Ch. 261..270
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 261
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 261
Chad picked up the phone. “Hello.”
“It‘s me.”
Chad glanced at the caller identification and responded in a cold tone, “You need anything?”
“Careful with your tone, or we might not be selling you the drones,” Mike threatened.
Chad scowled and retorted, “Get over yourselves! Who wants your drones?”
Mike paused for a moment. “Your boss, of course! We received an order from your purchasing department, or is it a scam?”
Chad took a deep breath. “So you are saying that my boss instructed the purchasing department to put in an order for drones?”
“Yeah! Didn‘t you know? Haha, and here I thought your boss trusted and confided in you. Looks like you aren’t worth that much,” Mike said sarcastically, before hanging up.
Provoked, Chad immediately went to verify the matter with Elliot.
Elliot looked up from the computer screen and said, “We always distribute gifts to our employees every Autumn Festival, and for this year, it is going to be drones. Do you have a problem with it?”
Chad was defeated, and he shook his head frantically. “No! I‘m just a bit surprised.”
“It was decided last night,” Elliot continued casually, “Though I‘m no longer in contact with Avery, the products her company produces aren‘t bad.” He would never forget how he had been chased by the drone, and how he had gotten drenched when he had gone to her house a few days ago.
Technology advanced with the passing of time, so he thought of sharing the products with his employees as well. “Oh… Mike called me just now and I wasn‘t all that polite… I‘m not sure if that‘s going to affect the order,” Chad said in frustration. “I should go call him back.”
Half an hour later, Chad and the manager of the purchasing department headed directly to Tate Industries for further discussion.
Avery and Mike welcomed them into the meeting room.
“You want the drones for the Autumn Festival? Five thousand is too large an order, and I’m afraid that we will not be able to fulfill it in such a short period of time,” Mike said. “Well, it‘s
not that nothing can be done if you absolutely have to have five thousand by then_”
Chad could not stand Mike’s arrogance.
“Who exactly is the client here?! We are! So why are we taking this from him? It’s not like Tate Industries is the only place selling drones in this country!” he thought.
“How many can you produce by then?” Chad asked seriously. “We will take what you can produce, and purchase the rest from a different company.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “Haha, is that what your boss says?”
The manager of the purchasing department leaned toward Chad and whispered, “Mr. Rayner, please adjust your attitude. Our boss only wants the drone from Tate Industries.” Chad picked up the glass and took a sip of water.
“If you insist on getting five thousand units,” Mike continued, “then we shall move some stock from some of our overseas branches, but the price will no longer remain at nineteen thousand nine hundred and ninety–nine dollars per unit. We will need to raise the price.”
Chad could feel the blood rushing to his head at Mike‘s words.
“Shut up for a moment! I need to call my boss!” Chad turned on his phone and called Elliot.
Avery picked up the glass and took a sip of water.
Mike was right. The factories under them did not have the scale to manufacture five thousand drones at such short notice. If they were to move stock from overseas, they would need to take into consideration the cost of taxes and transportation. More importantly, the drones would fetch a higher price overseas than they would locally.
Chad was having a hard time accepting those terms as he believed that customers were supposed to be gods.
Chad suppressed his anger and explained the situation to Elliot.
“Chad,” Elliot said coldly, “do you think I don‘t have the money to buy her drones?”
ANAA
“Mr. Foster, that’s not what I mean… I just think that they are bullying us!” Chad said in a low voice.
Avery tapped her fingers on the table and signaled Chad to pass her the phone. Chad readjusted his spectacles and said, “Mr. Foster, Miss Tate would like to speak to you.”
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 262
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 262
Over on the other end of the line, Elliot fell into silence.
Chad handed the phone over to Avery awkwardly, and she set it on the table after putting it on speaker.
“Hello, Mr. Foster.”
Mike tried to suppress his laughter at how formal Avery sounded, while Chad did not say a word.
On the other end, Elliot greeted her with a more formal tone, “Hello, Miss. Tate.”
Avery was stunned.
Mike picked up his glass to take a sip of water; Chad did the same but realized his glass was already empty.
