitated now. Come quickly!"
Before this, Sarah had called several times, saying she wasn't feeling well and asking him to come over. William thought she was making it up again - when someone lies too often, nobody believes them anymore.
But Emily's tone sounded genuine. He grabbed his jacket from the rack and rushed out.
Before he reached the hospital, the butler Jeremy called.
"Mr. William Morgan, come quick! We've been in a car accident. Mr. Howard Morgan... he's not doing well."