Ava felt Daniel’s acknowledgment of her. Despite the unfriendly gazes staring at her, she still handed the gift to the old master with a smile and wished, “Hello, Old Master Graham. Happy birthday. I hope you live a long life.”
After the old master heard that, he ignored Ava and did not accept the gift. He looked at his grandson and said, “Daniel, Naya is back. I want to use this opportunity to set a date for your wedding.”
Ava was shocked by what the old master said. However, Daniel did not waste any time and said, “Grandpa, I already have someone I like.”
“Someone you like? Naya is the most suitable person for you and she’s also the person who likes you the most.”
The old master pulled the woman named Naya to his side.
“Naya is the only daughter of the Mendez family. She’s the best match for the Grahams based on her family background and education. You two often played together when you were younger as well, so you’re basically childhood sweethearts. It’s decided, then.”
“Thank you for looking kindly upon me, but Dan has already brought his girlfriend home. I think I should not cause any trouble,” Naya Mendez smiled and said understandingly. Then, she gave Ava a friendly smile.
Ava recomposed herself and smiled back at Naya.
However, she then heard Mrs. Graham scoffing in disdain. “What girlfriend? The Grahams don’t have an embarrassing daughter-in-law who wears fakes.”
Mrs. Graham glanced at Ava. “Miss Long, don’t blame me for being too straightforward. You should wear clothes that you can afford with your salary. If you can’t afford certain dresses, then you should just simply not wear them. However, you chose to wear a fake to the old master’s birthday party as Dan’s girlfriend. Who are you trying to embarrass?”
Mrs. Graham did not even hold back as she berated Ava in front of everybody.
Ava did not want to argue with her. When she lifted her head, she caught a glimpse of Naya peering at her in contempt.
Daniel did not stay quiet as well. He defended Ava immediately, saying, “Mom, you’re too much. My girlfriend can wear anything and still be my girlfriend.”
“Dan, do you want to infuriate your grandpa today?” Mrs. Graham looked down on Ava. “The only woman in Glendale who’s worthy of being your girlfriend is Naya.”
Mrs. Graham looked at Ava arrogantly. “Miss Long, where did you graduate from? What do you work as? How much money do you make in a month? Do you have a house or a car?”
Ava looked into Mrs. Graham’s snobbish eyes and smiled. “I graduated from Glendale University and I’m an interior designer. As for my salary—”
“Alright, I’ve heard enough,” Mrs. Graham interrupted. “Interior designers won’t make over seven digits a year even if they work to death. However, do you know how much the Grahams make in a year? Miss Long, I won’t say anything more. I hope you can know your place.”
Ava understood what Mrs. Graham meant. She placed the gift down and looked at Daniel.
“Dan, I should go. Stay and celebrate your grandpa’s birthday with your family,” Ava said before turning around magnanimously.
“Ava!” Daniel wanted to chase after her, but his mother grabbed him. “Dan, that woman is not suitable for you.”
“Yeah, Dan. It’s obvious that she’s a vain woman who wears a fake branded dress and wants to go after you for your money.” Daniel’s relatives chimed in at one side. One of them even opened the gift. “Look at this tie she bought for your grandpa. It’s obviously a fake. The real one shouldn’t have such rough material.”
Daniel was always calm and refined. However, at this moment, he could not control himself.
“I bought this tie overseas a month ago for grandpa. You don’t have to put someone down like this.”
“…” His relatives’ faces turned bright red.
“Also, I don’t care if my wife is rich or not. I won’t give up on this woman.”
Daniel left to chase after Ava after he said this. However, Ava was nowhere to be seen and she did not pick up her phone either.
After Ava left Daniel’s house, she switched off her phone after receiving a call she did not want to receive.
However, the moment she got out of the car, the woman at the airport that day smiled and walked over to her.
“Ava, I know I’ve wronged you all these years. Why don’t you consider going back to Y Country with me?” The woman flattered.
Ava walked past her coldly and went upstairs to her unit.
“Ava, it’s fine if you don’t want to go, but don’t stay in a place like this.” The woman handed two keys to Ava. “I’ve bought two mansions for you. You should stay there for the time being.”
