Divorced

+25

Aveline paused, her finger hovering over the elevator button as she asked, “So what should I do?”

Russell thought for a moment before suggesting. “Maybe I should assign a few more bodyguards to you?”

Aveline couldn’t help but imagine the scene of being escorted by a whole squad of bodyguards every time she went out, and she let out a small, exasperated laugh.

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“It’s not something I want, but this young lady showed up at the hospital out of nowhere, causing trouble and trying to evict my colleague’s mother. They don’t even know each other, so why would she do this?”

Russell replied, “Then you need to think about who might be targeting your colleague, even to the point of using someone else to do the dirty work.”

As Aveline stepped into the elevator, her expression turned cold. Who else could it be? The only person who had been consistently targeting Sidney was Lucas.

Since Ruth was at the Skyler family’s hospital, Lucas couldn’t act directly, so he resorted to using others to do his bidding. Now that she had clashed with Rina, Rina would certainly make Sidney’s life even harder.

A deep sense of frustration washed over Aveline.

Russell spoke up again, “I’ll have some people stationed at the hospital to protect them. Don’t worry.”

Aveline managed a small smile and said, “Russ, you’ve helped me so much already. I don’t even know how to repay you.”

“That’s easy.” Russell chuckled. “Just marry me.”

Aveline fell silent, gripping her phone a little tighter before replying, “If it weren’t for Lucas, I might seriously consider it.”

Russell was such a good man–how could anyone not be tempted? But after loving Lucas, she couldn’t bring herself to dive into another relationship so easily. Love had become too painful.

Russell sighed. “I guess I was too late.” Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Aveline said, “Russ, I’ve got another call coming in. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Aveline let out a deep breath. She hadn’t known how to respond, so she’d used the excuse of another call to cut the conversation short. Russell’s words had caught her completely off guard. She couldn’t ignore the fact that Russell’s kindness wasn’t without reason. How could someone be so good to another person without expecting anything in return? But she felt like she could never repay him. As the elevator doors opened, Aveline composed herself and stepped out. With the measurements done, her next task was to start drafting the design.

Once she immersed herself in work, she became so absorbed that she lost track of time. When she finally looked up, the office was pitch dark, and everyone else had already left.

She checked the time–it was ten o’clock at night.

Aveline sighed, realizing she had unintentionally stayed late. She packed up her things, shut down her computer, and headed out.

The hallway was eerily quiet, shadows lurking in the corners. As she approached the elevator, the lights flickered on, but an inexplicable chill ran down her spine.

She pulled out her phone and sent a message to Mason and Jason. They replied almost immediately, saying they were on their way up.

The elevator doors opened, and Aveline stepped inside, pressing the button to close the doors. But, just like last time, the doors wouldn’t shut.

She didn’t dare step out and quickly texted Mason, who confirmed they were close. Aveline kept her eyes fixed on the elevator entrance, waiting for them to arrive.

But then, a tall man wearing a hat and mask suddenly entered the elevator, reaching over to press the button to close the doors.

Aveline’s heart pounded in her chest. There was something unsettlingly off about this man.

She instinctively pressed the button to open the doors, ready to make a quick escape. But just as she was about to step out, she hesitated.

Was there really no one else outside?

Her body tensed, every hair on her skin standing on end, as cold sweat beaded on her forehead.