Chapter 153
Out of the corner of her eye, Ava caught sight of the folder in his hand and knew he was serious.
She didn't want to be polite either. Their relationship was way past that point.
She'd spent three years trying to warm up William, that cold stone, and gotten nowhere. Rather than talking feelings with him, she might as well talk money and feel better about it.
After three years of marriage, getting some money from him wasn't a bad deal, especially with two kids to think about.
Since she'd asked him for this and he was willing to give it, she would sign the share transfer agreement.
"Let's sign it now!"
Ava stopped walking, her eyes still looking elsewhere, avoiding eye contact with him.
William paused and asked,
"Should we go to the car?"
His car was parked in the hospital parking lot. For such an important document, he felt they needed some sense of ceremony.
Ava said coldly,
"Right here is fine."
It was just signing a name, not writing an essay. She didn't need a desk—she could write against the wall, and besides, he had that hard folder to use as support.
William paused, then handed over the folder. The thoughtful James had clipped a pen inside.
Unlike when she signed the divorce papers, this time she carefully read every word on the transfer agreement. After confirming everything was in order, she signed at the bottom.
William's gaze fell on the hand holding the pen. It was this very hand that could design jewelry coveted by the entire fashion world, and now she was using it to sign divorce papers and share transfer agreements—every stroke of the pen was preparation for leaving him.
He'd selfishly thought about keeping her, even after the divorce, keeping her at the company. With her help and under his leadership, the Morgan Group could reach new heights, maybe even replace SWAN Company's position in the jewelry world.
He'd searched for Lolly so frantically all over the globe, and now Lolly was right in front of him, yet he was the person least qualified to ask anything of her. He didn't even dare reveal that he'd discovered her identity.
Thinking of how he'd once mocked her designs and arranged for her to work as the lowest-level intern assistant at the Morgan Group—that wasn't putting her down, it was an insult to his own intelligence.
Ava quickly finished signing and handed the folder back to him.
William took it and closed it. "Ava, I'll come home for dinner tonight. Have Lily make extra."
He hadn't been home in a while and had no idea she'd already moved out.
Ava lowered her head and replied,
"You can call Lily yourself."
She didn't mention that she'd moved out. Outside Howard's hospital room, she didn't want to argue with him.
As they were talking, Andrew and Isabella rushed over with Emily. The family of three had been vacationing out of town and flew back overnight after hearing about Howard's car accident, coming straight from the airport to the hospital.
The moment Emily saw Ava, she bristled all over and rushed forward confrontationally,
"Why are you still here? What exactly did you say to Lewis to make him ignore me?"
Just thinking about Lewis's attitude toward her made her teeth itch with anger. It was all because this woman had bewitched her fiancé. If not for her, how could Lewis treat her so coldly? Now he wouldn't even reply to her Facebook messages.
Ava let out a dismissive laugh,
"First time I've heard someone blame others when their relationship doesn't work out. Instead of chasing after men, maybe eat more and use it to fix your brain first."
Now that things with William had reached this point, she had no reason to keep indulging Emily. She couldn't even be bothered to pretend anymore—time for a direct confrontation.
Emily was furious. She turned to William and said,
"William, it's your dear wife who's sabotaging my relationship with Lewis. Look at her acting innocent. I'm telling you, this woman is really nasty behind people's backs. Everyone needs to watch out for her."
Ava laughed coldly,
"I badmouthed you? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even have had the chance to add him on Facebook or get his phone number."
Emily was so angry that she raised her hand. Just as her palm was about to come down, someone forcefully grabbed her arm.
With a thud, the folder in William's hand fell to the ground.
Ava saw that her own hand on Emily's arm was covered by William's. She paused, then pulled her hand away.
Emily stamped her feet in frustration at missing her target.
Andrew and Isabella caught up. Andrew scolded,
"Everyone, stop it! What kind of behavior is this in a hospital? You two will both stay in your rooms and reflect when we get back. Don't come out for a week."
Emily shook off his hand and said indignantly,
"Dad, why are you just like Grandpa, never taking my side? Ava was clearly the one who did wrong first. She sabotaged my relationship with Lewis, and now Lewis won't even talk to me. Why don't you say anything to her? She should be locked in her room for a year!"
Andrew kept a cold expression, glanced at Ava, and said nothing more.
Isabella picked up the folder from the ground and noticed the large words on the cover: "Share Transfer Agreement."
She looked at William with disbelief, opened the document to read the contents, and nearly fainted when she saw the five percent share transfer to Ava.
William snatched the document from her hands, but it was already too late. Isabella had seen everything she needed to see.
"William, have you lost your mind?"
She looked at her son with questioning eyes. She herself had married into the Morgan family decades ago, given birth to children for them, taken care of her husband, managed everything in the household, and only received three percent of the Morgan Group's shares a couple of years ago.
And now she was hearing rumors that William had signed divorce papers with Ava, yet her foolish son was transferring five percent of his shares to a woman who'd only been married into the Morgan family for three years and hadn't even had children.
For a top company like the Morgan Group, each share's annual dividend was worth millions. With this five percent, Ava would never lack money for the rest of her life.
The stark contrast made it impossible for her to accept this reality.
She'd always been the most mild-tempered, never losing her cool with anyone in this family. Even Howard approved of her as a daughter-in-law. But now, she could no longer contain her temper. Crying, she demanded of William,
"Are you under this woman's spell? Why don't you just hand over the entire Morgan Group to her?"
Andrew realized the gravity of the situation and tried to seize the document. William naturally refused, and in the struggle, there was a ripping sound.
The document was torn.
Everyone froze in place.
William's whole demeanor turned cold, clearly starting to get angry.
He'd always been the most independent-minded. He had the right to handle his own shares as he saw fit, and he wouldn't be swayed by anyone.
William's brow furrowed so tightly it could crush a fly. He gathered up the torn document and looked at Ava, asking,
"Still not leaving?"
One document had made Ava the target of everyone's anger. She naturally wanted to escape, and William was giving her an out.
William extended a hand toward her. Ava knew when to quit while she was ahead. She placed her hand in his and let him lead her toward the elevator.
Those few short steps felt like walking on pins and needles.
If looks could kill, she would have died right there under the stares of the three people behind them.