Ch. 371..380
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 371
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 371
Elliot might as well just be blunt and say that he only wanted Avery to bear his children and that he did not care if his children with any other woman died, because he did not want them to begin with
“So you want Avery to bear your child, then?” Ben teased.
“Yeah.”
Ben gasped and almost dropped his cup. “You really want her to bear your child?!”
“Zoe asked that I avenge our child’s death.”
“So you are trying to get Avery pregnant with your child as revenge?” Ben was amused. “Zoe is probably going to cry so much that she passes out if she learns that this is your way of taking revenge.”
“How I take my revenge is up to me.”
“Is Avery willing to do it?” Ben instinctively knew that there was more to the story.
Avery already had two children, and even if Hayden was adopted, Ben could tell that she saw Hayden as her own from the way she treated him. It was only natural that she was unwilling to give birth to any more children.
“She isn’t.” Elliot scowled. “She hates me now.”
“Of course, she is going to hate you if you are forcing her to have your baby!”
Ben was surprised by Elliot’s radical actions. Although Elliot had never been a gentleman, Elliot was not a barbarian. Ben was certain that Avery did not mean for Zoe to lose his baby, so why would Elliot try and get Avery pregnant with his child as a form of revenge?
It only made sense if Elliot was trying to keep Avery to himself.
“She has a scar across her abdomen,” Elliot said in a hoarse voice, “That scar is a reminder that she has had a child with another man. Even if he had not touched her, she had still gotten pregnant with another man’s child. I can’t stay calm whenever I think of it.”
It formed a huge part of the reason why he wanted Avery to bear his child. The smaller part of why he wanted her to bear his child was dedicated to revenge. He wanted the child now even though he had never thought of raising a child before.
“Elliot, if you want her and only her to bear your child, it means that you still love her.” Ben studied the miserable expression on Elliot’s face and ordered a bottle of wine.
“Is this love?” Elliot mumbled dazedly, “But she doesn’t want me.” “I heard that a woman falls deeply in love with a man when she is pregnant with his child, so
maybe you aren’t wrong in wanting her to bear your child,” Ben said.
Elliot’s eyes gleamed. It did not matter if it was right or wrong when he had already done it.
A week later, Tammy dragged Avery along with her to shop for wedding dresses.
“Avery, have you ever been in a wedding dress before?” Tammy was excited over trying on wedding dresses.
Avery shook her head. “I have put on gowns that resemble wedding dresses before.”
“Wedding dresses are different from ordinary gowns. Why don’t you try one on today? You have such a perfect figure and fair skin, you are definitely going to look beautiful in a wedding dress!” Tammy said as she picked out a white wedding dress from the shop. “What do you think of this one, Avery? It looks quite similar to the one I had custom-made!”
Avery flushed at the sight of the wedding dress. She did not have a boyfriend, nor did she plan on getting married, so there was no point for her to try on a wedding dress.
“You go on ahead, Tammy! I don’t want to,” she refused while blushing.
“I will wear the one I ordered and you can wear this! We would have matching dresses!” said Tammy, ignoring Avery’s protests. She told the staff to take down the dress and dragged Avery into the dressing room.
“Tammy, are going to select a man for me too so that we might get married together?” Avery said sarcastically.
“I would love that, but there’s no man worthy enough for you!”
Avery could not help but chuckle.
An hour later, Tammy had posted a compilation of nine photos on her social media account. The photos were of her in a wedding dress, and there were also some photos of Avery in her dress.
Within five minutes, someone had shared Avery’s photo with Elliot.
He zoomed in on her face and scowled. “Why is she wearing a wedding dress? Does she want to get married?” he thought.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 372
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 372
When he saw how cheerful she was in the photo, his heart ached at the realization that it had been so long since she had last smiled at him. It was almost five years ago.
In the wedding dress shop, Avery had taken the wedding dress off and picked out a light purple dress to wear to Tammy’s wedding.
“I will be thirty in a few years, and I won’t get to wear dresses like this by then,” she said. “I should buy a few more like this one while I can still pretend to be young.”
“Avery, with your face, people would believe you even if you say you are twenty. It’s not like you will grow old overnight when you are thirty, so relax and be young all you want!”
