Chapter 89
Howard raised his eyebrows.
"What, has that little punk William been bullying you again?"
Ava chuckled softly. Why did Howard always worry about William bullying her?
"Grandpa, no."
"I didn't think so. You've been looking pretty good lately. It seems like you've put on some weight. If that kid dares to bully you, just come find me, and I'll deal with him!"
Ava thought to herself that she'd really found herself a good backer. Howard didn't side with his own grandson but favored her, his granddaughter-in-law, through and through.
But if even Howard could tell she'd gained weight, she must have really put on quite a bit lately.
"Ava, how are things going in the design department?"
Ava hesitated. She didn't want to tell Howard about all the office politics.
"Grandpa, it's going well."
Howard made a sound of acknowledgment. "Once you've spent enough time in that department, think about trying other departments. Rotate through all the core departments of the company, then go help William. The boss's wife of the Morgan Group can't stay in the design department forever. In a few years, I'll give you half of my shares. How far the Morgan Group can go will be up to you."
Ava's lips moved. She hadn't expected Howard to have planned things out for her this way, hoping she and William could run the company together.
"Grandpa, William won't let you down. The Morgan Group will get better and better."
Howard smiled warmly. "For the Morgan Group to get better and better, you two need to get better and better, too. Best if I can hold a great-grandchild while I'm still around."
"Grandpa..."
Ava scratched her head, not knowing how to respond. Just then, Lily finished making dinner and called her over to eat.
"Go on, go on."
Howard urged her to go eat.
Ava sat in the dining room, her mind racing. She planned to tell William about this when he returned from his business trip, to put Howard's mind at ease.
That evening, Ava stayed at the Morgan Mansion.
She played several games of chess with Howard in the evening. At nine o'clock, Howard yawned and said he was tired. Ava put away the chess pieces and walked him back to his room.
After settling Howard in, she came out and ran right into Michael standing at the top of the stairs, covering his mouth and nose with one hand, coughing hard.
Seeing Ava, he coughed violently a few more times.
"Michael, are you okay? Should you go to the hospital?"
Michael waved his hand, trying to calm himself down.
"Asthma, an old problem."
"Do you need me to get you some water?"
Michael smiled. "That would be great."
The water dispenser was on the first floor. Ava walked past him and headed downstairs.
"Michael, no need to be polite with me. You've helped me so many times."
This was like their little secret. Michael smiled knowingly, looking somewhat weak overall.
Sitting in the living room, Michael pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, poured a few pills into his palm, and swallowed them with the water Ava brought him.
"Ava, did you block me on Facebook?"
Ava's mind went blank. Last time, William had forced her to block Michael, and she'd forgotten to unblock him afterward. Now that Michael was asking her directly, she wanted to scratch the walls. How could she have forgotten about this?
At this moment, she was too embarrassed to know what to say.
If she said that jerk William forced her to do it, it would seem like she was trying to drive a wedge between them. But she couldn't admit she did it herself, could she?
"Michael, I cleaned out a bunch of realtors and spam accounts from my friends list the other day. I must have deleted you by mistake. I'll add you back right now."
Michael's lips curved slightly. He casually picked up some grapes from the fruit plate on the table, acting like it didn't matter.
In just a few seconds, Ava said awkwardly, "Michael, I've added you back."
Michael took out his phone and looked. In the chat window, she had sent him a panda emoji holding up a sign that said "sorry."
"Ava, it's fine. Come have some fruit."
"Michael, I heard you haven't been going to the office lately. Are you feeling okay?"
Michael pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands.
"It's nothing serious. Probably some pollen allergies are triggering my old problem. A few days of rest and I'll be fine."
Since Michael came back, all the flowers planted in the villa's yard had been dug up, leaving only greenery. But it was flower season now, with flowers everywhere in the streets, and the pollen in the air was beyond what he could handle.
Ava felt sorry for Michael. Such a refined person was stuck with this kind of problem.
"Ava, could you do me a favor?"
Ava's thoughts were pulled back. "Michael, what do you need help with?"
In Ava's mind, Michael was as unfathomable as William, both belonging to that category of people who could control everything with one hand. The difference was that William was like a proud peacock, doing everything out in the open, openly crushing anyone who opposed him, able to beat anyone into submission with his abilities.
But Michael was different. From her interactions with him, Ava had sensed that this person was extremely calculating. On the surface, he seemed gentle as jade, but his methods were just as ruthless. Anyone who crossed him would meet a bad end, too.
Ava didn't know what kind of favor someone with so much money and power would need from her.
Michael opened his phone's photo album, pulled up a set of images, and showed them to Ava.
"A new collection from Christian Siriano. They need a model. Could you come be the spokesperson for Christian Siriano?"
Ava was so nervous that she scratched her knee. "Michael, you should find a professional model for endorsements. Besides, I..."
Her eyes fell on her waist and abdomen. Her waistline had been expanding rapidly lately. She had that much self-awareness at least.
Michael chuckled softly. "It's fine. I just think the style of Christian Siriano's brand matches your temperament well, and you're the boss's wife of the Morgan Group. You're the most suitable person to be the spokesperson."
Ava suddenly had an epiphany, remembering William's warning at home. Could Michael really have some inappropriate feelings for her?
At this thought, she felt uncomfortable all over, a bit restless.
Yet Michael acted completely businesslike, discussing work with her, his words and actions all perfectly measured, without a hint of impropriety.
"Michael, I'm probably not suitable to endorse the Christian Siriano brand. Why don't you find a model instead? The Jones Media should have plenty of suitable candidates. They even came to the house today to propose to Emily. The marriage has been settled by both families. With the relationship between our families now, asking them to find a suitable model should be easy."
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Emily's not young anymore. It's time someone managed that spoiled princess attitude of hers."
Ava made awkward small talk with him for a few more moments, thinking of what excuse she could use to go upstairs. Just then, her phone rang. Without thinking, she pressed the answer button.
When her eyes fell on the phone screen, she was so startled she almost threw it.
"William, why, why aren't you wearing any clothes?"