CHAPTER 24: LOVE YOURSELF

Avita sat at the bus stop, cautiously scanning all sides of the road for Felicia, who had promised to come and pick her up.

'You're a jerk, Lucilla!'

Lucilla suddenly became less enticing to her when she realized she wasn't answering her phone and was probably having fun at the time.

Two sedans stopped immediately in front of her as she cursed Lucilla to her ninth generation, and her heart began to rush violently.

'Alas, no matter how many times I see it, the fact that these folks are so wealthy breaks my heart!'

She didn't need to see who was inside because she knew her driver and rescuer were there.

Avita jumped to her feet and dusted herself. At the same time, the driver of one of the cars got out and approached her.

"Madam is waiting for you in the car," he replied emphatically.

Avita, whose eyes were still red and crying, thanked the driver and added, "Thank you."

The driver did not answer but assisted her in carrying the luggage, which he placed in the car boot.

Avita, on the other hand, entered the back seat of the second automobile, where she saw a beautiful Felicia looking in her direction.

Felicia was fuming with wrath at the time. Her fists were tight beneath her coat, her gaze fixed on the swollen cheek that had been slapped.

When Felicia received the call from Avita, she had no idea things would be so serious. And, seeing as Avita had been beaten, how could she not be angry?

"Did you let him do this? Are you a moron?" Felicia couldn't keep her wrath in check and yelled at Avita.

Felicia's yelling startled Avita, who had just sat on the car seat and was preparing to greet Felicia.

She shortened her neck like a wronged and guilty child and glanced at the elder woman with weeping eyes, "I... he just slapped me. I wasn't expecting this at all!" she exclaimed in grief, recalling her gripe.

Felicia knew she couldn't be harsh when she saw Avita crying in her presence.

Avita had genuinely suffered during this period, and while it was deemed little because there are women who endure more domestic violence than Avita, it nevertheless hurt her heart to know that a man could still raise his hand to beat a woman.

"Okay, I won't blame you at all," Felicia encouraged as she drew Avita into her embrace.

Avita, on the other hand, did not calm down and cried out loudly, "....cup... was it my fault to voice out my mind? I....cup.... how can he invite a female cousin over when our apartment is so small? He....cup.... I know his folks don't like me. They believe I am unworthy of their son and are constantly on the lookout for acceptable girlfriends for him. I...cup... this is just another way for them to push this female relative towards him."

Listening to this, Felicia shook her head in disgust, "Child, men sometimes....ahhh....let's calm down first. You should relax first, and we may discuss it further tomorrow. Did you tell him you were leaving?"

Avita raised her tearful eyes to Felicia before shaking her head, "I won't tell him. He believes I can't live without him. If I just let him get away like this, this time, will he not kill me the next time?"

Felicia couldn't help but chuckle, finding Avita's statements amusing and intriguing.

"We should definitely teach him a lesson. You are welcome to spend as much time as you like at the mansion. Don't let a man make you forget about yourself. Nobody else will love you if you don't love yourself. You should keep that in mind," Felicia suggested to Avita.

"I will always keep that in mind, Auntie!" said Avita, nervously nodding her head.

Felicia was thrilled to have such an obedient girl by her side. Being a stepmother was already difficult, and her children were all hard nuts and quite stubborn. They didn't listen to her and preferred their father over her.

The more she stared at Avita, the more she liked her.

'It is still too early for that!' she thought immediately as a notion raced across her thoughts.

Felicia kept Avita engaged throughout the ride, and even her guys were astonished to see this side of her.

They could all see she felt at ease, and if they were accompanied by such an obedient person, they would be as well.

Avita was feeling so much better by the time they arrived at the familiar mansion, thanks to Felicia's efforts to divert her attention away from her grievances.

Felicia grasped Avita's little hand in her own and brought her immediately into the mansion. Grandpa John was still awake because she had been gone for some time, as was Miguel, who was waiting for his wife to return.

The butler's elderly heart ached as he saw Avita's face, ‘Such a sweet little girl to suffer like this, that man is certainly a scum!'

With a small voice, Avita addressed the butler, "Greetings, Grandpa!"

Grandpa John smiled fondly at Avita and replied, "Hello, dear. I hope you're doing well!"

Avita replied meekly to the butler, "I am doing okay, Grandpa," without complaining, as if the swollen cheek wasn't proof of assault.

The butler could only mutter to himself and hope that Avita would cheer up. And whatever difficulties she was experiencing, she will be able to overcome them.

After speaking with the butler, Avita's gaze was drawn to a specific individual.

“Badum, badum,” Avita's gaze lingered on the specimen of a man with a racy heart standing tall just a few meters away from her.

‘Shit! What makes a man so...? I think I'm in love!'

Avita found her ideas absurd and quickly averted her sight before she was caught.

Fortunately, Felicia was preoccupied with her husband and missed Avita's little actions, but how could such a small alteration go unnoticed by the person in question?

Miguel watched the shy cat with curiosity, thinking to himself, 'Things are about to become interesting!'

Felicia, oblivious to what was going on around her, cheerfully dragged Avita towards her husband and stood in front of him, a smile on her face.