Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 89: The Bait

With the board meeting scheduled for noon at Ashford Holdings, Aveline briefly stopped by Laurent Industries to instruct her team before heading to meet Giselle.

She was looking at her phone in the passenger seat when Mike informed her, "Vivienne Sinclair is here." He slowed down the car after exiting the parking lot of Laurent Industries.

Aveline looked up at Vivienne, who was covered from head to toe. If Vivienne was trying to avoid attention, she was failing miserably in her fancy scarf, bold sunglasses, and runway-worthy dress.

Then her eyes widened slightly when realization dawned on her. Vivienne was there with proof of Damien’s adultery. She rolled down the window and said, "Obsidian."

Vivienne immediately tossed the pouch inside the car as she responded, "See you there." She didn’t want to risk having those cameras on her if Damien caught up with her.

Aveline was about to touch the pouch when Mike said, "Don’t touch it." He didn’t want to take the chance of Vivienne manipulating them. He fetched his handkerchief and handed it to her.

Aveline held the zipper through the handkerchief and looked at the three square-centimeter devices in the pouch. "Spy cameras?!" she exclaimed, examining the lenses.

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At Obsidian,

Despite going there for the fourth time, Aveline didn’t know where the private room Giselle had mentioned was located. Just then, the CEO of Obsidian appeared and personally guided her to the destination.

Vivienne warned Aveline, "This place belongs to Damien’s friend." In other words, it was dangerous.

She followed Aveline into the room that looked like a private office. She spotted a woman at the window, speaking on a call.

Giselle Lancaster.

Vivienne had heard a lot about Giselle but was seeing her for the first time. Whether it was her looks or her work, she was a legend, sharp from head to toe, elegant and precise in every action.

Giselle gestured for them to sit and completed her call before turning to the three.

Her eyes lingered on Vivienne for a few seconds. Just twenty days ago, she had assumed Vivienne would swallow Aveline for breakfast. And now, Vivienne followed Aveline like a little lost lamb.

Shaking her head in resignation, she probed, "We have a new guest here."

Aveline took out the pouch wrapped in a handkerchief. "She gave me this."

Vivienne frowned, not understanding why she would show it to her lawyer. Anyway, she spoke, "It contains video proof of Damien having sex with me." She paused and scoffed, "Actually, he’s screwed himself in that video."

Mike wanted to leave the room for the ladies, but stayed there, playing dead.

Vivienne noticed Giselle and Aveline looking at each other. Assuming they didn’t believe her, she continued, "Same video from multiple angles. It can’t be faked, even by AI."

Aveline swore to herself that she wasn’t going to watch it. She subtly nodded at Giselle.

"Well, it looks more like a family matter. It doesn’t concern me." Giselle got up and left the room.

Aveline looked at Vivienne and asked flatly, "What are you trying to do, Vivienne Sinclair?"

She didn’t believe Vivienne, but she could guess that Vivienne wanted her to divorce Damien, may or may not become Mrs. Ashford herself. Or she wanted to destroy Damien.

Vivienne found Aveline stupid. "Your husband is having an affair, Aveline Laurent. Aren’t you being too calm?"

Aveline sighed deeply at her words. Was Vivienne expecting her to cry? She was done crying.

"Vivienne Sinclair, I trust my husband more than..." She paused, her eyes brushing over Vivienne as if she didn’t like what she was seeing, "...you."

Until a few days ago, Vivienne had wanted to kill her and become Mrs. Ashford. So she trusted neither Vivienne nor Damien. She wasn’t going to take the chance of Damien playing games behind the scenes at any cost.

Vivienne watched Aveline in disbelief. She had just brought her video proof, and Aveline was talking about trust?

"Are you stupid? The video proof is right here." She pointed at the bundle wrapped in the white handkerchief.

Aveline narrowed her eyes. "Love is blind, Vivienne. You won’t understand it. What if those videos are from the past? What if you brought someone to impersonate Damien? Watching it means doubting Damien. I’ll never do that." Her stern words drew a clear and loud line.

Vivienne’s jaw dropped. ’Love?’ She chuckled at Aveline’s foolishness and stressed her words, "Don’t fall for his act, Aveline. He’s playing a game with you. He married you because I told him to. He married you to destroy Laurent Industries."

Now it was Aveline’s turn to be speechless. All of Velmora was suspicious that Damien had married her for the land, yet Vivienne was delusional enough to assume she had control over Damien.

Giselle returned to the room and smoothly replaced the handkerchief bundle with a different one.

