Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge
Chapter 119: The Future

Chapter 119: The Future

Damien could see it. His projects would never see the light of day. He had spent his youth, day and night, with a lot of sacrifices to achieve his dream. How could he just accept losing everything?

He was covering all the holes in his plans and holding his patience.

Aveline walked out of the cage he prepared, and he accepted it. Laurent Industries escaped his scheme, and he stayed quiet. She cured the poison, and he accepted it. He almost got caught in the poison case, so he evaded it. Vivienne played out of his hands, he handled it.

Yet, Vivienne slipped out of his reach. It still boiled his blood.

Aveline was free from him, how could he accept it?

He could care less about Vivienne, but Aveline? She was his stepping stone. To achieve his dream project. To get the company back to Ashford. To become the CEO of Ashford Holdings.

How could he let Aveline walk over it?

"Aveline Laurent." He said through his teeth before she stepped out of the exhibit hall.

Aveline glanced back. The voice, free from the act of affection, sounded too genuine.

"You’ll regret it." Damien warned her.

Now that she knew the truth behind the divorce, he stopped putting on the act of a doting husband.

She smiled instead, contrasting the darkness on his face, "I only regret marrying you, Damien Ashford." Her calm voice was sharper than a knife, slicing through every ounce of hope.

She turned and instructed the guard. "Walk Director Ashford out of the hall. Out of the hotel, if necessary." Her voice was indifferent, her actions were cold and ruthless.

Damien stared at her back, unable to believe this was the same woman he lived with. The same kind and naive woman who followed his every word like a fool.

The images of Aveline tearing up, sobbing in his arms due to a nightmare, meekly nodding to agree with him, and blushing naively played in his mind like a reel.

The change was too drastic. The truth was... he couldn’t keep up with her anymore.

His chest tightened. He had built his world with ambition, lies, and the assurance that Aveline would always be there. But now, she was a wildfire walking in heels, burning down every illusion he ever crafted.

His throat constricted. His mind screamed that she was his, his mistake, his guilt, his project. And yet, she slipped through every trap he set like water through clenched fists.

His empire was collapsing, and the woman he used as a pawn now stood tall as the queen of the board.

He wasn’t just losing Aveline. He was losing the identity he forged on top of her sacrifice.

A security guard stepped closer, "Director Ashford, this way."

It was better for him to walk than be dragged out. Damien stormed out of the exhibit and towards the exit of the hall.

Everyone, including Damien’s friend Kian Vale, watched Damien being followed by a guard. Any fool could see Aveline was throwing Damien out. And to save the remainder of his pride, Damien was walking out on his own.

"F**k," Kian muttered under his breath.

Kian’s father instructed Kian, "Maintain distance from Damien Ashford for some time."

Kian didn’t ask the reason or argue. He simply said, "Alright." Then his eyes shifted to Aveline, the supposed docile woman, sitting there as if she hadn’t realized how much her actions were building her, turning her into a powerful woman. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Kian itched to shift to Alaric’s table. Not to get close to Aveline, he had better maintain distance from her. He wanted to learn more about Alaric and what he was doing around Aveline.

Was it just Vantex?

He doubted it strongly. To confirm his doubts, he spotted it.

Alaric pulled Aveline’s chair closer towards him, ignoring all the eyes that were trained on Aveline.

Aveline flashed an awkward smile at her shocked parents, "He needs an update, too." She excused his actions to her parents and rendered them speechless.

Alaric needed an update because a triggered Damien meant they needed to guard up. But looking at her rosy cheeks, he held back his question, "You are blushing." He sounded like a tease.

Aveline resisted touching her cheek, "I’m embarrassed in front of my parents." She murmured, looking at the faint smirk playing at his lips.

"And..." He probed.

Aveline knew what he was waiting for, but she changed the topic, "I told Damien Ashford that I would file a complaint against him if he contacted me again. And also revealed I’m aware that he divorced me to change the chairman." She briefed him.

Alaric was glad she didn’t reveal anything about Damien’s affair or other details that could aggravate Damien.

Nevertheless, he insisted on knowing why her cheeks were flushed, "And...!?"

She lied, "Alcohol." And shrugged, playing it cool.

Alaric knew it was a lie because there was water in her wine glass, and she was on medication. And there was still a week to complete her course of medicine.

If she was going to lie to him, he was going to correct her, "Dominant with double asterisk."

