Filed to story: Love Entangled with Her Unconscious Husband Novel >>
Noticing her reaction, Elliot said, “He‘s just scaring you. We can excuse the financial matters, and I still have all the data that was on my computer. However, the written challenge the hacker left behind annoyed me. I‘ll definitely find him and throw him in prison!”
She could hear the nervous tremor in her own voice as she tried to stay calm.
“I see… What did the challenge entail?”
Elliot’s thick brows furrowed as he said with a chilling expression, “Come and strangle me, you *sshole!”
Avery was speechless.
Ben did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“I suspect the hacker‘s pretty young!”
“Not necessarily!” Avery said. “You can‘t tell much from that one sentence!”
“An adult probably wouldn‘t add in the term ‘*sshole‘ right? Other than in those old, corny soap operas, of course.”
To prevent them from suspecting a minor, Avery looked at Ben and muttered, “*sshole,” then turned to Elliot and once again said,
“*sshole.”
Both Ben and Elliot sat in stunned silence.
“See, there‘s nothing silly about the word!” Avery said. “Adults can easily use it, too.”
She was hard at work, trying to clear her son‘s name.
Her expression had unwittingly given her away.
Ben and Elliot exchanged glances for a moment as they came to the same conclusion.
“How did you and Mike meet, Miss Tate? It‘s hard to imagine that you would know someone that special,” Ben said, changing the subject to something more lighthearted. “Also, it looks like he‘s especially obedient. He listens to your every word.”
Avery took a sip of water and made up an excuse.
“We met at a networking event when I was studying abroad. We’re friends, so there’s no such thing as obedience.”
“I see… Did he follow you to Aryadelle?”
“He came because he felt like it, and he‘ll leave when he feels like it. What‘s this about following me around?” Avery said as she picked up a taco and placed it on her plate.
Mike was at Sterling Group trying to explain his intentions to the receptionist at the front desk
“I‘m sorry, but you need an appointment to see Mr. Rayner.”
“It’s lunchtime now,” Mike said.
“Exactly! It‘s lunchtime, so you may make an appointment after lunch at two in the afternoon, ” said the receptionist.
“That’s not what I mean… Elliot Foster and Ben Schaffer sent me to see him. Do you know who those two are?”
The receptionist was taken aback.
How could she possibly not know who the president and chief financial officer were?
“One moment, Sir. I‘ll call Mr. Rayner and bring the matter to his attention.”
After a short phone call, the receptionist turned to Mike and said, “Mr. Rayner doesn’t want to see you.”
“I know he doesn‘t want to see me, but your boss told me to come here. Are you going to listen to him or your boss? Just take me to where he is,” Mike said.
He was determined to see Chad because he was absolutely furious!
The receptionist hesitated for a moment, then led Mike to Chad’s office.
The moment Chad saw Mike, he began to seethe with anger.
Mike closed the door to Chad‘s office behind him, then snapped coldly, “You spy!”
Faced with Mike‘s chastising, Chad refused to back down.
“I admit, I had ulterior motives for getting close to you that night, but you—”
“It‘s good that you‘re admitting to that! Avery gave me an earful! She even made me come here to apologize to you! There‘s no way I‘m apologizing!”
Mike was infuriated, but he was still relatively level – headed.
“Nothing would‘ve happened between us if you hadn‘t deliberately approached me, so don’t act like the victim here!”
“Delete my number!” Chad hissed through gritted teeth.
“My pleasure!” Mike said as he pulled out his phone and deleted Chad’s number.
At the same time, Chad also got rid of Mike’s number.
“Let’s never meet ever again! Even if I run into you, we should pretend like we don’t know each other,” said Chad.
“Ha! i’d rather run into the devil than run into you!” Mike responded.
A f ter a heated argument, the two men parted ways.
M ike walked out of Sterling Group, then entered a cafe nearby and ordered a cup of black c offee.
He then gave Hayden a call and said, “Hey, Big H. Your mom knows about what you did. I’ve got my own butt to worry about, so you’re on your own this time!”
“It looks like I‘ll have to bring the plan forward,” Hayden mumbled.
“I think so! I bet your mom’s going to confiscate your laptop and give you a piece of her mind. Elliot Foster gave her some trouble today, so I’m guessing she’s in a terrible mood! Shouldn’t you just run away from home?” suggested Mike. “I’d rather get a beating than break Mommy’s heart,” said Hayden.
Avery returned home earlier than usual that evening.
Once Laura took Hayden home from school, she picked up Layla and went into the bedroom.
Hayden already knew what was about to happen when he saw his grandmother carry his sister away.
“Give me your bag, Hayden,” Avery said as she stretched a hand out to Hayden Hayden passed his bag to his mother with both hands.
Avery opened the bag and took out the laptop.
She did not open the laptop, but said, “Uncle Mike told me everything. You’ve used the skills he taught you to do a lot of bad things. Did you know that was illegal, Hayden? Do you know what you would have to face if they caught you?”
Hayden answered his mother without batting an eyelid, “I‘m only four. Can they throw me in jail?”
Avery was at a loss for words.
Even if Elliot ruled over Aryadelle, he probably had no way of sending a four-year-old to prison.
However, that was not the point.
The point was that Hayden‘s values were beginning to get twisted.
“You won‘t be four years old forever. You‘re bound to grow up,” Avery said as she tried to educate her son. “I can‘t watch you make the same mistake again, so I‘m confiscating your laptop for now.”
“Uncle Mike would just get me a new one,” Hayden said.
Avery felt her head throb, then sighed and said, “Are you planning on acting up again?!”
Hayden shook his head and said, “I won‘t mess with Elliot Foster again.”
As long as he left Elliot Foster alone, nobody else would be able to figure out that it was him.
“No dinner for you tonight,” Avery said, then walked towards her room with the laptop in her arms. Her eyes were red.
Hayden knew that his mother would never lay a finger on him, but the thought of Avery’s angry face upset him.
All he wanted to do was punish the person who picked on his mother.
At seven in the evening, Zoe received a text message.
(Meet me tonight at 10 at the Scenic Hotel, Room V809. I want to get to know you better. Elliot.
Did Elliot just invite her to a hotel at 10 p.m.?!
It was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild considering the meeting place and time.
They were both adults.
Even someone who had never dated would know the deeper meaning behind that text.
Why was Elliot suddenly changing his behavior toward her?
Zoe did not overthink it, because her head was spinning with joy.
She had to dress up tonight and make sure to leave a lasting impression on him.
She was determined to completely take over A v ery‘s place in Elliot‘s heart.
Over at the Starry River Villa, Hayden and Layla climbed in bed after washing up.