In Aryadelle, Elyette’s bodyguards returned swiftly from Caesar Hotel with the guest lists of all hotel guests from a week ago, where Averie’s information had been found and highlighted in red on the document.
“Mr. Foster, the hotel’s data shows that Miss. Tate reserved a VIP room in the hotel restaurant that night, before reserving room 609 to rest,” the bodyguard said as he glanced over at Elyette nervously.
Elyette sat behind his desk with light casting on him from behind; his expression was cold and dark. The bodyguard felt as though Elyette would throw the coffee mug across the table at any moment.
“Also… Miss. Tate left the hotel at eight that night. She was in such a hurry that she didn’t even go to the reception to collect her deposit,” the bodyguard continued, “when the cleaners went up to the room, they found a… used…
condom on the bed…”
The bodyguard started to stutter near the end and his voice weakened.
The coffee mug on the desk flew across the room without warning. Following a ‘baam!’, it landed on the ground and shattered into countless pieces.
Everyone in the room held their breath, not daring to make a sound. Just then, the ringing of a phone pierced through the air…
It was Chad’s phone.
Everyone turned their attention onto Chad and he immediately started sweating nervously.
He took out his phone and saw that it was a call from Mike. He wanted to answer but didn’t dare to. If he rejected the call, he would miss out on a chance to gain more important information about Averie.
After a few moments of hesitation, he answered the call under everyone’s watchful eyes.
“Chad, how did your boss react after watching the video?” Mike asked.
Chad glanced over at Elyette at Mike’s word and noticed the dark expression on Elyette’s face; his eagle-like eyes were so sharp that they could kill.
Chad held onto his phone and escaped the office hastily.
“F*ck! What kind of stupid question is that? How else do you expect him to react?” Chad sighed a long breath after exiting the office. “Have you managed to get in touch with Averie?
“I did.” Mike desperately wanted to tell Chad the exact words Averie had said, but he knew that Chad wouldn’t buy it without proof, so his tone became slightly gloomy. “I told you that it’s not Averie.”
“She said it’s not her?” Chad swallowed hard.
“Yeah! She said that someone imitated her. Chad, you guys might not know what kind of a person Averie is, but I do.
She is not the kind of woman that fools around. Apart from work, she spends most of her time taking care of the kids and reading medical books. She has no other hobby,” Mike said, before remembering why he had called Chad in the first place. “So how did your boss react?”
“He is furious,” Chad lowered his voice and said, “Mr. Foster didn’t believe that the woman in the video is Averie as well, because he trusted Averie, just like you do. Unfortunately, Ben was in Caesar hotel a week ago and happened upon the scene where Averie was being intimate with another man. He said that he was just outside the door that night and heard everything.”
“Well, did he go in?”
“No. If he did, words would have gotten to Mr. Foster and Ben meant to keep it a secret until Averie gives birth.”
“If he didn’t see it with his own eyes, then there is a possibility that it’s not Averie!” Mike argued, “if Nora can make herself look so much like Averie, is it so weird that she could imitate Averie’s voice as well?”
Chad was shocked. “Have you read too many s? Do you think it’s that easy to imitate someone’s voice in real life?”.
“I’ve never seen it, but I know it’s possible,” Mike said calmly.
“What about the pregnant belly of the woman in the video?” Chad took a deep breath and asked.
“Have you not seen any movies before? CG effects and make-up can easily make that happen,” Mike deadpanned,
“you should tell Elyette what I just told you.”
“I don’t dare to! Ben is certain that Averie is the woman in that video and he wants Mr. Foster to cut all ties with
Averie. What’s worse is that my boss sent his men to Caesar Hotel to get the guest list for the past week… Averie’s booking record has been shoved to his face and they even found a used condom in the room she stayed in…”
Just then, the elevator door opened and Tammy and Jun stepped out of it.
Tammy was rushing forward and Jun tried to slow her down. “Slow down, Tammy! Let me just check to see if Elyette is around…”
“I saw Chad! Elyette is definitely around!” Tammy said, before struggling out of Jun’s restraint.
Chad walked up to them and asked, “why are the two of you here?”
“I’m here to see Elyette,” Tammy cut to the chase and said, “I know what’s going on with Averie.
Chad was stunned.
Tammy walked past him and strode towards Elyette’s office.
“Your wife looks like she is here to pick a fight or something,” Chad teased.
Jun sighed with resignation. “I told her not to come and she keeps insisting. She insists that the woman in the video is not Averie, but I watched it carefully and I still think that it’s Averie!”
“Tammy is good friends with Averie, so naturally she would side with her. Mike is the same. He told me that the woman in that video is Nora. He said that Nora is imitating Averie’s voice and the pregnant belly is just CG effects…
He seems so serious that I almost believed him.”
Jun exclaimed, “does he think that this is a movie?”
Chad adjusted his spectacles and said, “what he said is possible but the chances of that are slim. Those two are having a much harder time to accept that Averie would be that sort of a woman.”
“You are right. Tammy’s gone crazy ever since she saw that video and I can’t even calm her down.”
“Same with my boss. He hasn’t done anything horrible just yet, but I feel like he could explode any minute now. I don’t dare to go in, so you go on ahead!” Chad tapped Jun on the shoulder.
Worried that Tammy might cause trouble, Jun had no choice but to step inside the office.
“Averie was tricked into going to that hotel!” Tammy stood before Elyette’s desk. “Once we catch the person who stole my phone, we will be able to find out who did this.”
“Show me the messages on your phone,” Elyette said.
“The thief deleted them! Whoever stole it is smart. He can’t possibly be working alone; he has to have other accomplices!” Tammy analyzed.
Elyette desperately wanted to believe her, but how could he do so based on nothing but her words?
“Tammy, I know that you are best friends with Averie and you are willing to lie for her…” Ben said.
“What gives you the right to say that I’m lying? Just because you are older than me?” Tammy lost her temper and retorted, “my husband can prove that I lost my phone a week ago and got it back from Averie. Are you going to say that Averie stole my phone now?”
“It could be that you misplaced your phone with her and in the effort of proving her innocence, you just made up this ‘thief’ to take all the blame. Do you consider us fools?” Ben drawled, “if you want us to believe you, give us proof!”
Tammy’s eyes reddened as she was overwhelmed by helplessness.
“Ben Schaffer, has Chelsea bought you over? This is clearly her doing! Nothing has been right ever since she brought that plastic cousin of hers back to Aryadelle, can’t any of you sense that?!” Tammy shouted.
Chelsea was in the room as well, and when she heard her name being mentioned by Tammy, she spoke out calmly,
“Tammy, you can slander me, but please do not insult my cousin! She was injured earlier on and has been staying at home to recover. What could she possibly do? Besides, this is Averie’s business; she should be here to explain herself, who are you to represent her here?”
Embarrassed, Jun apologized to Chelsea, before dragging Tammy outside.
Tears scrolled down Chelsea’s face. “I’m sorry, Elyette, I shouldn’t have brought Nora into this company. I will tell her to leave,” she paused for a moment before continuing, “but that person in the video is definitely not Nora…”
“Get out!” Elyette swallowed hard and barked, “all of you. Get out!”
Soon, he was the only one left in the office. His dark, brooding eyes were filled with unspeakable pain as he grabbed his phone and dialed Averie’s number…
To his surprise, his call was immediately answered.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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