'Click,'
The moment the door of the restroom unlocked, Aveline stood up. She tried to act normal hearing the sound of heels.
The reflection in the mirror showed Giselle, who slowly walked behind her, reached the counter beside her and looked into the mirror.
With deliberation in every action, Giselle opened her clutch, took her lipstick, and applied it, knowing Aveline was watching.
Whether Aveline realised it or not, Giselle noticed.
The scared Aveline was gone. The one watching now was calm and collected, aware that Giselle was there for a reason.
Dropping her lipstick back into the clutch, Giselle took a final look at her reflection before turning to Aveline. Noticing the subtle creases on Aveline's dress, she didn't need to ask what Aveline had been doing.
She quietly reached out and gently tugged the hem of Aveline's dress to smooth out the creases. When she stood back, she broke the silence. "You are doing great."
Giselle Lancaster, and Alaric Lancaster.
One approached her, and she approached another.
While dealing with Ashfords, she least wanted to tangle with Lancaster in the mess.
Yet, she couldn't help but wonder, could she use Giselle's interest in her to gain favor from Alaric Lancaster?
"What are you after?" She asked.
Giselle's lips curled, but she didn't smile. "You will learn soon." Her response didn't lift the veil.
She had assumed Aveline was in a bad shape after receiving Alaric's call. But small breakdowns were natural. Aveline would learn her way.
Reaching the restroom door, Giselle turned, "Fact check: Divorce isn't as easy as walking into a civil bureau." Then she opened the door and left.
Aveline: "..."
Wasn't proving Damien's affair enough to get a divorce?
Aveline realized she needed a divorce lawyer. A powerful one who wouldn't be influenced by Damien's power or money.
Aveline felt like pulling her hair out of frustration. What was she supposed to do first?
Find proof of Damien and Vivienne's affair?
Protect herself from Damien?
Protect Laurent Industries?
Find a smooth way out of marriage?
Deceive Damien?
Would Damien even let her go smoothly?
Could she survive his retaliation?
Could she stop him before he destroyed everything?
Having no mood to return to the event, Aveline collected her mobile from the deposit counter and asked an event attendant to inform Mike. She was waiting at the entrance when she heard footsteps. She turned and met Alaric's gaze.
Neither did he ignore her, nor uttered a word about their conversation. He walked further and got into a Rolls-Royce.
For someone she had just met, he left behind a silence louder than anything she'd ever heard before.
She took a deep breath as the wheels of the car rolled. Either this would be their last meeting or just the beginning.
"He left his event!?" Mike's low voice reached her.
Aveline didn't acknowledge it. Their car arrived, and they departed smoothly.
…
In the security room, Damien smirked after watching Alaric and Aveline leave. He couldn't believe neither the CEO, nor the first client of the company acknowledged each other.
If she wasn't trying to acquaint herself with Alaric, 'was she just here due to her father's pressure?'
Henry could have chosen Charles, but why would he choose her?
Doesn't she know he was at the event too?
He shook his head and believed she would have rushed to him if she knew. With that in mind, he returned to the event.
Whereas, the security head dropped a quick message to Ezra. [He wasn't suspicious.]
They had cleared the footage of Mike following Damien and Aveline entering and exiting Alaric's office as per Alaric's order.
…..
Sunday, in the morning,
Damien woke up to an empty bed. Aveline had been asleep the previous night. He went downstairs to learn she was gone.
The security guard reported, "Assistant Wilson arrived at seven to pick Mrs. Ashford."
Walter continued, "Today is Mrs. Ashford's monthly visit to the orphanage. She drank 'JUICE'..." He pressed the word before continuing, "... saying she will have breakfast with the kids."
Aveline should be isolated, hence he wouldn't favor anybody visiting the Sterling villa often. Thus, Mike picking her up irked him. Nevertheless, 'Juice' eased him up.
If she was getting her daily dose of toxin, he was ready to endure her flight a light longer.
–––––––––––––
At Ivy Orphanage,
The orphanage was founded in memory of her aunt by her grandfather. The orphanage's management was handed to Aveline by her grandmother Celeste. She mandatorily visits once a month and more if there are any events at the orphanage.
After breakfast with the kids, Aveline went to her office with an impatient Mike in tow. Before she opened the reports, her eyes caught sight of an envelope addressed to her name, rather than the orphanage.
"Daniel Anderson!?" That name clicked faster, "Wasn't he the manager who resigned and disappeared?"
Mike frowned as he responded, "He was."
But why would he send a letter to Aveline?
Aveline tore open the envelope and pulled the letters out. As she read the letter, she rose from her seat, her face turning pale and her eyes widening.