“I feel the need to explain to you that we are not trying to give you a hard time,” Avery readjusted her emotions and explained the situation in a steady tone. “We have already established our factories not too long ago, but we don‘t have sufficient equipment and manpower. According to the current situation, it is true that we won‘t be able to fulfill your order. However, we can assure you that we can have a number of drones shipped over from abroad, but our products are sold at a much higher price in the international market.”
Chad calmed down at Avery‘s explanation. Though she said the same thing as Mike, Chad simply found it more irritating to listen to Mike.
“But because this is our first bulk order in this country, I can sell you the units that we move from overseas at the same selling price as the ones here,” Avery continued.
Mike was shocked. “Why are we giving Elliot a discount?”
Chad, on the other hand, felt relieved.
“This is how you show good faith!” he thought.
Meanwhile, Elliot’s emotionless voice came through the phone once again. “I don’t like discounted products.”
Everyone in the meeting room was stunned, knowing perfectly well that Elliot meant to say that he had the money and that giving him a discount was just as bad as looking down at him.
Mike immediately started clapping. “By the way, let me brief you on the payment process. Fifty percent of the total payment will be charged ahead as downpayment; the remaining balance is to be paid three days after the products have been handed over to you.”
Chad could not accept it. “What you are asking as downpayment is too high an amount!”
“Yeah,” the manager of the purchasing department agreed. “Thirty percent would have been considered extremely high, and you are asking for fifty!”
“Send over the bill. We will pay it in full right away,” said Elliot.
Both Chad and the manager of the purchasing department were rendered speechless.
“If this is how Mr. Foster feels, there wasn’t even the need to send us over! It’s obvious that he ‘s just trying to send Avery money… Oh!” The two thought to themselves, “That’s it! Mr. Foster wants to send Avery money, worrying that her company might go bankrupt without any orders. How thoughtful!”
After the contract was signed, Avery proposed to treat them to dinner.
,
Chad was not in the mood and wanted to leave, but the manager of the purchasing department took Avery up on her offer.
“Why the long face, Mr. Rayner? You are definitely not going to regret buying our drones,” Mike comforted him. “You will know once you get them. The battery lifespan of our products ranks at the very top of the global market, and our Al system is also what sets our products apart from other brands—”
Chad raised his hand and interrupted Mike‘s bragging. “Let‘s just go eat!”
Meanwhile, in the Sterling Group, Ben had just heard that Elliot was about to spend a billion on Tate Industries‘ products.
“Elliot, do you really want those drones, or are you just looking for an excuse to send Avery money?” Ben could not read Elliot. “Didn‘t you two break all ties? When we were drinking the day before, you even said that you were never going to look for her ever again.”
“Why didn’t you question me when I distributed electronics like laptops and smartphones the years before?” Elliot asked.
Ben nodded. “I guess Avery’s drones really are that good then.”
“Do you think that the sales report of Alpha Technologies was forged or something?” Suddenly, the phone on the table started ringing. Elliot took one look at the caller identification and instantly picked up the phone. Taking the hint, Ben left with his coffee mug in hand.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 263
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 263
“Mr. Foster, we happened upon a piece of information suggesting that Miss Zoe is also looking for a doctor,” said the private investigator that Elliot had found overseas. Elliot had hired him to look for a doctor who could cure Shea. “Miss Sanford is looking for a middle aged man around 1.7 meters tall.”
Elliot scowled. “Why is she looking for this doctor?”
“She’s probably trying to get him to cure Shea,” said the private investigator.
Hope emerged in Elliot’s eyes as he said, “We are going to find that doctor before she does!”
“Okay. I’ve found something else. Before his passing, Professor Hough seemed to have taken a secret student. The information on this student is completely confidential, and it appears that he had worked in Professor Hough‘s lab.”
“Can this student be the doctor Zoe is looking for?”
“Yes, that‘s what I am thinking as well.”
At five in the evening, Elliot went to Angela Special Needs Academy to pick Shea up from school. He happened to run into Avery, who was on her way to pick Hayden up, in the parking lot. The four of them stopped and stared at one another in the parking lot.
Elliot immediately looked away and helped Shea into the car. Avery made her way to the driver‘ s seat once she saw Hayden settling himself in the child seat.
