Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 90: Her Playground

At Ashford Holdings,

Aveline insisted that Mike Wilson return to Laurent Industries. Because just having him beside her was enough to make the board members doubt her capability. She wanted them to take her as nothing but a spoiled daughter of the Laurents.

Carrying a white leather tote bag, Aveline was grabbing every eye from the entrance to the hallways. They whispered and spoke about her, but none dared to approach her.

Aveline stopped by on the floor of Damien’s office. She saw Damien going towards her when the elevator doors opened, but as soon as she stepped out, she was greeted by another person.

"Aveline..." Lawrence chimed and flashed his creepy smile. "May I have a word with you?" he asked.

’I’m officially in the storm of office politics,’ she thought.

She glanced at Damien, who was frowning, but suddenly he smiled upon meeting her eyes. He cued her to speak and paused.

’He is back to his role,’ she thought before nodding at Lawrence. "Sure," she said softly.

Stepping towards the empty lounge area where Damien’s gaze could still reach their heads, Lawrence spoke, grinning like a clown.

"Aveline, I’m not here to ask for your support or anything, so don’t worry," he began. "I understand Damien is your husband, but I hope you stay true and fair to everyone."

She flashed a polite smile. "Mr. Ashford, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We still don’t know how things will turn out. If I end up with a responsibility, I’ll be fair and square," she said diplomatically.

Lawrence’s expression was stiff. He was shocked during the event, so he didn’t know Damien’s reaction until he heard it from others. But he was expecting him to celebrate and lead Aveline to secure the position.

After hearing her response, he even wondered why she was so clueless. It was as if she wasn’t interested.

"Mr. Ashford?" Aveline called out when he didn’t react.

Lawrence grinned again and nodded. "Okay then, I’ll see you in the conference room."

She smiled and said respectfully, "Then I’ll be under your care." She walked away, leaving Lawrence confused.

He was supposed to gain her favor, wasn’t he? He thought to wait until the board meeting before learning the dynamics between Damien and Aveline.

....

Damien held her hand and took her inside when she reached him. "I’m scared," Aveline said quietly, breaking the silence.

Damien made her sit on the couch and fetched her water. He handed her the glass and sat next to her. "I can understand. It’s daunting to face the board members."

Aveline kept the glass away and asked nervously, "What if all those people get angry at me?" Her eyes widened as if she were scared. "I tried to reach Grandmother Ashford so that she could come and clarify, but she isn’t reachable. I don’t know what to say if they ask me anything." She sounded nervous down to every word she uttered.

"Shh..." Damien shushed her gently. "I’m here for you," he assured her. "If they ask you anything, answer it. Or else just stay silent. If it’s unbearable, just return here. I’ll manage everything."

Aveline: "..."

Was that his plan? To make it unbearable for her?

Was he asking her to run away so that he could answer on her behalf?

Even if it turned out to be impossible for her, she was going to sit through it. Because she chose it, she wasn’t going to be called a coward for running away.

"Could I do that?" she asked, sounding surprised.

Damien nodded as he looked at her. Her hair was blow-dried to perfection, and her outfit made her look younger and cuter, instead of a boss lady. She looked perfect for his label as a newbie, a clueless and spoiled lady.

As if still nervous, she continued, "Who will head the meeting? Why do I feel like entering the principal’s office after stealing something?" She went on and on.

Damien had to push back all his schemes and focus on easing her fake nervousness.

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A minute before the scheduled time, the board members checked the clock and looked at the door. Aveline wasn’t in yet. Their eyes shifted to Damien, who shrugged. "She’ll be here in a minute." She had rushed to the washroom when he was bringing her there.

And the clock hit 12.

Before anybody could erupt, the door opened. Aveline entered inside, her eyes brushing over the middle-aged to elderly faces, and stopped at Damien, who was the youngest in there, other than the secretaries.

Now, she was the youngest in the room. She quietly walked towards the chair that was empty beside Damien.

"Don’t you have the decency to apologize for coming late?" a sharp voice began.

Aveline paused and purposefully glanced at the clock. If she had to talk about being late, she was 5 seconds late. She turned to Damien, and he came to the rescue.

