When Ava saw Daniel’s reply, she immediately calmed down.
“Ava, it’s been a long time since I saw you. Considering it’s such a coincidence, I wonder if I can invite you to have dinner with me?”
Neil walked in front of Ava and cautiously invited her. Ava was in a good mood after seeing Daniel’s reply. Hence, she blurted out, “Okay.”
“That’s great!” Neil was overjoyed. He did not think that Ava would agree so quickly.
Ava finally realized that she had agreed too quickly. At that moment, she held her phone, not knowing what to say.
Tom seemed to be able to tell Ava’s uneasiness. He smiled and asked, “Ava, didn’t you say you were waiting for someone just now?”
Ava and Tom looked at each other. Ava seemed to understand that he was trying to get her a way out of this situation.
She nodded and wanted to reject Neil, but she heard Neil say regretfully, “Really? You have an appointment with a friend, Ava? That’s a pity. Today is your mother’s birthday. Our family has finally reunited. I think your mother also hopes that we can sit down and have dinner together again.”
Upon hearing these words, Ava’s words of rejection were stuck in her throat. She was unable to speak for a while.
“Ava, if you can…” Neil sounded to be pleading with her, but in the middle of the sentence, he suddenly smiled with ease. “Since you have a prior appointment, it’s better not to miss it. It’s fine for your mother and me to spend it together.”
“You can bring me along too if you don’t mind.” Tom smiled. It seemed as if he was joking.
Neil warmly invited, “If you don’t mind, we can add an extra seat for you, Mr. Lowe.”
Tom smiled when he heard that. “Let’s go, then. My car is parked on the side of the road.”
“You don’t need to drive. It’s just that apartment behind, so it’s only a few minutes walk. Rae bought the ingredients for the meal, and I happen to have something to talk to you about, Mr. Lowe. Let’s talk while we eat.”
After Neil finished speaking, he smiled lovingly at Ava. “Ava, do you want to ask if your friend is here? I’ll leave when you meet your friend.” Neil seemed worried.
Ava suddenly felt uncomfortable when she looked at Neil’s amiable smile.
Although she had said a lot of decisive words, she was a little shaken when she heard Neil talking about family.
In a daze, Ava heard a beep on the phone. Daniel had sent another message to her.
Daniel: [Ava, there’s a sudden emergency at my house and I have to go back immediately. I can’t pick you up right now, I’m sorry.]
Ava’s heart sank slightly when she saw the words displayed on the screen.
Even so, she was understanding. She replied to Daniel and asked him to go home quickly to deal with the matter. They still had a lot of time and opportunities to meet.
After replying to the text, Ava looked up at Neil. “My friend can’t come because of some matters. I have to go back now. I hope you’ll have a happy meal anda pleasant chat.”
After she finished speaking, she turned around decisively for fear that if she slowed down, the indifferent mask on her face would fall.
However, before she could walk far, Tom’s voice came from behind her.
“Ava, if your friend isn’t coming, it means that your plans have been canceled. In this case, let’s go to your mother’s birthday party with Mr. Long.”
Neil’s eyes suddenly glowed when he heard this. “ Ava, what do you think?”
She knew that Neil was desperate, and she did have the idea of turning around. It seemed that it was not easy for her to get out of this.
“Alright, let’s go together.” Tom walked directly in front of Ava, his smiling eyes looking extraordinarily gentle. “Treat this as showing consideration for your boss and eating with him.”
Was Tom finding a way to let her get out of this difficult situation? She did not want to reject it because it would make her look unreasonable. Hence, she nodded and agreed.
Neil was overjoyed. However, he suppressed his emotions. He was worried that he would scare his daughter away if he was too excited.
Ten minutes later, Ava and the rest arrived at the apartment.
After they rang the doorbell, Raegan came to open the door.
When she saw Tom, she was pretty surprised. She politely invited Tom into the house to have a seat. Suddenly, Neil kept her on tenterhooks.
“Rae, I have an unexpected surprise for you here. Come out and see who it is.”
Raegan started to have some expectations in her heart after seeing how Neil was behaving. She took two steps to the door, and her expression froze.
“A-Ava?”
Raegan looked at Ava who was standing in front of her in disbelief.
Ava pulled the corners of her lips into a smile. “This is for you. Happy birthday.”