The two cars started, turned, and arrived at the school gate at the same time. Luckily, there was enough space at the entrance, so the two cars exited at the same time. One turned left, and the other turned right.
Just as the car was on the main street, Hayden said in a muffled voice, “Mom, I want to go to a different school.”
Shea kept peeping in at him from outside the classroom door, and he had had enough. He had joined the academy to investigate the relationship between Elliot and Shea. Now that he had solved that mystery, he no longer wanted to go to school there.
“Which school do you want to go to? Are you willing to learn and live alongside other kids now?” Avery asked.
Hayden remained quiet.
Angela Special Needs Academy was not a bad place, but that could be because he was the only student in his class. He wanted to leave because he did not want to see Shea anymore.
“Let‘s wait until you finish this year, Hayden, okay?” Avery tried negotiating with him. “If you hate kindergarten, we can try elementary school next year. How does that sound?”
Hayden thought about it and nodded.
Meanwhile, in the other car, Shea grabbed onto the seat belt. Her head was bowed. “Big Brother, can we invite Elliot to my birthday party?”
“He won’t come.” Elliot‘s tone was gentle, but his words hurt.
“Why don‘t they like me? Is it because I‘m stupid?” Tears started to well up in Shea‘s eyes.
“No,” Elliot swallowed, before continuing in a hoarse voice, “they don‘t like you because they hate me.”
“Why don‘t they like you? You are the best.”
“Shea, I am good to you, but that doesn‘t mean that I am good to them,” said Elliot bitterly. “I will spend your birthday with you.”
Half an hour later, the car pulled into the front yard of Elliot‘s mansion.
After dinner, Mrs. Cooper took shea to the backyard to pick some fresh fruits. Shea enjoyed nature. They had planted plenty of flowers and fruit trees in the backyard, and every day after dinner, Mrs. Cooper would take her there to play.
Elliot went into his study.
His father‘s memorial was coming up in a week’s time, and he had been having nightmares the past few nights.
Every year this time rolled around, he would be plagued with nightmares. It had been like this for the past twenty years. He shut the door to the study and strode toward the bookshelf. There was a crimson box on the third row of the shelf. It housed his deepest secret. The reason he had kept it on his bookshelf was because the safest place tended to be the one in plain sight.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 264
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 264
The box had been in the same spot for the past twenty years, and there had been no problems before. Now, it was gone!
When he noticed that the box was gone, he immediately took all the books down from the third rack. As the shelf was attached to the wall, there was no possibility that the box could have fallen down a crack.
After a while, he moved all the books to the ground and searched through the books once again. The shelf was empty, yet he still could not find the box.
“Who is it?!” he thought. His vision grew red with rage. “Who came into my study and took what‘s mine?!”
He vaguely remembered seeing the box about a month ago.
He immediately made a call to the surveillance room. “Pull all the footage from the recent month! Someone has been in my study!”
The bodyguard was terrified. “Yes! I will have the footage pulled immediately!”
“Gather all available personnel to comb through the footage!” Elliot barked as his heart thumped nervously.
“Yes!”
Mrs. Cooper’s heart sank when she took Shea back to the living room and saw the dark expression on Elliot‘s face.
“Sir, what happened?”
“Someone took something from my study,” he said.
Mrs. Cooper gasped.
“Compile a list of people who have been here in the past month and give it to me as soon as possible!” he said. The command given, he took Shea‘s hand in his and lead her to her room.
Shea was slightly startled.
Once they were back in her room, Elliot held her hands and said, “Shea, have you been inside my study room?”
She shook her head.
“It‘s okay, I‘m just asking.” Shea remained quiet for a while, before muttering, “What did you lose, Big Brother? I can help you look for it.”
A bitter smile appeared on Elliot‘s face. “I will find it, so don‘t you worry.”
“I didn’t take it…” Shea lowered her gaze sadly.
“I know you didn‘t.” He led her to the bed and sat her down.
Due to the lack of mental development, Shea was sensitive and fragile, and she could not adjust herself like ordinary people could. He had to find a way to cure her.
He decided to change the topic to a more casual one. “Tell me, Shea, what birthday gift do you want? I will buy it for you.”
The tension left Shea’s expression. She considered for a while, before saying, “I want… Hayden to play with me.”