"She is just nervous. Take it easy."

Aveline: "..."

’Wait... was that rescuing her?’ Aveline pursed her lips. ’He isn’t throwing me under the bus but sliding me under it.’

"Damien, should I apologize for coming late by just 5 seconds?" Aveline asked, looking bewildered.

Damien forced a smile at how smoothly she had interfered before another shareholder erupted against her. "No... That’s totally fine. The board members are a bit... edgy, you know." He definitely defended the board members.

Aveline looked at the man who had just screamed at her. "I understand," she said composedly. She kept her bag on the floor and sat down elegantly.

A moment of silence cracked when another member started, "Aveline Laurent, this isn’t a shopping center where you can walk in, spend your dad’s money, and walk away."

"Exactly," another one said. "This is a conglomerate. Not your playground."

Another one rose. "Thousands of employees make a living at Ashford Holdings. It is a big responsibility to run a company."

The first person who had shouted at Aveline rose again. "You even need people tending to you to hold your bag. You dare to walk in here."

"If anybody with shares could become chairman, kids would have been running the companies."

Aveline looked at the five men who were actively attacking her, just at the start of the meeting. Her hand reached for Damien’s and started clutching his hand as the men continued to hurl accusations and scream at her.

But Damien? He just sat there, carelessly patting her hand.

After five minutes, Damien whispered to her, "If you can’t face them, go. I will take care of the meeting."

Aveline looked at Damien and whispered, "I don’t want them to humiliate you or laugh at you for having me, a coward, as a wife."

Damien’s composure cracked. He wanted her to be a coward. Especially now. He whispered back. "Don’t think about all that."

"Aveline Laurent, we are talking to you," one of them screamed, for not getting her attention.

To Damien’s eyes, Aveline rose as if she were startled.

Anyway, she slowly breathed out. "Yes," she said calmly. She spotted Damien’s secretary and asked politely, "Could you note their names for me? Thank you."

One of the men sneered, "What will you do with our names?" He rolled his eyes because Damien planned to get her to sign a letter that stated he would be representing her from here forward.

Aveline responded calmly, "To answer your question, my father instructed me. If you want the reason, too, he doesn’t tolerate people accusing me wrongly or bullying me." She stated it simply.

Damien: "..."

The five men immediately turned to Damien. They weren’t ready to go against Henry Laurent. He was notorious for pampering his daughter and his wife.

Damien signaled them to continue.

Only one dared to continue but stuttered, "W-what are you, five years old?" for bringing up her father.

Aveline shook her head seriously. "Twenty-five years old, daughter of Henry Laurent, wife of Damien Ashford, and largest shareholder of Ashford Holdings," she said composedly.

Everyone sat back quietly.

Damien looked at her in disbelief. She didn’t raise her voice, she didn’t use any technique, she just quieted the conference room with her introduction.

The only difference was that she was clutching his sleeves for dear life. Thus, he assumed she was scared.

Aveline continued, looking all innocent. "I could answer all the words, questions, and allegations thrown at me. For example, I’m not here for shopping, but I learned the last five minutes were the worst fish market scene I had seen in B-grade movies," she said flatly.

Those five shareholders: "..."

"Playground?" Aveline looked at the man who said it. "If I start playing here, you should panic."

She gave a deliberate pause when he frowned, "Because my father has taught me only high-stakes hobbies. I buy yachts and private jets, I sell billions worth of stocks in seconds, I donate millions without blinking," she said matter-of-factly.

She turned to the man who had mentioned her as a kid. "Well, that says I’m not an average kid. Am I?" she asked coolly.

She paused as her eyes brushed over the board members. Some were quietly watching the show. Some were there to enjoy the show, and a few were frowning, while others carefully studied her.

She continued composedly, "Of course, you don’t want to know all these. And none of us is here for that. So let’s keep our voices down and resolve the situation like mature adults."

Then she sat down in the stunned room. She reached for her glass, her hand trembling just enough to sell the fear Damien wanted to see.

She took a slow sip of water, letting her words settle.

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