Vaillant Telecommunications, on Monday.
The entire conference room was sombre as Avery humorlessly listened to the proposals from the higher management.
"What you are trying to say, Mr. White, is that not only should we smile at our competitors as though they are our best friends, but we should also seek them for collaboration?" She planted her elbows on the large, oval-shaped marble table as she reacted to the proposal of the CFO.
"This is indeed my suggestion, Miss Vaillant." The CFO, Mr. White, went through the details of his suggestion even though the CEO's gaze made him want to give up and shut his mouth.
"What exactly do you aim to achieve?" Avery questioned him sternly.
"To decrease the project budget." He answered, earning a look of ridicule from her.
"Since when did Vaillant Telecommunications fall to the level of having to befriend our opponents in the name of saving project capital? What makes you think the company does not afford to complete our own project?"
"I'm not implying that the company does not afford it. I just find it more beneficial to collaborate with the other companies." He explained his point of view, and wondered what her blank look meant. Was she agreeing?
"Ever since Vaillant Telecommunications came into existence, we have funded our own projects adequately. This time will be no different. Does anyone else have questions?"
No one dared to ask even if they had questions, since no one dared to oppose Avery.
…
Once the meeting ended, her assistant stayed behind to have a word with her.
"Do you have something to say?" She asked her assistant, Mina, who was also her good friend.
"Are you certain about your decision, Avery?"
"When have I been uncertain about anything I do?" Avery straightened up to return to her office, with Mina following her.
"You know I'm not talking about the company. I'm talking about…" She was yet to complete her statement when Avery turned to face her, her face a mask of coldness.
"I do not wish to talk about personal matters during working hours. Do you have anything work-related to talk about?" She changed the topic without giving the latter the chance to say anything else.
"Mr. Blanc sent an invitation for you to attend a ball." Mina reported.
"Reject it. Anything else?" She brushed it off, men were the last thing she wanted to think about right now.
"There's a parcel for you. The delivery boy said that it was a thank-you gift from RA Vaille." After gaining her approval, she brought the gift over.
Avery knew that the CEO of RA Vaille was thanking her for previously helping him clinch a deal. She opened the envelope to take out the card, then her eyes furrowed when she saw the content.
"See you this evening—D'aboville."
It had to be that demon yet again.
Now that she realized it, she had negotiated with the COO of RA Vaille, and the identity of the CEO remained a secret. Who would have thought that it would turn out to be none other than Damon D'aboville?
The man must have been trying to seek her for a long time now, since it seemed like he was intending to trap her.
She took a deep breath and crumbled the paper into a ball which she threw into the trash can in her office.
"Avery?" Mina was surprised by her reaction.
"I would like to be alone." Avery waved her over, and the latter had no choice but to leave her on her own. Avery knew that no matter how she tried, she would not be able to escape that man so she mentally prepared herself for the evening, when he would arrive.
…
When evening arrived, part of her wanted to rush home and evade him, but she knew that he might simply follow her all the way to her private villa so it was not an excellent idea. Just as she wondered whether or not he would show up, a car pulled up near Vaillant Telecommunications and he stepped out of it.
"Hello there." He greeted, even while knowing that he was the last person she wanted to see.
"How I wish you didn't come." She didn't pretend to be friendly to him.
In response to her sharp remarks, he only had a smile to offer. "I didn't want to come either. I wanted to go to your villa instead, and spend time with my son."
Her blue eyes squinted in horror, and he knew that a ruthless slap was on its way, which he stopped with his hand. "I said, that's what I would have loved. However, that would upset you so I decided to ask for your permission instead. Could you introduce me to our son?"
His words sounded like a plea but his tone was anything but. He was commanding her, not leaving her any choice.
"What if I don't?" She retorted. She had always been the one to give orders, and she had never taken orders from anyone—and she was not about to start now.
"If you don't…" Damon contemplated with his fingers on his chin, his deep eyes gazing at her before he took a breath with a pained expression. "Then not only would I be sad, Angel would be sad too."
"You heartless piece of scum!" She kicked him right in the balls before making her way to her car. How shameless of him to use a child!
As the car drove off, she couldn't help wondering why he had returned. What was his exact reason? She knew that it definitely had something to do with wanting to take Angel away but why would he want a child he had previously rejected?
Unless…
Her lips twitched when she thought of the possibility and she wanted to get out of the car to give him a better kick in his balls. If his parents were pestering him for an heir, he could simply get married and have another child! Where was the hard part?
…
"Mommy!" Angel clung to Avery as soon as she arrived.
"Baby, I missed you." She hugged him and kissed his soft cheek gently, feeling all her distress fly away as soon as she hugged her baby.
When she sat on the couch, he got down from her arms and ran to bring his toy truck, to show his mother how he had been 'driving' for the most part of the afternoon.
She smiled and patted him dotingly as he played at her feet. "My baby is the smartest." She then turned to the nanny who had just brought snacks for the little boy. "How has he been today?"
"He played a little more than usual and slept a lot." The nanny reported, much to Avery's relief. She had thought that meeting Damon would affect him negatively, that he would be unable to go on with his life as usual. Luckily, he seemed to have forgotten about Damon.
She gazed down at him lovingly. As though feeling her gaze, he looked up and smiled back at her, blinking his blue eyes that were so bright and cute that they could melt the coldest heart.
The paediatrician would arrive soon to check on him, and she was slightly nervous. Had his health improved? Angel had been diagnosed with mild autism as a toddler, shattering her heart to pieces. However, the paediatrician had stated that it was not impossible for him to outgrow the symptoms, which made her anxious every time he came to check on the boy. Each time, she would hope for a better outcome but the last two times, there was no significant change in his health.
The paediatrician arrived while she thought about it, and the housekeeper saw him in.
"Dr. Chris." Avery stood to shake hands with him, while the boy at her feet retreated behind her in a flash.
"It's great to see you again, Miss Vaillant." Dr. Chris shook her hand with a smile on his lips, then peeked at the boy hiding behind his mother. "His memory is improving. He recognizes me."
"It is?" Avery was relieved. She had thought that the boy was hiding because he had seen a stranger, but now that she thought about it, it was likely because he recognized Chris as the man who injected him.
She was more at ease when they sat at the coffee table to talk.
"I was worried. He threw a random tantrum recently… I suspect that it has something to do with his father, whom he had never met before. He suddenly started looking for him and threw a fit when he couldn't find him."
Chris listened to her and frowned when she was done explaining.
"Avery, Angel is only four. What makes you think he would come up with such a thought without a trigger? There is probably something that happened, which you don't know about."
It was just as she thought. She had also found it hard to believe that it was a coincidence, that Angel would randomly start looking for his father just a day before he was to appear.
Her lips twitched when she comprehended it. She would kill that man the next time she saw him.