Chapter 45
Before heading to the meal, Avery and Cecelia took a trip back to the design department.
Once she returned to her desk, Avery put down the laptop she had brought upstairs earlier. In the next second, she heard the beep of a new message from her phone.
It was from an unfamiliar number.
It started with one-three-eight and ended with six-six-eight-eight. The message was: Ms. Ery, I'm about to have my summer holiday. Do you have any plans ten days later?
Avery guessed that the number was Zachary's.
She swiftly replied: I'll be busy with work as I've just received an important project. I need to work to earn money for my living expenses, so I won't be able to bring you around to play. Sorry.
She did not want to interact with Cayden's son that often.
Avery hated the feeling of being misunderstood by Cayden. She did not approach his son because she wanted to seduce him.
Men like Cayden, who had money and status, would habitually be wary of women who approached them with ulterior motives.
If somehow, he was fine with a certain woman, they might end up in a relationship. However, the only things involved in that relationship would be his money and her body.
In a nutshell, it was a loveless relationship.
Avery had seen many scandals about rich men and women, so she knew that those games were something that a woman like her should never get involved in.
Cayden was forbidden; he was her taboo.
No matter how enticing he was, he was a poppy-he was poison.
After a long time, Zachary replied: Oh.......
The multiple dots were an indicator of how upset the boy was, but there was nothing Avery could do. She had to stay away from his father.
Avery had once daydreamed about if Zachary and Rory were orphans-about if they were children that no one wanted. Since she essentially had no parents, she might have adopted the two children. She would then strive to fulfill her dream of a design career while raising the children.
Alas, they were not orphans. In fact, their father was a well-known and distinguished man.
Avery steeled herself and did not reply to the boy.
After keeping her phone, she went out of the design department.
Zayne stood up after that. He had seen the dazed look she had on her face. He did not know who or what she was thinking about, but he was furious with that distracted expression she had.
Right as Avery reached the entrance of the restroom, someone grabbed her hand from behind.
"What are you doing? We're at the office! Let go of me!" Avery retracted her hand and shot Zayne a hostile look.
"Come with me!"
He then towed her into the pantry.
"Let go!" Avery thrashed. "If you don't let me go right now, I'm going to call for help!"
Zayne forced her into a corner before jeering, "Call for help? Can you still cry for help with that throat of yours? I'm sure your voice must be hoarse after crying out that much under that man!"
Avery flinched. "Zayne, don't be ridiculous."
"I'm ridiculous?" As if he had just heard the dumbest thing in the world, he snarled, "My fiancée cuckolded me, but I can't even get to say a few words of complaints? Are you going to pretend not to know me now? You just went through an engagement with me, but in the next second, you're sleeping with another man! Avery Rumpley, don't you think you're a b*tch? Why didn't I learn that you were such a promiscuous woman when we were studying?"
Avery barked out an angry laugh. As she stared at him, she calmly said, "It's not too late for you to learn that now."
Zayne never thought that she would outright admit it, and that infuriated him.
After having been detained by the police for ninety-six hours, Zayne did not dare to resort to force anymore. He could only endure the anger as he hissed, "I must be f*cking blind to have fallen for a piece of trash like you! Thank god I didn't marry you, or else you'd have brought a random man home once old age gets to me and I'm bedbound!"
"Don't you know you're disgusting?" The air around Avery seemed to have turned icy, and she did not want to hear anything else from him. Hence, she turned to leave.
Right then, someone opened the door to the pantry.
When Cecelia, who just exited the restroom, saw Zayne's vicious glare, she quickly said to Avery, "Ery, it's time for us to go."
There were others around, so Zayne had to hold himself back. As he watched Avery leave, he tightened his fists. No man could stand being cuckolded.
She was not his wife, but she was someone he wanted.
From the day he had fallen for her, he decided that the woman could only love him and him only.
Avery had never let him down throughout their years of knowing each other. However, he now knew that she was not the faithful woman he thought she was.
Milana had said that she had more than one man when abroad.
After the bad fight a few days ago, Zayne had been filled with remorse. He was worried that he had wronged her, but a few days after that, he had heard with his own ears those sounds. Thus, he was certain that Avery was a b*tch.
Zayne did not think that a filthy woman like her was worthy of him.
However, he was unwilling to let the matter go just like that. He could not believe that a woman like her had managed to toy with him for five whole years.
There was no way he would endure that in silence as a man.
Even after Avery went downstairs, she still seemed to be in despair.
Cecelia glanced at the entrance before asking her, "Are you okay?"
Avery shook her head.
"The pantry was nearby, so when I came out from the restroom, I heard everything... I'm sure you're not the kind of woman he says you are. I'm afraid your ex has a few screws loose in his head," Cecelia told her.
Avery did not want others to think of her as a promiscuous woman. She wanted to make an explanation, but she did not know where to even start.
In the end, she confessed, "Zayne wasn't completely wrong. There was a man in my house when he came, but that was after we had a huge fight and had officially broken up."
Cecelia turned to look at Avery in shock.
Avery then muttered, "I think that man likes me a little, but I doubt it's true love. I'm not sure why he's fascinated with me-whether it's because he hasn't met someone like me or if it's because of something else. I've rejected him, but I'm no match for his aggression."
Cecelia was not surprised that someone was courting Avery.
What she was shocked about was the kind of man Avery was seeing-what kind of man he was for Avery to describe their relationship as something that happened because of his curiosity and aggression.
When the two reached the doorway, Cecelia worriedly asked, "How are you going to interact with Zayne from now on? You're both in the same department. You'll keep seeing him around."
Avery had made up her mind about that. "I'm thinking of quitting after getting my salary."
Cecelia froze in her tracks. She then slowly turned to Avery and said, "That can't do. Are you pulling my leg? I've spent all my effort on you. If you quit, you're being irresponsible to me."
That made guilt swell up in Avery's heart.
However, it was difficult for her to draw a clear line in her relationship with Zayne and Cayden if she did not leave the company.
Meanwhile, two expensive cars were parked outside Trident Group's office. When Xavier saw Avery and Cecelia, he said, "Ms. Rumpley, please sit in this car."
At the same time, Xavier asked Cecelia to sit in the other car. He told her it was so that she could chat with the business partner, but Cecelia knew that was not the real reason for him to separate her and Avery.
Xavier then opened the car door for Avery, his demeanor respectful.
Fear manifested in Avery's heart when she saw the man in the back seat of the Bentley, but she had to get into the car.
Cayden had been resting with his eyes shut. When he sensed a shadow over his eyes, he opened them.