Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge
Chapter 77: Half Truth

Chapter 77: Half Truth

Who was she to talk about trust when she wasn’t even worthy to be trusted?

Aveline met his blank stare. And this time, even her eyes looked dead. But his expression didn’t reveal anything. It was as if her words didn’t reach him. As if nothing mattered to him.

And maybe it didn’t.

She was blind to believe a person she barely knew. Now, she just had to risk herself more and fight her own battles.

She blinked toward her bag and had just taken a step when Alaric stepped toward her. She instinctively guarded up, taking a step back.

"Sunshine..." His voice was low but firm. "Now, you hear me..."

Aveline frowned but stayed. She was ready to hear him, but not to trust him.

"I first saw you on your birthday, four years ago." He said it like it happened yesterday when he’d seen her for the first time.

From the way she took her breath, he knew she didn’t believe him.

"You were in a yellow sundress, flying a kite with kids at Ivy Orphanage. The day your grandmother handed you the management of an orphanage. The day you brought the kids’ showroom to the ground just because a little girl was comparing her dress to yours."

Aveline froze. Her 21st birthday flashed in her head like a scene unfolding at his words. His words were too detailed to be faked.

"Yes, I sent Giselle to you. And, yes, I invited you," he added evenly. Then his voice softened, "Sunshine, you were the one who walked into NexGuard." Nobody forced her to make the choice.

She had no comeback for that.

He was prepared to carve a path for her silently. Why would he step away when she made her way to him?

"Yes, I set the stage for you. But it was you who chose to speak to me." He continued. He wasn’t blaming her. Just stating.

Aveline: "..."

"I had to dig into your marriage the moment you showed up at Obsidian, calling Damien your husband, while he walked around like Vivienne Sinclair’s lover boy."

He paused. Letting that sink in. He hadn’t done anything to harm her. He wasn’t going to let her walk away with half the truth.

"No, I didn’t lie." He said calmly, "But I didn’t tell you the truth." It was the truth she wasn’t ready to hear.

Aveline trembled slightly but stood still, not missing any expression that flashed on his face. She didn’t want to believe him, but he was closing the cracks he had made.

"Yes, I manipulated you." He admitted without shame. And he didn’t regret it. "Because it was the only way I had left to keep you safe from Damien."

’To keep you next to me,’ He didn’t say aloud.

Aveline opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.

His voice turned steely again. "I’m not noble. I’m selfish. I do what feels right to me. I don’t give a damn how I’m judged. If I have to kill someone to protect you, I’ll do it without blinking. I won’t think. I won’t hesitate."

"Am I like Damien? Please. I don’t fall so low as to use women like objects." That comparison was what he hated the most in her words.

"Am I a monster? Sure. But not the one you’re supposed to fight." He was no saint.

"Everybody holds a knife, Sunshine. Some use it to stab - Him. Some use it to protect - You. It’s not the same."

Aveline: "..."

Why was he defending her?

Even after all she said.

She didn’t respond. She didn’t want to admit it, but everything that sounded wrong when she found out he was behind Daniel’s letter... now sounded right after hearing his explanation.

’He didn’t have to help us. But he did.’ Those were her father’s words. And she felt it too.

But then, why was he helping her?

Everything came back to the same question.

Her lips parted again, but the door cracked open, and Ezra’s voice broke in, "Mr. Lancaster, CEO Lancaster is busy."

Before she could even blink, Alaric swept her off her feet. Literally. The world tilted as he moved, and her back hit a cool wall in a dim room.

Her breath caught as her eyes met his jawline, sharp, clenched. His neck is stiff over his broad shoulders. He was too close, even with her hands between them.

She pushed him gently, and he stepped back. Her eyes looked for something else to focus on but him.

It was a spacious room. Three monitors were connected at the desk. A gaming chair, unfamiliar devices, and some humming faintly.

"Why...?"

Alaric, still focusing on the outside, immediately covered her lips with his hand.

Aveline: "..."

The other voice floated in, "Where is he? He isn’t even in the office and..."

It stopped.

Aveline tried to peek out, but Alaric held her still and shook his head.

’Who is that Lancaster?’

She gave a thumbs-up to stay quiet and gently pushed his hand off her lips. Standing on tiptoes, she still couldn’t reach his ear. She whispered, "Why are we hiding? This is your office."