“When did I ask you to buy me houses?” Ava handed back the keys to her and went into her house.
The woman followed after her. “It’s fine if you don’t like them. I bought one of the apartments near your company as well. You can move in anytime.”
“…”
“Also, I don’t think your boss is capable. I think—”
“Stop thinking,” Ava interrupted as she felt her head starting to ache. She was so scared that the woman would buy her company as well.
When the woman saw that Ava was unhappy, she felt anxious. “Ava, I just want to make up for—”
“Do you think you can mend our relationship with money?” Ava asked. “Just ask yourself what you’ve done when I needed you the most?”
After the woman heard that, she did not know what to say. When she recalled what she had done, she felt her face heating up.
At this moment, the doorbell rang. Ava did not want to spend any more time with the woman, so she went and opened the door.
After she opened the door, she saw that it was Niamh.
“Niamh, why are you looking for me here?” Ava was surprised.
Niamh felt relieved when she saw Ava. “Dan said you switched off your phone, so he got worried about you. Since I was just around the area, I dropped by to check on you.”
“Ava, you have a friend here. I guess I should go back now.” The woman did not force Ava anymore. Then, she left after glancing at Niamh.
Niamh had guessed that the woman from the airport last time was Ava’s mother, but she did not expect it to be true.
She had known Ava for so many years and this whole time, she thought Ava was an orphan like her.
When she asked about Ava’s family, she would only brush it off with a smile as if she did not want to talk about it.
However, from the looks of it now, it was not what it seemed.
Ava turned around and took out two cans of fruit punch before sitting on the sofa in exhaustion.
“Niamh, you must be confused, right? When did I have a mother who’s also the richest woman in Y Country?”
“…”
After Ava said that, Niamh was shocked.
However, after Ava drank her punch, she started crying in despair. “Niamh, if I could’ve gotten in contact with my rich mother back then, you wouldn’t have needed to sell alcohol in the nightclub and get humiliated by Nevaeh.”
Niamh hugged Ava. “You dummy, that’s in the past. Plus, I know you’ve always tried your best to help me. Ava, you’re my best friend.”
“Niamh…” Ava was still addressing Niamh with this name.
Niamh patted Ava’s shoulder, and when she was about to ask about Daniel’s family, her phone rang.
Niamh looked at the caller ID and saw it was from the lab technician last night.
She felt her heart tremble as a feeling of uneasiness rose in her chest.
“Niamh, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you picking up?” Ava looked at Niamh who was spacing out in curiosity.
Niamh came back to her senses and picked up the phone. The lab technician said, “Is this Miss Montgomery?”
“Yes, I’m Eveline Montgomery.”
“We have the results for the sample you sent that day. Are you free to come to the lab now?”
Niamh looked at Ava, feeling worried. However, if she did not go, she would feel uneasy.
Ava sensed Niamh’s dilemma. “Niamh, you should go if you have something to take care of.”
Niamh nodded and answered, “I’ll go right now.”
She got up, and before she left, she reminded Ava. “Don’t drink too much. It’s bad for your body. Also, call Dan. He’s worried about you.”
Ava smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing personal. I won’t be mad at him. You should go now.”
Niamh left while feeling less worried.
She came to Glendale Advanced Laboratory. Then, the lab technician, Dr. Gordon, brought her to the lab.
Niamh was not an expert, so she did not understand the complex data. She asked, “Dr. Gordon, what are these things that you’ve detected in the blood?”
Dr. Gordon took out a set of data and said some jargon. Niamh did not really understand, but she understood what was said later.
“Basically, it’s a poison that’s harmful to the body,” the lab technician said, “According to the results, it has very rare components. It won’t kill someone directly, but instead, it’ll torture the person slowly.
“For example, they’ll hallucinate and feel confused. Sometimes, they won’t even know what they’re doing, and eventually, the poison will seep into the blood and cells to cause trouble to the heart. In the end, the person’s genes might even mutate.”
“Genetic mutation?” Niamh felt that this was unbelievable. She did not know such scary things existed.
Hence, Niamh thought of a possibility.
“If there’s a possibility of a genetic mutation, does it mean that their blood type will also change?” she asked calmly, but her heart was racing.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.