Elliot scowled, troubled by her request. However, he did not want to disappoint his sister. After all, it was not an impossible request.
Mrs. Cooper came to the room once she had compiled the list of names.
“Sir, I have placed the list in your study room,” she said. “I will tend to Shea now.”
Elliot stepped out of Shea‘s room and strode to the study.
He was familiar with all the names on the list. However, the names: Zoe, Avery, Mike, Hayden, and Layla caught his attention. Before they had come, the box had always been on his shelf.
Elliot first crossed Avery‘s name off the list, knowing that Avery would not possibly take what belonged to him. He did not know why he trusted her so much, but it felt as natural as trusting himself.
After that, he moved his pen to Mike‘s name.
Two of his bodyguards had dragged Mike into the living room, and he had not been upstairs, so how could he possibly gain access to the study room and the box?
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 265
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 265
Along with Mike‘s name, he crossed Hayden‘s name off as well.
Hayden had been to his house twice, but he had remained in the living room during both visits.
Layla, on the other hand, did go upstairs, where she had later been discovered by the others. However, the girl did not seem all that bright, or she would not have broken down crying at the time.
He did not cross Layla’s name off the list, but he turned his attention to Zoe.
Could it be Zoe?
There were people around every time Zoe visited, and she would not have had the opportunity to take something from the study.
Left with no other options, all he could do was wait for the surveillance footage.
Elliot had spent the entire night in the surveillance room, combing through the footage. He did not rest for a moment.
The day he had taken Avery home, the surveillance cameras had been hacked, and there was a three–hour gap. At that time, he had only needed to know if the cameras were still working, but now, he needed to know what had gone wrong.
He returned to his bedroom and try as he might, but he could not fall asleep. When he had discovered that the box was gone, he felt as though his heart had been crushed and ripped apart. If only he could face his dark past, he would have never had to divorce Avery.
At noon, the bodyguards had finally finished watching all the footage from the previous
month.
“Mr. Foster, we checked the surveillance outside your study, but no one has been inside apart from you and Mrs. Cooper,” the bodyguard reported. “Every time Mrs. Cooper came out, all she had were her cleaning tools and nothing else.”
Elliot shut his eyes in despair. He had never suspected Mrs. Cooper to begin with. After all, she had served him for many years and had always remained dutiful and loyal. If Mrs. Cooper wished to betray him, she could have done so long ago.
“The surveillance cameras stopped working the day Miss Tate brought her two children over. Could it be possible that someone went into the study room during that time?” suggested the bodyguard.
Elliot’s eyes darkened. Once the bodyguard excused himself, he picked up the phone and called Avery.
When Avery saw him call, she answered, thinking that he was calling to discuss work,
“Avery, I lost something,” his voice was hoarse and hollow from the lack of sleep.
For a moment, she was taken off guard, “What did you lose?”
“It was still there a month ago. I spent the whole night going through last month’s surveillance footage but didn‘t find anything. A while back when you came to my house, your son broke my surveillance cameras, and there there are three hours of missing footage.”
Avery realized what he meant and felt her heart sink. “Elliot Foster, I didn‘t take anything from you! I wouldn‘t!”
He had given her plenty of expensive gifts from back when they were together, but she had not taken any one of them away with her.
“I don‘t doubt you.” His heart ached at her tone, and he asked, “Can you ask your kids to see if
“I haven‘t seen a red box at my house, and if they had taken something from you, they would have told me,” she said confidently as she shut her laptop. “I will go home and have a look”
“Alright,” he said in a gloomy tone.
Avery felt her heart soften slightly and asked, “Did you stay up the entire night? Was it something important?”
“Very.” He reached up to massage his temple and said in a tortured voice, “If you find that box at your house, please don‘t open it.”
Hokav.”
her throat. She wanted to comfort him but was not sure how. Perhaps the best comfort for Elliot at the moment would be to recover what he had lost.
She stepped out of her office and strode toward the elevator.
She had always known that he was hiding something, but she had not expected him to lose the box with said secret in it.
She wondered who had taken it, but she was certain it was not Hayden or Layla.
Though the children resented Elliot, they would not possibly steal. However, Avery still decided that she would search the house thoroughly. What if the box was really in her house?
