In a marriage of convenience, Nathan, after a night of drinking, has an affair with Ava, leading to her ectopic pregnancy. Before the surgery, Ava calls Nathan, who is preoccupied with his mistress and neglects Ava, even going as far as to accuse her of having an affair and carrying another man's child after the surgery... As their one-year contractual marriage comes to an end, Nathan realizes his feelings for Ava. But Ava is not willing to play along anymore! Excerpt: "I am Nathan Ford's girlfriend, loved by him, as everyone knows. And you... you're just a title holder, soon to be thrown out. By then, you'll lose all your dignity... no, you've already lost it. I bet your deceased mother would turn in her grave if she knew what you've become." Hearing Iris Hart's sharp and biting words, Ava Sterling initially didn't want to stoop to her level. However, the mention of her late mother crossed a line. A crisp slap echoed before Iris Hart could even react, leaving five bright red marks on her face. "Ah—Ava Sterling—you lowlife, how dare you hit me..." Iris Hart realized she had been slapped and reached out to retaliate, but Ava Sterling was prepared and caught her hand easily. "Listen, Iris Hart, if I'm the joke, what does that make you? You're also a joke. At least I'm Nathan Ford's wife by law! You! Iris Hart, are nothing but a mistress scorned by everyone. Every wealthy man may stray, but a hotel is just a hotel, and home is home. There can be many dishes, but there's only one bowl of rice."
Aunt Susan rolled her eyes on the sidelines.
"Of course, Grandpa," Nathan Ford said, feigning obedience and piling Ava Sterling's bowl so high with food it formed a small mountain.
"That's enough, that's enough," Ava Sterling protested, eyeing the mound of food in her bowl with dismay. She couldn't possibly eat that much. Nathan Ford was clearly doing this on purpose.
Despite her protests, he kept adding more to her bowl, drawing the attention of everyone at the table.
"Not at all, honey. Have a little more," Nathan Ford insisted, his "affectionate" gaze making Ava's skin crawl.
"I can't finish all this," Ava Sterling replied with a cold laugh.
"No worries, just do your best," Nathan responded warmly.
Ava swore she'd never again assist Nathan Ford with anything like this.
From now on, the Ford family gatherings could go on without her.
After all, Nathan had a girlfriend, Iris Hart. Why couldn't she be the one to endure this? It always seemed to be Ava who got hurt.
But Ava didn't want to dwell on it any longer. Now, she just focused on eating as much as she could.
"Diana Ford, look, Ava and Nathan have been married for a while now, yet there's still no sign of any pregnancy. Could it be..." Aunt Susan Johnson had to mention the most awkward topic.
Ava, who had been compensating for her frustration by eating voraciously, choked on her food at Susan's words, her face turning red.
Nathan quickly poured her a glass of water.
After drinking a large gulp of water, Ava finally caught her breath.
It was embarrassing enough discussing this topic privately with Grandpa, but now Susan Johnson had brought it up publicly.
Ava knew their concerns weren't genuinely for her well-being. They were all eyeing the Sterling family's shares.
If she and Nathan had a child, the child would carry the Ford surname, naturally inheriting a portion of the Sterling shares, which would then benefit the Ford family. It was a cunning plan indeed.
Diana Ford, Nathan Ford's mother, usually keeps to herself and rarely interacts with Ava Sterling.
The early loss of Nathan's father has left Diana even more withdrawn. Without Nathan, who is dearly loved by the grandfather, Diana's presence in the household might have been even less significant.
When Susan Johnson raised her question, Diana's usually dim gaze lit up slightly before turning towards Ava Sterling.
"I don't know whether to blame it on lack of luck or what. We've not skimped on health supplements, yet for some reason, conception just hasn't happened."
Hearing Diana's words, Ava felt a sudden panic. Had she done something wrong? Although generally indifferent to others' opinions, the direct address from her mother-in-law left her at a loss for how to respond.
Ava couldn't help but be amazed at the dynamics of Nathan Ford's family.
"We're trying our best, but with our careers in a critical phase, perhaps it can wait," Ava managed to say with a forced smile, while Nathan seemed amused by the situation.
Frankly, she had no desire to be grouped with Nathan under the term 'we.'
"Is it that you think our Ford family can't support another member? How significant can a career be? In the end, not having descendants is the greatest failure. Your primary focus should be to ensure the Ford lineage continues," Susan Johnson blustered.
Ava felt a headache coming on. She glanced cautiously at her mother-in-law Diana, whose expression was as dark as a storm cloud.
Had she misspoken?
"Your Aunt Susan is right." Diana snapped, glaring at Ava.
"But, Mom, Aunt Susan, that's not what I meant. I just..." Ava struggled to find the right words to clarify, but found it difficult to articulate her thoughts clearly.