“That sweet tongue of yours! No wonder you have Jun wrapped around your fingers,” Avery said with a smile.
“He is the one who benefited from me choosing him, okay?” After trying on the dresses she had ordered, Tammy said with satisfaction, “All that’s left right now is to wait for the wedding! Oh, isn’t the kids’ birthday soon? How do you plan on spending it?”
“At home.”
“Huh?! There won’t be a party? Or are you throwing a small party at home?” Tammy had already picked out gifts for her god-children and had been waiting for an invitation from Avery.
Avery shook her head. “I thought about it and decided not to celebrate their birthdays.”
She had decided against it out of fear of drawing Elliot’s attention. She had lied to Elliot about the children. She had told him that Hayden was adopted, and Layla was a test-tube baby. If Elliot ever found out that the children shared a birthday, he would surely suspect something.
“You are doing it because of Elliot, right? That guy really doesn’t know when to call the quits! “Tammy frowned. “But can you really keep this a secret for the rest of your life? Don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell Jun. I’m just worried that Elliot might get suspicious someday and start looking into it.”
Avery’s head hurt at the thought of anything related to Elliot. She wanted to stay away from him, but the more she tried, the messier their relationship had become. It was almost as though fate was taunting her.
“I will keep it a secret for as long as I can! Both the kids hate him and do not want to acknowledge him as their father.”
“I wouldn’t like him either if I was Hayden or Layla. He is extremely arrogant and self centered, so he doesn’t even know how to respect others,” Tammy said as she held Avery’s arm and led her out of the shop. “Let’s go eat something good! My treat!”
Avery frowned and asked, “Why isn’t Jun here with you today? Shouldn’t he be here with you today?”
“He is slowly taking over the family business. He started this year, so there is a lot to handle. If I want to go for a honeymoon in May, then I will need to give him time to sort things out now.” Tammy sighed and continued, “I’m not exaggerating when I say that I spend more time with you than with him lately.”
“Do you two plan on having kids? You need to start taking folic acid if you are preparing to get pregnant,” Avery reminded Tammy.
Tammy shook her head with a troubled expression. “You know that I’m really scared of pain. I don’t dare give birth, so we won’t try for now. Don’t tell anyone else… His parents and mine all want me to have kids!”
Avery was slightly surprised. “I thought you like kids!”
“I do! I love your kids, but liking kids and giving birth to kids are two different things.” Tammy struggled and said, “I am waiting for technology to catch up. One day, when men can pregnant as well, I will be the first to make Jun give birth.”
Avery burst into laughter at her words.
“Get your bodyguard to take the kids here once they are done with school. We will have dinner together. It will be an early birthday celebration! Let us first go back to my place so that I can get the gifts,” Tammy said. “I won’t call Jun along tonight, alright?”
Avery nodded with a smile. “Thank you, God-mother.”
“Just doing what I should do! This is one of the many reasons why I hate Elliot. Those kids are so adorable and because of a dirtbag like him, they don’t get to have a complete family like other kids.”
The smile faded from Avery’s face.
“No offense, Avery. I’m not saying that the kids are not happy under your care. I just think that they could have been even happier with both parents.” “None taken. You are right.”
Avery had always felt guilty and had never stopped thinking about whether it was the right decision to stubbornly insist on giving birth to the children. If her children could choose, would they have chosen to be born?
At six in the evening, the bodyguard brought the two children to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 373
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 373
Tammy and Avery were seated next to the window. They had a good view.
“Mom!” Layla ran toward Avery while holding her brother’s hand.
Avery lifted them up and sat them down on the couch. “Did you have fun in kindergarten today?”
Layla shook her head. “Mom, the teacher says we need to poke our fingers next week… I’m scared…”
“It’s a blood test. They are going to check our blood sugar levels,” said Hayden.
Realizing what her daughter meant, Avery immediately comforted her and said, “Don’t be scared, baby. It will just be a pinch.”
Layla’s attention was instantly drawn toward the cake on the table.
“Mom, whose birthday is it today, Aunt Tammy?”
Tammy shook her head with a smile. “We are having an early celebration for you and your brother’s birthday! Surprised?” She then took out two beautifully wrapped gifts and handed them to the children.
“I am!” Layla accepted the gift excitedly and said, “Thank you, Aunt Tammy! I love you so much!”
