CHAPTER 17: Wife

It was an insult that anyone wouldn't be able to take without changing the expressions on their face. 

And as much as Avery wanted to keep calm and control her temper from bursting out, the middle-aged lady did not stop targeting her repeatedly. 

"Will you be staying for the night, Madam?" the receptionist lady behind the marble counter smiled at the middle-aged lady. 

At a glance, Avery could tell the difference between the smile on the receptionist lady's lips when she was talking to her and the smile she had when talking to the middle-aged lady. 

When talking to the middle-aged lady, the receptionist's lips curved upward, more sincere and pleasing to the eyes. 

The middle-aged lady replied, "One week. I'm planning to stay for one week. That's alright, right?" 

"Certainly!" the receptionist beamed at once. Then she asked again, "Will it be a single room?" 

Avery saw the middle-aged lady glance at her, an ominous feeling filling her when their eyes met. She then heard the middle-aged lady speaking with unconcealed smug on her tone: "Did you say that there's only two single rooms available, right?" 

The receptionist nodded at her question. 

"I'll take both rooms." 

As expected, the middle-aged lady did not let Avery off. 

The middle-aged lady quickly took the single room Avery was aiming for. The receptionist did not have any qualms about that, as she happily registered the middle-aged lady's name. 

"Are you done checking in?" 

From behind, a low voice that sounded deep and magnetic arrived. 

Avery din't need to turn around to know whose voice owned it. 

After a while of waiting, Aidan finally arrived. 

Avery shook her head as a response to him, causing him to raise his eyebrows. 

At this moment, the two women who stood beside Avery immediately noticed him.

As if annoyed that a handsome young man would actually come forward to talk to the beggar woman she insulted just now, the middle-aged lady turned her body to face Aidan. 

"Young man, don't waste your money and time on this kind of woman. Looking at you, you seem to be a responsible and reasonable person. Take my advice as your elder, and don't entangle yourself with dirty things," the middle-aged lady kindly reminded.

Aidan didn't know what happened between Avery and the middle-aged lady. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't figure out that the 'dirty thing' she was talking about was Avery with how her eyes looked at her disgustingly. 

"What happened?" Aidan asked. 

Avery lowered her head in embarrassment. She pulled on to the sleeve of his shirt and shook her head to signal him there was no need to make a fuss over this. 

After all, it was just a slight insult. It wouldn't kill her. Besides, she was already used to hearing and seeing malicious things flung at her because of her profession as an idol. 

However, Aidan did not think in the same way as Avery. His eyes turned colder as he saw her lowering her head and refusing to tell him what happened between her and the middle-aged lady. 

The middle-aged lady couldn't wait to step into the spotlight upon hearing his question. She said, "Look here, that beggar wanted to get a room in this hotel. What does she think this place is? A charity that lets a beggar in? She can't even pay for a single room when asked. Just listen to me, young man, let this girl go. What about you meet my daughter—" 

 "I didn't ask you, did I?" Aidan turned towards the middle-aged lady, who suddenly shuddered upon seeing the coldness and intensity that appeared in his eyes. 

"You—!" 

"Will you please tell me what happened?" Aidan asked again, clearly directing his question to Avery. 

From the sound of it, Aidan wouldn't let things go. So, Avery said, "That woman is right. I planned to get a room, but I couldn't take it..." she hesitated for a bit before continuing, "I seem to have forgotten to take my purse earlier."

"Hah! Keep lying!" the middle-aged lady didn't believe Avery at all. "With how you look right now, do you really think you can own a purse full of cash?" 

Avery raised her head and looked at the middle-aged woman. She wanted to argue, but thinking it was useless towards this type of people, she ended up biting her lips to keep her mouth shut. 

Even if she said that she really forgot her purse, will anyone even believe her? 

Aidan, of course, was an exception. But others wouldn't. Dirt stained her nightgown and a visible bruise was forming on her cheek. No matter how people looked at her, they would definitely think she was not someone who could afford to stay in that hotel. 

It was shameful. However, Avery's shame transformed into concern. She was extremely worried that Aidan, who beat a man to almost meeting the Grim Reaper, would lose his temper again. So, she tightly held onto him. 

Despite the middle-aged woman's provocation, Aidan did not lose control of himself. Rather, when Avery's hands touched him, his entire body froze, then sent tingles running across his spine to his scalp.

Taking a deep breath, Aidan took a second to calm himself and said, "Actually, she does..." 

Under the gazes of the three ladies, his hand disappeared behind him, then he pulled out something from the back of his pants pocket. 

It was a pink rectangular thing made from leather. 

Avery recognized it instantly. It was her purse!

"How did you...?" She clearly remembered leaving it behind. So, how...

"I saw it on the bed before we left. I took it, but couldn't give it to you earlier." Aidan then turned to the middle-aged woman and the receptionist, and stated, "You two sure have a lot of guts to accuse someone's identity basing on their appearance. Should I blame your moral values, or your parents who failed to educate you?" 

He said these words so plainly yet, it scathingly lashed at the two women, causing their faces to turn red then white. 

Aidan patted Avery's head, adoringly, and added, "And she's not a beggar." 

"She's my wife."