Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 180: She’d Been So Blind

Chapter 180: She’d Been So Blind

Avery’s stomach twisted.

"Almost ignored it," he continued, "until one of them said, ’I saw her when she walked in—high-class and looking fucking delicious. We might never get another like her till we die. Let’s grab the others so everyone can enjoy.’" His knuckles whitened. "I followed them. Saw you. The rest was history."

Her jaw dropped.

What the actual fuck?!

She’d been so busy hating him for being a murderer that she never stopped to question why the men hadn’t been scared when the security guard said he was going for backup. Now? Now she didn’t need anyone to call her stupid—she’d call herself stupid every morning and night for the rest of her damn life.

"So the security guard was... one of them?" she whispered.

Archie’s smirk was razor-thin. "Of course. I was delighted when I saw your face, that it had relief instead of annoyance for the first fucking time. Then it turned to hatred." He exhaled, almost amused. "Best wake-up call I ever got. Proved I needed to let you go. Not only were we perfectly unmatched, light and darkness, you were also kind of like a forbidden fruit also"

Avery dragged a hand through her hair, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"How was I forbidden fruit?" she demanded, her face masked with suspicion. "I get the age gap, but I was old enough to choose. Unless—" Her voice hitched. "You knew I’d never have picked you? Or was it because of Brian?"

Archie laughed, sharp and humorless, like he couldn’t believe she at thought that. "Brian wouldn’t have affected shit. Your age was minor. The problem was I wouldn’t have loved you... in the conventional way." His gaze turned lethal. "You were my best friend’s sister, and a member and the literal center of my found family. And it would’ve destroyed everything if i ruined you and still refused to let you go. So it was better not to have you at all."

Avery cut him off with a slash of her hand.

"I get it. But if you had really wanted me—no Brian, no excuses—only I should’ve had a say. If you were really as obsessed with me as you think, you wouldn’t have given a damn about my brother."

Archie’s grin was evil. "I’m not done telling you everything, am I?"

She narrowed her eyes but let it go—for now. "I guess i will wait for it. Found family, though?" she muttered, shaking her head. "Didn’t realize you thought of us like that."

"Didn’t intend to either," he admitted. "But just like you filled my thoughts without meaning to, I realized I wanted them close too."

Avery scoffed. "If someone else told me you’d said that, I’d never believe it." Then her spine straightened. "Wait—back up. You said something about your intel informing you I’d been at the bar too long? Were you spying on me then?"

Archie didn’t flinch. "Like I said. Found family. Protection was all I could offer for what I was getting in return. So I asked your family for permission and got to work. They agreed, since i told them it was because my sudden closeness with them might rouse enemies for them so they needed better guards."

Her eyes darkened. "You asked my brother. My grandfather. Emma. But not me."

"If I had called to ask you, would you have picked up?" he countered.

Silence.

Avery opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Because he was right. She wouldn’t have.

And that pissed her off more than anything.

She let out a slow breath. "I would say I’m sorry, but I know you’d just say ’sorry doesn’t repair shit.’"

Archie smirked. "You’re learning."

She hesitated, then pressed on. "But if you really had guards following us... how come you weren’t able to save them?"

His expression darkened, but he shook his head. "I’ll get back to that later. The best way for you to understand is if we follow how it happened—no jumping ahead."

Avery exhaled sharply but nodded. "Okay. Fine. So except you did some underground work I have to know about, then the next time we met was two years after the club incident. You start from there."

"One year after," Archie corrected.

Her frown deepened. "What?"

"The next time we met was one year later, but don’t worry about it," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "That’s the only part I’ll skip and come back to. For better understanding."

Avery lowered her head, conceding. "Okay." She bit her lip, then added quietly, "The next time I saw you... I came to your office."

"Yeah." Archie’s voice was rough. "And everything I said that day was true."

She winced. "But I fucked it all up. I didn’t believe you, and I tore up your important documents. You must have wanted to strangle me."

"I was angry, yes," he admitted. "But strangle you?" A dark chuckle. "Who the hell was I working for if not you? If I strangled you to death, those documents would’ve been meaningless anyway."

Avery lowered her head, shame curling in her chest. No matter how confused she still was about everything, one thing was crystal clear now:

Archielovedher.

More than loved her. Maybe, like he’d said last night, he was obsessed with her.

And she’d been so blind. So fucking blind that she’d missed everything right in front of her face.

Archie’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. "After you stormed out of my office that day, my anger left you and went straight to the bastard who annoyed you enough to make you take it out on me." His jaw tightened. "I checked who had informed your grandfather’s assistant about your relationship with Brian. It was Roberts."

Avery let out a dry, humorless laugh. "I’m not even surprised by that now. I made that stupid mistake and missed the culprit right in front of me." She looked up, eyes burning. "But why didn’t you tell me?"

Archie shrugged. "Thought you’d just feel guilty. Planned to tell you later, but then you put that barrier between us at Leeds’ restaurant." He paused, dragging a hand over his mouth before sitting beside her on the bed. "At the time, I thought it was just petty jealousy on Roberts’ part. So I punished him and forgot about it."

Avery’s head snapped up. "You punished him?"

Another shrug.

"How?" she pressed.

"Simple punishment," Archie deadpanned.

She narrowed her eyes. "I don’t believe that. Tell me what it was."

Archie turned his face away, but Avery reached out, cupping his jaw and forcing his gaze back to hers. She gave him a small, coaxing smile. "Tell me. I won’t call you a monster. Promise."

For some reason, she believed what this man before her was calling simple punishment was definitely not one. And a budding excitement was rising within her at the possibility that Roberts had suffered for making her lose the deal back then.

If only he would now tell her what it was.