The Return Of the Invincible Heiress
Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Chapter 116

Avery lay on the bed. She was clearly very relaxed, but she could not fall asleep. What her father had told her kept echoing in her mind, reminding her of the Murphy family. Ever since she was young, Regina’s most frequent words or comments to her were, "Why didn’t your brother survive?" or "It’s good that your brother survived." If she did well or won an honor, Regina would say with a rueful expression, "If your brother was still around, he would definitely be smarter than you and do better than you." If she did not do well or did not win—though this situation was very rare, as she would usually deliberately make mistakes or give up—Regina would say something like, "If only your brother was here, he would definitely not do so badly," with a disappointed expression. Every time this happened, Isaac would look at Avery with a regretful gaze and persuade Regina, "Don’t say such things anymore. It’s been so many years. It’s time for you to let go."

When she was young, she was like most children. She yearned for her parents’ approval and praise and subconsciously tried to please them. However, she was too smart. Within a few years, she realized that her parents would not be satisfied whether she performed well or not. Because what they really wanted was a boy. As long as they did not have a son, they would not be satisfied. They would even subconsciously blame her, as if she had snatched away her brother’s chance to survive. It was her original sin to be born a girl. The reason they were willing to spend a lot of money to nurture her—sending her to the best schools, the best training classes, and hiring the best teachers—wasn’t because they valued her. Instead, they planned to mold her into the most outstanding socialite, marry her into the best wealthy family, and lead the Murphy family to achieve a leap in class.

After understanding their true thoughts, she stopped trying to gain their approval and tried not to appear in front of them. They were busy with their business and earning money, and she was busy with her studies. They did not interfere with each other. After obtaining V Group, she instructed Harry to give V Group’s exclusive rights in West End to the Murphy family, making the Murphy family a fortune. Her idea was to only talk about money with the Murphy family and not affection. After the Murphy family became rich, they wanted a boy even more. In the past few years, Regina had gone to countless doctors and institutions with the intention of giving birth to a boy. However, she did not take care of herself when she was pregnant with twins back then, causing her to bleed during delivery. Coupled with the pain of losing her son, which dealt a huge blow to her, her body suffered aftereffects, and she was never able to get pregnant again.

Avery originally wanted to help Regina treat it, but she accidentally heard Regina say something like, "We earned over a billion dollars, but we don’t have a son to inherit it. It’s such a pity." "Just thinking about how the money we earned can only be inherited by our daughter in the future and let our son-in-law and grandson benefit for nothing, I feel malignant." The couple even thought about it. "Why don’t we choose an obedient man from our relatives and let him be our live-in son-in-law? Otherwise, outsiders will benefit." When Avery heard this, she immediately gave up on helping Regina. For this reason, after discovering that their son was still alive, Isaac and Regina could not wait to send her back to the Carter family. They even hinted that she should not look for them in the future. She left without any reluctance and even took back the exclusive agency rights that she had given to the Murphy family.

"Actually, when I found out that the Carter family had five sons, I suspected that the Carter family also thought that boys were more precious than girls and did not have much hope for them. But now, I know that the Carter family is indeed different from the Murphy family. The Carter family is my real home." Avery thought about these things in a daze until there was nothing else to think about before she slowly fell asleep.

Because she fell asleep too late, it was already late in the morning when she woke up. Avery yawned and brushed her teeth lazily as she rubbed her flat stomach. She felt so hungry. Before Avery could finish brushing her teeth, she heard Josie’s excited scream. "I saw Jaden’s van. Jaden is here!" Hearing this, Avery quickly put down her toothbrush, rinsed her mouth, and put on her clothes. Then, she spat out the mouthwash, casually combed her hair, and ran downstairs.

A semi-used van was parked in the parking lot in front of the annex. Avery had just rushed out of the door of the annex building when she saw the door of the van open. A man stuck his head out and waved at Josie with a smile. "Josie, I’m here to see you." The man was about 27 or 28 years old. He was wearing a straw cowboy hat and blue denim work clothes. He was dressed ordinarily, but he was clean and tidy. The matching of his clothes was quite tasteful. He looked like a scholar—gentle and refined—but also had the ability and vigor of a rough person. The less intense sunlight shone on his face, clearly outlining his handsome and gentle features. Avery was impressed by his bright eyes, white and even teeth, and friendly smile. She suddenly wanted to take out her rarely used DSLR and film this scene.

While she was in a daze, the man had already strode out of the car. He bent down and raised Josie, who was running over, high into the air and spun her twice. Josie smiled brightly like a flower under the sun. The man kissed Josie’s forehead and put her down. Then, he gently stroked her head and looked at Avery. He revealed a happy and sincere smile and strode over. He stopped in front of Avery and reached out. "Hello, Avery. I’m your eldest brother, Jaden. I’m very happy to see you." His voice was also very pleasant—mellow, warm, and magnetic. However, compared to this, the most touching thing was the sincerity in his voice.

Actually, it wasn’t just his voice. His eyes and smile carried a sincerity that seemed to originate from his bones. Who would hate a good-looking and sincere person? At this moment, Avery’s favorability toward Jaden soared. "Hello, Jaden. I’m Avery. I’m very happy to see you too." She shook hands with Jaden. Jaden’s hands were dry, broad, and strong. They had thin calluses but did not prick her skin, making her feel very safe. After holding her hand for two seconds, Jaden let go and smiled gently. "You just woke up, right? The sun is high outside. Let’s go in for breakfast."

Avery nodded. "Yes." Jaden turned around and walked to the van. He took out a large food box from the freezer and hugged it. "I made some cold dishes, killed some chickens and ducks, and brought fruits, vegetables, and shrimp over. I’ll be in charge of cooking for lunch." Josie skipped along beside him. She clapped her hands and said, "Your cooking is the best. It’s as good as Mom’s." Jaden smiled. "Thank you for your praise, Josie. I only have a few dishes that can compare to Mom’s cooking. Most of them can’t compare." He looked around as he walked. "This villa is very good. It’s very suitable for the entire family to live in."

Avery asked, "Will you stay here tonight?" "I’d love to stay the night, but I have to rush back," Jaden said. "Although our grandparents have a nanny to take care of them, I’m still worried about leaving them for too long." Avery nodded. "Understood." At this moment, other than Avery and Josie, everyone else in the villa had gone out to work. As soon as Jaden entered, he took off his hat and changed into slippers.

Avery noticed that he kept the hat he had taken off and the shoes he had changed out of neatly. She also noticed that his socks were light-colored and very clean. There was no smell. ’Yes, another Carter family man who loves cleanliness.’