The Return Of the Invincible Heiress
Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Chapter 122

By evening, Avery was laughing and chatting with Jaden, her arm comfortably linked with his as they strolled out of the exhibition hall. Jaden looked at her with admiration and said, "Avery, I had no idea you knew so much about artificial intelligence and robotics. You seem to understand it even better than the guides. If you decided to dive into AI, you’d definitely become a top expert."

Avery thought to herself, ’Mate, I already am.’ She flashed him a confident smile and replied, "Well, with my talent, I’d probably excel at just about anything."

They continued chatting about the AI and robots they’d seen, their conversation flowing effortlessly as they made their way to the basement level of the building.

Meanwhile, Linda, watching from a distance, felt her jealousy and anxiety grow. Seeing Jaden and Avery leave together, she immediately followed them in her car. She assumed Jaden was heading back to Viento Court but was shocked when she saw him pull into Mid-Level Mountain Garden. As his car disappeared into the complex, she thought, ’Jaden’s living with that girl now? How did he fall so far? Isn’t this worse than what I did? No, I can’t think like that about Jaden.’

She shook her head. ’People change, but Jaden wouldn’t. I have to believe in him. He might just be there for something, and he’ll come out soon.’ So, she parked under a tree near the entrance of the complex, waiting for Jaden to come out.

Half an hour went by. An hour passed. Two hours later, Jaden still hadn’t shown up, and neither had the car. As the night deepened, Linda’s heart felt like it was sinking, much like a grand ship slowly descending into the sea, unable to surface. ’Jaden’s spending the night at that woman’s place! He’s not mine anymore,’ she thought. She drove away, tears streaming down her face.

Back at the Carter family villa, dinner had ended, and everyone was sprawled on the couch, watching TV. Avery was recounting their afternoon at the robotics exhibition with a playful tone. "Jaden seemed completely smitten with those robots. He looked like he wanted to run off with them."

Arthur, chomping on ribs, said, "Jaden’s always been into robots. He wanted to study AI but ended up going into agriculture instead. It’s such a shame."

Avery was intrigued. Over the past few days, she’d noticed how sharp and capable Jaden was. With his brains and drive, it seemed like he could succeed at anything. So, why did he give up his passion? she wondered. Of course, she didn’t ask him directly.

Jaden responded, "It’s not really a pity. If I had chosen AI at a different university, things might have turned out differently. But I’m doing well now. My choices back then didn’t go against what I truly wanted." He smiled and added, "Life is like the moon and tides—sometimes it’s about balancing gains and losses. A little regret isn’t such a bad thing."

The adults nodded in agreement, while the younger ones seemed indifferent. Avery was really enjoying this new routine of curling up with the family, watching TV, and chatting together. But she couldn’t deny that she was incredibly busy.

Daniel was at it again, pestering Avery with a message laced with mock frustration. ’The comments section blew up after you revealed the culprit! I posted a detailed analysis, claiming to be Detective Lockwood’s apprentice in your story. My analysis got a lot of attention, but I guessed the plot wrong, and everyone laughed at me.’

He quickly followed up with a sing-song note. ’At least I wasn’t the only one who missed the mark. Everyone else got mocked too.’ Then came a series of amazed emojis. ’Only one reader guessed it right. That person is amazing. The comments section is buzzing with guesses about their identity.’

’While you weren’t updating, this brilliant reader not only figured out the killer in Volume 5 but also pointed out that Lockwood didn’t test the killer’s DNA. Instead, he set a trap, waiting for the killer to come to him. Unfortunately, this clever reader wasn’t well-known before, so their comments got buried and went unnoticed until now.’

Avery barely paid attention to Daniel’s messages. Feeling a bit guilty for making her readers wait, she stood up and said, "I’m going to work on my thesis now. You all enjoy your TV."

Everyone sighed in admiration. "As expected of a genius. Not only is she smarter than the rest of us, but she works harder too."

Back in her room, Avery wrote and posted a straightforward Chapter of over three thousand words. She portrayed the three murderers as rivals, suitors, and an obsessed fan of the victim, who were driven to jealousy by the victim’s engagement to a wealthy heir. Consumed by envy, they decided to take her life. The writing was blunt and lacked any literary or artistic quality—it read like a dry account. But Avery didn’t mind. She posted it and went to bed.

The next morning, she woke up to find everyone gone except for Jaden, who was in the backyard watering the garden in a tank top and jeans, holding a hose. She asked, "Jaden, aren’t you going out today?"

Jaden replied, "I bought some flower seedlings yesterday and just planted them."

Avery thought for a moment and suggested, "Jaden, I have something important to discuss with you. How about we go out for breakfast and chat while we eat?"

Jaden, who enjoyed their conversations, quickly rinsed his hands with the hose, turned off the faucet, and agreed, "Sure, let’s go."

Avery drove Jaden out. Meanwhile, Linda had been waiting in her BMW at the West Gate of Mid-Level Mountain Garden for a whole hour. She finally saw the noticeably larger SUV belonging to Avery appear. Peering through the dark-tinted windows, she could faintly make out two figures inside: a woman driving and a man in the passenger seat. Her instinct told her these were Jaden and Avery.

