Chapter 42

Avery wondered if she would be his mistress if that woman was still alive.

If she was dead, then was she her replacement?

Either way, it made her heart ache and left a bad taste in her mouth.

While Avery was lost in thought, Elliot’s thoughts also wandered.

“Tell me, what exactly do you like about Cole?” he asked as he pulled out his cigarette box. His face
was the epitome of an enigma.

“I don’t like him anymore,” Avery said coldly.

If they had not talked things out earlier, she might have continued to use Cole to anger him.

It was childish, but Elliot was always losing his temper over the smallest things.

If she did not retaliate, she would lose her mind.

“Is it because you realized he was nothing but a penniless loser?” Elliot asked as he held the unlit
cigarette between his fingers.

“Is money all you think about?” Avery retorted. “Back when Cole was pursuing me, he would write me
love letters every day. On the weekends, he would take me to art galleries and music recitals. We
would have the most wonderful conversations-”

“Sounds like a load of superficial bullsh*t to me! It’s precisely because all he thinks about is getting into
a woman’s pants that his business is a mess,” said Elliot, cutting her off. “What you consider wonderful
was nothing but a joke!”



“Have you always been this mature and successful? When I was fifteen, I liked guys who were cute.
When I was sixteen, I liked guys with good grades. At seventeen, I was into basketball players. I liked
talented guys when I was eighteen… I loved Cole. It’s all in the past, and I might hate him now, but I
can’t pretend that all of that meant nothing.” :

“Shut up!” Elliot roared as he snapped his cigarette in half; his eyes were cold. “Go back to your room!”

Avery pursed her lips and stood up.

She did not return to her room but walked to the dining room because she was still hungry.

“Is there anything to eat, Mrs. Cooper?” she asked.

She looked calm and nonchalant as if it were someone else and not her that had just gotten into a fight
with Elliot

Mrs. Cooper immediately prepared dinner for her.

Avery sat at the dining table, pulled out her phone, and saw a series of text messages from Tammy.

Tammy: (The party’s over! I’m not that into him. He’s a little too soft for me. He didn’t seem to be that
into me either, but said that we should go out for dinner next time, probably because of pressure from
his family.)

Tammy: [He said his parents don’t give him much spending money! How could he possibly have two
hundred million? Did you misunderstand?)

Tammy: [l’m going to have dinner with him this weekend! I have to get to the bottom of this! Also, why
did you have to leave in a rush?]

Avery replied: (Long story. I’ll tell you once I’ve found the words.]



Tammy called Avery right away after receiving her text.

Avery’s hand clenched her phone.

She glanced at the living room and noticed Elliot was still there.

He would hear everything if she talked on the phone now.

She declined the call and sent Tammy a text: [I can’t talk right now. Let’s talk on campus tomorrow!]

After his shower that night, Elliot paced back and forth in his room in a gray, silk robe.

His weak legs were now filled with energy.

A question was floating around in his head.

It caused deep furrows in his brow and made his heart tighten.

Moments later, he pulled out his phone and called Chad.

“Chad, check and see if there are any art exhibitions or recitals tomorrow. Find something in the
afternoon or evening.”

“Yes, sir,” Chad responded. “Is there a specific kind of exhibition or recital that you’re interested in?”

EHS

Chad’s question left Elliot speechless.

He had never gone to art galleries or concert halls.

Even at that moment, he had no interest in them.



“Find something that women would like,” Elliot said.

“Yes, sir. However, women of different ages have different preferences…” said Chad, as he continued
his line of questioning. It was the first time he had received such an odd request from Elliot.


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