“I love you too!” Tammy patted Layla on the head.
Avery signaled Hayden to accept the gift, so he did with a blush on his face and said, “Thank
you.”
“You’re welcome! Open them up! I’ll get it changed if you don’t like it!” Tammy told them how to open the box. “Just pull the ribbon, and it will pop open.”
Soon, the children had unwrapped their gifts. Tammy had gotten Layla a beautiful delicate doll that was made in Layla’s image.
“Wow, I like it so much! Isn’t this me?” Layla lifted the model up and planted a kiss on it.
Hayden’s gift was the same as Layla’s. He looked at the handsome doll; he could not say he liked it, but he did not hate it.
The waiter came with the food, and once everything was out of the kitchen, Avery put on birthday hats for the children.
“Let’s just have a simple celebration this year. I will arrange a birthday party for you in the future when I have the chance,” Avery promised.
“Mom, as long as you are with us, we don’t care if there’s a party!” Layla said sweetly. “It’s a shame that Grandma isn’t around anymore. She said that she was going to make Hayden and I a chocolate cake before she passed away.”
The smile on Avery’s face froze.
Tammy immediately changed the subject. “Do you want some cake, Layla? Let’s cut it!”
“We need to make a wish first, Aunt Tammy.” Layla picked up the candles and said, “We need to put the candles on and sing a birthday song!”
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the restaurant, a tall figure stood still.
The man’s dark, brooding eyes locked onto Avery’s familiar face, before moving to look at Hayden and Layla.
Elliot saw the birthday hats on their heads and thought to himself, “Today’s their birthday?”
“Mr. Foster, this way,” the person behind him said respectfully.
Elliot ignored him and walked directly toward Avery. Confused, the others could only follow him without knowing what was happening.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 374
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 374
When Elliot appeared by the table, Avery was about to take a bite of the cake and she almost snapped the plastic fork in half at the sight of him. What were the odds that she would run into him in the rare chance that she dined out?
Tammy frowned. “What a coincidence, Mr. Foster. Do you have a meeting here?”
She waved at the group behind Elliot sarcastically, and the others gave her smiles that were both polite and careful at the same time.
Elliot glanced at the cake on the table and looked at the two children. “It’s your birthday?” His voice was low, powerful, and confused.
He remembered that Hayden’s birthday was on the 13th of April, not today.
Avery’s blood ran cold at that very instant. She had not wanted to celebrate their birthday because she feared that he would get suspicious. Yet, he had still caught them celebrating in secret.
Elliot studied the panicked and anxious expression on Avery’s face thoughtfully.
“So Hayden’s birthday isn’t on the 13th of April, but today? And so is Layla’s birthday? Do these two kids share the same birthday? Could it be-”
“Do you have a lot of free time on your hands? Why do you care whose birthday it is today? Besides, who says that we can only eat cake on someone’s birthday?” Tammy snatched the birthday hats from Layla’s and Hayden’s heads and put them on Avery and herself. “Today is the anniversary of my friendship with Avery, so we came out to celebrate. Do you have a problem with it?!”
Her panicked expression disappeared in an instant at Tammy’s words.
Elliot lowered his gaze to look at Avery and said sarcastically, “Longing to get married, Avery?
Startled by the question, she looked up to meet his eyes. Before she could say anything, Tammy seized the chance and said, “Can’t you just mind your own business, Elliot Foster? Whether Avery wants to get married or not has nothing to do with you. Even if she does want to get married, she won’t marry you! Just give up!” Tammy’s words stung Elliot’s heart and his eyes turned vicious. “Tammy Lynch, I wasn’t talking to you. Mind your tongue!”
Unable to stay out of it, Avery intervened. “Tammy only said what I meant to say. You don’t have to yell in public, it’s very unbecoming of you!”
She emphasized the word ‘public’ and Elliot instantly snapped out of his rage.
He clenched his fists with a cold expression and turned around to leave.
After he had left, Tammy sighed a breath of relief and said, “That was so scary! It’s the first time he’s been that vicious toward me!”
“Don’t stand up for me next time, or Jun is going to have a hard time. He will be caught between the two of you.”
