Chapter 318
After taking the blueprint from his father''s hands, William was blown away by how magnificent the
design was.
When he saw the name “Avery Rumpley” printed on the document, William suggested, “Dad, I''m d
that you like the design. Once the building has beenpleted, why don''t we get this Avery to take on
the interior design too?”
“Mmm-hmm. After going through many architects previously, none were up to my standard until I saw
this boy''s work.” George''s face glowed on ount of his delight.
Looking on at his father''s reaction with amusement, William added, “Dad, the name Avery is gender-
neutral. For all we know, this architect is a female.”
George''s eyes widened as he red at his son. “Avery sounds like a boy''s name to me.”
Amidst the father and son''s argument, ire gently interrupted, “Dad, wouldn''t you know their gender
once you invite Avery over?”
ire, too, was of the opinion that the architect was a girl, for only a female was capable of producing
such an exquisitely romantic design.
Avery Rumpley.
As iremitted the name to memory, an inexplicable wave of bitter and painful emotions suddenly
flooded into her.
“Didn''t Nickiee along with you?” Fiona asked as she held ire''s hand.
Fiona was fond of her pretty granddaughter Nicole, who was not only sensible but also had a congenial
personality.
ire exined, “Mom, Nickie wasn''t able to make it as she''s been swamped with work recently. I''ll get
her to visit you and Dad once she has the time.”
George suddenly looked upset. “When is Nickie nning to leave the entertainment industry? How can
she keep appearing in public all the time? What a disgrace to the Lambert family!”
All this while, George was never fond of Nicole.
Even though she looked obedient when she was first adopted, the reality was anything but that.
Due to his years of experience, George had a good eye for people, and he could tell that she was a
crafty one from the very beginning.
Unfortunately, there was little he could do when ire and William insisted on going through with the
adoption.
Over the years, George didn''t get to see Nicole often as all of them weren''t living under the same roof.
It was only during the holidays that the trio would visit. As a result, George ended up with ambivalent
feelings toward his granddaughter.
Nheless, it never crossed his mind that she would join the entertainment industry when she grew
up.
Even an innocent girl would be corrupted once she spent enough time in the industry.
Despite their publicly morous lives, no one knew how sleazy it was behind closed doors.
Consequently, it was hard for someone as stubborn and conservative as George to ept Nicole''s
career as an actress. The fact that the Lamberts had been respectable government officials for
generations simply made matters worse.
That was the reason why every time Nicole came to visit and tried her best to bond with her
grandfather, George''s response would always be devoid of warmth.
Upon hearing George''sment, ire could only lower her head in silence because she knew that
defending Nicole would only incur the former''s wrath.
Back in the day, she was talent scouted and invited to join the entertainment industry. Unfortunately,
George''s vehement objections forced her to give up her dreams and go into business instead.
Despite the sess she achieved in the corporate world, she—deep down—still rued the missed
opportunity. Therefore, when she learned of Nicole''s decision to be an actress, ire expressed
her unconditional support without hesitation.
“Dad, after some time, I''ll arrange for Nickie to be married. By then, she won''t have such a public life
anymore,” William reassured his father.
George replied, “I hope that''s the case!”
“All right now, George, keep that attitude of yours in check. It''s not every day our son and daughter-in-
lawe by for a visit.” After giving George a look, Fiona remarked, “I''m going to prepare lunch.
ire,e with me.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, ire followed Fiona into the kitchen.
After lunch, William and his father headed to the study to talk, whereas ire and Fiona settled down
on the couch to chat.
On the walls of the house hung a huge picture frame that contained a collection of old photos.
In one of its corners, ire noticed an old group picture.
Amidst a festive backdrop, George and Fiona were sitting in front with gentle expressions on their faces
while the pregnant ire stood behind them together with her husband. With her right hand stroking
her baby bump, she was leaning into William''s embrace and wearing a sweet smile on her face.
“ire, are you looking at old pictures again?”
Fiona saw her daughter-inw staring at the old photo. Thetter was running her fingers over her
pregnant self with a sad look in her eyes.
Patting ire''s hand sympathetically, Fiona consoled her, “A long time has passed since then. It''s time
to let go and ept that the child isn''t fated to be with our family. If William''s injury hadn''t rendered him
impotent, both of you wouldn''t... Anyway, Nickie has now grown into a sensible and filialdy. Going
forward, you still have someone to rely on.”
Neither George nor Fiona was aware of the real reason why ire never bore a child again. It was
actually caused by thetter losing too much blood during childbirth and bing barren.
William, worried that his parents would make ire''s life difficult if they knew the truth, decided to hide
it from them. He feared that in their resentment, they would pressure him into divorcing her. That was
not something he wanted as he loved her too much. Hence, he med the matter on himself, saying
that he had an injury that caused his sperm to have a low survival rate.
As George and his wife suspected nothing, it never urred to them that the issuey with ire.
After all, ire did get pregnant once and was simply unfortunate enough to have lost the baby.
Despite the sad incident, it was enough to prove that she was fertile.
Since the couple never had any children in the years after, it cemented the idea that William was the
source of the problem.
Besides that, George and his wife very much approved of ire, who was not only gentle and capable
but also had a kind soul. More importantly, she was still loyal to William despite his inability to get her
pregnant.
Staring at her pregnant self in the picture, ire felt tears streaming down her cheeks as thoughts of
her dead child shed across her mind.
She then gave Fiona a guilty look. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
To her, being unable to bear a child for her husband was the biggest regret of her life.
Furthermore, her husband—in an attempt to protect her—had lied to his parents for many years.
If they knew the truth, they would definitely be very disappointed in me.
ire continued to ponder upon the matter. If my poor child was still alive, she would be twenty-four
this year. I wonder if she has gotten married and started a family.