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 266
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 266
Laura was at Starry Villa, and she was shocked to see Avery hurry in.
“Avery, have you had dinner?”
“Mom, have you seen a red box in our house?” Avery tossed her purse to the couch and walked toward the children’s room.
“A red box?” Laura followed her and mumbled, “I don‘t think so. Why?”
“Elliot lost a box like that,” blurted Avery. “He checked the surveillance footage and didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, but Hayden had hacked his surveillance cameras when he went to Elliot’s a while back, and Elliot suspects that something had happened during that time.”
Laura scowled. “He thinks Hayden took it?”
Avery looked at her and said, “Mom, I know that you don‘t think that Hayden would do such a thing, and neither do 1; but how many things has Hayden done that have been out of line so far?”
Laura sighed heavily but did not argue. “A red box, right? Is there something important inside?” she asked as she began searching.
“He said it‘s important,” responded Avery with a heavy heart.
“If it‘s that important, why not keep it somewhere secure?” Laura was confused. “If Hayden can just walk right in and take something that important to him, it means that he didn‘t place it in a secure spot.”
“There are bodyguards guarding his house day and night, and there are surveillance cameras everywhere,” explained Avery.
Due to the tight security, no matter where Elliot had chosen to place his belongings, no ordinary person would dare take anything.
Laura did not say anything.
The two of them searched the children‘s room thoroughly but did not find the box, so Avery stepped out of the room and started looking around the mansion.
An hour later and they still had not found anything.
“Avery, if he suspects us, then ask him to come look for it himself.” Exhausted, Laura sat down on the couch.
Avery took out her phone and went to the balcony to call Elliot.
“I didn‘t find that box you were talking about in my house,” she said. “When the kids return from school, I will ask them about it.”
“Okay.”
“Elliot, what will happen if you don‘t find the box?” Avery could not help but feel concerned.
“Nothing,” he said, not wanting her to overthink things.
“Oh… if nothing is going to happen, then go get some sleep and try looking for it again once you have rested.” Avery felt slightly relieved and said, “Sometimes things just slip past us when we get flustered. Maybe it will appear when you stop looking for it.”
“Yeah.”
Elliot had searched his entire mansion multiple times, and he had technically come to the conclusion that the box was not in the mansion.
He had no clue as to who had taken it. If Avery‘s children had taken it, then it had to be in her house. If it was not there, it could only mean that her children did not take the box.
Who else could it be?
Why would someone take it and not use its contents against him? Even if the thief was not interested in money, were they not interested in harming Elliot?
If the contents of the box were to be published, Elliot would fall. However, nothing had been published.
If the thief did not intend on hurting Elliot, why did they steal the box to begin with?
Elliot simply could not figure it out.
He lay on the bed, trying to force himself to sleep, but he could not regain his former composure.
That evening when the two children had returned home from school, Avery had inspected their school bags. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing in there were spare clothes and textbooks.
“Mom, what are you looking for?” Layla batted her doe like eyes, curiously. “Layla, Hayden, have you two taken a red box from Elliot‘s house?” Avery bent down to look the two of them in the eyes. Layla instantly flushed as she panicked, and her heart throbbed nervously.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 267
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 267
“No,” Hayden responded calmly.
“Really?” Avery checked with her son repeatedly.
“No,” Hayden repeated without a trace of emotion on his face.
Avery could only call the quits. If they did not take it and she continued to ask them about it, the children might think that she did not trust them.
Hayden took Layla’s hand and led her back to their bedroom to store their school bags.
Once they were inside the room, Layla whispered, “Hayden, why are we lying? We shouldn’t lie to Mom.”
Layla had only managed to keep it a secret because Avery was not aware; but now that she was asking her about it, Layla did not dare lie.
“Elliot must be going nuts now that he realizes the box is gone,” said Hayden coldly. “If we return it now, he will just blame us for taking it. We are not returning it. Let him worry.”
“Oh… Okay!” agreed Layla. Between their dirtbag dad and her brother, she would definitely side with her brother.
He had originally kept the box under his bed, but they had moved it. They buried it under a tree in the yard two days ago. They had done it as Hayden had discovered the contents of the box, a piece of paper. Once he realized how important the box was, he knew that it could not be left carelessly under the bed, so, they moved it.
