Chapter 4 What If I Want You To Marry Me

The following morning, at the courthouse.

Averie signed the divorce papers with a steady hand and not a flicker of doubt.

On the other side of the table, Jorge's face tightened, a shadow crossing his features.

Averie's calm demeanor sent a jolt of anxiety through him.

He certainly didn't want Averie to cling to him or drag out the divorce, but he also hadn't imagined she would end things so easily, her face untouched by any hint of distress.

After all the paperwork was finalized, Jorge finally spoke. "Averie, I've already had my assistant transfer the five hundred million dollars to your account. Just wait for me for two years. Then, I'll end things with Rebecca and marry you again."

Laughter suddenly bubbled up from Averie. "Jorge, you don't need to do that."

As she rose to leave, Jorge grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"What do you mean by that? Is the money not enough? How many times do I have to say it? What's happening with Rebecca is all for show, just to keep her stepmother content. Give me two years, and I'll announce to the world that you're my true wife."

Pulling her hand free, Averie looked him straight in the eye, her voice cold.

"Don't pretend you're doing me a favor with that money. You know as well as I do that my fireworks displays brought in fortunes for your theaters and amusement parks. I earned every penny of that. And don't forget-you already asked me to wait three years ago. Now, you want two more? I'm not some fool you can do whatever you want to."

Jorge was shocked that Averie would dare speak to him like this.

His face hardened. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Averie. That fireworks display you did years ago was nothing more than luck. Now that Rebecca's here, the Hardy Group has a true star designer. She'll bring in far more profit than you ever could."

Averie's heart turned completely cold at that.

Her lips curled into a cold smile. "Is that so? Guess we'll find out if that's true soon enough."

Gripping the divorce papers, Averie left the courthouse without hesitation.

Sunlight poured over her as she stepped outside. She felt she could start over in her life now.

At that moment, a sudden screech jolted her from her thoughts.

Averie looked up to see a drunkard man behind the wheel of a speeding car, the engine roaring.

Fear froze her in place.

The drunk driver stomped on the gas, sending the car barreling straight toward her.

Averie wanted to run, but she was unable to move.

Just then, someone darted forward. Powerful arms grabbed her and pulled her backward with force.

Both she and the person hit the ground just as the car sped past, missing them by inches.

With panic setting in, the drunk driver wasted no time in fleeing the scene.

Scrapes and bruises marked Averie's arms and legs, but the stranger who had shielded her had taken the brunt of the impact. Without him, things could have turned out much worse for her.

She passed out from the shock.

Somewhere in her hazy state, she sensed strong arms lifting her, and a low, urgent voice rumbled near her ear.

She instinctively clung tighter to the person, comforted by a familiarity she couldn't name.

"Alfred, get us to the hospital. Hurry!"

When Averie finally came to, an hour had slipped by. Her head throbbed with pain.

Blinking herself awake, she found herself staring at an undeniably handsome man.

"You're finally up?" His tone was cool, a mocking edge curling around every word. "Still stubborn as ever, Averie. Years ago, you shot down my offer to help with your debts, too proud to accept a favor from me. But you ran straight to Jorge for help. Now, here you are, three years later, clutching your divorce papers while he's out parading around with his new love. Is this the outcome you've always wanted?"

Each cutting word landed hard, leaving Averie's eyes burning with unshed tears.

The man before her was Bryan Flynn, the friend she'd grown up with.

Bryan's family had wealth that dwarfed the assets the Peters family had even in their glory days.

When her family lost everything, Averie went out of her way to avoid familiar faces, worried that seeing them would stir painful memories. She also avoided them because of her stubborn pride.

So, she had turned down Bryan's offer to help and walked away without hesitation.

After that, Bryan made several attempts to contact her, but each time, she met him with words sharp enough to drive him off.

There was never any resentment toward him in her heart; she simply refused to let Bryan risk defying his entire family just to help her.

Looking at Bryan's cold expression, Averie couldn't stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Bryan," she muttered.

Bryan caught her chin in his hand. "Is sorry going to fix everything now?"

He then tossed the divorce papers onto her lap.

Lowering her head, Averie let a tear fall onto the divorce papers.

"You just saved me, Bryan. I owe you for that. Whatever you ask of me, I'll do it."

A flash of concern softened Bryan's eyes before he masked it with his usual coolness.

He met her gaze and asked, "Averie, what if I want you to marry me?"