She handed Raegan a bouquet of carnations in her hands.
Raegan was taken aback and felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes.
This scene was something she had never dared to imagine.
When Neil saw that Raegan was on the verge of tears, he quickly broke the silence. “What delicious food are you cooking? I can smell it from here.”
Upon hearing this, Raegan understood what Neil was saying immediately. She quickly recomposed herself and invited Ava inside.
“Ava, come in quickly. You don’t need to be humble. This is your home, so you can come back whenever you want. The door of this home is always open to you.”
Raegan held the bouquet with a smile on her face and invited Tom inside too.
“Mr. Lowe, please come in quickly. I hope you won’t mind me not attending to you well.”
“You’re being too courteous. It’s your birthday today, so you don’t have to attend to me.” Tom then gave Raegan his blessings. “I don’t have any present for you except for this cake. Happy birthday, Ms. Xander. I hope you have a happy family reunion.”
“Thank you for your blessing, Mr. Lowe.”
The smile on Raegan’s face could not be concealed at all at this moment.
She never thought that Ava would bring a bunch of flowers to celebrate her birthday.
After entering the house, Raegan happily found a vase and trimmed the stem of each flower with great care. She then put them in the vase. She placed the vase on the dining table as a decoration.
Ava saw Raegan’s series of actions.
She could feel how happy Raegan was at this moment. Perhaps to Raegan, this was the family reunion and domestic bliss that she had longed for in so many years.
As she watched Raegan go back to the kitchen to cook, Ava thought for a while. Eventually, she got up to go into the kitchen to help Raegan wash the vegetables. Raegan could not believe this. She wanted Ava to rest and sit, but at the same time, she desperately wanted to spend more time with Ava. In the living room.
Neil and Tom watched the scene in the kitchen. Both of them had happy smiles on their faces.
“Tom, thank you so much for being willing to cooperate with me to put on this act. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t know what reason I could use to go to your company to look for Ava and pretend to meet her by accident.” Neil sincerely thanked Tom.
Tom smiled slightly. “Actually, I didn’t help much either. At the end of the day, it’s up to Ava whether she wants to come here or not. However, it’s clear that she’s willing to come over to celebrate Ms. Xander’s birthday. I think Ava must also long for a family reunion.”
Neil nodded in agreement, feeling extremely relieved and full of expectations.
“I sincerely hope this child can heal soon.”
“Perhaps telling Ava Ms. Xander’s situation back then can speed up the process,” Tom suggested.
Neil seemed to have fallen into deep hesitation as he looked at the warm scene in the kitchen.
After a short wait, a table of sumptuous food was ready.
Neil and Tom came to the dining room and sat down. Neil put a candle on Raegan’s cake. After they turned off the lights, the fire on the candle illuminated the entire dining room. The soft candlelight that was swaying gently was like Ava’s emotions right now, uneasy and anxious.
Raegan closed her eyes and made a wish in front of this swaying candlelight before blowing it out.
“What did you wish for?” Neil asked jokingly.
Raegan just glanced at Ava with a gentle and loving smile. “It won’t come true if I tell you, and I think my wish will come true soon.”
Neil understood what Raegan meant, and so did Ava and Tom.
Everyone was tacitly aware of this.
“Let’s eat. Try the food and see if it’s delicious. Ava made these two dishes, so please give her some feedback.” Raegan smiled to adjust the atmosphere. Neil and Tom also cooperatively lifted their forks to try the two dishes made by Ava. After chewing, they gave unanimous comments.
“Ava, not only are your designs great, but the food you cook is also amazing. The taste of these buttered prawns is great,” Tom praised without holding himself back.
Neil nodded in agreement, a proud smile on his handsome face.
“Of course, my daughter excels in whatever she does.” After he said that, Neil felt that he might have said something wrong. He glanced at Ava nervously and saw that Ava’s expression did not change at all. She was just drinking Coke and eating the vegetables ina very calm manner. Neil was relieved.
To Raegan, this seemed to be a sign that Ava was gradually accepting them.
After the meal, Raegan shared the cut birthday cake with Ava, Neil, and Tom.
The four were sitting in the living room while eating the cake, but the atmosphere seemed to fall into silence again.
“Tom, could you please do me a favor and take a photo for us?” Neil asked.
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.