Meanwhile, Aveline rose from her chair as if she were losing her patience. Her frown deepened slightly, and her words turned harsh. "Vivienne Sinclair, if you really have the video, I dare you to go to my husband and threaten him." She challenged her.

Vivienne: "..."

She wouldn’t dare do so. Damien would kill her.

"If you truly slept with him, show him the video. Tell him the video would reach me even if he killed you. Threaten him to divorce me for you, threaten him on social media, and threaten him to listen to you. I’ll also see how true your words are." She provoked Vivienne to take the lead.

Vivienne frowned. Damien would definitely kill her, but what if she dared to stand against him? She could take back control of Sinclair’s. She would make Damien pay for his sins.

Aveline saw Vivienne’s cold reaction. So she took a step further and humiliated her, "I trust my husband, and I’m not going to listen to you..." Aveline pointed at Vivienne from head to toe, "A model worth two pennies, talking rubbish about him." She sneered.

Giselle struggled to maintain a straight face. Mike looked like a statue.

Vivienne’s eyes burned red with fury. A model worth two pennies?

"You just wait, Aveline Laurent." She growled at Aveline, "Do you love your husband? I will come back with his child." She grabbed her spy cameras and stormed out.

She had replaced the contraceptive pills with vitamin tablets. She planned to use Damien’s child to get Ashford’s wealth while Damien would be ruined by the Laurents.

It looked like she would have to get rid of Aveline with her pregnancy and the video. "Aveline Laurent, you will regret it."

Inside the Private Office

Giselle sat down, watching Aveline feel bad for humiliating the woman who had slept with her husband, instead of celebrating that Vivienne had taken the bait.

Aveline went to peek at Vivienne, but her view was blocked. She lifted her head to meet those green eyes.

She wasn’t sure what to say, and he broke the silence. "How is your foot?"

Alaric could see the pink flush on her cheek. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was embarrassed or shy. He tilted his head to look at her feet.

She was wearing chunky black loafers over sheer tights, perfectly paired with a black wrap mini skirt and striped top. She looked effortlessly chic and irresistibly cute.

Only when he met her eyes did he realize she was quietly watching him. He wasn’t embarrassed; he just kept his hands to himself.

"There’s no swelling. The bruise will take time." She responded honestly.

Alaric nodded and tilted his head again. She was putting her full weight on her uninjured leg. "Don’t strain it."

Aveline nodded and went inside to sit. He followed her in.

Aveline came to the point. "I need to write a complex will, which basically should state that my inheritance and life insurance won’t transfer to my spouse but to my... children. In case I die without a child, I want some of it to return to the Laurent family and some of it to go to the Ivy orphanage."

She placed copies of several documents on the table that would be needed for the will.

Then she continued, "If I’m transferring it to somebody, it should be signed in the presence of three witnesses. One from the Laurent family, another person could be you as my lawyer, and I haven’t chosen the third person."

She had thought of Mike Wilson and Scarlett, but Damien could kill them to invalidate the clause.

She glanced over at the man who was lounging in the armchair and continued looking at Giselle, "I could ask him if he has no problem with it."

Alaric deadpanned, "I don’t need the land. The lady is enough."

Giselle and Mike were confused, whereas Aveline pursed her lips into a thin line and looked away.

’Land and Lady... both mine’ was what he had said before. He wasn’t her husband, and she wasn’t talking about a will against him.

She took his response as positive, "He seems okay with that."

Giselle resisted cringing as she realized her supposedly detached brother was flirting with Aveline in front of her.

Well, she focused on her job. "That’s commendable. I’ll get the papers ready and send you the draft in two days. My team will call you if we need any other clarification."

Aveline stood up and nodded at Giselle. "Thank you, have a good day." She turned to leave, but her grandmother’s words held her back.

"Err... My grandmother learned about everything recently. She asked me to invite you..." Her gaze fell on Alaric as she continued, "...both of you for dinner. If you’re busy, just for coffee. She’s willing to come here if you’re available."

Despite inviting them, she prayed for them to reject her invitation. Wouldn’t it be odd for Alaric to meet her grandmother? frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Alaric shrugged. "I’m free tonight."

Aveline: "..."

She was still processing Alaric’s shameless response when Mike cleared his throat from the doorway. "Ms. Laurent, we’re running late for the board meeting."

The words snapped her back to reality.

Giselle sighed, clearly giving in to her brother’s expectant look. "I would love a tour of the Laurent mansion."

Aveline smiled politely. "Then please feel free to bring your baby and husband." She nodded and headed out.

To the real battlefield waiting at Ashford Holdings.

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