If Henry was already captivated by Avery's elegant and sophisticated charm, then Henry's slightly naive and honest demeanor equally moved Avery!
Especially after witnessing Henry fiercely beating those four fighters on the pedestrian street, seeing his awkwardness in front of her gave Avery a special sense of achievement. She wanted to lean in and kiss Henry, but she knew that for someone like Henry, who had never been with a woman, the longer she teased him, the more he would crave her.
So she smiled at Henry, moved her lips slightly, then suddenly turned and walked towards her desk, glancing back at Henry, "Henry, I have a very tricky problem right now. I hope you can help me solve it."
Henry appreciated and understood Avery's abrupt end to the flirtation. Although he, like all men, was impatient, if Avery had kissed him, it would have made her no different from Victoria or any nightclub girl. Henry didn't think Avery was teasing him but believed that as a confident woman, her actions were appropriate and reflected her overall quality.
Because of this, Henry's desire to win over Avery grew stronger.
Henry followed her. Avery sat in her chair behind the desk, while Henry stood outside, saying, "Big sister, just tell me what it is. As long as I can do it!"
Avery's face suddenly turned serious, "Erick is trying to extort 1 million from Jason! I heard you took the bar from him, so he must be afraid of you, which is why..."
Henry asked, "What leverage does he have to extort Jason?"
Hearing Henry call Jason by his first name, Avery was surprised, then smiled, "Henry, are you acting in front of me? Jason said you went to his office and threatened him, accusing him of having bad intentions towards your sister-in-law. Why are you pretending to respect him now?"
Henry explained, "Since you know about it, I have nothing to say. I thought it was just a personal conflict between him and me, unrelated to you. I didn't want it to affect your relationship."
Avery nodded, "You have principles. But you should know why Erick is extorting Jason. You must know about the inappropriate relationship between Jason and Victoria, which Erick secretly recorded. You have the video too; Erick just has a backup, right?"
Henry had considered showing the video to Avery to provoke her anger and possibly make her more receptive to his advances. But now, it seemed he didn't need to. He could continue to play the good guy without revealing his scheming nature.
Henry explained, "I do have a hard drive from the bar, but I haven't looked at it, so I didn't know it had anything on Jason. But I understand what you mean. I'll go find Erick and resolve this issue for you."
"How should I thank you?" Avery's eyes were serious, not flirtatious.
Henry knew she was testing him, like Ruby had in the hotel. He smiled, "It's a small matter. I wouldn't let Erick off easily anyway. This is just an extra kick."
He turned to leave.
"Wait a moment!" Avery stood up, "I said Erick is extorting Jason for 1 million. You could ask me for 500,000 to settle it, and it would still be a huge favor. Why don't you want anything?"
Henry smiled, "You're my sister-in-law's best friend and have always cared for me. When I was in the hospital, besides my family, you were the most worried and angry. I'll always remember that. Big sister, don't mention small favors. If you need anything in the future, just ask. Even if you think it's impossible for me to help, just give it a try. You are excellent, even a bit out of reach for me. But I have my strengths, and maybe I can solve problems you can't."
He turned to leave again, hoping Avery would call him back. He believed his heartfelt words would move her deeply, making her fall into his arms.
"Wait a moment."
Avery called him back, and Henry's heart pounded with excitement.
Avery approached him, clearly moved, but didn't embrace him.
"Thank you, brother!" Avery's eyes were filled with emotion but quickly became calm again, "I have another favor to ask."
Henry felt a bit disappointed but smiled, "Big sister, don't say 'favor' in the future. Just tell me what you need."
Avery said, "I'll tell Jason that you agreed to help but asked for 2 million."
Henry widened his eyes.
Avery smiled bitterly, "Brother, don't think I'm a greedy woman trying to extort my husband's money. Our finances are shared, and I've always trusted him. Even knowing about his inappropriate relationships with some female students, I pretended not to know as long as it didn't get out of hand. You might think I'm weak or have other motives, but it's not that. We're both public figures, and a scandal would be bad for both of us. Also, many men covet me, some rich, some powerful, some wanting everything from me. If I divorced Jason over something without evidence, many ill-intentioned men would surround me, causing endless trouble. I still care about him, and we have a son. I don't want him to grow up in a single-parent family. So, even now, I don't plan to divorce Jason, but I need to control the finances. I want to know how much secret money he has."