Chapter 141
Ava was feeling down. The party had become boring - just a bunch of people eating and drinking. She figured she might as well head back to her room.
As she reached the second floor, she heard men arguing at the top of the stairs. One voice was the familiar Lucas, and the other was definitely Daniel.
Ava climbed the last two steps and turned the corner to see the two men at the end of the hallway, arguing about something.
Lucas's brow was furrowed so tight you could crush a fly between them.
Both men noticed Ava. Daniel said indignantly,
"You tell Ava and let her judge. There's no one as unreasonable as him!"
Hearing her name mentioned, Ava walked over slowly and asked,
"What's going on?"
Seeing someone to settle the dispute, Daniel started complaining,
"His air conditioning broke, so I kindly invited him to cool off in my room. But then he said he was still hot and wanted to take my cooling blanket. How can he just borrow that?"
Lucas clutched the blanket bundled against his chest, his attitude firm,
"I already slept with this blanket. I'll take it and buy you a new one. Why are you making such a big deal about it?"
Daniel huffed,
"This isn't about the blanket. Can't you be reasonable?"
No matter what Daniel said, Lucas wouldn't let go. He was determined to have that blanket today.
Daniel stomped his foot in frustration,
"Ava, look at the kind of friend you have. A grown man who won't listen to reason at all. Even kindergarten kids know you can't take things that aren't yours. Why can't he understand something so simple?"
Ava listened quietly for a while. These two weren't really arguing - they were clearly flirting.
"I have an idea, if you want to hear it?"
Daniel perked up,
"Ava, tell us!"
Ava said slowly, "How about you two just share a room? That solves both the air conditioning problem and the blanket problem. No more fighting over it."
Daniel's face turned pale, then flushed. The next second,
"Who wants to share a room with that beast?!"
He slammed the door and went inside.
Ava shrugged, "You're locked out. Better go make up with him. By the way, why does Mr. Wilson always call you a beast?"
Lucas, hugging the blanket, raised an eyebrow,
"Ava, when did you become so naughty?"
Ava smiled,
"Not at all. Seriously, though, I'm kind of jealous of you two. How's business lately? Getting many orders?"
Lucas nodded,
"Pretty busy. Got a big order that Daniel referred to me - designing high-end uniforms for their hotel managers. The design is almost finished."
Ava was surprised,
"The Wilson family's chain hotels are everywhere in the country. That's a huge order. You're going to make a fortune after this job!"
Lucas smiled, "Making a fortune doesn't matter. As long as he's happy."
Ava felt like she'd just been fed dog food,
"Alright, alright, I know you're not short on money. Go make up with him. I'm heading back to my room to rest."
After being delayed here for a bit, Ava returned to her room to find William inside. She thought he'd be tied up for a while - dealing with Sarah, that angelic bitch, would surely take time. She didn't expect him to be back before her.
William looked at her with a serious expression, his eyes complex and unreadable.
Ava's eyelid twitched as she asked, "You're back?"
William didn't respond. Ava held onto the shoe cabinet as she changed her shoes, feeling tired and sleepy.
On the cabinet sat his mysterious prize from earlier - three large boxes of condoms lined up in a row, impossible to ignore.
"Ava."
William called out.
Ava's heart inexplicably tightened, sensing he had something important to say.
She paused mid-shoe change and looked up at him.
William lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. He hadn't smoked in front of her for a while.
Ava watched the man exhale smoke, feeling something was different about him today. A conflicted emotion seemed to surround him - a conflict that clashed completely with his usual decisive, cold demeanor.
"What is it?"
She asked.
William stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray,
"Ava, let's get divorced."
Like a bolt of lightning on a clear day, Ava froze. This was the second time he'd mentioned divorce. The first was when Sarah returned to the country. Later, he changed his mind, repeatedly assuring her their marriage had nothing to do with Sarah, saying he didn't love Sarah.
What was his reason for bringing up divorce this time?
Ava felt terrible, but she also wanted to know what made him say something so heartless.
Their relationship had been public for less than three days. He'd praised her highly in front of reporters - all the women in Emerald City envied her as the beautiful and talented Mrs. Morgan, the lady of the Morgan Group.
They'd worn their new wedding rings and held hands, parading before tens of thousands of employees, kissing in front of everyone. Yet now he turned around and mentioned divorce.
Ava felt like he'd lifted her to the heavens only to let go, dropping her straight to hell.
William's face was tense as he told her, word by word,
"Sarah is pregnant. It happened that night."
His words held no anticipation for the baby - just stating facts.
Ava froze for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. She'd just been mocking Emily for being stupid, and now she was getting slapped in the face by his reaction.
Turns out they were all the same - no brains, no heart.
"William, what makes you so sure that if Sarah is pregnant, the child is yours? You haven't been with her every day. You don't know who she's been in contact with. How can you be so certain?"
At that, William's eyes shot up, filled with the viciousness of someone whose territory had been invaded,
"Ava, what are you trying to say?"
Ava scoffed. She realized she'd touched his sore spot.
"Exactly what I said."
William finally lost his patience,
"Ava, she's your own sister. How can you slander her like this? Sarah can be willful sometimes, a bit extreme. I understand her personality better than you do. She's not the type to be promiscuous. Besides, I was her first, even though it happened when I wasn't fully conscious. I feel guilty about that. Don't say such baseless, slanderous things again."
Ava sank into the nearby sofa, her whole body weak and powerless,
"So, you're going to take responsibility for her?"
After a long silence, William said,
"Sarah's body is special. The doctor said that if she had an abortion, she would lose the chance to be a mother for the rest of her life. That's too cruel for an unmarried woman. I can't just stand by and watch, especially since this happened because of me. I'm the one who got her pregnant."
Ava's smile looked worse than crying. It had been a while since she'd felt that knife-twisting pain in her heart. She held back tears,
"Don't you think you're being cruel to me?"
William narrowed his eyes,
"Ava, name your conditions. I won't shortchange you. Sarah's health isn't good. I hope you can understand."
Ava inexplicably thought of her own background. After Sarah appeared, she never experienced fatherly love again. If Sarah came to interfere with her own little family with a bastard in her belly, how could she not hate it?
She glanced at William and suddenly felt a bit sorry for him - a man who was ruthless and bloodthirsty in business, being manipulated so easily by Sarah.
Her mind suddenly flashed to years later, when William would learn the truth. He'd driven away his own wife and child to raise someone else's kid, drowning in regret and pain.
Ava really wanted to see him in that state of agony. How satisfying that would be.
Thinking this, she suddenly felt relieved. She could manage without a father.
Her child didn't need this scumbag for a father.