It was a good thing that they did, or the box would have been discovered.
“But what happens if Elliot worries so much that he dies?” Layla was still concerned. “He is still our dad!”
“Don‘t worry, bad people don‘t die that easily.”
With that, Layla finally relaxed.
After dinner, Avery sent Elliot a message that read, (I asked the kids, and they said they didn’t take the box.)
She had thought that he was resting, but he replied immediately and said, (Got it.)
She sent a reply that asked, (You still haven‘t gone to sleep?).
When Elliot received the message, he did not reply, because he did not know how to. It had been thirty-six hours since he had last closed his eyes, and he could feel his mental defenses
weakening
In the midst of despair, he thought to himself, “So what if someone goes public with the content of the box? I will lose money, and friends will leave me… as for a lover… I no longer have one. I have earned more than enough money for this lifetime, so I don‘t have anything to worry about even if I can‘t earn any more from now on. As for friends, I don’t care if they go away. At least Shea won’t leave me.”
Prepared for the worst outcome, Elliot slowly began to relax and drifted off to sleep.
Avery kept waiting for his reply, but three days had gone by, and she had gotten nothing in return.
The next time she heard about him was when she was talking on the phone with Tammy.
“Do you know that Elliot has been admitted to the hospital? Not sure what happened, but he refuses to eat! I‘ve never imagined that someone as composed as he is would refuse to eat!” Tammy exclaimed.
Avery stood abruptly at the news.
It was no wonder she had been feeling uneasy these past three days. She had not thought the box to be that important to him.
“I shouldn‘t have believed him when he said that nothing was going to happen even if he doesn‘t find it. If that was true, he wouldn‘t have stayed up all night looking for it,” she thought.
“How is he doing now?” Avery headed for the door anxiously but stopped at the last minute.
“He is getting an IV infusion in the hospital!” Tammy said. “Jun just came back from the hospital, saying that Zoe has been looking after him. Avery, do you want to go see him?”
Indeed, Avery wanted to visit, but with Zoe already there taking care of him, she decided against it. Even if she did go to the hospital, Zoe would not allow her into the room.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 268
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 268
“It‘s better you don‘t go. Shea is there as well, and with those two there guarding him, you are definitely going to feel provoked, ” Tammy said. “Elliot‘s isn‘t all that mentally stable. I had thought that maybe his company had run into trouble, but Jun said nothing has happened. I was thinking that it has something to do with you?”
Avery walked back to her office chair and sat down. “You‘ve overestimated me, Tammy. He didn’t break down when I divorced him, so I don‘t think that I matter that much.”
“Then why is he acting so oddly? It can‘t be because of Zoe, right?” Tammy muttered in confusion. “I heard that she has been visiting the old Foster mansion frequently lately. That woman is too good at scheming!”
The more she heard about Elliot and Zoe, the more composed Avery found herself becoming. Perhaps, she might be able to maintain her calm if they were to get married one day.
Elliot and her were two parallel lines running in the same direction but never crossing, and they would only move further and further apart in the future.
“Tammy, how are things between you and Jun?” Avery changed the subject.
“Same old, same old! He decides to keep trying until the end of the year, and if my parents aren‘t satisfied by then, he will go home and carry on the family business next year,” Tammy sighed. “Not everyone has Elliot‘s mind for business. Maybe both Jun and I are destined to take over our family businesses.”
“You really are a spiritual high–born.”
“As if I can be in front of you,” Tammy chuckled and said, “Avery, I‘m actually quite glad that you are not going to visit Elliot in the hospital.”
Avery pretended not to be concerned. “It‘s not like he is terminally ill.”
“Will you go see him if he is?”
“If he is, then out of humanitarianism, I have to pay him a visit before he dies.”
Tammy laughed. “It‘s going to be his birthday soon; will you attend the party if he invites you?
“No.”
“Oh, well, he doesn‘t plan on celebrating anyway. He never does.”
“Then why are you asking me?”
“Just checking to see how determined you are!” Tammy acknowledged Avery’s resolve and
After hanging up, Avery hesitated for a while, before finally calling Mrs. Cooper.
