Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 86: Mask of Desperation

At Laurent Industries,

Aveline was resting her feet on the couch as she worked. The swelling had reduced, and the pain was significantly lower, so she didn’t waste time taking unnecessary rest.

Laurent Industries was handling PR smoothly, while Ashford Holdings only bothered with blocking news of the Ashford family members’ actions after Eleanor announced the share transfer.

"Bro..." she called out in alarm to her brother, who was busy at his desk. When she didn’t get a response, she tried to get off the couch, but he warned, "Stay there."

He reached her to see a picture on her laptop. Damien was at Laurent Mansion, sitting with Celeste, their grandmother.

Aveline turned to him. "The housekeeper sent it to me." Her voice cracked, her heart thundered in her chest, but her eyes meeting Charles’s gaze said everything.

They realized they hadn’t told Celeste anything, and they couldn’t understand why Damien was there.

"I need to go." She placed her feet on the floor. Damien was doing what he did best, risking other people’s lives.

Charles quickly placed her legs back on the couch. "Don’t panic. He doesn’t know about your involvement in anything."

"He might be suspicious of me," Aveline argued.

"If you rush there, then he’ll definitely be suspicious. Think about why he would meet our grandmother. And did the housekeeper mention anything else? If there was a real issue, would the housekeeper just send you a picture?"

Aveline nodded, but she was jumpy. What if Damien was suspicious? Then, Celeste was in danger.

"Why are you nervous?" Charles asked, having always seen her calm.

"Selene Ashford texted me. According to her, Madam Ashford has disappeared. I didn’t tell Madam Ashford that Damien could harm her, but I don’t trust Damien."

Damien was a master manipulator. He could hide Eleanor the way he had hidden Vivienne, then pin kidnapping or any other blame on Aveline.

Charles sat down and thought long and hard before immediately dialing Henry’s number.

"Dad, do you know Madam Ashford’s current location?" he asked, watching Aveline’s brows furrow with confusion.

He turned on the speaker and they heard, "Serenity. She’ll be safe there." His voice was confident.

Aveline and Charles were mind-blown. Serenity was a private island among hundreds of others. It would take forever to find Eleanor without the exact coordinates.

"It wasn’t a kidnapping, if Lina wants to know. I offered it to her and she accepted. I have both video and audio proof."

Aveline giggled, hearing her father, but then mentioned, "Damien is at the Laurent mansion."

"I know." He sounded calmer than necessary. "There’s a new painting in the hall."

Aveline caught the hint. It was an artwork hiding the camera.

"He’s behaving. If he dared to harm my mother, he wouldn’t step out alive." His low voice whispering danger silenced his son and daughter.

"Lina, just focus on what you have to do. I’m here to protect everything that could hold you back."

After some light conversation, Aveline relaxed on the couch. But she shot Charles a look. "How did you guess Dad would know her location?"

Charles patted her head and returned to his desk as he spoke. "Lina, did you really think Dad would leave here without fortifying his territory?"

Aveline lay on the couch with a sigh. "I have a lot to learn."

Charles glanced at her, his eyes full of admiration. He didn’t want her to struggle, but he didn’t stop her either. He had learned how important it was for women to be independent and self-aware, not to protect others, but to protect themselves and fight for what they wanted instead of following societal norms.

Aveline kept receiving calls from different stakeholders of Ashford Holdings. She didn’t fall for any of their words, guessing Damien was orchestrating things behind the scenes. However, the call she was expecting didn’t come.

....

At noon,

Aveline was trying to pick a restaurant to order food from when the door opened. Her expression fell when she saw Damien. Before she could order the firing of the entire security department, her eyes widened seeing Celeste.

Charles stood up. "Grandmother." He completely ignored Damien beside her.

Aveline tried to stand when Damien rushed to her and supported her like a henpecked husband.

Celeste’s eyes narrowed at Charles. "Why aren’t you greeting your brother-in-law?" she reprimanded.

Charles glared at Damien but refused to greet him.

Celeste pointed at Charles while her eyes were on Aveline. "You silly girl, this is how your family treats your husband?" She sounded angry.

Aveline and Charles: "..."

Celeste made her way inside and sat in the armchair. Charles had to remain standing when she glared at him, while Aveline and Damien were told to sit.

"Aveline, arguments and misunderstandings are common between husband and wife," Celeste began.

"Mistrust and disrespect included?" Aveline scoffed like a bratty, spoiled girl.

Celeste slammed her cane on the floor, her eyes glaring daggers at her. "Damien has already told me everything. He even apologized to me."

Charles looked at Damien in disbelief. Had Damien brought Celeste to mediate between them?

What was he, ten years old? Or was his desperation finally showing?

