Chapter 39
William hung up the phone, glanced at the person in his arms, and finally pushed away the hands wrapped around his waist.
"I owe you one."
He got out of bed and quickly put on his clothes.
His words harshly pulled Ava back to reality once again. What was she expecting? She had foolishly hoped he would refuse Sarah for her sake.
Reality hit her hard again.
Whenever Sarah needed him, no matter when, he would rush to her side. Even when they were in the heat of passion just moments ago, he could still pull away and leave.
Ava hated herself. How many times did he need to hurt her before she would give up?
Her love, lowered into the dust, still couldn't earn a single moment of his care.
William quickly got himself ready. Before leaving, he turned back to look at her.
"Ava, lock the door."
The sound of the door closing echoed. Ava sniffled as tears rolled down one after another, unstoppable.
She knew that once he left, he wouldn't come back. Right now, in her miserable state, she looked exactly like those abandoned mistresses in TV dramas.
She was always watching his back as he ran toward Sarah.
She had been brave, she had tried to make him stay, but she had never received even the slightest response.
Let's just end it like this, William.
After the divorce, let's never contact each other again.
Three days passed in a flash. Ava went to work and left on time. Without Sarah around, no one assigned her any work tasks, so she spent office hours working on her own designs.
Apart from having to go to William's office for lunch at noon, there was nothing else to bother her.
At noon that day, as she slipped back from the CEO's office, she ran right into Sarah, who had just arrived at the company to clock in.
Sarah wore perfect makeup and a sharp professional suit, her big waves cascading freely over her shoulders. The moment she saw Ava, her eyes were full of challenge.
There was no sign of weakness from recovering from illness. Instead, she radiated confidence and energy.
If Ava remembered correctly, three days ago, Sarah had been deathly ill. Had she recovered so quickly?
Ava casually looked her over but couldn't see any trace of having been sick.
Sarah's heels clicked as she walked into the office, brushing past Ava. Neither of them greeted each other, a silent understanding between them.
When you act too much, it gets tiring.
"Is everyone free tonight? It's my birthday today. I've booked the top floor of Tranquil Joy Hotel. You're all welcome to come celebrate with me."
Ava had just sat down at her desk when she heard Sarah's enthusiastic invitation.
"Ava, you must come!"
Ava felt like she'd swallowed something disgusting. She had planned to go home early after work to rest. Carrying two little ones in her belly had made her constantly exhausted lately. She could never get enough sleep.
Sarah's words caused quite a stir in the office.
"Happy birthday, Ms. Brown! We'll definitely be there with our best wishes."
"When Ms. Brown invites us, how could we not go? No matter who you are, you have to show up today."
"Can I quietly ask, Ms. Brown, will you bring your boyfriend tonight?"
Just as they were talking, a delivery person rushed in carrying a large bouquet of white roses.
Everyone froze.
"Ms. Brown, the flowers your boyfriend ordered have arrived."
Sarah stood up and walked toward the door with a slim waist, looking extremely pleased with herself.
Everyone started flattering her again.
"Nineteen white roses—that means loving each other until old age, rekindling old love. Ms. Brown's boyfriend is so romantic. My idiot hasn't sent me a single flower in all these years."
"Exactly. Men who understand their girlfriends are rare these days. Last year for my birthday, mine gave me a box of wax red roses. I was so embarrassed I could have died."
Sarah held a pen, and while signing, she didn't forget to glance toward Ava.
Ava gripped her mouse tightly, having to admit that at this moment, she was envious.
After Sarah finished signing and was about to take the flowers from the delivery person, he looked at the card she'd signed and asked,
"Sorry, these flowers are for Miss Ava Davis. You're not Ava, are you?"
The office instantly fell silent. Sarah's hand hung in mid-air—she couldn't reach forward or pull back. She had completely lost face. She snapped angrily,
"Don't delivery people check names first anymore?"
The delivery person felt wronged. He hadn't even had a chance to call out the name before someone came to take the flowers. He hadn't been given the opportunity.
Ava stood up and called out to the guy,
"I'm Ava. Give them to me."
The office suddenly went quiet.
Ava looked through the bouquet and found a small card inside with four words written on it: "Happy New Job."
Ava's mind immediately went to Michael's face. The last time she ran into him, he had congratulated her on her new job and said he wanted to give her a gift, which Ava had politely declined.
It was probably from Michael.
Ava didn't plan to attend this party with hidden motives.
She had no intention of developing a career at the Morgan Group anyway. Before long, she would completely leave this city. She didn't care anymore.
Just before the end of the workday, Sarah sent her a Facebook message with a photo.
Ava clicked on it and viewed the full image.
In the picture was a necklace—a thin platinum chain with a gemstone pendant.
Ava's heart sank. She knew this necklace all too well. It was her mother's keepsake.
It wasn't particularly valuable, but for as long as Ava could remember, her mother had worn this necklace and never took it off. It was clearly something very important to her.
After her mother passed away, Ava had sorted through her belongings but couldn't find the necklace anywhere. This had always made her feel guilty about her mother.
She never imagined it would end up in Sarah's hands.
Looking at the photo, Ava couldn't help but remember her mother wearing this necklace around her neck, moving through every corner of their home. Thinking about it, her eyes grew moist.
Sarah sent another message:
[Want it back? Come tonight and I'll give it to you.]
Ava collected herself. It seemed she had no choice but to attend this damned party tonight.
Her mother's personal belonging—she had to get it back.
Not knowing what Sarah was plotting, Ava prepared herself mentally to deal with whatever came. Before leaving, she went to the restroom to touch up her makeup.
When she came out, she ran into office colleagues heading downstairs in small groups.
Tranquil Joy Hotel was right across from the Morgan Group building. You could cross the street to get there, and leaving the office, you could take the skybridge directly—very convenient.
Ava had only been here a few days and wasn't close to anyone. Like a goose out of formation, she walked outside the group. Evelyn, mixed in with the crowd, waved at her,
"Ava, let's walk together."
Among all these people, she didn't fit in. Everyone in this room acted according to Sarah's mood, but only this young girl, new to the workplace, dared to talk to her.
Ava curved her lips slightly and gave Evelyn a look, trying to tell her to keep a low profile so she wouldn't be isolated by colleagues after Ava left in a month. But the girl didn't get the hint and jumped over to take her arm, pulling her into the crowd.
Ava sighed inwardly. This innocent child—since Ava had started working here, everyone else had been eager to avoid her, but Evelyn alone dared to be her friend.
Sarah walked at the center of the group, surrounded by everyone as they moved forward, chatting as they went.
Someone nosy asked,
"Ms. Brown, will your boyfriend come tonight?"
Sarah glanced sideways toward Ava and answered with a smile,
"He'll come. He's the one who booked the hotel. Today I'll introduce my boyfriend to everyone. I'm telling you now, don't be too surprised when the time comes."
Sarah left them hanging, arousing everyone's curiosity.
"Ms. Brown, is your boyfriend a celebrity?"
Sarah pressed her lips together.
"Anyway, you all know him. Don't worry, you'll get to see him."
Everyone gasped.
"Ms. Brown, is your boyfriend that popular young heartthrob?"
Sarah smiled smugly.
"You can ask Ava. She knows my boyfriend. They're quite familiar with each other."
With that, Ava was instantly surrounded by a group of gossip-hungry people.
"Ava, you know Ms. Brown's boyfriend? Give us a hint—which celebrity is it?"