Tammy pouted and said, “Don’t you think that he is acting odd? You two have divorced, so why does he keep bothering you? He even asked if you want to get married… Is he going to marry you if you say yes?”
Troubled, Avery simply said, “Let’s not talk about him. Next time we go out, we’ll just avoid the places where rich people frequent.”
“Hey, it’s not like we are doing something wrong! Why should we be the ones to avoid him? I’ m not scared of him!”
Avery took a deep breath.
She was terrified of Elliot. Her two children were her weaknesses, and if she was left with no other option, she would give Elliot a child. She would never let him have Hayden and Layla.
“Mom, why did he ask if you want to get married?” Layla asked.
Tammy burst out laughing and explained, “Your mom tried on a wedding dress today, and she looked so alluring and beautiful! That dirtbag Elliot probably saw the photo and was attracted to your mom.”
Avery blushed. “Tammy, don’t post any photos of me on social media from now on.”
“He’s not my friend on social media, so it’s probably Chad or Jun who sent it to him! I just realized how nosy these men can be. They are even worse than us women!”
Avery deshelled the shrimp for the children when the screen of her phone lit up. Seeing Elliot’ s name on the screen, she took off the disposable gloves.
She unlocked the screen and saw the message from Elliot. It was the name of a hotel and a room number.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 375
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 375
The message was simple. It was telling her to compensate him.
Avery scowled and replied, [Not tonight.)
Elliot replied swiftly once the message was sent, and she could picture the rage on his face when she read his reply.
(I’m not negotiating with you, I’m commanding you.)
That was his reply. She stared at each of the words in his message with composure and replied.
(Have you forgotten that women get menstruation? Or are you going to do it despite the blood?
(Still want to?]
[‘Are you challenging me?] Elliot replied.
Avery dared not answer his question. Naturally, she would not have the courage to actually challenge him. She feared that he might actually tell her to spend the night with him despite the blood.
On the second floor of the restaurant, Elliot set his phone down when Avery did not reply.
No one dared to whisper a word when he was texting. The conversation only picked up again when he set his phone down.
“Mr. Foster, that lady downstairs is the CEO of Tate Industries, am I right?”
“That’s her. There are photos of her on the internet. It came up right away when I searched for her.” The person next to him showed everyone the photo he had found online. “Do you all know Wanda Tate? She used to be Avery’s stepmother. After Jack Tate’s death, the two of them had a falling out because of the inheritance they were to receive. Now, Wanda has returned to the country and started investing in the drone industry. It appears that she wants to beat Avery.”
“Who do you think would win?”
“It’s hard to say. They both produce drones, but they have different target consumers. Avery aims for high-end users, whereas Wanda, targets low-end users. If Wanda succeeds, of course, she would be the one who earns more.”
“My vote is with Wanda as well. She’s rather successful overseas, and it’s not hard to tell that she has the mind for business. Mr. Foster, what do you think?”
Everyone focused on Elliot.
He pressed a button on his phone and the screen lit up, but there was still no reply from Avery.
“Are you all investing your money with Wanda Tate?” Elliot’s eyes gleamed sharply as he drawled, “I’m not a stakeholder to either one of them, so I don’t care how they are doing.”
“Oh… I haven’t started investing with Wanda yet, but I’m considering it. I was just wondering if you have any suggestions, Mr. Foster.”
The casual expression faded from Elliot’s face as he said sternly, “The trùly capable would never try to seek investments from those around them. Make up your own mind about what you want to do with your money.”
Elliot ended the dinner early, and when he came down to the first floor, he looked over to where Avery was seated, but there was no one there.
Was she in such a hurry to leave and avoid him?
Time flew by, and soon it was Monday. It was the day of Starry River Kindergarten’s physical examination.
A black Bonz was parked beneath the shade of the tree in the parking lot. Rosalie was waiting anxiously inside the car.
The blood examination was a ploy. It was staged so that she could get a blood sample from Hayden.
Rosalie was worried that he might not cooperate. If he did not, they could not forcefully take his blood, and things would get more complicated.
After an hour or so, a nurse was seen hurrying toward the parking lot.
Rosalie beamed and thought to herself, “Did it work?!”
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 376
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 376
The nurse walked over to the car and handed a blood sample to Rosalie.
