Chapter 183
After hanging up the phone, William got into his car. One hand holding a cigarette rested on the car window. The cigarette had burned halfway down, but he hadn't taken a single drag.
After a long while, he stubbed out the cigarette and put away the remaining half pack, as if he'd decided to quit smoking for good.
About ten minutes later, James sent him a location pin.
"Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Morgan has moved to this neighborhood. Here's the address."
He fastened his seatbelt and slowly drove out of the hospital.
Meanwhile, Ava received an email from the leadership at SWAN, inviting her to develop her career in Lumaria. The salary was several times higher, and the conditions they offered were tempting. She hesitated for a long time without giving a reply.
She wasn't sure if she could manage it—being alone with two babies in a foreign country.
She had thought about leaving Emerald City, but hadn't considered leaving Novaria. In her own country, at least she still had friends. Even if they didn't keep in touch, there was an inexplicable sense of security in her heart.
She closed her laptop and opened Facebook, asking in the small group chat with Lucas and Olivia.
"What do you guys think about me taking the baby abroad?"
Olivia replied quickly:
"As long as there's no William, anywhere is good. Take the kids and go far away. Let him stay in Emerald City, raising someone else's son, haha. I really want to see William's face when he finds out the truth."
Olivia's words helped Ava make up her mind. She really should stay far away from him—the farther the better. Ideally, they'd never see each other again.
With this thought, she immediately replied to SWAN's email:
[I accept your company's conditions and can officially report for duty in half a month.]
Just minutes after she sent the email, they sent back a contract, asking her to check if there were any problems. If not, she could sign it online first.
Ava was surprised. It was the middle of the night over there. She hadn't expected SWAN's leadership to be waiting for her reply. Their sincerity really touched her.
The contract clearly stated her benefits once she got there. Most importantly, they would arrange her accommodation, which would save a lot of trouble.
Her phone rang beside her. She picked it up casually.
"Ms. Davis, there's a Mr. Morgan at the neighborhood entrance saying he's your husband. Can I let him in?"
Ava froze for a moment, pulled the phone away to check the screen—it was a call from the neighborhood security guard.
"I don't know him. Please don't tell him my exact apartment number."
The security guard looked at William. From his appearance, he didn't look like a bad person at all.
"Ms. Davis, he knows your exact apartment number."
Ava was silent for a moment.
"He and I have some personal grudges. Please don't let him in. I'm afraid he might threaten my life."
The guard hung up the phone and told William with great regret:
"Sorry, Mr. Morgan. Ms. Davis says she doesn't know you. I can't let you in. Why don't you two communicate some more?"
William's brow furrowed slightly. He took out his phone and dialed Ava's number. After the ringing tone continued for a minute, it was naturally disconnected. When he dialed again, a crisp robotic female voice sounded.
She had turned off her phone!
William stood there with his hands on his hips for a while, then went to negotiate with the security guard again. The guard was responsible and gave him no hope, directly refusing.
With negotiations unsuccessful, he returned to his car once more and called James:
"Buy an apartment in the neighborhood where Ava lives. Within one hour, I want to own a unit there."
An hour later, William successfully drove his car into the neighborhood.
Ava was in her study working on her design drafts when there was a knock at the door.
She had ordered groceries on her phone. Without thinking much, she put down what she was holding and went to open the door.
When she saw that handsome face, she froze for a moment. By then, it was too late to close the door. William strode in with his long legs, as comfortable as if he were returning to his own home.
Ava was forced back a step by his presence, clearing the doorway.
William entered and kicked off his shoes directly. There were no men's slippers in the house, so he onto the floor barefoot . Ava couldn't tell if his mood was good or bad at this moment.
After a long silence, William spoke first:
"Ava, come back to SilkGrove Estates with me."
Ava refused decisively:
"I'm not going back."
William was a bit at a loss with her.
"I had Sarah move out. No one will bother you anymore."
Ava scoffed, thinking to herself: She's not just bothering my eyes. Can you cut off all contact with her?
"Where she lives has nothing to do with me. You can take her back home to care for her without considering my feelings. I don't want to go back anymore."
She looked around the rented apartment. Though not large, she had decorated it very warmly. Most importantly, there were no annoying people to upset her.
"This is my home."
For the first time, William felt at a loss facing her. This woman was now completely unmoved by either persuasion or pressure, completely unwilling to listen to him.
He asked with a frown:
"Will you come back with me, or should I move in here?"
Ava was shocked by his shameless words. Someone as difficult to please as he is, picky about food, necessities, and environment to the point of obsession—why would he leave his big villa to squeeze into her rental apartment?
She didn't want to serve him.
"Mr. Morgan, aren't you forgetting something? We're divorced."
William hooked his lips in a rather roguish manner:
"But we haven't gone through the procedures yet. You're still my legal wife."
Ava lowered her head.
"What's the point of saying all this now? We're going to divorce sooner or later anyway. Why make each other miserable?"
She had made such a big decision to hide from him and come here. She didn't dare live in the villa her mother left behind and rented an apartment instead. She'd only been here a few days and he'd already tracked her down. If she'd known this would happen, why had she gone through all that trouble?
"The conditions here are simple. I'm afraid Mr. Morgan won't be used to it."
William loosened his tie and stepped closer, directly backing Ava against the shoe cabinet. The next second, he lifted her up and placed her on the cabinet, his hands braced on either side of her legs, bending down to look at her.
This version of William made Ava feel like a stranger. She felt that his hard, cold face was showing a bit of warmth at this moment—a feeling she'd never had in these three years.
She didn't know why she was feeling this way. Most likely she was confused from being sick with a fever these past few days.
The silence lasted a few seconds. William broke the strange atmosphere first:
"Ava, are you feeling bad?"
His voice was low, his eyes hiding tenderness so thick it couldn't dissolve.
Ava stared into his eyes, seeming to hear something melting in her heart, drip by drip. She silently cursed herself—pathetic. He'd only asked one caring question and she was already about to make excuses for the wrongs he'd committed.
Ava cleared her throat:
"I'm much better after taking medicine. Once the fever's gone, I won't feel bad. I'll be fine after resting a few days."
William raised one hand and tucked the stray hair at her forehead behind her ear. He bent down a bit more until his gaze was level with hers, the corners of his mouth hooked up:
"I'm asking if the little one in your belly is making you feel sick?"