Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 181: A²

Chapter 181: A²

Archie studied her for a long moment, then exhaled. "He deserved it. He didn’t just sabotage you. He did it in a way that made you angry at me. He offended us both." His voice turned icy. "So even if you think what I did was over the top, I’d still say it was worth it."

Pulse quickening at the intensity of his tone, Avery asked, "So? Are you going to tell me now?"

He held her gaze, his own unreadable. Then, in a voice so cold it sent a shiver down her spine, he said, "Nothing much. I did a little thing with his shares in A², caused him to be confused for a few months and go broke for longer... but that was all. I stopped when we met at Leeds."

Avery stared at him for the next several seconds, her eyes misting over.

"Yeah, the time I was called to comfort you." She exhaled sharply, nodding. "I’m sorry for what happened back then too. And before you say ’sorry doesn’t heal shit,’ I know that, but I’m still going to say it."

His lips twitched. "You’re not going to call me a monster?"

She smirked. "Well, I might... but then, you’d be my monster." She chuckled, but the sound died in her throat when his gaze darkened, his fingers flexing against the leather.

He adjusted his glasses slowly, his voice dropping to a dangerous murmur. "So does that mean what I did to Valentina and her friends the other day... you’re no longer annoyed by it?"

Avery shrugged. "In fact, I’m happy you did it. The fact that they suffered for at least one of the things they did to me makes me more delighted than you can imagine. Even though I’m slowly planning to bring them to an end myself, knowing they’ve already had a rough patch helps me keep my patience."

Archie’s smile was slight, but she caught it; the flicker of approval in his eyes, giving her the courage to press on. "So, the next time we saw each other after that was the day I came to you in the garage of Dove’s building. You know... since i told you that day at Leeds that we shouldn’t be found anywhere near each other."

"Nah," Archie shook his head in disagreement, "I always saw you at least once a day. If not physically, then on camera." His voice was disturbingly casual. "We met at Leeds when you were 20. No one stays away from his wife for two long years and remains sane."

Avery’s breath caught in her throat at the new information, her eyes widening in shock, "If you saw me every day, that means... you were stalking me?! Not just physically, but on camera, too?!"

Archie smiled, all sharp edges and dark amusement. "You knew I was always a monster anyway. Just trying to keep up with that image you have on me in your head."

Avery opened her mouth—then closed it, speechless.

Before she could bring herself to say more, Archie leaned over and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her skin in a mockingly tender gesture. "That’s my girl." His voice dropped to a whisper. "You don’t have to know how I did it... just know that I made sure to see you every day."

Avery swallowed hard. "I want to know something, though."

"Ask away?"

"You said you had cameras... You never watched me while I was bathing or... you know... crossed the line, did you?"

Archie tilted his head, his gaze boring into hers like he could see straight through her soul. "None of my cameras or spies were allowed inside your house. If they had been, not only would I have found it impossible to stay celibate and away from you for almost four years..." His jaw tightened. "...but I might’ve overheard your uncle’s family plotting. And then none of what happened would’ve happened."

Avery’s eyes narrowed. Celibate for almost four years. That lined up with what she’d read online that his dating history had gone cold a little over three years ago. Was he saying he’d been faithful to their marriage—one she had no idea whether it was real or fake? But why?

She sucked in a sharp breath, forcing herself to focus. "So, just to be clear... you didn’t watch me naked or anything?"

Archie shrugged. "You might’ve been married to me then, but you wanted another man. And... you seemed to have forgotten all about our wedding." His voice turned dangerously soft. "I guess there was a part of me that was scared of you finding out I’d invaded your privacy that much."

Exhaling, she agreed, "That’s right. If your answer had been different, my knee would’ve been digging into your balls right now."

Archie faked a wince, but she wasn’t done.

"But you said I forgot our wedding," she pressed, her pulse hammering. "How did it happen? Where? And when?"

The air in the room turned electric—thick with tension, with the weight of something unspoken. Archie went utterly still, his fingers tightening imperceptibly on the sheets.

Then, slowly, he leaned in, his voice a low, deliberate rasp.

"You really don’t remember?"

Archie leaned forward, his voice low and deliberate. "Then do you remember the name of our corporation was changed from A Corp to A² Corp?"

Avery nodded slowly. "Of course. Everyone in the business world remembers that day." She swallowed, the memory surfacing clearly. She had been woken up by her sister that morning, Emma bursting into her room with wide eyes, demanding, "Do you know anything about Arch changing his company name?! Maybe you insulted the name or something?"

She could remember how her response had been dismissive, "How is the name of his corporation any of my business?" But the truth was, she had obsessed over it for several weeks afterward. Why would he make such a sudden, dramatic change? At the time, the last memory she had of him was from that night in the slums, when he had saved her in the alley. So even though she hadn’t seen him for a while, she had missed him a teeny weeny bit.

Archie’s voice pulled her back to the present. "So, does it ring a bell? A Corp, for Archibald’s... A² Corp, for...?"

Avery’s jaw dropped.

The breath left her lungs in a rush.

A².