Chapter 14

In Avery's eyes, Elliot's face had turned into that of a demon baring its sharp fangs at her.

"Why?" she asked bitterly. "Even if you didn't want kids, there's no need for you to say such cruel words!"

Elliot's deep eyes were cold as he said, "What if you decided to take the chance if I didn't make myself clear?"

Avery took a deep breath and shifted her gaze from him.

She was terrified. It felt like she was about to fall into a bottomless pit.

Her reaction piqued Elliot's curiosity.

His lips curled up as he mocked, "You're not really thinking of having my kid, are you?"

Avery glared at him.

"I suggest you take my warning seriously. You know the kind of person I am. My actions will be much more severe than my words. Don't test me if you want to live," Elliot said, then turned to look out the window.

Avery clenched her fists and huffed, "Don't worry, I will never give you children. You know how much I despise you. The most urgent matter right now is to quickly get a divorce!"

The babies did not belong to him alone.

If she gave birth, she would be doing it for herself.

Once the kids were grown, she would tell them that their father was dead!

"Now isn't the time. We'll talk about it again once my mother's get better," Elliot said.

His tone was calmer. Perhaps her words were effective.

It made him realize that he was not the man she wanted.

"Don't drag it out for too long, then," Avery said.

She furrowed her brows and was a little anxious.

Her pregnancy would begin to show if they delayed things further.

She would not be able to keep it from him by then, and would definitely be forced to get an abortion.

"You're in a hurry to divorce me. Is there some urgent matter you need to attend to?" Elliot asked as his cold eyes fell on her, trying to see through her.

Avery's heart suddenly skipped a bit.

"Nope! There's nothing urgent. I just… I just don't want to stay with you. Has nobody ever told you how suffocating it is to be by your side?"

"They wouldn't dare say it even if they thought it," Elliot replied dryly.

"Oh… It's no wonder you don't like me," Avery said with a pout. "But it's stifling to not say what I want to say."

Elliot pondered to himself, and thought she had misunderstood something in the end.

"No man could tolerate his wife dressing up like a prostitute to escort other men."

"Wearing a slip dress makes me a prostitute? Socializing is escorting other men? What about when you men socialize?" Avery retorted. "Even if you hold a knife to my neck right now, I would still insist that I wasn't wrong last night."

It was like they were both from different planets.

Other than the fact that they were both human, they were complete opposites in every other aspect.

"Are you saying you'd do it again?" Elliot said.

His lips were slightly curled upwards in a sinister manner.

Avery pursed her lips and pushed herself into the corner out of instinct.

"I don't even drink, how could I possibly drink with others. I wouldn't drink even if the sky falls."

She would never take the lives of the babies in her womb lightly.

Even if her father's company goes bankrupt, she would never sell herself out for money.

Avery's answer extinguished the raging fury inside of Elliot.

The driver drove the car towards Elliot's mansion.

Avery jumped out of the car just as it came to halt, as if trying to escape.

Elliot watched her slender back, then said to the driver, "To the office."

…

Avery let out a heavy sigh of relief after the car drove off.

After she took an afternoon nap, she arrived at Tate Industries at 2.30 p.m.

She decided to sell off her father's assets to pay off some of the debt.

She wanted to deal with what she could and pay off what she could before thinking about looking for an investor.

The banks were out of the question.

She had completely offended the managers of River City Bank and Silver Linings Bank the night before. Both managers made it clear that they would never give her a loan.

"Don't blame yourself, Avery. If you drank last night, they probably would have acted out of line with you," Shaun said with a frown. "You're not that kind of woman, and I would never force you to do something like that."

Avery nodded and said, "I wouldn't do it even if you forced me."

Shaun's cheeks flushed as he nodded.

"I arranged a list last night of the few affluent individuals in Avonsville. All of them have the ability to produce the funds to save our company. You just need to convince one of them, and we'll be saved."

Avery took the list and quickly looked it over.

On the list were names, genders, company names, current net worth and contact information.

Some of them had phone numbers, while some did not.

"How am I supposed to contact the ones without contact information?" Avery asked.

"The ones without contact information are the ones I couldn't get my hands on. We'll just have to meet those ones at their companies," Shaun replied.

Avery browsed the list once again.

This time, she discovered a key point.

The second name on the list clearly printed out "Elliot Foster".

Elliot Foster, male, Sterling Group, net worth over 15 billion.

Contact information: none.

Avery's face flushed as she asked sheepishly, "Is Elliot Foster that rich?"

She picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip to hide her anxiety.

"That's just a safe estimate. His net worth should be a lot higher than that," Shaun answered assuredly. "He founded Sterling Group when the internet was just starting. However popular the internet is now is how much he's worth."

"I see…"

"It's a shame I couldn't find his contact information. You'll just have to go to Sterling Group to meet him. I'll come with you when you decide to go see him."

Avery shook her head violently and said, "I won't meet him."

She picked up a pen and crossed Elliot's name out on the list.

He would never lend her the money. If she went to him to ask for a loan, she would just be asking to be humiliated.

Avery stopped by the drugstore on her way home that evening.

She walked into the store and wanted to buy something for her bruise.

After the pharmacist recommended a few products to her, she suddenly thought of a question.

"Is this safe to use during pregnancy?"

"It's better to avoid it. Are you pregnant?" asked the pharmacist.

Avery nodded in silence.

The pharmacist immediately took back the products she recommended before and passed her a bottle of pills.

"How far along are you? Your bump isn't showing yet, so now's a good time for calcium supplements. This one's great and absorbs well. Obstetricians are always recommending this one to pregnant mothers!"

Avery arrived home with the calcium supplements half an hour later.

It was past dinner time, but Mrs. Cooper left some food out for her.

"What did you get, Madam?" Mrs. Cooper asked when she saw the drugstore logo on the bag Avery was holding.

Avery hid the bag behind her back and said, "Just something for my bruise."

"We have something for that at home. We have most common medications here. Just let me know if you need anything next time and I'll get it for you," Mrs. Cooper said with a smile.

"Okay, I'm going up now," Avery said, then turned and made her way back to her room.

She was caught off guard and bumped into Elliot.

He arrived when she was talking to Mrs. Cooper earlier.

He clearly saw the contents of the bag Avery hid behind her back.

"Why did you lie?" he asked as his dangerous eyes fell on the bag of calcium tablets.