Chapter 43
Ava let out a sound of surprise, "How come I've never seen you at the company?"
After asking, she realized it was a silly question. If Michael joined the Morgan Group, he must be a senior executive - not someone a low-level employee like her would easily run into.
Michael smiled slightly, glancing at her during the red light.
"You haven't seen me, but I've seen you."
Ava fidgeted with her hands uncomfortably. "My eyesight isn't great. Next time you see me, just call out to me directly."
Michael made a sound of acknowledgment and didn't continue the topic.
The car drove to the city center and stopped in front of a courtyard that didn't really look like a restaurant.
Ava got out and followed him inside, discovering a whole different world within.
The restaurant was a private kitchen establishment, decorated with a great atmosphere. There were hardly any customers inside, and soft music was playing.
This place was peaceful amid the bustle, located in the city center yet blocking the urban noise from the other side of a door, giving people a feeling of stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life.
After Michael ordered a few signature dishes, he handed the menu to Ava and chatted familiarly with the female owner - clearly a regular here.
Ava looked at the table full of exquisite dishes and felt her appetite fully awakened. Good food shouldn't be wasted, especially now that she was pregnant - those two little ones in her belly also needed nutrition.
"Michael, you don't seem to be eating much. Did you already have dinner?"
Michael chuckled softly.
"You caught me. I did have dinner at the company."
He picked up a chicken wing with his chopsticks and placed it in Ava's bowl, smoothly changing the subject.
"Go ahead and eat. You must be hungry. Right now you're eating for two, so you need to get plenty of nutrition."
That one sentence dissolved Ava's embarrassment, and she really did eat quite a bit. Those two little ones in her belly were total foodies - when she got hungry now, it was unbearable; she simply couldn't resist.
Ava quietly observed Michael. He hadn't eaten much, but he never put down his utensils, keeping her company the whole time. William didn't have this kind of good manners at all. Both Morgan family men - how could the difference be so huge?
If it were William, he would definitely mock her, saying what was the use of eating so much, it wouldn't add any meat to her breast anyway.
He seemed particularly concerned about her bust size. Ava had heard similar comments countless times over these three years. Hers might not be considered large, but it met Asian standards - calling her flat-chested was really going too far.
Outside the private kitchen restaurant, William sneezed.
After seeing her get into Michael's car in the underground parking garage, he drove over to follow them.
His car was parked right next to Michael's Maybach when Terry's call came through.
"William, the IP address you asked me to trace has been identified - it's definitely, absolutely, positively the Atlantis Hotel."
William raised his eyebrows slightly, replaying the entire sequence of events from last night in his mind, not finding anything problematic.
As that call ended, James called. Last night's work hadn't been in vain - he'd actually found something.
"Mr. Morgan, there was an unexpected discovery yesterday. The record of Mrs. Ava Morgan checking into the Atlantis Hotel was erased by your uncle, Mr. Michael Morgan. And last time when Mrs. Ava Morgan disappeared for a week, she was actually hospitalized. The hospital's medical records and surveillance footage were all deleted by your uncle as well."
William looked at the Maybach next to him, his expression turning dark.
William had long suspected someone was behind Ava. Given James's capabilities, the fact that it took him this long to find just these traces meant the power behind it was no ordinary force. He just hadn't expected that person to be Michael.
If it was Michael's doing, why would he let it be discovered so easily?
He and Michael weren't particularly close, but they hadn't reached the point of being at odds either. Michael had always been indifferent to money and status, never caring about company matters all these years.
For him to get involved at this point, there could only be one reason.
William thought of that woman sitting respectfully in front of Michael and felt angry.
"Why was she hospitalized?"
James coughed on the other end. "Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Ava Morgan's medical records were deleted. Even which department and which doctor she saw is unclear. I haven't found this out yet. Give me a few more days, and I'll definitely find it."
After hanging up, William sat in the car and lit a cigarette.
Men understand men. Michael's intention was clearly to poach his wife, and he was being pretty obvious about it.
And that stupid woman was obediently having dinner with him, while the guy was calculating how to possess her.
After a long while, he stubbed out the cigarette between his fingers and made a call to finance.
"Hold off on the funds allocated to the clothing department for now."
The clothing department was a newly established division at the Morgan Group. In its initial phase, it required substantial capital investment to operate. Michael had joined the Morgan Group, wanting to expand the company's luxury goods business, developing a high-end formal wear line to capture market share.
He had agreed with the idea, but now he wasn't so inclined to cooperate.
Want to steal his woman? Better see if you've got what it takes.
Ava ate to her heart's content and rode back to SilkGrove Estates in Michael's Maybach.
That night, William didn't come home.
The next morning, she was groggily woken by a phone call.
"Owner of unit 14-7-1301, we're really sorry to disturb you at this hour. The downstairs neighbor has complained again. We know you and your husband have a good relationship, but we still hope you can control yourselves a bit. The child downstairs just started middle school and is going through puberty - listening to these sounds every day isn't good for their physical and mental development..."
Before the speaker finished, the phone seemed to be snatched away, followed by an extremely angry female voice.
"Listen here, upstairs neighbor, just because you're having a good time doesn't mean you can ignore everyone else's suffering, okay? Should I record it and post it to the owners' group chat for everyone to enjoy? I'm telling you to be a decent person - moaning until midnight at night, then starting up again before 7 AM. If you don't feel sorry for yourself, at least feel sorry for your man - his body's going to be wrecked."
Ava was confused for a moment, taking a while to understand what was happening.
She silently listened to the complaints on the phone, each word piercing her nerves. She threw off the covers and got out of bed, searching around the room, confirming there were no signs of William having come back.
His needs in that area were indeed quite strong.
When the person on the other end hadn't heard her respond for a while, they yelled again, "Can you hear me? Don't play dead."
Ava's face fell, not even having the energy to cry.
"I'm sorry, I don't live there. Next time, if you hear something you shouldn't, you can go directly upstairs and talk to the person involved."
The other end went silent for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you're the owner of unit 14-7-1301 at JadeDragon Bay Residences?"
"I am, but I won't be soon. I don't live in that apartment either. Please don't call this number anymore. My husband and I are getting divorced. If you have any issues, go directly upstairs and find the person involved."
She really didn't need to explain in such detail to a stranger, but since he kept his mistress there and occasionally disgusted her with it, she couldn't let the cheating couple have too easy a time.
The other person made a sound of understanding, as if they got it.
Ava hung up the phone, no longer sleepy at all. She simply got up to wash up, put on light makeup, and prepared to have breakfast.
She had just drunk half a glass of milk when the sound of a car engine came from the courtyard, carrying towering fury.
William entered in a well-tailored suit, and the air pressure in the living room immediately dropped several degrees.
She coldly observed the furious man. Today, he had changed into a gray suit with a light-colored shirt, different from yesterday's outfit - Sarah's preferred style.
"Was it you who told the woman downstairs at JadeDragon Bay Residences that the person living in the apartment is my mistress?"
He was questioning her while she was examining his clothing.
Ava's grip on her milk glass tightened. She had indeed intentionally led things in that direction, but she hadn't explicitly said anything. The downstairs neighbor was just perceptive - why blame her?
How could Sarah do things but be afraid of people talking about it? Was this having your cake and eating it, too?
At this moment, she became curious - what exactly had the downstairs neighbor done to make him so furious so early in the morning?
Ava picked up her milk glass and took a sip, as calm as an outsider.
"I only said I don't live there. Why? What did the downstairs neighbor say?"