Mrs. Cooper picked up almost instantly. “Avery?”
“Mrs. Cooper, it‘s me.” She hesitated for a few seconds, before asking, “I heard that Elliot is in the hospital, what happened?”
Mrs. Cooper sighed. “It‘s his stomach. Something happened, and he had not slept for two whole days. In the end, he was so exhausted that he slept for two days, and because of that, he hadn’t eaten for three days. His stomach acted out.”
“Oh, so it’s not that he refused to eat on purpose?”
“No. He wanted to eat when he woke up, but he vomited blood after eating.” Mrs. Cooper thought back to the scene and felt terror flood her veins.
Avery was relieved. As long as Elliot had not refused to eat, it should be nothing serious.
“Don’t worry, he will get better in a few days,” said Avery to comfort her.
“Yeah. Have you visited him in the hospital?” Mrs. Cooper asked.
“No, I‘m quite busy,” Avery explained.
Mrs. Cooper could tell that it was an excuse.
“Mrs. Cooper, don‘t tell Elliot that I called you,” Avery said in a troubled voice. “We broke up, and we are supposed to lead our separate lives.”
“Alright, I won‘t,” Mrs. Cooper said understandingly, before suddenly changing the subject, saying, “Avery, your son, Hayden, is he Master Elliot‘s son?”
Avery’s heart sank at the question.
“Maybe I shouldn‘t have asked that?” Mrs. Cooper said apologetically. “I have met Hayden twice, and I feel like I’m looking at Master Elliot every time I see him. They look similar, and they have similar personalities as well. Don‘t worry, I‘ve only spoken to you about this, and I won’t say anything in front of Master Elliot.”
Avery did not remember how she ended the call. She was not sure if she should feel glad that Elliot had never suspected Hayden to be his. She did not want him to know about the children back then because he hated children to the point that he might hurt them. Now, there was another reason why she did not wish for him to know.
There were two women by his side, and no matter the circumstances and how they ended, it would not be appropriate for the children to reacquaint themselves with their father. If they were not going to reconnect with him, then there was no point for them to learn the truth.
During Autumn Festival, the five thousand drones that Sterling Group had ordered from Tate Industries hovered over the Sterling Group’s building, changing into different formations and colors in the night sky under Mike’s control.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 269
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 269
“Chad, aren’t our drones great?” Mike asked proudly as he bit into an apple.
Chad glanced at the smug expression on his face and suddenly realized that Mike was not as bad as he thought he was. Chad had even started to think that he looked rather handsome.
“They are alright! Don‘t get too proud. Your drones are not perfect, and they could do with some improvements,” Chad said pridefully.
“Even you guys in the Sterling Group can’t claim to be the best, can you?” Mike retorted. “We have just started; it will get better from now on!”
“Good luck with that!”
“The moon tonight looks so round!” Mike sighed at the night sky.
Chad looked up and hummed in agreement.
“Let‘s not fight from now on.” Mike turned abruptly to look at him. He looked serious, “What if we need to work together in the future?”
Chad readjusted his spectacles and said, “You really enjoy my boss’s money that you can’t get enough of it, huh.”
“Meh! We have met sillier clients overseas before.”
“The drones that my boss has purchased from you will bring far more than just the one billion you are getting. This is going to be tomorrow‘s headlines, and everyone will know that Sterling Group purchased them in bulk. There will be many people trying to do the same.”
“I know, but I just think that it‘s the least Elliot should do as an ex-husband, or does he expect
Avery to be grateful?”
Chad felt defeated and amused at the same time. “But that doesn’t mean you should take it for granted!”
“Elliot did this out of his own will.”
“… Why isn‘t your boss here?”
“Neither is yours.”
“Um…”
Could it be that Avery and Elliot were both trying to avoid one another?
Time flew by and the season changed.
One day at nine in the morning, after dropping Shea off in her classroom at Angela Special Needs Academy, Elliot made his way to Hayden’s classroom.
When the teacher saw Elliot, she immediately left the classroom to give them some privacy.
Hayden glanced at Elliot and lowered his head onto the table in a bid to ignore him.
