Chapter 155: Give You a "Surprise"
After Isabella and Ava left, a pair of sinister eyes appeared in the shadows.
The man's eyes narrowed slightly as his fingers tapped rhythmically on the solid wood table.
His assistant bent down nervously beside him, "Mr. Howard, what should we do next?"
"Send what we just filmed to Ryan. Let's see how he feels when his beloved woman runs off with her ex-husband again." Will sneered with excitement.
"Yes, I'll do it right away."
"What do you think Joshua would do if he found out about Ava and Ryan's relationship?"
"One is the woman he loves most, the other is the brother he feels most guilty about." Assistant Kai also seemed to see a good show brewing and couldn't help but smile.
Will looked down at his stiff leg, his eyes filled with intense malice. "It's time to settle the score for this leg of mine."
Although he was part of the Howard family, he wasn't the heir!
It was because he fell for Ava at first sight in Astoria and pursued her that Ryan had someone break his leg.
Damn Ryan!
After his leg was ruined, how could the Howard family, such a prominent family, tolerate a cripple in power?
But he wasn't willing to accept it. He was the rightful heir of the Howard family. He made a vow to his father that if he could secure the cooperation with the Thomas family, the heir position would be his.
This gave him hope. He approached Joshua to discuss cooperation, but no matter how much he compromised, Joshua still gave the opportunity to someone else.
Everyone, everyone kicked him when he was down.
Why!
Why!
He wasn't willing to accept it. He wanted everyone who kicked him to pay the price - Ava, Ryan, Joshua - none of them would escape.
He wanted everyone to watch these two usually high-and-mighty men suffer and fight to the death over a woman. He wanted them to taste his pain.
He looked downstairs, watching the two figures get in the car, a sinister smile curling at the corners of his cold mouth. "Go find Mia and look for a chance to get close to Joshua."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
Isabella and Ava returned home to find Finn and Cleo sitting at the dining table, eating the dinner Sabrina had cooked for them.
"Mommy, Isabella, you're back!" Finn called out happily. Cleo joyfully ran to Ava and threw herself into Ava's arms for a hug.
Seeing the two children instantly lifted Ava's mood.
Ava picked up Cleo. "Yes, were you two good at home? Were you bored?"
"A little bored." Finn said while eating his dinner. "Mommy, Isabella, did you have dinner yet?"
"We did. Finn, you should have seen how your daddy protected your mommy today. He was so cool. I've completely changed my opinion of your daddy now."
Isabella chatted enthusiastically with Finn while Ava fed Cleo and tried to talk to her. "Cleo, tell me what you and Finn played at home today."
Cleo's bright eyes looked at Ava, then scanned around the room. Her gaze fell on paper and pen. She ran over on her little legs, grabbed them, and started writing - Finn was in his lab, Cleo was watching Finn.
Cleo's handwriting was very neat. Ava could read it clearly. She sighed softly, her face showing a smile but her eyes flashing with deep sadness and helplessness.
She knew she couldn't rush Cleo to speak.
But with Cleo continuing not to talk, she felt more anxious and worried with each passing day.
Maybe she still needed to see a psychologist.
Certainly not Thea - she would never entrust her child to her again.
She needed to find another psychologist to properly examine Cleo.
A black car stopped steadily in front of Ava's apartment building.
The distinguished man sat in the car with no intention of getting out. The window rolled down, revealing the man's handsome profile. He raised his eyes, his gaze deep and cold as he looked up at the building.
"Mr. Thomas, aren't you going up?" Samuel reminded him.
Joshua didn't answer, smoking one cigarette after another.
Samuel cowered nervously in the driver's seat, feeling the cold emanating from behind continuously penetrating through the seat.
The not-so-small car interior could no longer contain the chill radiating from someone.
Joshua and Ava's relationship had just improved a bit, who could have expected this to happen.
Just tonight, they received a warning from Ryan. Simple words, yet they completely crossed Joshua's bottom line.
Ava! She's mine. Touch her again and I'll kill you!
Ryan was so arrogant and unruly. At that moment, Joshua's fury was already raging wildly.
Then he was sent to investigate.
The results were even more shocking.
Ava had a connection with Ryan.
As for what exactly their relationship was, they were still investigating, but one thing was certain - their relationship was significant.
Samuel couldn't understand how Ava could be connected to such a bloodthirsty killer.
From what they knew, Ryan was the most dangerous figure in Astoria - cruel and bloodthirsty, unpredictable, with his own powerful organization and an extremely complex information network.
Samuel secretly observed Joshua's expression through the rearview mirror.
Joshua's eyes didn't move. He said coldly, "Speak if you have something to say."
Samuel's body trembled. He braced himself and said, "Mr. Thomas, maybe Ms. Davis and that Ryan are just friends."
Joshua's brow twitched violently. He turned his head slightly, "Friends!"
Samuel felt a sharp, sword-like gaze reflected in the rearview mirror onto his face.
Samuel was terrified.
Joshua's deep gaze glanced again at the floor where Ava's apartment was.
The air in the quiet, silent car had already frozen into ice.
Samuel didn't dare breathe, wishing he could disappear on the spot.
This silence lasted for who knows how long.
Joshua raised his eyes, his gaze deep and cold, with a storm raging inside. He took a deep breath, "She can be friends with anyone, but not him."
Samuel increasingly felt the surrounding temperature was unbearably cold.
Joshua's expression was so dark it could drip ink, the murderous aura around him running wild.
Samuel was extremely grateful he had said less at the time and hadn't told everything. What he investigated went far beyond this. Knowing the relationships involved, what he told Joshua was already putting it mildly.
Ryan's feelings for Ava went far beyond just a significant connection - she had saved his life.
Recently, Joshua had been increasingly concerned about Ava. The more he cared, the more easily he became jealous.
The problem was that Ava was just too beautiful and so outstanding. She had countless admirers, each one formidable.
Gilbert, who spent day and night with her at the hospital.
Ryan, far away in Astoria, who owed Ava his life.
And Timothy, who kept pestering her.
Which one of them wasn't exceptional?
If Ava really ran off with another man, Joshua's fury would probably be enough to burn down the entire company, and the one who would suffer wouldn't that still be him?
Samuel grumbled silently to himself.
After Ava coaxed the two children to sleep, she originally wanted to call Joshua to remind him not to work too late - this man had no sense of time when he was busy.
But Ava called several times in a row with no answer.
Ava muttered to herself, "What's going on? Is he still busy?"
Ava tossed her phone aside and sat on the sofa, pouring herself a glass of water and sipping it slowly. Just then, a text message came in.
"VIP room at Elysium Club. Got a big surprise for you."
Below was a photo of Joshua sitting in a luxurious private room, holding a drink, eyes closed on the sofa.
The message was from Mia.