Alaric: "..."

He didn’t know one could whisper in such a low voice, yet sound so clear. Just as she wobbled off her heel, his arm wrapped around her waist, catching her mid-stumble. Unintentionally, wiped out the space between them.

Aveline: "..."

’Weren’t we confronting each other just a moment ago?’

’Why am I in his arms?’

Alaric: "..."

Only when she took a shallow breath, her chest rose and touched his did he seem to realize it. He let go, slow and reluctant.

He tried to keep his voice low, "He shouldn’t see you."

Aveline nodded quickly, holding her breath as he left the room. The moment he was gone, she fanned herself to forget the scent he left behind.

....

Outside, Nicholas narrowed his eyes at the barely noticeable door. Holding Aveline’s handbag, he asked smoothly, "Starting a bag business, little brother? Or where’s the beauty who caught your eye?"

Aveline: "..."

Alaric smoothly took the bag from Nicholas’s hands and asked, "Tissues."

Ezra passed a tissue silently. Alaric sat down and gently wiped the bag like it had been touched by a virus.

He tossed the tissue and sighed, "I don’t like filthy hands even grazing her things. I should get her a new bag."

Aveline: "..."

She wasn’t sure if she was baffled or impressed.

Nicholas clenched his jaw, clearly trying to hold something back. "And where is she?" His tone was mocking. "Looking at the luxury bag, she clearly doesn’t work here."

Ezra stepped in. "She forgot her bag here."

Nicholas didn’t believe him for a second. But he nodded and moved toward the room Alaric had come from. "What’s in that room?"

Aveline’s instincts flared. She dove under the desk without thinking.

Alaric cursed under his breath. Overreacting would only draw attention. He nodded, and Ezra moved swiftly.

Nicholas opened the door but couldn’t get to step inside before Ezra blocked him. "That’s CEO Lancaster’s private workroom."

Nicholas caught a glimpse of the high-performance server before Ezra shut the door in his face.

He didn’t argue. He had seen enough, so he walked out. Ezra followed to make sure he actually exited NexGuard.

...

Inside, Alaric wondered. ’How did Nicholas miss her?’

Alaric returned and scanned the room, and crouched down and found her under the table. "How did you fit in there?"

Aveline turned to find him barely suppressing a laugh. She shrugged. "I could fit in even smaller spaces." Her voice was low. Almost shy.

She crawled out. He helped her up with an arm around her waist. She dusted herself off as he held back from helping her more.

Then, quietly, "Would you have preferred I sent that letter to your dad?" He asked.

Aveline: "..."

Biting her lip, she shook her head.

He again answered her every question with an explanation without raising his voice. But she had more.

"How do you know about my floral artistry?" Because he had told her he had never dug into her information.

He walked toward the desk, poured water into a glass, and handed it to her.

"The flower shop opposite Laurent headquarters. You were helping the shopkeeper with his order."

She almost choked on the water. She set the glass down, followed him around the desk, "Were you stalking me?"

Alaric: "..."

He was just going to see her at the orphanage. Was that stalking?

"It was a coincidence."

Aveline squinted at him. He didn’t lie, but he had a habit of skipping the truth. She tried again, "Have we met before?"

He watched her. Glad they were okay again, without dragging it out. But she didn’t seem to stop with the questions.

"Don’t you have work at Laurents?"

"I’ll go after lunch," she said casually.

Alaric realized she was going to harass him all through lunch just to hide her embarrassment. "I have work."

She didn’t let that slide. She shut his laptop, unplugged his computer, and stood there like she owned the place.

Alaric: "..."

Should he be annoyed or just give up?

He finally admitted, "You ditched your new McLaren Artura to ride a bus to an amusement park with the kids."

Aveline shook her head, confused. "I don’t remember meeting you."

He sighed, "Sunglasses. Face mask."

Her mouth shaped into an ’O’ as it hit her. The man who warned her to skip two rides due to the crowd. "Ohhhh... that security agency guy." She looked away, awkward.

"What?" He was intrigued now.

She shook her head, holding back her laughter, but gave in when he narrowed his eyes. "The kids thought... You were a kidnapper." She laughed, recalling it.

Alaric: "..."

Before he could recover, she asked again, "When did you see me next?"

He stood and motioned toward the door, taking her to lunch.

She followed, still poking him for answers.