“Hayden Tate, let’s make a deal!” Elliot stood by the table and said, “Today’s Shea’s birthday, and she wishes to spend it with you. If you agree to keep her company, I will fulfill one wish of yours.”
Hayden opened his eyes. Though he was reluctant to celebrate Shea‘s birthday, Elliot had made him an attractive offer. Hayden thought of his mother and how Elliot might try to bother her.
After a brief moment of consideration, Hayden took out a piece of paper and a pen. He was going to get this down in writing as proof of their agreement.
Elliot was surprised that the boy was this careful, but he accepted the paper and pen regardless and wrote down the conditions, before signing his name at the bottom.
That evening, Avery came to pick Hayden up from school and was shocked to find Hayden in Shea‘s classroom.
She was shocked because Hayden hated Shea, and also because her classroom looked like it had been decorated in celebration of a birthday.
On the side table, there was a beautiful cake that almost looked like a piece of art.
“Is it Shea‘s birthday?” she wondered.
Avery pulled out her phone and checked the date.
She took a deep breath. If she was not mistaken, it was also Elliot‘s birthday.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 270
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 270
“They have their birthdays on the same day? A coincident?” thought Avery.
Avery took her son’s hand and walked toward the door.
A towering figure appeared before her.
Elliot was dressed in a black trench coat that made him look cold and distant. She was not sure if it was her eyes playing tricks on her, or if he really did look thinner.
After two seconds of hesitation, Avery decided to wish him a happy birthday. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Shea throwing herself at Elliot, and with her arms around him, she said, “Big Brother, here‘s your cake.”
Avery was standing right next to Elliot and heard every word Shea said.
“Big Brother?!” she thought, “Did Shea just call Elliot big brother?”
Avery scowled as she studied Shea.
Shea could sense Avery‘s glare, and she met Avery‘s eyes. Perhaps it was because of the stern expression on Avery‘s face, but Shea felt slightly nervous.
She wanted to invite Avery to share the cake, but she ended up choking on her words.
“You called him Big Brother?” Avery asked sharply. She had not intended to scare Shea, but she could not help how sharp her words sounded.
Startled, Shea hid behind Elliot, and he grabbed onto her hand tightly. “Don’t be afraid, Shea. Let‘s go get some cake.”
The two walked past Avery and stepped into the classroom.
When Hayden saw the dazed state his mother was in, he tugged at her and said, “Mom, let‘s go home.”
Avery looked away, readjusted herself, and left with her son.
When they were inside the car, Hayden noticed the frown on Avery’s face and said, “Shea calls me big brother as well.”
Avery turned to look at Hayden as realization dawned upon her.
How could she forget that Shea was mentally disabled? Just because she called Elliot ‘Big Brother’, did not mean that he really was her brother. She had addressed Hayden in the same manner because to her, Hayden was older than she was. Perhaps she referred to Elliot as such for the same reason.
“Elliot‘s record does not mention that he has a sister,” Hayden continued.
Avery instantly snapped out of it.
“What am I fantasizing about?! It‘s impossible between Elliot and 1!” she thought.
As she drove, she asked, “I thought that you don‘t like Shea. Why were you celebrating her birthday?”
Naturally, Hayden was not going to tell his mother that he had done so because he had struck a deal with Elliot, so he remained quiet.
“I know that you are a kind–hearted kid. Shea is a poor woman, so I‘m not mad that you celebrated her birthday with her.”
Hayden did not want to respond to anything related to Shea.
“Elliot‘s birthday is today as well.” Hayden did not remember Elliot‘s birthday, and he had only realized it was today when he saw that there were two cakes in Shea‘s classroom. One cake had ‘Elliot‘ written on it and the other had ‘Shea‘ on it.
“How do you know? Do you care about him that much?” Avery cast her son a sidelong glance.” Do you, by any chance, want to acknowledge him as your father?”
“I don‘t need a father.”
CA
Avery felt slightly upset. “If only things aren‘t as complicated, I believe that you and Layla would be happier with a father.”
“I don‘t need one!” Hayden insisted stubbornly.
Elliot‘s image had taken root in Hayden’s mind, and Hayden would never forgive him for it.
Elliot had brought Shea back home when he saw Rosalie and the family of her eldest son. When Elliot saw them, displeasure filled his eyes.