Chapter 138
The red marks on Avery''s face stood out, attracting everyone''s attention.
Cecelia, who happened to sit near Cayden at the front of the room, tightened her grip on her pen and
dared not meet her boss'' gaze.
The conference room seemed colder than usual because of Cayden''s gloomy mood. Everyone''s
expressions froze as they awaited Cayden''s response with bated breath.
Eventually, Cayden''s deep voice broke the silence. “What happened to your face?”
No one dared to answer his question.
Since Yulissa was absent, Cecelia could only take the lead and reply weakly, “One of our male
colleagues went crazy and threw some documents at Avery''s face.”
In view of the public setting, Avery lifted her head and reassured Cayden, “I''m fine. Thank you for your
concern, Boss.”
Cecelia''s heart sank when she heard Avery.
Why is she acting so distant toward Boss?
As expected, when Cecelia chanced a nce at Cayden''s expression, she noticed rage on his
handsome features.
After a long silence, Cayden suddenly asked, “Was it Zayne?”
Everyone nodded silently in response.
The next instant, Cayden''s expression darkened further as he announced, “I will not hesitate to punish
anyone who dares to pull a stunt like that again.”
The male colleagues immediately quivered in fear even though they had not done anything wrong.
Zayne''s actions had made things difficult for every male colleague in the department.
Cayden''s cold gaze roved over all the men in the room before he continued, “Feel free to act
dishonorably if you''re interested in a prison sentence.”
Cecelia secretly sighed in relief.
Boss is taking a stand for Avery.
Fortunately for the team, the meeting ended quickly.
Cayden barely interacted with anyone in the design department. In fact, they only saw him once in a
while. There was a greater likelihood of meeting him when one was in trouble. In those cases, Yulissa
was frequently brought along by the unfortunate employee to shoulder the me.
Cecelia concluded that since Avery joined the design department, Cayden had begun showing up at
their office more frequently.
After the meeting, Cecelia''s team headed downstairs and saw another team in low spirits.
They were Zayne''s ex-teammates, who were now suffering their boss'' wrath after his actions.
Nheless, no one dared to challenge Cayden''s wrath. Instead, they vented their frustrations by
cursing Zayne out for drugging a colleague and causing a scandal in thepany.
They could only swallow their indignance while Cayden told them off.
At some point, they even questioned Cayden''s psychological wellbeing. Rich people were often
stereotypicallybeled as psychos, and Cayden''s bachelorhood only fueled his employees''
spections.
Thus, fearful that Cayden could potentially make their lives even more difficult, no one said a peep to
him.
Unlike her colleagues, Avery was stopped by Xavier before she could head downstairs as he had an
important task to carry out.
Cecelia left Avery behind once she realized what was going on. She hoped Cayden would look after
Avery and lift her out of her funk.
I''m on my period. He can''t try anything on me, right?
As that thought crossed her mind, Avery agreed to follow Xavier.
He led her to Cayden''s office and went to retrieve a first aid kit. Xavier returned with the kit before
taking his leave.
Meanwhile, Cayden pulled Avery into his arms.
Startled, she jumped and asked, “I thought you summoned me for work.”
“Are all women prone to such mood swings?” Cayden muttered as he grabbed some supplies from the
first aid kit. He then carefully applied medication to the red marks on her face.
From time to time, he would gently blow on the wounds to soothe them.
His cool breath reduced the stinging difort on her face.
Avery kept quiet and allowed him to continue applying the medication.
The office was so silent that only their breathing was heard. Cayden lowered his head and asked, “Why
are you suddenly so obedient? Do you see me as your older brother now?”
Avery flushed at his words.
He continued, “Tell me. Do you have any fetishes? Or... do you perhaps enjoy the thrill of breaking
moral boundaries?” Cayden''s arm wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her into his embrace,
taking advantage of her dazed state. With closed eyes, he kissed her passionately. Some timeter, he
said hoarsely, “Go on. You can call me your brother.”
Avery shook her head in horror.
That''s not what I meant. That was never what I meant. I was talking about a biological brother, not
some unusual fetish.
She did not know what to say in response. Eventually, she sputtered, “My face hurts. Sorry.” At a loss
for words, she struggled to break free from his embrace.
When Avery finally returned to the design department, Cecelia tried her best to suppress herughter.
That''s why he''s the boss. Ery went upstairs in despair but returned with some color in her cheeks and
swollen lips.
Clueless about Cecelia''s thoughts, Avery threw herself into work. When it was time to clock off, Avery
was the first person to rush out of the office.
She headed to the subway station opposite the road before the peak hour.
Her phone had been ringing off the hook since afternoon, but she only noticed it after leaving the office.
After answering the call from an unknown number, she immediately froze.
Her gaze darted around frantically beforending on a Porsche Cayenne driving her way. At the same
time, the caller hung up on her.
Dn rolled down the windows of his expensive car and looked at her. “Get in. Maybe I can help you
find your grandpa.”
Avery was numb with shock.
He sounded as though he knew where ke was, yet he had clearly used the word “maybe” in his
offer.
“If you have so much free time on your hands, find someone else to spend it with. Don''t y a prank on
me.” Avery forced herself to calm down, even as she nervously clenched her phone.
Dn fell silent at her words. After some time, he looked up and frowned at her. He raised two family
registries and said, “One is your family, and the other is mine. Would you believe me if I said your
grandpa gave your family registry to me?”
When she saw the family registry, Avery''s hands shook with nerves.
Dn opened the family registry and showed it to her.
He was telling the truth; it was the Rumpleys'' family registry.
Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.
Dn continued, “I may have friends at City Hall, but we should get there before they clock off work.
We don''t want to trouble them too much.” He alighted from his car and pulled her into his arms. Though
the position looked intimate, he leaned in and threatened, “You should know the consequences of
displeasing an ex-inmate; you might lose your precious grandpa.”
Avery gritted her teeth and struggled against his hold, staring at him as though he was a monster.
s, Dn kept a firm hold on her and said, “I need a wife. Time is running out. We can register our
marriage by six, or you say hello to grandpa''s dead body. Your choice.”