The Return Of the Invincible Heiress
Chapter 165

Chapter 165: Chapter 165

After Joy finished watching Alexander’s latest report, she turned off the TV. She then picked up the detailed dossier on the Carter family and quickly scanned through it. There had been a lot of talk on campus about Avery and the Carter family, and Joy had seen and heard plenty of it. But she never fully believed in hearsay. She only trusted facts that were investigated and substantiated. The materials she had now were very thorough, complete with photos, videos, and media reports, which included the medical records of the two elder members of the Carter family, information about the Wesley couple’s business and restaurant, Jaden’s rural life, and photos of Arthur and Alaric. However, most of this didn’t concern Joy. Only two things caught her attention.

One was that after Avery returned to the Carter family, there had been a series of significant changes, and her relationship with V Group executives, Harry and Rufus, was quite unusual. "The changes in the Carter family were brought about by Avery, right?" Joy said, gazing at a photo of Avery with a faint smile. "You truly are talented. Let me see just how clever you really are and what you can achieve."

The other piece of information was that the Carter family was still searching for their long-missing daughter, Zilvia, spending $20,000 each year on professional search agencies. There was a thick stack of documents regarding Zilvia’s disappearance. But Joy only glanced at the summary page at the front and didn’t bother with the rest. "How stubborn," she murmured. "Such stubbornness isn’t wise."

She burned all the materials, flushing the ashes down the toilet without leaving a trace. Then she sat in front of the mirror and applied a natural makeup look. Once done, Joy checked herself from side to side to ensure she didn’t resemble Avery too much before putting on a single-frame pair of glasses, grabbing her bag, and heading out. Although she had moved into a dorm, she rarely stayed there, let alone spent the night.

When others asked why Joy was hardly ever back, her explanation was, "I have a cat and a dog, and the dorm doesn’t allow pets. So I rented a place in the faculty area to keep them. I have to feed them, clean up after them, and walk the dog every day. I can only stay there." This reason was compelling enough to win the favor of the other girls.

Joy discreetly hopped onto her motorbike, heading to her favorite restaurant. Along the way, she turned heads and attracted plenty of admiring glances. In a nearby ice shop, a few athletes were eating shaved ice while watching the girls pass by outside. Upon seeing Joy, they excitedly exclaimed, "Look, Joy is here!" Only Alaric was engrossed in his phone. His friends nudged him. "Alaric, stop playing on your phone and check her out."

Unmoved, Alaric replied, "Only Avery matters to me. I don’t need to look at anyone else."

"Hey, Avery is indeed beautiful, but that one isn’t any less," his friends chimed in. "If you don’t look, you’re wasting your eyes."

Alaric scoffed, put down his phone, and casually glanced outside. He saw Joy riding past on her motorbike. He was taken aback, instantly standing up and rushing out without even grabbing his phone. The motorbike was already several tens of feet away, and he couldn’t see the girl’s face. He took off after her.

As a student-athlete, Alaric ran fast, but the crowded food street slowed him down, and he nearly bumped into pedestrians, forcing him to stop and stare at her retreating figure. A few of his buddies caught up and handed him his phone, teasing him, "You’re being so dramatic. We told you to look, but you didn’t, and now that you’ve seen her, you’re chasing her like you’re bewitched. Are you seriously interested?"

"Alaric, don’t be too greedy. You want both Joy and Avery? You’re so greedy."

Alaric shook his head, looking a bit lost. "It’s not like that. You don’t understand..."

"We understand," his friends replied in unison. "You want both of them."

"Don’t talk nonsense," Alaric said seriously. "I swear I have no intentions towards them. I purely see them as my sisters."

His friends looked at him disdainfully. "What are you pretending for?"

"Alaric, it’s not that we’re trying to bring you down, but Avery is into rich and handsome guys. You’re tall and handsome, but you’re not rich. She can’t possibly be genuinely interested in you. And she’s a two-timer. You’re just a backup."

Before they could finish, Alaric grabbed each of them by their collars. He suddenly got angry and shouted, "Avery is not that kind of person. You all need to apologize to me right now. If you keep spreading rumors about her, we won’t even be friends anymore."

His friends were taken aback by his intensity, cautiously asking, "Why are you so worked up? You’re not really going to fall out with your buddies over them, are you? Let’s be clear. We’re not spreading rumors. It’s all over the internet, with pictures and evidence."

Alaric said, "What evidence? I haven’t seen any."

His friends hurriedly opened their phones, pulling up content from group chats, Facebook, and campus forums to show him. "Look for yourself."

Alaric snatched the phone, and his expression darkened. There were photos of Avery getting out of Harry’s car and entering office buildings with him. Others showed her at a party, accepting flowers from Alexander and leaving with him.

"What do these photos prove?" Alaric said coldly. "She’s a scholar, a genius. It’s normal for executives like Harry and Alexander to want to win her over."

"Don’t be naive," his friends urged. "Rumor has it she drives a limited edition car that Alexander’s company produces. Average people can’t afford it, so it’s likely a gift from him. Also, both the University of Technology and Rosemont University are buzzing about Avery saying she looks down on someone like you, deliberately stringing you along."

"That’s nonsense!" Alaric shouted in anger, raising his fist, ready to intimidate them.

Just then, a soft voice rang out. "That news is false. You are thoughtful and talented college students. Don’t let rumors deceive you."

"Avery!" Hearing that voice, Alaric turned around, his face lighting up with surprise. "You’re back?" He wrapped his arms around Avery, exclaiming, "I missed you! I waited for you at your school all afternoon."

He was so tall that Avery’s chin rested on his shoulder, making her pat his back a bit awkwardly. "Yeah, I’m back. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Alaric was the most famous heartthrob at the university, good at basketball and tennis, and well-known at Rosemont University. Many people recognized him. With Avery being equally famous, their public embrace immediately attracted everyone’s attention. Students passing by stopped to watch, pulling out their phones to take pictures and chatting excitedly.