She was shaken, and tears began to roll down her face. But she clenched her teeth, holding back from making a scene, and followed them discreetly.

A few minutes later, the SUV parked outside a popular breakfast spot. She watched as Jaden and Avery walked in together, chatting and laughing, appearing very close. ’Jaden, how could you fall so low?’ she thought, tears still streaming. ’If you need money, just come to me. That woman is rich and young. Her parents would never allow you, a man from a poor family, to marry her. She’s just playing around.’

Avery had no idea about Linda’s thoughts. She and Jaden settled into a window seat at the restaurant, ordered a full breakfast, and after they had eaten a bit, Avery became serious and said, "Jaden, Dad told me about Zilvia. I need to find her. So, I want to ask you what kind of person she was."

Zilvia’s case was a painful topic for the Carter family. Avery didn’t dare ask her father for more details or consult others. Jaden was the best person to ask.

When Zilvia’s name came up, Jaden’s expression turned serious. He put down his fork, took a long sip of water, and asked, "What did you learn from Dad?"

Avery responded, "Dad mostly told me she was very smart, had a high IQ, learned quickly, and never caused trouble for the family. I also did some online research and found quite a bit of information. But I need to know more about Zilvia herself—her personality, hobbies, daily habits, ambitions, social circle, and so on. The more detailed, the better. Online reports are hard to verify."

Jaden closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them, clasping his hands together tightly. "Ask me anything, and I’ll answer. If you miss something, I’ll add it."

Avery nodded. "What was Zilvia’s personality like? Did her personality change significantly?"

Avery thought about the steep tuition at Rose Academy, and considering the Carter family was only upper-middle class at the time, it showed how much they cared about Zilvia. As for her childhood, she had attended Graham Academy’s kindergarten, which was known as one of the top two elite schools in Rosemary City, alongside Rose Academy. The Murphy family had rented a house nearby for her and her grandmother, making it easier for her to go to kindergarten.

Jaden took a moment to think before speaking. "When it comes to Zilvia’s personality, her social life was pretty straightforward. Her closest connection was with Catherine, and she didn’t have any close friends. She spent more time with Alaric, but he usually lost to her in their games."

Avery asked, "What about her relationship with Maria?"

Jaden replied, "Maria joined our family after Zilvia started kindergarten. They went to the same local preschool, but they didn’t spend much time together. Their interactions were pretty bland, I’d say."

Avery pressed further, "Did they ever have any arguments?"

Jaden smiled slightly. "No, they never had any fights. Zilvia didn’t often make the first move in social interactions, and Maria, being new to the city, was shy and didn’t bother Zilvia. Even though Zilvia was reserved, she was always polite and well-mannered. Her emotional intelligence seemed pretty high. Even if people didn’t like her, they wouldn’t dislike her."

He continued, "Zilvia didn’t ask for much in terms of material things, but she had very specific tastes. She didn’t need things to be expensive, but they had to be stylish and elegant. For example, she thought street food was too dirty and only tried it a few times before refusing to eat it again. If she didn’t like the clothes, shoes, or backpack we bought her, she wouldn’t make a fuss, but she definitely wouldn’t wear them. When it came to food, she didn’t demand the best, but it had to be clean and hygienic. She’d never eat food that had been touched by others or dropped on the ground."

"She was very disciplined and held herself to high standards. She didn’t like to fail," Jaden added.

As Avery listened, Zilvia started to feel more vivid and real in her mind. Zilvia was somewhat similar to her. She understood and related to Zilvia’s traits, though she wasn’t as rigid as Zilvia. She was more flexible. Unless it was a major issue, she wouldn’t make a big deal out of things or people around her. For instance, if her grandmother or the Murphy family bought her a dress she didn’t like, she’d still wear it if they wanted her to.

Jaden spoke with a hint of nostalgia, "Sometimes, when I look at Zilvia, I get the impression that she was meant to be a princess or an elite aristocrat, living a life of luxury and enjoying the best education, with the entire world watching and expecting great things from her. It’s like she somehow ended up in our world by accident."

Avery couldn’t help but smile at that. Her grandmother had said something similar to her: "Avery, you were born to be an angel, draped in clouds and nourished by dew, untouched by the mundane world, living serenely and freely, admired by everyone. But even angels must come down to experience life, and you, Avery, are here to bring blessings to our family."

After taking a few sips of her milk, Avery asked Jaden, "Did Zilvia show any unusual behavior before she disappeared? Did she interact with any strange or unfamiliar people?"

Even though the police and the Carter family had done a thorough job investigating and there were plenty of reports online, she still wanted to check.

"No," Jaden shook his head. "Everything seemed normal. The only odd thing was that she suddenly wanted candy apples and balloons, even though she hadn’t liked them before. It was a little unusual."

He chuckled. "But kids change their minds all the time. In that setting, it’s not surprising that she suddenly wanted things that other kids usually like."

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