Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 96: Stying the Night

In Celeste’s bedroom,

Celeste waited until the door closed behind Aveline. "Lina, you have every right to do what you like, to find the man or be with the man of your choice." Her voice was well measured, "but you do know that you can’t risk being close with another man right now."

Aveline had thought she would get scolded. But Celeste was worried. "I was careless." But being careful in the place where she grew up and calls home? It sounded like a crime.

Seeing her accept it so quickly, Celeste had nothing to say. She twisted her ear, "At least you are happy even through this hell of an experience."

Aveline grimaced at the pain but smiled at the words. She had cried her heart out. But the more she learned about Damien’s cruelty, the more she became immune. And her family was standing by her and supporting her. And not to mention, Alaric was playing a major role.

Now, she didn’t have a reason to cry. Did she?

...

On the other end, Giselle warned Alaric. "Ric, don’t forget things are complicated. Both legally and reputationally."

Alaric’s eyes were glued to the door that was shut. He hadn’t forgotten how complicated things were. He did try to stay away, but he just couldn’t. On top of that, Aveline wasn’t helping him.

Her words? Bold.

Her looks? Dangerous.

Her smile? It could kill.

Her confidence? Sexy.

He was obsessed with her. How was he supposed to restrain himself from meeting her?

"I know," he responded to Giselle, and the door opened.

Celeste walked out, and she didn’t look angry. Then Aveline came out, casual. Though there was a smile at the corner of her lips, he raised his brows.

And Aveline smiled, shaking her head in response.

That eased Alaric. He least wanted anything to trouble her because of him.

The rest: "..."

’Were they invisible?’

With Elara around, the dinner was joyous and sumptuous. Celeste thanked them wholeheartedly and sent them with return gifts.

Aveline walked them to the car. "Thank you for coming." She paused and turned to Giselle, "I’m sorry too." She apologized. Because it was easy to guess that Celeste didn’t invite them just to be grateful, but to assess them. Especially the way Celeste was observing and speaking smartly.

Giselle glanced at Alaric, who was listening to her daughter’s rant. "Well, I’m doing it for him."

That changed Aveline’s expression. Alaric’s interest in her shouldn’t involve his family. If he was serious about her and looking for a relationship after her divorce, she wasn’t ready for it.

Yes, she was attracted to him physically, but a relationship?

She wanted to focus on herself, build something for herself. She was done playing just the role of Henry Laurent’s spoiled daughter. She wanted a name for herself, even if it was small.

She wasn’t ready to jump into becoming somebody’s wife or girlfriend. She wasn’t ready to invest in a relationship emotionally at the risk of another heartbreak.

Giselle realized too late that she shouldn’t have said that when Aveline’s expression turned complex. She realized too late that she was invited as Aveline’s lawyer, but not as Alaric’s sister.

She couldn’t take back her words, so she could only say, "Alright then, good night."

Aveline forced a smile on her face, while guilt laced her gaze, "Good night."

Elara offered a hug, and Aveline didn’t refuse. Kneeling, she hugged the little girl, easing herself, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Elara."

Elara flashed a sweet, sleepy smile. "Next time, dinner at my place, Ms. Laurent. I’ll show you all my games."

"Done," Aveline responded, and the two giggled.

She watched one car drive away before facing the man. She felt guilty for leading him when he was looking for a relationship, and she wasn’t.

"Do I get a hug too?" He teased her while his hands were in his pockets, watching her under the dim light. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

"No." She refused but smiled when he hissed as if he was hurt.

As the wind changed direction, her strands of hair fluttered on her face. Resisting his urge to tuck them away, he turned away, "Get inside, it’s windy." Igniting the engine, he took another look at her before he drove away.

Aveline watched the tail lights disappear from the gates into the darkness. But she just stood there, all his actions, his words reeling in her mind.

They hardly knew each other. Other than being attracted to each other, it was hard to believe he was serious about her.