“It went smoothly?” Rosalie accepted the vial of blood in joy.
The nurse nodded. “His sister was afraid of the pain, so he did the blood test to set an example for his sister. The siblings are really close.”
Rosalie was only interested in Hayden. Layla did not look like Elliot at all, and she had heard that Layla was the child Avery had had with another man.
Even if Hayden was Elliot’s son, Rosalie did not intend on accepting Avery. How would people view Elliot if they were to accept Avery, a woman who had given birth to another man’s child?
She placed the vial away carefully and shut the car door.
The car headed toward the medical center that performed the DNA test. Once they arrived, Rosalie handed the blood samples of Elliot and Hayden to the staff.
“How long until the results are out?”
“Usually three working days. We will inform you as soon as the results are out,” said a member of the staff.
Rosalie could barely contain her excitement but nodded regardless.
Meanwhile, in Tate Industries, it was time for the weekly meeting.
“President Tate, Wanda Tate is making quite some noise on her end!” said the vice-president. “She has acquired three companies in a single swoop. She also has started the restructuring process, but the scariest thing is that she has already gained fifteen hundred million dollars. The investors seem rather confident in her ability.”
“A friend of mine started working there, and according to him, Wanda Tate is wildly ambitious. She intends to become the leading drone manufacturer in the field. She plans on opening up the market by selling her drones at lower prices, and then she will move into luxury items once she established a client base. Finally, she will push our company out of the industry,” said another manager.
Mike smirked in contempt. “Let her try, then! Let’s see if she really can bring us down!”
“President Tate, what do you think? Should we do something?” The vice-president looked at Avery and said, “I’m confident with our products, but we also need to plan ahead and take precautions.”
Avery nodded. “Let’s wait for their next move for now… If they really do lower their prices, then we know that they will throw more money into marketing. This might help her quickly secure her clientele, but how will she profit from it. One wrong move and it’s game over.”
Mike nodded. “One could say that if they were to take too large a step, they would rip their
pants.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
Avery took a sip of coffee and asked, “Did she really manage to gather fifteen hundred million?
“That is what she said at the meeting. Even if that’s not entirely true, I think that she has to at least have one hundred million to say that.”
Avery nodded and asked, “Are our drones too expensive?”
“Not really. With reference to our drones’ quality, it is a reasonable price. However, despite the growing population in Aryadelle, most people only earn a few thousand each month, so naturally, it would be considered expensive for them to buy a drone that costs them thousands.
Avery set her coffee down and looked at the others. “Let us stick to our plan. They can’t bring us down unless they manage to develop a better Al system than ours. Let’s not fret for now and focus on our products.”
“We feel so assured that you say that!”
It was still shocking that Wanda managed to gather fifteen hundred million in such a short period of time.
After the meeting had ended, the vice-president walked over to Avery and whispered,” President Tate, I heard that Elliot Foster has also invested in Wanda’s company. I assume it’s quite a lot of money, otherwise, Wanda wouldn’t have managed to gather fifteen hundred million so quickly.”
Avery desperately wanted to pretend that she did not care, but she could not help the frown on her face.
“If Elliot Foster is truly the one supporting Wanda, then it’s certain that her company would succeed. The only question remaining is to what extent would it succeed.” The vice-president was slightly pessimistic. “President Tate, weren’t you in a relationship with Elliot Foster? How could he do that?”
Avery’s eyes darted away briefly. “We no longer have any feelings for one another at this point. It’s understandable that he invests in Wanda’s business because he sees value in it.”
“I just don’t think it’s necessary for him to do that when he is already that rich. Each penny he gives Wanda is a knife thrown at you!”
Avery cringed, “He wouldn’t have gotten to where he is today if he is someone who feels content with how much he already has. Besides, even if he doesn’t invest in Wanda, someone else would. All we need to do is face it, so don’t panic,” she said, her voice monotonous.
Once she was out of the meeting room, Avery strode back to her office.
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 377
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 377
There was a beautiful invitation letter on the office desk.
Avery opened the envelope and glanced at the contents of the letter.
It was an invitation to a summit.
