Chapter 228

Chapter 228

At that moment, Samuel and Sophia had already drifted off into sweet dreams.

Robert stood on the living room balcony, calling Ava.

"Ava, both kids are asleep. We're planning on taking them to the aquarium and museum tomorrow, then fly back the following day.."

Since the two children went to Emerald City with Robert, Ava hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, having one nightmare after another.

"Robert, you didn't run into anyone you shouldn't have, did you?"

Robert paused for a moment.

"We did run into him, but he and the kids didn't see each other. I was being extra careful, so don't worry."

Hearing this, Ava's heart leapt into her throat. They had actually crossed paths in Emerald City? In a city this vast, with millions of people, what were the chances?

"Robert, please keep a close eye on Samuel. That kid is full of tricks."

Speaking of Samuel, Robert felt a bit of a headache coming on. He had a nagging feeling the little guy was hiding something from him, always sneaking off behind closed doors to play alone in his room.

"Alright, I got it. You should get some rest."

After Ava hung up, she sneezed several times in a row. What she didn't know was that William, after failing to find F and losing the signal, had driven straight to the cemetery in the suburbs.

Right next to Nancy's grave was Ava's cenotaph.

William had bought two bouquets of flowers on the way and placed one at each grave.

In the dead of night, he didn't feel scared at all, talking to himself in front of the tombstones.

"Ava, that old man said you're in Harmony City. Are you really in Harmony City? Should I come find you?"

The cemetery lay in an eerie silence, broken only by his voice and the faint breathing of James and the bodyguards nearby.

He crouched down to carefully wipe clean the photo on Ava's grave, then kowtowed several times at Nancy's grave before getting up to leave.

James and the bodyguards followed closely behind.

As the car drove back into the city, he dropped off the bodyguards, keeping only James.

"Book tickets for tomorrow. We're flying to Harmony City."

James was driving when his expression froze.

"Mr. Morgan, you have an important meeting tomorrow morning, and you're scheduled to play golf with Mr. Baker from NovaCore Corp. in the afternoon."

The meeting could be pushed back a day or two, but the appointment with Mr. Zachary Baker couldn't be canceled. The collaboration between the two companies had taken so long to work out, and if they postponed now, who knew when they'd get another chance.

William's voice was cold as he said, "Cancel them!"

James silently thought that his colleagues working on this project could kiss next month's bonuses goodbye.

After dropping William off at his place, he booked tickets for early the next morning.

The next day, James showed up right on time at William's apartment complex.

William came down with a suitcase, looking like he planned to stay for quite a while.

James was mentally prepared and knew what to tell his fiancée.

At ten in the morning, William and James landed in Harmony City and checked into Cascade Haven Hotel as usual.

This time, he decided to stay for a while, until he found Ava's grave. Ava's disappearance remained an unfillable void in his heart. No matter what, he needed to know where she was, even if it was just a cold tombstone.

He first had James contact all the cemetery management offices in Harmony City to search their systems and pull up lists from each cemetery.

While James was occupied, William visited a real estate agency in Harmony City. If he was going to be coming here often, owning a place would simply be more practical.

While he was house hunting, Robert received a report from his assistant.

"Mr. Davis, William wants to buy property in Harmony City. He's interested in the river-view units at our Blue Horizon Residences development."

At the aquarium with the two kids, Robert was photographing sharks when the assistant’s words landed—and something in them instantly unsettled him.

"What's he doing buying property in Harmony City?"

The assistant replied, "Not sure. I heard he pushed back a lot of urgent work and caught an early morning flight here. Must be something important."

Robert couldn't make sense of William’s move. The Morgan Group’s operations and partners were concentrated in the north—they had no presence in Harmony City at all.

Only someone planning to stay long-term would buy property. What on earth was that bastard William scheming?

"Notify all our property managers - if William Morgan comes to buy, tell him everything's sold out. Keep a close eye on him, and report any suspicious activity immediately."

"Yes, Mr. Davis."

All the upscale residential communities worth mentioning in Harmony City were developed by the Davis Group. Those low-end complexes built by small developers probably wouldn't appeal to someone of William's wealth and status.

Robert wouldn't give him a chance to settle down in Harmony City.

After hanging up, Robert looked down at the two kids, feeling uneasy. Something told him William wasn’t in Harmony City for work—but for Ava and the children.

He wondered uneasily—had William somehow gotten wind of something?

At that moment, Sophia was focused on using her little camera to record the sharks, wanting to capture the perfect angle to show Mommy.

Samuel had caught the name “William” during Robert’s phone call. He straightened slightly, straining to hear more, but Robert had already hung up.

He opened his phone watch and checked the small screen—the other party wasn't monitoring his location online. They must have been fooled by his decoy yesterday and stopped trying to track him through GPS.

So stupid. He couldn't understand what Mommy had ever seen in him.

Samuel relaxed and finally felt safe keeping his phone watch turned on.

That afternoon, Robert took the two kids to visit the museum. In the evening, Aurora packed their suitcases and toys.

Robert called the two children over.

"We're going home tomorrow. Did you have fun this time?"

Sophia's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.

"Yes! I'm going to tell Mommy everything I saw."

Samuel replied half-heartedly, "It was fun."

His purpose for this trip had been to find his dad, but the result only left him disappointed. He wanted a father—but not one who belonged to someone else’s heart.

In that case, he'd rather not have one at all.

Robert noticed the little guy's reaction.

"Samuel, your expression doesn't look very happy. If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

Samuel shook his head.

"I'm not unhappy, I just miss Mommy."

Robert patted Samuel's little head.

"Alright then, tomorrow we'll fly back to see Mommy."

With William suddenly showing up in Harmony City, Robert felt restless staying here. He was eager to get home.

Early the next morning, Robert boarded the flight back to Harmony City with the two children and Aurora.

The first thing after landing was to take the two little ones to SereneShine Studio.

It was the first time the two children had been separated from Ava for so long, and they missed their mother terribly. The whole way, their little mouths kept chattering - they wanted to show Mommy photos, they'd brought gifts for Mommy, and next time they wanted to bring Mommy along too.

Ava couldn't focus on her work all morning, just waiting for her two babies to come home.

As soon as the two kids walked in, they threw themselves into Ava's arms, one on each side, giving her kisses.

Sophia: "Mommy, did you miss me?"

Samuel: "Mommy, I was very good. I didn't cause any trouble."

Ava held both children in her arms, her heart finally at ease.

Robert sat on the sofa in her office. After waiting for the two children to finish their reunion with their mother, he spoke carefully.

"That scumbag is in Harmony City."

Ava's body suddenly went rigid.