Chapter 42
"Sarah, you know I don't like people lying to me. It's your birthday today, so I'll let it go. But don't do this again. I told you I'd give you an answer."
Sarah panicked for a moment. Deep down, she had a feeling - could the answer he mentioned be what Howard said? That he'd give her a large sum of money, settle things between them once and for all, and never see each other again? Maybe it would be best if they never met again?
Then what did all these years of holding on mean?
"William, I didn't really mean to trick you into coming. I just wanted you to have a birthday cake with me. It was them who were too enthusiastic and insisted on coming along. I didn't deliberately try to expose our relationship in front of everyone. Today was just a coincidence."
She pushed the blame onto her department colleagues, not mentioning a word about her lie to get him there.
When William heard her say the word 'lovers,' his brows furrowed deeply. He used to accept this relationship by default, but now hearing it felt jarring.
At this point, the elevator arrived.
William stepped in and pressed the button for the first floor. The elevator doors slowly closed, separating them into two different worlds.
Ava left TranquilJoy Hotel and headed straight to the company. She was desperate to get back her mother's belongings and didn't want to delay even a moment. God knows how long she'd been searching for that necklace.
The night was quiet.
Most employees at the Morgan Group had already left work. In the building, only a few scattered lights were on across several floors.
Ava opened the design department door and used her phone to find the light switch. She had some night blindness and could never see clearly in the dark. Fortunately, her phone still had a bit of battery left.
The office lit up, the light somewhat harsh on her eyes. She paused for a moment, then went straight to Sarah's desk and opened her drawer.
A red velvet jewelry box sat prominently in plain sight.
Holding the jewelry box in her hand, Ava felt excited. This necklace was finally found - she could at least give her mother some closure.
Cupping the small box in her palm, she recalled her mother's face and voice, and her eyes welled up again.
Since childhood, her mother had taught her that a woman should find someone to love mutually and spend her life with, that marriage shouldn't be settled for. But what was the result? Steven had betrayed her mother. And now her mother's good son-in-law wanted to divorce Ava for the daughter Steven had with his mistress. If her mother knew about all this, she would be heartbroken.
She wiped away her tears and slowly opened the box. When Ava saw what was inside, her pupils trembled and her face gradually stiffened.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Inside wasn't her mother's necklace, but her stolen wedding ring.
That incident - it really was Sarah who did it.
She had suspected it, but without evidence, she didn't dare jump to conclusions. Of course, she also found it hard to believe that Sarah's moral standards could sink so low.
Sarah wanted her man, and also wanted to ruin her reputation and her life.
Ava felt a chill thinking about it, wondering what other terrible things this crazy woman might do. If there was a first time, it would be hard to avoid a next time.
She had to do something.
Or maybe she could give her a taste of her own medicine.
Ava put the ring on her ring finger and gently traced it. Come to think of it, it was fate.
That year, the SWAN company specifically asked her to design a wedding ring, so she designed it according to her own preferences and submitted it. SWAN knew how to do hunger marketing - that year, they only made three pairs of this wedding ring to sell globally, with advertisements everywhere, making it a global sensation. Something that many wealthy people couldn't buy even while queuing was actually bought by Howard.
When this ring was lost, she never thought she'd get it back. She tilted her head back, forcing the tears back.
So what if the wedding ring was found? Their marriage couldn't go back.
First loves are always unforgettable. Sarah was still the one closest to his heart. Her relationship with William was a mistake from the start.
This ring should have been on Sarah's hand all along. She was just a substitute.
Ava reminded herself again in her heart that his past confusing behavior toward her was just an act, not to take it seriously anymore - the person he loved was Sarah.
She ruthlessly pulled off the ring and put it back in the box, reluctantly placing it back in the drawer. Sarah's scheme against her must come at a price. She had to make William see the woman's true face.
At the very back of the drawer, her mother's necklace lay there alone, without even any packaging.
Ava picked up the necklace and lovingly pressed it to her heart, as if she could feel her mother's heartbeat.
Her mother's death was suspicious, and she still hadn't uncovered the truth. She couldn't help feeling sad - why was she so useless that even her mother's belongings had to be begged back from Sarah with such humiliation?
Ava wiped away her tears and left the building with red eyes.
"Ava, working this late?"
Ava thought she had misheard, but when she turned around, she actually saw Michael's gentle and warm face. His rimless glasses made his face look even cleaner.
Refined, elegant, noble.
She thought, no one could wear glasses with such perfect grace.
"Michael, what are you doing here?"
It was somewhat unexpected to see Michael at the company at this hour. She remembered Michael had been recuperating and never got involved in the Morgan Group's business.
Michael pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a gentle light.
"I also have a position at the Morgan Group. I just finished work at this hour."
He raised his hand to check his watch. "Want to join me for a late-night snack? You don't look too well."
Ava felt a bit embarrassed. Every time she was in a mess, he saw it. At Sarah's birthday party earlier, she had only eaten some fruit, and at this moment, she was indeed quite hungry.
Before she could speak, he had already decided for her.
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat something good."
Unable to refuse such kindness, Ava followed Michael to the B1 level. Michael pressed his car key, and a Maybach in the distance lit up.
Ava looked in that direction, but the next second, her gaze fixed on the limited edition black Bentley next to it and she couldn't look away.
That was William's car. They hadn't left the birthday party yet.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ava was a bit distracted. Michael's words pulled her thoughts back. Michael had already come to the passenger side and opened the door for her, his hand on the car roof, waiting for her to get in, like a noble gentleman.
These were things William would never do. If she were a few seconds late getting in the car, he would only blast her with exhaust fumes. How could she dare hope he'd open the car door for her?
"Nothing, nothing."
The car drove smoothly toward the main road. Ava wasn't good at small talk and thought the atmosphere would be awkward, but she was overthinking it.
Michael was very talkative, and the topics were light. It was comfortable being with him, unlike that guy William, who would mock people within three sentences.
"Michael, when did you start working at the company? I remember you were always recuperating... your health."
She had run into him a few times at the hospital. In her memory, Michael had always been taking medication.
"The same day as you."