He meant the way he pulled her chair without asking. Whereas he also knew that if he were somebody else, she would have thrown them out by now.

Aveline had to bite back her smile to keep her composure.

While they continued, Margaret asked Henry at another table, "Isn’t it too early for Lina to be dating someone?"

Henry also had mixed feelings. Keeping his personal thoughts aside, he would support Aveline if she was happy. But this time, he wasn’t going to push her into marriage or arrange a marriage even if she stayed single.

"We don’t need to be bothered about people’s thoughts, Honey. As long as we don’t judge her and support her, people can go to hell."

Margaret was speechless. But again, Henry never stopped Aveline unless it was about her working. Now, he had also changed that.

Charles dabbed his lips with a napkin as he glanced at Aveline and Alaric. Honestly, Alaric didn’t have a good name in their social circle due to his extravagant parties and improper appearance at the events thrown by Lancaster. Yet he didn’t judge Alaric on it.

Purely because Damien had a clean image, but he turned out to be scum. So, how could they judge a person?

So Charles noted the way that Gabriel, Damien, and Alaric treated Aveline. And how Aveline reacted to them.

Aveline always had to be cheerful and planning, which started draining her, while Gabriel’s priority was always work. Her many days were rolling away without a single text from him.

Damien used a sweet tongue, and Aveline responded softly. There was no spark. Though married, he had no time for her after marriage.

However, Alaric was indifferent but indulged Aveline. He didn’t suppress Aveline, rather he let her bloom, and express herself.

More than that, Charles wanted to wash his eyes when he saw her blush, "Mom, you should rather worry about Aveline moving out. Assistant Wilson said she checked out a few apartments around her work location."

Henry was quick to hold Margaret’s hand to stop her from calling Aveline. "She had told me. She promised to be in regular touch with us."

For Henry, her coping mechanism was to build her identity. Not as his daughter, not as someone’s wife or girlfriend.

"But..." Margaret was worried, though it wasn’t the first time Aveline had stayed alone or away from home.

"It’s alright, Honey. Stay with her for a few days when she moves out." Henry suggested.

"No, Honey, she doesn’t like apartments. Get her a villa. Or build one." Margaret countered.

Charles almost choked on his spit when he heard Margaret. He got up and went to join his friends.

Soon, the auction began. The prices started from millions, and some even touched the billions. Aveline accompanied Alaric through the auction.

...

The night mellowed into a warm hum, the chaos of the auction dimming into low chatter. Her glass was still filled with water masquerading as wine, but her cheeks had the flush of something far more intoxicating.

Alaric leaned closer, his voice laced with amused ease. "So," he began, gaze fixed on her, "since the storm’s passed, for now, can I ask something slightly more dangerous?"

Aveline raised a brow, feigning wariness. "More dangerous than your gaze?"

He chuckled. She was smooth, and he loved it. "Is it too early for a relationship?"

The air around them didn’t change, but something within her stilled. The question, simple as it was, carried the weight of her past and the promise of something unfamiliar.

Aveline didn’t answer right away. Her gaze fell to her glass. She touched it, the condensation cool against her fingers. "I don’t dislike the idea," she admitted softly. "But I’m not diving in either." Her eyes lifted to meet his.

His smirk only deepened. "Now I know you’re thinking about it. That’s progress." He was encouraged.

She let out a breath, half a laugh, half a warning. "I want to focus on work for now. And..." Her voice trailed. Then she added with a subtle tilt of her head, "I want to feel the thrill of being courted."

She had courted Gabriel. She had waited for Damien. Though several tried to pursue her, she found no one sincere.

Alaric leaned back, feigning deep consideration. "So... you want to be pursued."

She hummed, "Put in some effort. Who knows? You might even luck out."

His grin widened. "You do realize you just issued a challenge to a man who built a billion-dollar company out of thin air?"

She rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her amusement. "Brace yourself, Mr. Lancaster. The tides will be rough. You’ll be too busy keeping up to even recall me."

Alaric tilted his head, intrigued. He always sensed her certainty whenever she predicted the future, "Should I be worried you’re a fortune-teller now?"

"No," she said, eyes gleaming. "I’ll be busy stealing some magazines for their covers."

Alaric looked at her, quiet now. Not for lack of words, but for the sheer delight of watching her smile, soft and unrestrained, which was nothing like the polite ones from before.

And for the first time, he saw her not just as the woman he was in love with, but the future he wanted to earn.