Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Sitting in the car, Ava felt more and more unsettled as she replayed today’s events in her mind. She didn't know how long that kid named Echo had been verbally bullying Samuel and Sophia, and wasn't sure if there were other kids in class saying things like "you don't have a dad, you're wild children."
She was troubled the whole drive home.
In contrast, the two kids were quite happy. Samuel kept chattering about wanting to learn martial arts from Lewis, beat up bad guys, and protect Mommy.
After everything, Ava lost her appetite, and Lewis had been hurt protecting her from the cup of hot water.
Despite Lewis's carefree and joking nature, he was actually the most tolerant; he only showed his good side in front of her.
Ava wasn't ungrateful. She insisted on going to the hospital first to check his burn. When the hot water splashed , she clearly saw Lewis's holding back the pain. It obviously hurt a lot, but he pretended to be fine.
Lewis repeatedly refused,
"I'm not burned, it's nothing. Let's feed the kids first. Samuel, Sophia, aren't you hungry?"
The two children answered ,
"A little hungry."
Ava sighed,
"How about coming to my place? I'll have the staff prepare dinner, and the family doctor can check your wound. Don't let it get infected in this summer heat."
Lewis paused, a warm feeling rushed through his heart. After chasing her for four years, always being the one pursuing her like a lovesick puppy, this was the first time he'd been invited to her home.
The burn was totally worth it.
Without further hesitation, he turned the steering wheel toward the Davis mansion.
Ava called the family doctor to apply some medicine. Lewis was indeed badly burned, even had a few blisters. This pampered young master couldn't handle that cup of hot water.
However, the person who said he was fine earlier was now crying and screaming in pain as the family doctor applied medicine. The more worried Ava got, the louder he screamed.
Robert came home from work and heard the pig-like squeals from the yard.
Curious about the unfamiliar male voice at home today, he followed the sound inside to see Lewis lying on the sofa while the family doctor carefully applied medicine with a cotton swab.
Ava stood nearby, looking worried.
Robert's face darkened. That dog, actually chasing her all the way home; does he even deserve her?
He strode in, shushed the doctor with a gesture, seized the swab, and pressed it hard into Lewis’s wound.
This time, Lewis nearly fell off the sofa from the pain.
He turned around, saw a zombie-like face, and in his panic blurted out, "Robert!"
Robert raised the cotton swab ready to give him another jab. What the hell? Calling him so familiarly? Who does this kid think he is?
Lewis scrambled up and hid behind Ava,
"Mr. Davis, what a coincidence!"
Robert's anger subsided a bit. He sat on the sofa and interrogated,
"My sister brought you here?"
Lewis nodded, looking smug.
Ava, afraid Robert would strike again, quickly explained,
"Robert, Samuel and Sophia got into a fight with another kid at preschool. He drove me there, and during the argument, he blocked a cup of hot water for me. If it weren't for him, I and the two kids would be the ones burned now."
Robert's expression softened, with his hostility toward Lewis fading,
"Who dared to throw hot water at you?"
Ava answered ,
"Another kid's parent, unhappy with how the principal handled things."
"Was their kid expelled?"
Ava hesitated before answering,
"Haven't heard back from the principal yet. I told him if he doesn't expel them, we'll transfer schools."
Robert immediately pulled out his phone and called his assistant,
"Stop the funding for Seashell International Preschool, and have them return the money we donated before."
Lewis was shocked. This old fox Robert didn't even ask about what happened, he just announced stopping donations and was petty enough to take back money already donated.
Although the other party was in the wrong, his approach of expelling them without even asking showed he was unconditionally protective.
With him watching, pursuing Ava would be incredibly difficult!
That evening, Lewis successfully stayed for dinner at the Davis family.
This time, he used his injury as an excuse not to drink the wine Robert offered. That old fox had no good intentions, being polite to him will just make things hard for himself.
Lewis had been fooled once and won't fall for it again.
In Robert's eyes, another grudge was formed. A man who's so wishy-washy about drinking can't amount to much; he's far from worthy of his sister!
The day after the fight, the principal came to apologize with gifts, emphasizing repeatedly that Echo had been expelled and promising nothing similar would happen again.
Ava had lost trust in this preschool and planned to find a new one.
Over the past few days, Samuel and Sophia stayed home instead of going to school.
Ava didn't work overtime either. In her free time, she searched online for preschools with good reputations, focusing on the quality of the students' parents.
Children are born as blank slates - good or bad doings are taught by parents. They say parents are a child's first teachers. If parents have twisted values, the child won't be much better.
She noted down the good preschools she found, planning to discuss with Robert and choose the best one.
Assistant Stella knocked urgently,
"Ava, we received a court summons."
Ava was stunned, finding it unbelievable. She was a law-abiding citizen who paid taxes properly and never did anything wrong. How could she receive a court summons? Must be a mistake?
She took the document envelope from Stella, already opened from its delivery packaging, and pulled out the contents. The more she read, the bigger her headache grew.
Someone was suing her for plagiarism, with the court date set for one week later.
Ava found it absurdly funny, suspecting someone was pranking her.
She'd been so low-key these past few years, practically invisible, retreating from the top of her industry to operate a small studio. She never posted her work on any online platforms, afraid of attracting certain people's attention.
And the clients she worked with, she maintained great relationships with them. Those who found her usually came back a second, even third or fourth time, trusting her completely.
Who would sue her?
Ava suspected it might be competitors who couldn't compete and wanted revenge out of jealousy.
She had nothing to hide. She wasn't afraid of being sued. If it went to court, she could even draw those designs on the spot.
Ava casually put the summons in a drawer, not even planning to hire a lawyer. There was no question about this - she had ways to prove she didn't plagiarize.
Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
Ava arranged her work in advance, freeing up half a day to attend the hearing.
She brought paper, pens, her previous work sketches and even some finished pieces. She came prepared.
In the courtroom, she sat at the defendant's seat, looking at the empty plaintiff's seat, unable to help but wonder who would show up; she wanted to see exactly who was suing her.