Avery strode into the subway station.
She did not look back once as she walked from Cayden's condominium to the subway station. Still, she
knew he was trailing her from a distance out of concern.
After boarding the subway, she eventually arrived at her destination after several stops.
Alighting the train, she headed for the exit.
When she arrived at the residential area, she saw the police and Xavier.
Avery approached Xavier, who stopped smoking once he noticed her. He thought she would show up
with Cayden.
Avery thanked him profusely, “Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Dartsley. You should go back and
get some rest.”
He fidgeted uncomfortably after her expression of gratitude; it had been a while since anyone had
thanked him so generously for doing his job. He muttered, “It's no trouble at all. If you want to thank
anyone, you should thank Mr. Moore instead.”
The loyal assistant never let go of any opportunity to paint his boss in a good light.
Just then, Cecelia alighted from a nearby car with a laptop and called out, “Ery!”
Avery raised her head and looked in Cecelia's direction.
Following her gaze, Xavier instructed Cecelia, “Head upstairs with Avery.”
Cecelia immediately understood his intention.
Any granddaughter would be fretting anxiously over their grandfather's disappearance. Thus, Xavier
had deliberately invited a female colleague close to Avery to accompany her.
In fact, Cecelia was already in the area helping Xavier out after learning that Avery was with their boss
instead of being at home.
“Let's go. We can leave this to Mr. Dartsley,” Cecelia coaxed Avery.
They headed upstairs together, and Avery opened the door to a deserted rental unit.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Have a seat.” After pointing Cecelia to a couch, Avery headed to the kitchen, planning to boil some
water.
Cecelia continued busying herself with her work as she said, “Don't worry about your grandpa. He'll be
fine. You need to take care of your own health too.”
Avery stared at Blake's favorite rocking chair in a daze.
Alas, the anxiety and period cramps had taken a toll on Avery's body.
By the time Cecelia finished her work and checked on Avery, the poor woman had curled into a ball on
the bed like an injured kitten.
Cecelia decided to stay the night at the Rumpley residence.
Thankfully, the next morning, Avery's cramps subsided.
When she realized Cecelia had stayed the night, she headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Cecelia woke up at the slightest noise. She was initially confused by the unfamiliar environment, but
she soon remembered that she had spent the night at Avery's house.
Meanwhile, Avery had cracked two eggs into a bowl and whisked them evenly.
She then grabbed a knife and diced some vegetables she had washed.
Her mind drifted as she felt the morning chill. It's easy to catch a cold if he doesn't wear enough layers.
Where on earth did Grandpa go? Did he wear his thick jacket out? Is he feeling cold?
Losing her focus, Avery accidentally cut her left index finger.
However, she only registered the pain several minutes later.
Meanwhile, Cecelia rummaged through her bag for her toiletries and headed to the bathroom to wash
up. As she passed by the kitchen, she noticed Avery clutching her left hand with blood on her fingers.
“What happened?” Cecelia tossed her toiletries aside and dashed into the kitchen. She quickly held
Avery's injured finger and shuddered when she realized it was bleeding heavily.
Avery lowered her head and muttered, “I'll look for some gauze.”
“How could you be so careless?” Cecelia tut-tutted while she knelt on the carpet before the couch,
wrapping Avery's finger with some gauze.
She continued grumbling, “I understand that you're upset about your grandpa's disappearance, but you
can't continue acting like this. We all have our time on this earth. Unfortunately, as the younger
generation, we just have to find ways to deal with the loss of our elderly loved ones.”
Avery nodded, even as tears welled in her eyes.
Worried that Avery would burst into tears, Cecelia coaxed, “Leave the case to the police. There's
nothing we can do. Why don't you go to the office with me? You might feel better if you can divert your
attention to work. Maybe your grandpa will be back by the time we clock off today.”
Thankfully, Avery nodded.
I can't just drop my work entirely. Besides, I still need to care for my dad in the hospital.
As usual, Trident Group was bustling with sharply-dressed employees in the morning.
Cecelia and Avery took the elevator to the design department.
Upon sighting two stony-faced policemen in the reception area, Cecelia asked, “Why are the police
here?”
Her colleagues were about to reply when the door to the department head's office opened. Yulissa
called out, “My office, Cecelia.”
Cecelia could only hurry over at her superior's command.
Once inside, a dour Yulissa said to Cecelia, “I'm transferring Zayne's project to your team. Will there be
any issues with that?”
Cecelia was elated. “None at all!”
After all, everyone in the design department wanted a piece of that massive project.
Yulissa nodded and replied, “Good. We'll work out the handover later.”
Despite her curiosity, Cecelia refrained from asking why the project was reassigned as Yulissa seemed
to be in a foul mood.
After leaving Yulissa's office, Cecelia shot the reception area a furtive glance and noticed that the
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmpolice were still around.
A short while later, Zayne showed up to work.
At once, the two policemen left the reception area. Zayne had barely placed his laptop on his desk
when the police flashed their badges and immediately handcuffed him.
Everyone in the office was flabbergasted.
Avery also looked over as one of the policemen declared, “You've been identified as a suspect in
drugging a female colleague at an entertainment establishment. We'll need you to come to the station
to assist with investigations.”
An entertainment establishment? Drugging? The department was in furor.
Everyone immediately recalled their recent department gathering. They wondered which of their
colleagues had become Zayne's victim.
Zayne's expression fell. After some thought, he ruled out the possibility of Yvonne calling the police and
directed a hateful glare at Avery. Then, he shook off the policemen's hold and stalked toward Avery.
It was too late by the time she noticed his approach. Zayne had picked up a bunch of documents with
his cuffed hands and threw them at a defenseless Avery.
Immediately, the police rushed forward and tackled him to the ground.
The female colleagues cast shocked and sympathetic gazes toward Avery. As the police escorted
Zayne to the door, one of them muttered, “Is Zayne mad or something?”
Cecelia approached Avery and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. “Are you okay?”
It was at that moment that Yulissa came out of her office. After glancing at Avery, she announced with a
bitter expression, “Zuckerberg, bring your team to the top floor. Meeting with the boss.”
Cecelia nodded and whispered to Avery, “Come on. Let's go for the meeting.” Hopefully, Boss can take
some time out of his schedule to comfort Avery. It'll be much more effective than any of us doing it. I'm
sure any woman would be craving the support of her partner in such a vulnerable state.
Avery suppressed her tears and collected some documents and her laptop. Then, she followed Cecelia
and her team to the top floor and settled down in the most inconspicuous seat in the room.
Someone muttered, “Mr. Moore's here.”