Mike came. He saw her holding the invitation and said, “If you don’t want to go”. “I’ll go,” she said, before opening her purse to take out her lipstick. She began fixing her makeup
Mike exclaimed, “You are provoked, aren’t you? Is that your new lipstick? It is such a bright color! You usually look quite gentle, but with that, you look like a queen. Wanda would be no match for you even if she multiplied herself by ten.”
Once Avery was done, she placed her powder and lipstick back in her purse and looked at Mike. “Are you coming with me?”
“Of course. I’ll be your driver.”
Elites of all fields had gathered for the summit. Upon Avery’s arrival, she was immediately invited backstage by the organizer.
“Miss Tate, we need you to give a speech later. You’ll need to speak for about twenty minutes. You might want to prepare your script.”
Avery nodded but soon realized that Mike had disappeared.
She had not prepared a script for the speech and there was not enough time to start preparing. She would have to improvise.
She walked out of the area that formed the backstage and glanced at the hall. There were people as far as the eyes could see. She took out her phone to call Mike when suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side.
Panicked, she looked over at the person who had grabbed her.
“Isn’t this man Elliot’s bodyguard? Is Elliot participating in this summit as well?” she thought.
Just as she was about to say something, she spotted Mike and Chad arguing at a corner in the distance.
If Chad was there, Elliot had to be there as well.
“Let go of me!” She scowled and barked at the bodyguard, “I can walk just fine on my own!”
The bodyguard let go of her and said, “Don’t try anything.”
“Where is he?” Her heart sped up as she struggled to catch her breath.
The summit was about to begin in half an hour, and she suspected that Elliot sent for her on purpose.
The bodyguard did not respond and simply led the way. Once they reached one of the guest rooms, the bodyguard opened the door and signaled for her to get in.
She took a deep breath and went inside.
The door was slammed shut with a loud bang.
“What do you want?” Avery tightened her grip around her purse and glared at the man sitting on the couch.
Elliot’s eagle-like eyes locked onto Avery’s alluring face and he drawled, “Is your period over?
“I’m busy right now.” She took a step back and placed her hand on the doorknob. “If that’s what you want, wait until night!”
He got up from the couch and strode towards her, before pinching her chin with his long fingers, forcing her to look up. “I grew sick of doing it at night,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I want to try doing it in the day.”
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 378
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 378
At the summit, Mike and Chad had been arguing for over twenty minutes, and they were both exhausted.
“You are being unreasonable!” said Chad readjusting his spectacles.
Mike snorted. “You lose your mind every time you mention your boss. You need to do some self-reflecting! Your boss isn’t your dad, why do you claim to know him?”
“You are the one who needs self-reflection! Why do you care who my boss invests in? Even if he did place his money on Wanda Tate, it only means that she has that sort of value! It doesn’t mean that he likes her as a person!” Chad argued.
“Don’t call me out for drinks from now on! If you all teaming up with Wanda Tate, then it’s best we don’t meet again! I’m on Avery’s side!” declared Mike, severing all ties with Chad.
Chad’s face was flushed with frustration. “Sure! Who wants to be friends with you, anyway?”
After the argument, the two went on to look for their bosses.
Ten minutes had passed, and Mike could still not find Avery, so he went looking for Chad. “I can’t find Avery! Where’s your boss?”
Chad shrugged. “I can’t find him. He didn’t tell me where he was going. We came here for the summit, though.”
“Avery came for the summit as well! She is expected to go on stage to give a speech later!” Mike panicked and took out his phone to call Avery, but her phone had been switched off, and he could not reach her.
“Do you think that Mr. Foster is only here as a member of the crowd?” Chad snorted. “They have to be together if they are both missing.”
“Of course, I know that they are together! That bstrd Elliot must have kidnapped Avery!”
“Can’t you be more civilized with your words?” Chad glared at him. “Don’t panic. Mr. Foster is very particular with time, so he should be back soon.”
Mike took a deep breath and decided to wait.
Half an hour had gone by, and it had been twenty minutes since the summit’s official start, but there was still no sign of Elliot or Avery.
If it were not for all the people around them, Mike would have grabbed Chad by the and demanded to know what he meant when he said that Elliot was particular with time.
Suddenly, they heard a round of applause, followed by Wanda being invited on stage.
Wanda walked up to the stage with an elegant and confident smile and bowed.
