Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge
Chapter 62: In action

Chapter 62: In action

Saturday, 8 am, at a golf club

Aveline lifted her head, soaking in the morning sun. Sporting a classic white pleated skirt and fitted tee, adding elegance with a gold watch and a navy cap. The ivory sweater draped over her shoulders kept her warm in the breeze.

"Ms. Laurent." Her caddie alerted her.

Tightening her white gloves, she picked up her club and stepped into position. One clean swing sent the ball flying in a high arc, drawing applause from the nearby onlooker.

She turned, feigning surprise at the sight of Lawrence Ashford. Passing her club to the caddie, she offered a polite greeting, "Mr. Ashford, Good morning."

Lawrence smiled like he had just won a jackpot. "Aveline..." He paused. "May I call you that? You’re like a daughter to me."

Aveline returned the smile, soft and practiced. "Of course. We are a family now." It had taken her ten days to be so at ease while lying.

He noticed the change. She wasn’t the docile woman hiding behind Damien anymore. She was calm and composed, and he failed to read through her politeness. "That was a great shot. Are you here with your father?" He looked around as if expecting to spot Henry.

Aveline maintained her politeness with a mask of a courteous smile. "No, Mr. Ashford. Damien was supposed to join me, but he had an urgent meeting with a new consultant." She didn’t even know where Damien was.

Lawrence’s expression shifted immediately at her response. A new consultant? Since when? Hiring at that level required board consent, and he had a vote.

She noticed his unfiltered reaction, but she didn’t show it. "Are you joining your friends, Mr. Ashford? Or... would you like to join me?"

Lawrence was supposed to meet a few acquaintances, but curiosity got the better of him. Aveline was married to Damien, and if she was here without him... maybe she would talk about Damien.

"My nephew left you alone. How could I do the same?" he said with a crooked grin, signaling his caddie to place his putt.

Aveline clapped lightly after his shot, her smirk tucked away behind her perfect mask.

Lawrence looked proud as he joined her in her cart, letting the caddies take his.

After small talk about her married life and other empty questions, he tried again. "Damien’s been tied up with a lot of projects lately. Is he giving you enough time, Aveline?"

"Lots of projects?" she repeated, shaking her head slightly. "Not really. Damien’s focused mostly on his next one."

"Next project?" He holed his putt and turned to her, brows raised. "He is drafting something new?"

Aveline slipped off her gloves as she replied, "Not drafting. He had already begun permit applications and signing major contracts for his twin tower project at the Eastern District."

Anger simmered just beneath his skin. He found her foolish for speaking the things Damien was hiding from him without knowing the Ashford family dynamics. He had to control himself from cursing out Damien because she was useful to him.

She probed when he was struggling to bury his emotions, "You must be aware, Mr. Ashford."

Caught off guard, he blurted, "Of course I know about it, Aveline." Whereas he had no inkling about it.

Seated beside him in the golf cart, she let her eyes widen with admiration. "I’ve seen the model. Oh my god, it’s marvelous." She exclaimed, "You do have an incredible architectural team."

Lawrence gritted his teeth, ignoring her compliments.

He knew nothing about a twin tower project.

How was Damien moving permits and contracts behind the board’s back?

It wasn’t the first time. He had often felt sidelined in Ashford Holdings, the company he had built brick by brick beside his father. Damien always found ways to have the board members support him before board meetings even took place with his silent moves. Lawrence had been reduced to a figurehead in his kingdom.

But this was too far.

...

At the restaurant

Lawrence hadn’t rushed out of the clubhouse yet. So she remained in the restaurant, selected a few fruits from the buffet, and took a seat near the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He joined her shortly, still smiling, still masking the fire simmering under his skin.

A few of his friends tried to wave him over, but when he told them who Aveline was, the daughter of Henry Laurent, they didn’t dare stop him or interrupt them.

"Mr. Ashford, I’m glad you were able to accompany me for so long." Aveline offered with her most harmless smile. "Please enjoy with your friends."

He waved it off. "Ladies should always be accompanied." Then he began eating, still prodding gently for answers, but finding none.

He didn’t drive a wedge between the couple, just to use Aveline’s naivety as leverage against Damien.

He almost completed his breakfast when Aveline tilted her head, confusion etching her features. "Mr. Ashford, if you don’t mind me asking... Is there some trouble at the company?"

Lawrence frowned but controlled his expression. "Huge companies always have something to fix. Anything in particular?" He was curious.

She dabbed her lips with a napkin, "Damien’s been a little... tense. Especially after something about... um... Lorenzo Cappo? He got really upset. I heard Cappo’s access to financial records was revoked last week. Just internal restructuring?"

The fork froze halfway to his mouth. Lorenzo was one of his most trusted men. If Damien had shut him out...

Lawrence stood abruptly. "I’ll see you later." His composure cracked completely.

Aveline rose as well. Confusion playing on her petite face, "What happened, Mr. Ashford? Did I ask something wrong?"

Lawrence turned, wearing a smile too polished to be real. "You didn’t ask anything wrong. But Aveline, don’t mention this conversation to Damien. He doesn’t like family talking about company matters." He was planning to approach her again.

"Of course," she nodded politely.

She watched him stride out of the restaurant in haste.

Lawrence Ashford, the man too proud to admit he had been played for years, was finally starting to realize it.

Aveline snapped out when her mobile beeped with an incoming message. [At the entrance.]

.....

Outside the clubhouse

Aveline stepped into the waiting Bugatti. She was yet to turn to Alaric, he handed her a box, and started driving.

She looked at the breakfast in her hand and turned to him. A flicker of emotion rising, something too tender that it could melt a broken piece of her heart.

It was still difficult for her to eat food just anywhere. She struggled to even take two bites of fruit. And he gave her a sandwich as if he knew her in and out.

When he turned to her, she quickly looked away, letting the silence bury what her eyes nearly gave away.

"How was it?" He asked.

Aveline snapped out of a trance and gave a small shudder. "Lawrence Ashford’s smiles are creepier than Damien’s threats. The way he stares, laughs... It’s like I’m two seconds from slapping a lawsuit."

She sounded like it went well, with a dose of discomfort.

He glanced at her when she finally took the first bite of the sandwich. He wondered how long it might take her to get over the fear of food poisoning.

Something else bothered him. Till yesterday, she was cautious around him, refusing to drop her guard. All of a sudden, she had called him the night before, asking for Lawrence’s schedule. Added one line: ’You said you wanted to work together.’

What changed?

Anyway, he offered, "Next time, let me know in advance. I can’t do full profiles in half a night."

She nodded in understanding. And spoke after swallowing, "I want information about Vivienne Sinclair, Elliot Sinclair, Charlie Harmon, Diana Mitchell, Victor Hale, Clara Reeve, Harold Kline..."

Screech.

Alaric pulled over when her list didn’t stop.

Aveline looked around the car without understanding what had happened.

He turned to look at her, stunned. "Sunshine..." He continued when she turned to him,

"You’ve got plans for all of them?"

She gave a sweet shrug. "They’re Damien’s most trusted allies in business."

Alaric leaned back in his seat, an impressed smile threatening to appear, and his green eyes shone in disbelief.

He was mind-blown.

She wasn’t just plotting revenge, she was charging into Damien’s den to wreak havoc.

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