Chapter 59
Ava's face flushed red at his teasing words.
William seemed to be deliberately messing with her, leaning in to nibble on her earlobe. She tried to dodge, but he held her head in place with his hand.
Ava couldn't help but let out a soft moan - her ears were really sensitive.
He knew exactly how to tease her.
"Don't change when we get back."
His restrained, controlled breath spilled across her ear, making Ava's whole body tingle with sensation.
William released his hold on her, both of them breathing a bit heavily.
Ava didn't dare meet his eyes now - they were full of desire. She was afraid of accidentally setting him off and having him take her right here and now.
William brushed aside a strand of her bangs,
"Looks good."
He said.
"From now on, only dress like this at home."
Ava's heart had just softened a bit from his compliment - God knows how hard it was to get a nice word out of him. But hearing his next sentence, she instantly felt like she was too easy to please.
He was still so domineering, not wanting her to be too flashy in public.
Ava scoffed, "Put on makeup and wear a dress at home? That would be crazy."
The whole point of dressing up pretty was to go out and be seen. At home, you didn't even need to wash your hair.
William narrowed his eyes, "You don't have to wear a dress at home. Actually, there are plenty of outfits suitable for home, like a maid costume."
Ava rolled her eyes at him, but his next words were even more explicit,
"Actually, I think you look best wearing nothing at all."
Ava wanted to disappear into the ground. What kind of dirty talk was this?
Her cheeks burned as she looked up at the man, saying such suggestive things - his expression unchanged, wearing the same serious face as if discussing business.
Ava couldn't be as shameless as him. She nervously licked her lips.
She didn't know how seductive that gesture looked to William.
He lowered his head and kissed her lips directly, easily prying open her teeth, conquering her mouth.
Ava was completely defenseless against his kiss.
She patted his chest, but these small movements didn't get her the result she wanted - they only added fuel to his fire.
"Ava, sleep in the master bedroom tonight."
His slightly calloused fingertip slid across her lips, wiping away the remaining moisture. He'd eaten off half her lipstick.
"What's so good about the guest room compared to sleeping in your husband's arms?"
Ava felt wronged. How could he so casually suggest sleeping together tonight, not mentioning a word about the rift between them?
Was he ignoring everything she'd been through, or was he just thinking with his lower half?
They suddenly fell silent.
William's eyes seemed glued to her face, "Ava, don't think about avoiding me. You think a lock can stop me? Is there any door in the house that I don't have a key to? I bought the house - I could tear down the door if I wanted to."
Ava's heart jumped - he'd kept keys!
She'd been foolishly locking the door, with just a door between them, who knows how he'd been laughing at her.
"William, do you think a marriage with three people can work?"
William tenderly rubbed her reddened eyes,
"There aren't three people, just the two of us."
Ava looked at his serious expression, something inside her slowly crumbling. She couldn't stand when he talked like this, his tone gentle, as if coaxing her.
A knock came from behind,
"William, are you in there?"
It was Emily's voice.
William stood in front of Ava, completely still, showing no intention of acknowledging whoever was outside.
The knocking grew louder and louder.
"William, it's your sister."
Ava reminded him, then noticed William's furrowed brow, as if annoyed at being disturbed.
After a few more minutes of silence, William stepped back. Ava breathed a sigh of relief and turned to open the door.
Outside, Emily and Sarah stood arm in arm. Seeing Ava's flushed face, their expressions immediately soured. They clearly hadn't expected her to be inside.
"William, why is she in there?"
After the last incident, Sarah had already sensed William's obvious distance. She now stood to the side, pursing her lips in silence. Emily, with her temper, definitely had to stand up for her best friend.
After knocking for so long, Ava came out with a flushed face - no need to guess what had been going on inside, especially with lipstick still on her lips.
Ava didn't stop, treating the two at the door like they were invisible. William's eyes remained fixed on her until she entered the elevator.
Emily was somewhat dissatisfied with how reluctantly William watched Ava leave. She called out reproachfully,
"William!"
William's attention snapped back. He turned to Emily and asked,
"What is it?"
He hadn't glanced at Sarah once the whole time.
"Daniel said he called you and you didn't answer, so he asked me to come get you. There's a guest downstairs."
William raised an eyebrow,
"What guest requires me to greet them personally?"
Emily said irritably,
"I don't know, he didn't say. Go see for yourself."
William pulled out his phone - sure enough, seven missed calls from Daniel. He turned to go downstairs, pausing for a few seconds as he passed Emily,
"She's your sister-in-law. Mind your manners from now on."
With that, he strode toward the stairs, leaving Emily stamping her feet in anger.
Sarah stood frozen to the side, her fingers ice cold. She'd suspected before that William had feelings for that woman, but seeing him lose himself watching her retreating figure with such longing made her heart ache unbearably.
She knew clearly that her impulsive actions had cost her his good opinion, and instead of achieving her goal, had only pushed him further toward that woman.
She clenched her fists tightly, unable to swallow this humiliation.
Why should she hand over the man she'd loved for over ten years? Ava didn't deserve William's love.
"Sarah, Sarah?"
Emily called twice before Sarah snapped back to attention.
"Sarah, don't worry, I have a way to deal with her."
Emily leaned close to Sarah's ear, covering her mouth as she whispered. When she finished, she smiled smugly.
Sarah was doubtful, "Will this really work? What if William finds out?"
Emily patted her chest confidently, "Don't worry, William values his reputation more than anything. If Ava makes that kind of scene at today's event, there's no way the Morgan family will keep her around. Just wait to become Mrs. Morgan."
The two walked downstairs arm in arm.
In the lobby downstairs, Daniel was drinking and reminiscing with a man, their conversation animated.
William searched around before spotting Daniel. He grabbed a drink and walked over.
"William, where have you been all this time? Why didn't you answer your phone?"
William took a sip of his drink, his mind flashing back to that moment of tenderness in the upstairs room.
Daniel wasn't interested in his whereabouts. His focus was on introducing the person in front of them.
"William, guess who this is?"
William looked at the distinguished-looking man before him. He looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place the name. Out of politeness, he clinked glasses with him.
"This is the heir to Jones Media, Lewis Jones. The three of us were in the same elementary school class. Remember?"
William nearly choked on his drink. He coughed lightly.
"You look pretty different from when you were little."
Lewis had been short and chubby as a child, always getting bullied by William and his friends in class. Daniel had been one of them. William had even given him a nickname.
After so many years, bringing up these old stories was somewhat awkward.
Lewis raised his glass and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.
Compared to William, Daniel showed no discomfort. He had a bit of social butterfly syndrome,
"Lewis, you're not leaving now that you're back in the country, right?"
Lewis shook his head, "Not leaving. I'm planning to get married."
Daniel's interest was piqued, "You just got back and already found someone to marry? Which family's daughter?"
Lewis's eyes turned toward William, "It's not set in stone yet, but I'm confident I can marry her."