“”I’m honored for being invited to this event today. It is my pleasure to share my story of success with the entrepreneurs before me. The concept of our company is to change lives with technology. We aim to change not only the lives of those in the upper and middle-income groups but those in the lower-income groups as well.”
Wanda passionately gave her speech on stage.
Mike strode toward the organizer. Knowing that Avery could not make it back in time, he had decided to represent her on stage.
He could not let Wanda steal their thunder.
Meanwhile, Avery was in the guest room of the hotel.
Avery had tried multiple times to get off the bed, but Elliot would not let her. He used his weight to pin her down, and there was only a thin silk blanket separating them.
“Why is he acting so childish? What’s the point of making me late for the summit?” she thought.
“Why bother participating in that kind of event? Aren’t you tired?” He buried his face in the crook of her neck. As he spoke, his warm breath brushed against her skin, and it tickled.
She pushed his head away. “I’m more tired when you press me into the bed like this!”
He got off of her at the sound of her heavy breathing. He lay down next to her and stared at her blushing face in contentment, “Let’s have dinner together.”
“Our relationship is limited to sleeping together, and we are not as close as to be dining together,” she said sarcastically, getting out of bed.
“You are already late, there’s no point in hurrying over now,” he said in a cold voice.
“I would rather go sunbathe than stay here with you.” She started putting her clothes back on, one piece at a time.
Elliot’s good mood was completely destroyed, and his expression darkened. He swung his legs and got out of bed. The two started getting dressed on opposite sides of the bed.
Once she was dressed, Avery picked up her purse and after a moment of hesitation, she asked,” Elliot, have you placed your money on Wanda?”
He buckled his belt and narrowed his eyes while looking at her. “I thought our relationship is limited to bed? We are off the bed now.”
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 379
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 379
She pursed her lips and strode toward the door.
“I don’t know if it means investing in Wanda,” he drawled when she was at the door, “but I gave Zoe three hundred million.”
“Three hundred million? He gave Zoe three hundred million?!” she thoùght.
“Wasn’t it one hundred and fifty-five million?” she blurted out.
He chuckled. “So you have been keeping an eye on what has happened between Zoe and I. I did give her one hundred and fifty-five million, but I gave her another one hundred and fifty-five million the day before yesterday. She had performed surgery on Shea twice, and I’m paying her seventy-five million for each operation she performed.”
Avery clenched her fists. Due to the surgeries, Zoe had gotten an insane amount of money from Elliot. She had given all three hundred million to Wanda.
“How ironic! This is the most ironic thing I’ve ever seen. Nothing is as ridiculous as this, because I was the one who did those surgeries! This means that I have just given Wanda three hundred million! Haha! I want her dead! How could I give her money?” she thought.
Elliot noticed her tensing, and she was shivering slightly.
He got dressed swiftly and strode toward her. When he was finally next to her, he noticed that she was as pale as a ghost, and all the light had disappeared from her eyes.
“Avery, what’s wrong?” He grabbed onto her wrist and asked.
She took a deep breath, before shaking off his hand.
“I am a joke, Elliot Foster!” She lifted her chin as she tried her best to hold back her tears. “I shouldn’t have been merciful! I will never show any mercy to you or anyone around you!”
Her vice-president was right. Every penny that Elliot had given Zoe was a knife directed at her because Zoe and Wanda were a team.
Avery’s heart ached at the thought that she had wronged herself and her mother.
“What are you talking about, Avery?!” He grabbed onto her wrist once again and scowled.” Are you angry that I have given money to Zoe? Or do you think that I’ve given too much?”
“It’s up to you how much you want to give her!” she screamed.
“So, it is because of that.” He chuckled and said, “If you can cure Shea, I would give you however much you want! But can you? Can you cure Shea?!”
He raised his voice.
“No! I won’t cure her!” Avery said coldly despite the heartache, “I would never help her even if I could!”
Stung by her words, he flung her arm away. He knew that Avery did not want him and had never been impressed by his wealth.
Avery stepped out of the depressing room. She did not go back to the venue. After exiting the hotel, she caught a taxi and gave the driver her house address.
She could not handle anything properly with the emotional state she was in, so she needed to be alone.
In the evening, the children had returned from school and were surprised to see Avery at home.