Aveline resisted rolling her eyes, unable to stand it when Damien sat beside her like a bullied husband. "I get it, consequences make people question. But what about me? Do I have to keep getting hurt mentally, emotionally, and physically?"

Celeste had already scolded Damien, so she focused on Aveline. "Yes, Lina, you two haven’t dated. It takes years to truly know each other. You have to forgive, forget, and stop making the same mistakes."

Aveline felt bad for involving Celeste. Still, she pouted and continued being bratty. "He has people following me."

"Because he’s worried about you," Celeste countered.

Aveline blinked once, then twice. She had no script for this performance, whereas Charles knew he would better not act and risk getting caught.

Because they couldn’t believe Damien had brainwashed Celeste, the woman who used to see through lies.

"I’ve told him. He won’t do it again," Celeste added.

Aveline murmured, lowering her head to hide her expression, "He could have just coaxed me. He didn’t have to bring you into this."

Celeste immediately swung her cane and hit Charles’s leg. "I’m here for this brat." She glared at Charles, who stood speechless.

"How dare you speak to your brother-in-law that way? Your sister is married, are you going to hide her from her husband?"

Charles couldn’t believe Damien had complained about him, too. But he knew Damien was just playing nice and quiet.

"Today is Sunday. How did you know we were here?" Charles finally emerged from his stupor. He had work, and Aveline had followed him. There was no one in the company except security.

Celeste hissed, "Get the car. I’m hungry." Then she signaled Damien to talk to Aveline.

Aveline discreetly signaled her brother as he left with Celeste.

Damien began playing his role. "Nina, don’t be angry. I called you several times, but you didn’t answer. I had no other way to reach you." In reality, he had gone to the Laurent mansion to ensure Eleanor hadn’t gone there.

He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed. "Let’s go home." He sounded as if he couldn’t live without her.

Aveline wondered why Damien was going to such lengths. What was he planning?

Whatever it was, his gentle gaze and velvety voice masked it perfectly, so smooth, so clean. It reminded Aveline of the beginning of their marriage.

However, this time he wasn’t giving her space. The way his fingers grazed her cheek and rubbed her neck, he was up to something truly sinister.

"I wish I could, but Dad..."

"Tell him on the phone. You can convince him," he cut her off. Then his voice dropped. "Please..."

Aveline got goosebumps hearing him. Was he playing her own game back at her? She had used that soft tone to make him call her father when she wanted to join Laurent Industries.

If she said no, he would be suspicious. So she had to call her father, feigning a smile.

She was bringing her phone to her ear when Damien took her hand and turned on the speaker, giving her a smile that almost creeped her out.

Damien rubbed her goosebumps, assuming she had them from his touch. With everything happening, only Aveline seemed to be benefiting, so he strongly suspected the Laurent family.

Celeste was off the list. Now it was Henry and Aveline’s turn. Before the call was answered, he asked, "Where are your parents today?"

Aveline knew where they were but wasn’t sure which story her father was using. "He doesn’t tell me. He’s afraid I might show up there." She laughed as the call was answered.

"Dad..."

Damien immediately held her phone away and whispered, "Don’t tell him I’m here. He’ll think I’m forcing you."

Aveline: "..."

"Lina, you should visit here sometime. That wild monster almost caught the deer."

She wanted to cough up blood when she heard her father. The wild monster was Damien, and she was the deer. Her father was savage.

Henry already knew Celeste and Damien had left together, so he would have guessed who was with her, or Charles might have informed him.

"Are you on safari? I’ve never been on one," Aveline complained. But her father was in an urban jungle where spotting even a bird was difficult.

"I’m not telling you. This is my wife’s and my time," Henry scoffed.

Damien leaned back, assuming Henry was on safari as he had told Celeste the same thing. He looked at Aveline, waiting for her to get to the point instead of more nonsense.

He heard Aveline make her request to Henry, who got angry at first, then agreed with a condition.

"It’s time Damien learned to adjust to your lifestyle. I’m sending the housekeeper, maids, and security." Then his voice turned fierce. "I can’t trust his people anymore. If he has a problem with that, I’ll take you away." It was an ultimatum.

Aveline stammered, "No. Dad, I’m still newly married. He..." She glanced at him and continued, "I’m sure he won’t have a problem with these arrangements. His people or yours, they only have to do their jobs."

Damien’s face read, ’What the fuck!’

Just imagining Henry’s people watching him made his blood boil. But when Aveline turned to him with her big doe eyes, he had to smile. "Of course." He caressed her cheek. "It’s time I learned about your life and lifestyle."

He reached for her hand, and she let him... for now.

Just as he had once fed her poison with a silver spoon, she was going to feed him regret with a glass of wine.

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