The shock on her face made Mike more edgy, especially after learning Damien was planning something against her, "Manager Laurent!?" He rose to his feet.
Aveline's hands shook as she gave the letters to Mike. She expected somebody to be working for Damien, yet learning their progress left her jittery.
Mike was stunned throughout the letter. He even cursed, "That f*cking bastard…" He recalled that Aveline was with him. "I'm sorry, but we need to report this to Chairman Laurent immediately." He was alert and became assertive.
Aveline snapped back to herself when she heard him. She understood Mike's protectiveness, but they couldn't act without thinking. She wanted to protect Laurent Industries more than anybody, but triggering Damien was the last thing she would do.
"Assistant Wilson." She said sharply.
Mike froze. Then slowly everything began to sink in. He understood why Aveline had been enduring the marriage despite Damien's affair.
Both Aveline and Laurent Industries were at stake.
Aveline took a moment to keep her calm before speaking, "I need you to support me through this. Do not act rashly. If you can't, we will stick to work. Nothing more, nothing less."
Mike had never felt so helpless serving the family he swore to protect. He had kept himself in a mentor position. Now, he came to a realisation that she was his boss, not some naive lady.
Though a part of him urged him to rush the news to Henry Laurent, looking into the stern gaze of Aveline, he had to choose.
When Mike tried to cool his nerves, Aveline sat down. A business license of a vendor of Laurents, and reports of financial blunder of the Laurent Industries weren't something they could neglect.
Aveline tried to recall which of their vendors worked against Laurent to frame them as frauds. But she has no idea about the financial blunder that played a major role in the downfall of Laurents.
She pointed at the letter and asked Mike, "What financial blunder is he talking about? What happened three years ago?"
Mike reported truthfully, "CEO Laurent was new. He approved payments to vendors without proper verification of numbers. Those vendors were secretly tied to the finance manager. He overbilled for materials delivered in tiny amounts. Laurent Industries lost millions quietly. Though Chairman Laurent managed the massive internal cash loss, the books were adjusted internally to avoid alarms. Auditors weren't told."
Aveline: "..."
It wasn't the solution.
Aveline leaned back, mind racing. If they couldn't steal the evidence from Damien, what could they do?
"We need to reopen the investigation internally. Correct the books legally. Disclose the mistakes to selected investors before Damien weaponized it."
She was ready to apologize and pay hefty fines instead of letting Damien label them as frauds.
Mike was stunned for a moment. He mentioned the hurdle, "Chairman Laurents will have to act on it." Not them.
Aveline: "..."
How was she going to address it to her father?
She asked to know the current damage, "What will be the damage if these are used against us?"
Mike thought carefully, "Financially - manageable. Reputation is at Risk."
For a brand like Laurents, reputation was everything.
Laurents had gone bankrupt just a few months before her regression. So Damien won't act anytime soon. He would need more insider information to truly damage them, infiltrate their network to create new blunders.
Aveline's mind worked fast. She could handle the vendor's issue problem but the financial blunder has to be stepped in by her father and brother.
Suddenly, her eyes glinted. She quickly folded the letters and showed them back into the envelope.
"Lighter?" She asked.
Mike handed it to her and followed her out to the field.
Aveline quickly gathered a head of dry leaves with her bare hands.
"Manager Laurent!?" He was baffled.
Aveline lit the heap. The fire caught quickly and burned bright. She threw the envelope into the flames.
Mike closed his eyes briefly, fighting the urge to stop her burning evidence against Damien. He reminded himself that she knew what she was doing. She wasn't a teen anymore.
She watched the envelope catch fire, waited just long enough for partial damage, then grabbed it with her bare hands.
Panicked, Mike slapped her hand before she burned her hand and threw soil on the envelope to snuff out the fire.
Not far away, Alaric flinched instinctively, watching her play with fire with her bare hands, literally. He almost moved but stopped himself.
Just when he caught a satisfied smile on her face, his phone rang. He ignored it until the last ring.
'Damien' flashed on the screen. He reluctantly answered the call.
[Ric, wanna hang out?]
"No."
He was about to end the call when Damien added in a hurry. [Come on. You need to celebrate after a successful event. I will be waiting at Obsidian.]
Alaric couldn't believe Damien had made himself the center of everyone's life. He wasn't wasting time in a corner just to run over at his call.
Though he hated to miss the joy of watching Aveline, he changed the venue of the so-called celebration, "At your villa." He hung up the call, giving no chance for Damien to retort.
"Let's make tonight unforgettable." He whispered, watching Aveline.