“Mom! Why are you home from work so early today?” Layla and Hayden walked toward her, and Layla showed Avery her finger.
“Mommy, they took our blood today and it hurts so much…” Layla tried to find the wound on her finger and failed miserably.
Avery blew at her finger and said, “Let Mommy blow it, and it won’t hurt anymore.”
“Mommy, Hayden had his blood taken as well. Blow his finger for him as well,” Layla grabbed her brother’s hand and showed it to Avery.
Avery’s eyes gleamed with surprise, and she asked, “I thought you didn’t like people touching
you?”
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 380
When His Eyes Opened Chapter 380
“Mommy, the nurse told Hayden to go first because I was scared of the pain. She wanted me to see that there was nothing to it,” explained Layla. “Hayden only had his blood taken for my sake. He loves me!”
Avery sighed at the explanation and said, “You are both so adorable and good. Mommy loves you more and more as the days go by!”
“Mom, we love you too!” Layla’s doe-like eyes were filled with joy.
Their bodyguard stood on the side and scratched his head. “Miss Tate, should I cook?”
“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
The bodyguard shook his head. “It is no problem.”
With that, he went into the kitchen.
“Mommy, that uncle cooks really well! He is making buffalo wings for us tonight.” Layla grabbed Avery’s hand and mumbled, “Why didn’t Uncle Mike come home with you?”
Avery’s brows twitched, and she said, “He is busy with something, so we didn’t come home together.”
Elliot had turned off her phone, and Mike must have gotten extremely nervous when he could not find her.
She immediately took out her phone from her purse and turned it on. When she saw the missed calls from Mike, she immediately called him back.
Mike picked up right away. “Avery! Can’t you just give me a heads-up next time Elliot takes you away?! Don’t you know how worried I was?”
Embarrassed, Avery changed the subject. “Why were you fighting with Chad again?”
bu
“You saw us arguing?” Mike hissed. “I asked him if Elliot had put his money on Wanda, and he said he doesn’t know. He then told me to mind my own business and said that his boss knows what he is doing, whether or not he decides to invest with Wanda- I can’t stand that look on his face.”
“What’s there to argue about?” Avery glanced at the kitchen and asked, “Are you coming back for dinner?”
“I have plans for dinner.” Mike swiftly changed the subject and said, “It’s a shame that you didn’t hear Wanda’s speech today… I could not help but laugh at her speech. She said that she had started the company with the sole intention of saving the poor, instead of her true reason: making money. Does she think that she is Mother Teresa or something? She might as well be writing ‘I want money’ on her face!”
Avery felt calm while listening to Mike’s frustrated ranting. She had done a lot of thinking since she returned home. She could not possibly stop Wanda from doing anything, so she had to focus on maintaining her own company. She had to ensure that she put up a fight. When the time was right, she would strike and end Wanda once and for all.
“Don’t drink too much at night, and remember to call a taxi if you are too drunk. My head hurts so I won’t be able to pick you up,” she said.
“Oh. Why is your head hurting? Is it because of Wanda or Elliot?” Mike asked in a worried voice.
“It’s because of myself,” she responded casually. “I will go back to the kids now.”
“Oh…” Concerned, Mike said, “I will come home early tonight.”
That night, a black Rolls-Roice drove into the yard of Elliot’s house at eight. Once the car was parked, Elliot stepped out of the car.
Zoe came out from the living room and stood before him.
“Elliot, I came here tonight to check on Shea,” she said with a calm smile on her face. “She is recovering well. I think you are able to tell that as well. Also, I am here to inform you that I will be moving out of the old Foster mansion in a few days.”
“You can stay there,” he said.
Zoe shook her head. “It’s not appropriate. I will go apartment hunting soon.”
“You don’t want to stay in the place I arranged for you?”
“No. I’ve already taken so much money from you, so I can’t possibly stay in your place? I will find a place that’s nearby to facilitate Shea’s recovery,” Zoe paused for a brief moment, before continuing, “It’s late, so I won’t overstay my welcome. Hurry inside. Shea has been waiting for you.”
Elliot felt slightly surprised at how determined Zoe appeared to be. In his mind, Avery’s face appeared.
Avery used to love him, and she was just as determined when she broke up with him. The looks in his eyes turned cold at the thought.