Chapter 13
"Michael, what brings you here?"
Downstairs in the living room, Michael sat on the sofa with his long legs crossed, drinking tea. This was his first time at SilkGrove Estates.
"Mrs. Ava Morgan, you're awake? Mr. Howard Morgan said early this morning that he missed you and asked me to pick you up to stay at the Morgan Mansion for a few days."
The speaker was Jeremy, the butler.
Michael nodded, explaining his visit in one sentence,
"Howard's orders."
Half the pot of tea on the table was gone - it looked like he'd been waiting for her for quite a while.
Ava's ears turned slightly red as she asked Lily,
"We have a guest. Why didn't you come upstairs to wake me?"
Lily coughed lightly, looking a bit embarrassed,
"Mr. William Morgan specifically told us to let you sleep in. He said... said you were tired out last night."
Ava's delicate brows furrowed involuntarily. What kind of suggestive words were these!!
They clearly hadn't done anything last night, yet he made it sound so intimate.
And for an elder to hear this was just awkward.
"Mrs. Ava Morgan, let me help you with your suitcase."
Jeremy broke the awkward silence first, coming upstairs to take her luggage. Ava sighed inwardly - escape was impossible now.
She didn't know what William had told Howard, but to send someone to pick her up with such fanfare - Jeremy usually managed the entire household and wasn't easily dispatched. Howard had sent Jeremy and Michael, too, leaving her no excuse to refuse.
William had anticipated that she wouldn't listen and would try to run away. He also knew that in the entire Morgan Family, she listened to Howard most, so he used Howard's name to make her comply.
Howard's usual MPV was parked in the yard.
As Ava got in the car, her eyes met Michael's across from her. They both fell silent for a moment.
Michael spoke first,
"How's your recovery going?"
Ava knew what he was asking about - it was a secret within the Morgan Family that only Michael knew. She was grateful to him for helping keep the secret, for standing on an outsider's side against William.
"Pretty good."
She replied flatly, returning a polite smile.
"Remember to follow the doctor's orders."
Michael's few short words made Ava's face instantly flush red, as if she were being roasted over a fire. She couldn't explain, but couldn't just accept it either. She knew Michael must have misunderstood Lily's earlier words, thinking she and William had been intimate last night.
The atmosphere in the car became awkward again, though Jeremy couldn't sense this awkwardness - he couldn't even understand what the two in the back seat were talking about.
Finally, they made it back to the Morgan Mansion, and Jeremy took the suitcase directly to William's room.
The living room was noisy - something was going on. Working servants were streaming upstairs to Emily's room with things.
A sound of a bowl smashing came from upstairs, followed by crying.
Ava was going to find Howard when she ran into Veda, who was in charge of the kitchen, coming downstairs. She quietly asked,
"What's wrong with Emily?"
Veda sighed, keeping her voice low,
"Miss Emily Morgan somehow locked herself on the balcony last night and froze out there all night. Now she's caught a cold and is making a fuss about checking the security footage, saying someone did it on purpose. We all work for the Morgan Family - who would dare do such a thing to her without any grudge?"
Ava offered comfort, "You go ahead with your work."
Veda sighed, carrying the broken bowl downstairs to make Emily a fresh meal.
Going upstairs, Ava happened to run into Isabella coming out of Emily's room, looking worried. Seeing Ava, her eyes brightened,
"Ava, you're back?"
Before Ava could go find Howard, her mother-in-law pulled her down to the living room.
"Emily's all grown up but still not sensible. When she catches a cold, she throws tantrums like when she was little - won't take medicine, won't see a doctor. You two kids are so much easier."
"Being sick does make people cranky. If she really doesn't want to go to the hospital, call the family doctor."
Ava said this because when she entered the estate, she'd seen the Morgan Family's regular family doctor's car there, so he must have already seen her. She didn't actually care about Emily's well-being - just being polite with her mother-in-law.
"He's already here."
Isabella replied.
Upstairs, Emily heard Ava's voice outside. Like a rooster preparing for battle, her dizziness disappeared, her stomach felt fine, and she threw off the covers and rushed downstairs to confront her.
"Ava, stop pretending to be nice. You're the one who told someone to do it, aren't you?"
Ava's brow twitched as she put on a confused expression,
"I told whom to do what?"
Isabella hurried over to hold Emily, trying to take her back to her room. "What are you talking nonsense about? Ava just walked in - what could she have done?"
Emily was furious and wouldn't listen to Isabella,
"Mom, Mom, let go. Let me tear this bitch apart. You've all been fooled by her pitiful act. It was her - she holds a grudge from last time...
That's why she had someone lock me on the balcony. She definitely has spies in this house."
Emily was so agitated that she was practically jumping out of her skin. If Isabella wasn't holding her waist, she really would have run over to fight Ava.
Ava watched quietly as Isabella restrained her, a sinister smile flashing across her face,
"Hold a grudge from last time - about what?"
Emily was stumped. She didn't dare openly talk about what happened last time, because Howard in this house would protect Ava.
Thinking of Howard's attitude toward Ava made Emily even angrier. She was an outsider - why did she get Howard's favor? Howard was even closer to her than to his own granddaughter.
"Ava, you angelic bitch, all you know how to do is play pitiful to get Grandpa's sympathy. If you've got guts, come fight me. I won't go easy on you..."
Ava glanced at Howard coming down the stairs and pressed her lips together, swallowing back the words on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes were full of grievance as she stood there with a pale face, letting Emily verbally attack her.
Emily, with her back to the stairs, saw Ava putting on this act of tolerating everything again. It felt like punching cotton. She wanted to tear away Ava's facade - she knew Ava wasn't as easy to bully as she appeared.
"Ava, you bitch, come on! You dare to do it but won't admit it, right? I'm checking the security footage - are you scared? You'd better confess yourself and kneel down to apologize, or I'll give the footage to my brother, and he'll definitely dump you. With your background, do you think you're worthy of marrying into our Morgan Family? You're not!"
Ava still said nothing. Emily finally sensed something was wrong. She turned around to find Howard staring at her with fury.
When Howard was angry, no one in the house dared speak. Even the working servants were extra careful not to make any noise.
Isabella was still holding Emily's waist, afraid she'd go after Ava. She was gentle by nature, only verbally disciplining her children, and was rather indulgent with them. She wouldn't even raise her voice much.
That's how Emily's spoiled rich girl temper had developed.
"Howard, I'll take Emily back to her room right now."
Isabella could read the room. She knew that although Howard hadn't said a word, he was already very angry.
Emily looked at Isabella's expression and finally calmed down.
Howard narrowed his eyes and beckoned to Emily,
"Come here."
Howard spoke calmly - no one could guess his thoughts.
Emily thought Howard was going to stand up for her. She shot Ava a triumphant look and walked over to Howard with a coquettish attitude.
But the next second, a sharp crack rang out.