Chapter 82
Ava curled her lips, "Then let's go."
It was time to settle the score between them.
The two arrived at the café. Ava took the lead and sat down at a spacious spot by the window. Sarah followed and sat across from her, ordering two iced Americanos.
Ava asked the server for a glass of lemon water, then turned to Sarah with a smile,
"Just order for yourself. I'm pregnant, I don't drink coffee."
Sarah's lips trembled. She found Ava's smile particularly mocking. The word "pregnant" that Ava casually mentioned pierced Sarah's ears like a sharp sword.
"Ava, tell me what you want to drink, and I'll order it for you."
The way Sarah called her name made Ava's hair stand on end.
"William's not here. You don't need to pretend. Just be yourself."
Sarah paused for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. Just then, the server brought the lemon water. Sarah took the glass and respectfully pushed it in front of Ava.
"Ava, this is only the second time I've called you so sincerely since we've known each other, treating you as my sister.
I remember when we first met, Dad brought me home. On the way, he told me there was a sister at home waiting to play with me. I was so happy. Who knew you wouldn't like me, wouldn't let me get close, and told my mom and me to get out, saying it was your home."
Hearing this made Ava's heart ache terribly. When Sarah and her mother walked through that door, her own mother's body was barely cold. Steven didn't even give her a heads-up before bringing his mistress and her daughter straight to the villa her mother owned before marriage. How could she accept that?
Sarah softened her attitude, as if pleading with her,
"Ava, can you give William to me? I can't live without him, please. You can have anything you want—your mother's villa, Dad's company, all of it. Money too. Just give him to me. We're real sisters, we share the same blood. You wouldn't watch me die, would you?"
Sarah's words were earnest, crying pitifully, completely taking on the posture of the weaker party begging her.
Ava silently watched her performance, her gaze drifting to the window. That black Volkswagen was parked outside. She was constantly on guard against Sarah now—when Sarah went crazy, she was capable of anything.
Sarah cried for a long time, crying until she hiccupped, her eyes red like a rabbit's. Anyone who didn't know better would think Ava had bullied her somehow.
She grabbed Ava's hand, begging desperately,
"Ava, William and I have over ten years of feelings for each other. We were each other's first love. We've done everything couples should do. He's held my hand and been inside my body. Our souls merged long ago—we've become one person. He's said countless times he would marry me and give me an unforgettable wedding. Don't you mind any of this?
He married you, but won't make it public. Don't you know why? In his heart, the only person who can stand by his side is me. He's saving that spot for me."
Ava knew Sarah was deliberately trying to provoke her, but hearing her say all that still made her blood run cold. She couldn't deny it—she too looked forward to a wedding. Even if it wasn't grand, it would be openly accepting blessings from family and friends with him.
A secret marriage wasn't easy. Over three years, she'd grown used to the bitterness in her heart. She thought she didn't care anymore. Sarah's words, half-true and half-false, still easily tore open her wounds.
What woman doesn't want to be openly introduced by her husband as "This is my wife"?
She dreamed of hearing those words from his mouth.
Three years of secret marriage—Ava had little contact with his circle. He never took her to business events. When he needed a female companion, he'd rather bring his company secretary than his legal wife.
Seeing that Ava's expression had changed, Sarah added fuel to the fire,
"Ava, get rid of the baby in your belly and go live somewhere no one knows you. We'll give you however much money you need. That way, all three of us will be better off. You'll still be my sister, and he'll be your brother-in-law."
Ava pulled her hand back in disgust, as if hearing a joke. Telling her to abort the baby in her belly—she really dared to say it.
"Sarah, you're a woman, yet you say such vicious things. Crying in front of me is useless. I'm not William, and I've never acknowledged you as the sister picked up from outside. I won't sympathize with you, so save your crocodile tears."
What was she thinking, actually wanting her to abort the baby and leave William? The baby was now her only family in this world.
Hearing this, Ava didn't want to talk anymore.
"Sarah, I have nothing to say to you."
She stood up to leave, then turned back to tell her,
"I won't get divorced. I'll safely give birth to my baby."
"Ava, don't you want your mother's belongings back? Don't you want the EastLake Villas where you lived together?"
When provocation didn't work, Sarah changed tactics. She knew Ava couldn't let go of her short-lived mother—that was Ava's bottom line.
Ava's steps halted, and she returned to her seat.
"You sold the villa, and now you have the nerve to ask that?"
Sarah was taken aback,
"Ava, selling the villa was temporary. Dad's company ran into some trouble recently and urgently needed money. Dad had no choice—don't blame him. His company will all be yours in the future. Right now, he's just working for you."
Ava laughed coldly,
"The Brown Group was built with my mother's private savings. I'll get the company back, and I'll get the villa back too. These aren't conditions you can use to negotiate, because they should have been mine all along. You're not worthy.
I suggest you hold onto what you have and stop coveting other people's things. To make you suffer, I won't get divorced. If you want to be a mistress like your mother, be one for life. Don't put on an act in front of me—I'm not buying it."
Sarah felt mocked. Was she coveting other people's things? No, they were all hers—the villa, the company, the money, the man should all be hers. It was that bitch who stole her things.
"Ava!"
She shouted sharply, and the string that had been taut in her mind finally snapped.
"I'm not a mistress. William and I truly love each other. I saved his life, and he said he would marry me and make me the happiest woman in the world. You're the one who came between us and stole everything that should have been mine."
Ava also had a fire burning in her heart,
"So just because you saved him, he has to marry you?
William and I got married willingly. We're legal and proper, acknowledged by family and protected by law. The house you're living in is a wedding gift Grandpa gave me. You seduced my husband, and now you say you're not the other woman. Do you think anyone would believe you?"
Ava's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it still drew the attention of other customers in the café. Disgusted looks came from all directions, landing on Sarah.
Without any words needed, Sarah was already being publicly condemned.
A woman around forty, dressed quite affluently, heard Ava's words and lost it. She pointed at Sarah in accusation,
"You look so gentle and weak. How can you do such immoral things? You're the other woman; destroying someone's family won't end well for you, understand? For your own sake and your family's, repent while you can."
The woman seemed to have had a similar experience. After scolding Sarah, she cast a sympathetic glance at Ava.
Sarah suddenly went crazy, standing up and shouting,
"I'm not the other woman! I knew him first, and he said he would marry me!"
The woman couldn't take it anymore. Today, she had to educate this shameless woman who refused to repent. She rolled up her sleeves and walked over to Ava's side, arguing with Sarah,
"Just because you knew him first means you should be the wife? By that logic, if he knew your mother first, should he be your stepfather too?"