Chapter 159
By the time they reached Steven's car, he hadn't heard Ava say whether she would divorce or not, so he hesitated and didn't immediately take out the photo album.
Seeing him standing still, Ava said again,
"Take out my mom's album first."
Steven stood there with his hands on his hips, not moving,
"You tell me first whether you'll divorce him or not? Your mother is gone, so I have to look after you. I can't just watch you sink deeper into trouble without pulling you out. Let's go through the divorce procedures with him tomorrow, okay? Trust Dad, I can definitely find you a better man than him!"
Ava stared blankly at this man who was sweet-talking her into a divorce. Every word came from a caring father's perspective, showing concern for his daughter. Who would have thought that the one time in this life Steven showed the most patience in displaying his fatherly love was actually to trick her, to steal a man for his other daughter!
How ironic, wasn't it?
Whether it was her biological father or her husband, they both unconditionally chose Sarah. Ava had gotten used to this feeling of being abandoned.
She kept telling herself that as long as her heart was big enough, everything else would become insignificant.
She tried to make herself not care.
But facts proved she didn't actually not care—she was just numb.
Facing Steven's coaxing, she thought about how Sarah had grown up surrounded by fatherly love like this, with Dad even stepping in to help when she couldn't handle a man.
Meanwhile, her own small childhood wish for a family trip to the amusement park—Steven wouldn't even grant her that. She undoubtedly longed for fatherly love and envied other classmates whose dads came to parent-teacher meetings. At her school's family sports day, only Nancy came each time.
Her classmates once thought she didn't have a father, that she was from a single-parent family.
Actually, she wished she really was from a single-parent family. That way, at least she wouldn't have expectations of a father and wouldn't have so many disappointments. She wouldn't have to face the pain of being abandoned and blamed by her closest relative.
To fulfill his promise, Steven had already taken out his phone to find the contact information of the excellent man he mentioned,
"Ava, take me off your blacklist. Dad will send you this person's contact card. You two can chat online first. Young people need to meet several people to know who they're suited for. You can't hang yourself on one tree."
Ava asked helplessly,
"Can you give me the album first?"
Steven understood that the only reason Ava had chatted with him this long without falling out was because of that album. How could he easily hand it over? That would mean losing his bargaining chip.
"Ava, add this young man first. I needs to make sure you're settled before I can feel at ease."
Ava had reached her limit trying to get the album. She still didn't want to add Steven as a friend,
"Send me his QR code, I'll scan it."
Steven was embarrassed for a moment, then immediately opened the business card of Chase Hernandez, the marketing department manager, and handed it to Ava.
When Ava scanned it, the other side accepted quickly, and just like that, they became friends.
Steven smiled cheerfully,
"Get along well with him. This young man is solid and capable, and his looks are top-notch in my company. Trust Dad's judgment. I wouldn't harm my own daughter. Anyone who wants to be Steven's son-in-law can't be just anybody!"
Ava was really tired of listening,
"Do you have the album or not?"
Steven pressed his lips together,
"Hey, don't be in such a hurry. We finally get to meet, can't I give you a few more reminders? Promise me first that tomorrow you'll take your documents and go through the divorce procedures with William."
Steven's words were airtight, as if he were just a family member worried about his daughter's unhappy marriage and trying to help her. It gave Ava the illusion that she also had someone to rely on.
Ava glanced at the time. She was afraid Howard would wake up, see her absent, and worry. She had already been delayed outside for over half an hour. If Steven didn't get a definite answer from her today, he probably wouldn't obediently hand over the album as she wished.
"I promise! Give me the album first. I don't have time to chat with you now."
Hearing her say this, Steven smiled with his eyes crinkling. Those eyes were almost identical to Sarah's, making her feel equally disgusted.
Steven opened the car door and actually took out the album. Before handing it to Ava, he pulled out a solo photo of young Nancy and put it back in the car.
"Take it! Remember to definitely go get divorced tomorrow. If I hadn't hidden it in the car, Nola would have already gotten rid of it. You should thank me for being careful—that's why you can see it today."
Ava took the hard-won album and hugged it tightly, afraid that in the next second, this old bastard Steven would snatch it back.
Walking back to the hospital building, after confirming Steven hadn't followed, she opened it with an excited heart and flipped through page by page.
On the last few pages, she saw the boy from the earlier photos again, slightly older than before, with his features more defined.
Ava observed the photo carefully, always feeling that the boy looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere, but couldn't remember who he resembled.
Just then, her phone chimed. She collected her thoughts and opened it to see a message from the person Steven had tricked her into adding,
Chase Hernandez: [Hello, Ms. Davis, nice to meet you. Mr. Brown has already told me about your situation. Let me tell you about mine. I currently have a mortgaged house in Emerald City and a fully paid-off car. My annual income can reach five hundred thousand. My parents are both retired teachers who can help us take care of children in the future. In my free time, I like to visit libraries and do some writing. I have serialized novels online. If you find my conditions acceptable, shall we arrange a time to meet?]
A long paragraph of text, followed immediately by a photo.
Wearing rimless glasses on his nose, he was a refined-looking man. His appearance was indeed as Steven said—quite outstanding, and he seemed like someone with a good temper who was easy to get along with.
Ava thought to herself that she was just going along with Steven, but now she'd made this person take it seriously.
She was about to reply when a voice behind her startled her so much she nearly dropped her phone.
"You like this type?"
William had somehow appeared behind her and had clearly seen all the content in her chat window.
Ava quickly put away her phone, feeling inexplicably flustered, even though there was nothing wrong—yet she felt like she'd done something guilty.
William's eyes were unfathomable. His throat rolled slightly as he warned with the oppressive presence of someone in authority,
"This type of man is clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing. Harmless on the surface but full of schemes inside, with terrifyingly deep cunning. Michael is a perfect example. You can't handle them—you'd be sold out without even knowing it."
Ava clenched her palm. Now that she'd calmed down, she wasn't afraid of him anymore. They were divorced—whom she befriended was her freedom. He had no right to interfere.
"It's none of your business."