The housekeeper draped a warm throw over Aveline’s shoulder. "Ms. Laurent, you should get inside. The temperature is dropping outside."

Aveline nodded, "A few minutes. I need some fresh air."

The housekeeper softly nodded and retreated. Celeste watched Aveline sitting alone in a cabana. "Light the fire pit," she instructed the housekeeper.

Aveline hadn’t even realized how long it had passed when she turned towards the gate, hearing the engine roar.

She was expecting her brother, but the Ferrari rolled over the driveway. She sat there frozen when she identified Damien’s car.

’Why is he here?’

A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the evening breeze. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as panic seized her throat. The peaceful moment shattered like glass, replaced by a suffocating caution.

She hadn’t invited him and hadn’t even mentioned she would be here. Then?

The thought of his people following her made her stomach churn with nausea. Her breath caught as the realization hit her. She had been on the lawn with Alaric.

’Does he know anything?’

Fear crawled up her throat like ice, making her mouth go dry. The beautiful evening that had been filled with laughter and warmth now felt like a trap closing around her.

Damien noticed Aveline in the cabana and stopped the car. He made his way to her, noting she was sitting in shock.

Aveline was late collecting herself. She managed by pinching her arm in front of him. "I’m not imagining it!" She exclaimed, forcing a lightness into her voice.

Damien feigned a chuckle as if he wasn’t the one who was burning with rage in the afternoon. He sat beside her and flashed a captivating smile.

’Was that supposed to make me blush?’ Aveline thought, fighting the urge to recoil from his proximity.

Maybe in the past, she would have blushed, but none of his tricks worked on her now. But she smiled, her cheeks aching from the forced expression, "I didn’t know you were coming."

However, something else caught Damien’s attention. "Flowers in the cabana, was somebody here?"

Aveline’s heart stopped. She turned to the flower arrangements to hide her expression. They did arrange flowers sometimes for no reason, but she wasn’t able to guess if Damien knew anything about the guests of the evening.

A lie would cost her dearly if he had an idea, so she chose her words carefully, "Yeah... Grandmother Celeste invited my lawyer to dinner. She came with her family."

She paused and added with the calculated risk, "Yeah, your friend was here. He was here to drop Elara Vale, but grandmother asked him to stay for dinner."

The lie tasted bitter on her tongue, but she dared to add it because Elara had told her that Alaric often picked her up from school due to her busy parents.

Damien’s expression was darker than the night. His jaw clenched hard, his barely hidden fury resurfacing under his skin.

When every nerve in her body screamed danger, she forced herself to continue, "I know you asked me not to meet him, but I wasn’t able to avoid it." Her voice was steady.

Damien forced himself to nod. The fact that she told him the truth when she could have hidden it eased him a bit. "Did he ask anything?"

She calmly responded, "We did speak about Vantex. It will be delivered in a few days, and we will be keeping the red diamonds for display from next week."

Damien’s attention shifted to the red diamonds she mentioned. There were only about twenty to thirty true red diamonds known to exist in the world. Henry had acquired six of them, which were more than one carat each. He was curious to take a look at those exceptionally rare diamonds.

"Are they on sale?" Damien asked casually.

She shook her head, "No."

"Turning into jewelry?"

She shrugged, "I already have a red diamond pendant set."

Damien caressed her head, realizing the red diamond pendant and earrings of Aveline were pure but half a carat each. She had worn them during breakfast with families after the wedding. "Bring me to the exhibit," he said softly.

She nodded in response, eager to send him away.

...

Celeste waited patiently in the living hall and breathed a sigh of relief when Aveline entered and cued her to relax. She offered, "Damien... You look exhausted. Go and freshen up. I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare dinner for you."

Damien refused, "I had my dinner. I’ll catch up on some sleep." He wrapped his arm around Aveline’s shoulder and started walking towards the stairs.

Aveline’s heart sank like a stone. That’s when she realized Damien wasn’t just visiting. He was staying the night.

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