“She woke up in the afternoon. Her situation is stable now, but she is a little weak.”
Levi was relieved that Elena still cared for the old madam. However, the young madam seemed to be unconcerned with Ava’s suicide attempt. She had not asked about her at all. It seemed like she was quite cold-hearted toward Ava. Even though Levi did not like Ava, he could only respect her after the fire incident. The old madam’s life-saving benefactor was a distinguished guest for the entire Williams Family! Furthermore, she was also hurt in the fire and even attempted suicide after that.
“Young Madam, Second Young Miss Garcia is at the WongRiver Pavilion, do you want to go see her?”
“Is she dead?” Elena asked.
Levi froze for a moment, and then he sighed helplessly. “Young Madam, she is not pretending this time; she almost died.”
“Then I shall go and have a look at her.” Levi said that it was not an act. She was curious to find out if Ava’s acting skills had risen to new heights. Was it done so perfectly that even Levi and Michael did not notice that she had staged it?
However, Elena was stunned when she saw Ava’s appearance. Her face was pale, and her breathing was weak, as if she was dying. It was not merely an act, but she lost too much blood and had almost died. Ryan said that when the maid discovered Ava, she was already in a coma. If she was found a few minutes later, even God could not have saved her. Elena did not understand it. If she had truly rescued Grandmother and then tried to commit suicide, was she still the same Ava that Elena knew?
“Do you still think that she is acting?” the man at the door asked plainly.
Elena suddenly wanted to laugh. Yes, she still thought that Ava was acting, but her actions had been flawless! That woman had fought so hard for a man and eventually had Elena killed in a road accident. How on earth did she become so vulnerable? Was she not afraid of death?
“Yes, I still think that she’s acting, and I have no compassion for her.”
She turned her head around and met Michael’s gaze, with stubbornness written all over her face! Michael did not speak, but he had his sharp gaze locked onto her. As for Elena, she noticed the constant indifferent look in his eyes and the wound on his forehead. A day had passed, and it had felt like a lifetime. She wondered about the time that they had spent the night before that.
“I’m going back to rest.” Elena walked past him and left.
Michael did not stop her, so she managed to return to her room without any obstruction. Eldest Young Master Williams stood at the entrance of Ava’s room, but she was not sure if he had stared at the woman there in a daze.
She locked herself up in the bathroom as she sat under the warm water that rained from the showerhead. Elena hugged her knees. She was so overwhelmed with sadness that she felt like crying.
If she could pinpoint the problem, she would have tried her best to expose it against all the odds! However, she could not detect any slip-ups. Everything seemed logical and natural.
They had all thought that Ava was a good person, and even Eldest Young Master Williams had shown pity for Ava. She never thought that she would be with Michael, but she was not willing to resign to fate! She was reluctant to accept that the person who killed her in her previous life would get to be with Eldest Young Master Williams. As for herself and that man… Elena could only sigh.
Before she had the chance to figure out the seemingly notable yet non-existent feeling, it was gone. The water continued to pour on top of her head, and it drenched her completely. The cold feeling had withdrawn to the bottom of her heart.
…
Michael was not in Ava’s room. He left not long after Elena had gone back to her room. They had another guest at the WongRiver Pavilion that night. After the servant had served the tea, the old master waved his hand, and all the servants in the hall retreated immediately. The old master had something to say to the young master, who would dare to stay with them? Even Levi was gone.
Michael held the cup in his hand, and his long and elegant finger gently swept around the edge of the cup. He had no interest in the tea at all. He was such an outstanding grandson, indeed. Calm, composed, and lordly. He was like a prince and, sometimes, even a king. Even the old master would unconsciously look at him with a gleam of admiration. Old Master Williams had never admired anyone in his entire life.
“How are you getting along with Third Young Miss Garcia?” the old man suddenly asked.
“Not bad.” Michael’s answer sounded casual. No one knew if it was the truth or not.
“If it’s only not bad, then find a way to get her to return to the Garcia family.” The old man was straight forward. His gaze that landed on Michael sparkled with a sharp glow.
“Just give her the amount of compensation that she asks for. Your Grandmother would not insist now that she has a better candidate in her mind.”
“Did Grandmother tell you so?” Michael did not reply to the last question.
He raised his hand and downed the tea in one go. Then he held the empty cup in his palm, as he toyed with it nimbly like he was in control of everything.
“I could tell that she prefers Ava to Elena since the day she invited her to stay with her.”
Michael did not refute what the old master had said. The old master did not know why the old madam liked Ava, but Michael knew. Ava was the old madam’s granddaughter. The old madam liked her because of her responsibility for her.
“So, my marriage is just a game that you guys could play around with?” He smiled coldly.
If the old master knew the truth, he would be disgusted. Michael had his own opinion.
“Didn’t you get engaged just to make Grandmother happy? Now, I want you to be with Ava and send Third Young Miss Garcia home to make her happy.”
The old master seemed apathetic when he said that. To him, there was no value in humanity.
“Don’t forget that Ava is the Williams family’s benefactor. We must return this favor.”
“Then let Dylan get engaged to her and repay her with a lifetime of happiness.”
Michael placed the cup on the table. He was a bit heavy on the hand as the cup made a dull noise when it made contact with the table.
The old man frowned unhappily. “You have developed feelings for Third Young Miss Garcia?”
Michael did not answer him; he did not have to report his private life to the old master.
The old master’s face darkened, and his eyes were cold. “You should know that feelings have no value to the men in our family.”
“So, what is Grandmother to you?”
“Responsibility.”
Michael said nothing more. He was familiar with the old master’s personality. Perhaps, Grandmother was really just a responsibility to him. He had always been a responsible person, and since he took on the responsibility as her husband, he would carry it for a lifetime. The old madam looked very happy. After all, she had a husband who cherished her. However, Michael did not want his life to be bound by that sort of responsibility.
“I’ll make the decisions on my own marriage. It is entirely my choice whether or not I marry Elena in two years.”
He had made himself clear.
“From now on, no one meddles with my marriage.”