Chapter 7

Amelia gasped in shock at what she had just heard. "Why would you say such a thing? Have you no heart?"

Avery smiled at her tone that sounded wronged. How perfect they were at feigning innocence and playing the victim. "Why are you trying to sell me off? Have you no heart, mother?" She sarcastically reminded her that she was always teasing the line between family and enemies. She called herself her mother but treated her own daughter like a commodity that could be used for exchange or sold away.

Amelia wanted to say something mean but her husband glared at her, so she could only sigh and look at Avery sadly. "Baby, we were wrong. Can you please forgive us? We promise to be better parents."

Avery knew that her mother was not in the least bit sorry. She was only pretending to aplogize because they had no choice at the moment, which made her look down at them in spite. What an excellent pair of parents they were.

"I do not forgive you." She heartlessly dropped the bomb at them. "I do not desire to talk about this ever again. If it's regarding business, please contact my assistant Mina—even though I don't think I want to discuss anything with you." She didn't think she would ever want to collaborate with the company that ruined their childhood." Excuse me." She walked out, ignoring their fake begging.

…

When Avery left, Markus looked upset and was about to leave too, when Amelia called his name," Markus…"

"She doesn't like me." He had to admit. He had thought that Avery was playing hard to get but after witnessing her interaction with her parents, he now believed that there was something wrong with that woman's brain. Did she really think she could spend the rest of her life on her own? Not to mention, it was already bad enough for him to be with a woman along with her son. It would be a little alright if she was willing to let the little brat go to his father but she wasn't, which nullified his interest in her.

Amelia was still unaware of what was on his mind, she tried to convince him. "Surely you could do us a favor? There has to be another way to repay it."

He huffed in anger and clenched his fists, then slowly unclenched them. "The only thing I wanted in return was Avery. But how can I continue to coax her even while she treats me with such disrespect? You cannot even tolerate her yourselves. Why should I?" He stormed off in anger.

"We lost it." Amelia sighed in defeat. There was no way for them to convince Markus anymore, and she didn't think they would be able to contact his cousin, the CEO of Le Blanc Group.

"We can talk to Avery later. She is our daughter, after all. Let her calm down, and as long as she finds us honest, she will not completely ditch us. When she is ready to talk, we can convince her to have a talk with Henry Blanc." Bryce spoke resolutely. He knew his daughter well enough. She was only seeking attention and would be in her right mind as long as they showed her some extra love and coaxed her a little.

An idea struck Amelia. "What if we buy gifts and toys for the boy? She seems to care for him more than her life. Surely the easiest way to get on her good side is through him."

"Good idea, my wife." Bryce praised her as their son huffed and returned to his room. He had been watching the drama unfold all along. They knew that he and Avery had always been rivals and he could be preparing to give his sister a piece of his mind later.

….

Vaillant Telecommunications.

Mina brought a file to Avery's office. "It's ready. You can meet Mr. Baker this evening."

"Is there something else?" Avery asked when she realized that her friend looked like she wanted to say something.

"Are you really going to do this?" Mina asked. Avery had suddenly asked her to arrange blind dates for her, claiming that she wanted to get married. Was a flash marriage really what she wanted?

"My son needs a father and I'm going to give him one." Avery responded. "Please make more prreparations in case I don't like Mr. Baker."

"But Avery, it's not certain that the man you marry would like Angel, and what if Angel does not like him?" Mina reasoned. It would be more reasonable if Angel chose his own stepfather, but that was insane too. Wouldn't that mean that Avery would be married for her son? What about her own happiness?

"There is only one way to find out." Avery smiled in response to her friend's comment of concern.

Avery finished her work for the day before going to the restaurant where she was meeting Mr. Baker.

She was a few minutes later than the agreed time but she had to wait for him, which displeased her. The last thing she wanted was for a man to give her son empty promises and tons of excuses for his tardiness. He was already out of her list of potential candidates even before his arrival, and it was twenty minutes later that she heard footsteps approaching her.

She didn't bother to look up and continued reading the magazine in her hands.

"Hello, Miss Vaillant." It was a voice that made her freeze from how familiar it was.

"You again? What will it take for you to stay away from me?" Her voice trembled at the sight of the phantom that just wouldn't leave her alone.

Damon welcomed himself to sit as though the seat was meant for him. "I'm afraid that my son will be triggered at the sight of another man. Think about it, what would happen if you introduced another man to him, and he cried all night seeking his real papa? You would have to look for me, wouldn't you?" He raised an eyebrow to drive the point home. "Why don't you skip all the drama and introduce me, or simply leave things as they are?"

How audacious. She was rendered speechless by his impudence. How dare he make it sound like she was the one doing something wrong? And what the hell did he do to Mr. Baker?

"I'm yet to ask how Angel knows you." She looked at him skeptically. Someone had told Angel about his father and that was not her. Just who was it?

"Instinct?" Damon shrugged. He could swear that he had nothing to do with it.

"Damon, I will not appreciate you triggering my son's emotions." She warned threateningly. If he didn't care about Angel's feelings, that didn't mean she was like him.

"I promise, I wouldn't do that. Even if I didn't know about his condition." He knew that he could simply snatch the boy away and make Avery follow him, but it would be a stupid move. Aside from making her hate him even more, it might just backfire. Heaven knew the kind of connections she had and who she had in her pockets. He was yet to know who between them had more influence in Olphire, so fighting for full custody of Angel might not work either. He could only naturally win her back.

Avery assessed the scumbag before her scornfully. Of course, he had investigated Angel. It did sound like something he would do.

"Avery, I'm sorry. That night…" He started.

"Don't tell me about that day. Just shut your mouth." She interrupted and stood to leave.

"But I need you to know what really happened." He stood to follow her. He grabbed her arm, but she swatted his hand away.

"No. That's not what you are about to do. What you want is to tell a story that sounds more believable and less wrong than you dumping your girlfriend for being pregnant." She huffed, holding back her urge to slap his face sore.

"Why would I ever do that?" He was shocked that she would think so, even though he couldn't blame her for it. "I loved you, Avery. I still love you so much."