Just donât be nonsensical in future.
Levant let out a sigh and mustered the courage to walk in.
âAlright, just acknowledge your mistakes and move on. Thereâs no need to resort to self-harm.â
Exasperated by his statement, Avril gave him a death stare and scolded, âYouâre the one whoâs in the wrong! Iâm not, Iâm right as hell!â
Levant had nothing to retaliate. Sheâs too stubborn. âFine, letâs go home.â
âSo fast? Itâs already so late. Why donât we stay for dinner?â
Without uttering a word, Levant gave Avril a meaningful look before turning around to leave.
Sensing something amiss, she obediently followed behind him.
As they were about to leave, Stephen was nowhere to be found. Unable to resist the urge, Avril remarked, âHe must have expected us to stay for dinner, thatâs why heâs cowering in his room.â
âWhen we return to Levant Winery, you can have anything you fancy. Is that not enough?â
âHow can the food at Levant Winery compare to a meal that heâs paying for?â Avril casually commented.
Just as they were approaching the parking area, Levant abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at Avril. With a solemn expression, he said, âLet me remind you again. If you think itâs all fine and dandy to play around with him like that, you better think again. When you really become besotted with him to the point youâre unable to detach yourself from him, youâll be in tremendous pain and you will regret it! On the other hand, if youâre harboring any other ulterior motives, you can forget about them too. Dad and he are able to resolve their own problems. Youâre in no place to interfere. With the free time you have on hand, why donât you go find yourself a boyfriend?â
His criticisms caught Avril by surprise and a trace of nervousness flickered briefly in her eyes.
Originally, her objective was to avenge her mom. She schemed to cling to Stephen, harassing him for days on end. Her ultimate goal would be fulfilled if Stephen and Portia divorced. That way, Portia would get a taste of what it was like to be deserted.
Not only that, but she also hoped to gain something from Stephen.
However, during the period of time they spent together, she realized that Stephen was a rather decent guy. He even appeared in her dreams from time to time.
Could it be that Iâve really fallen for him? No, no, no, it canât be. It was all an act. All for the sake of spiting Portia. I have self-control, I can keep my feelings in check. I can.
Noting her unresponsiveness, Stephen scoffed, âDonât tell me youâve really fallen for him. I donât want to be your son. Iâm your brother!â
Avril snapped out of her daze and scowled at him. âPiss off! I donât need you meddling in my affairs.â With that, she took off, leaving Levant behind.
He stared at her back view as she stalked out and heaved a sigh. Murphyâs and Stephenâs lives were becoming inextricably intertwined. Not only did they have bad blood, but their son was also hopelessly in love with Stephenâs daughter. Then there was the possibility of Murphyâs daughter, Avril, liking Stephenâ¦
Perhaps it was fated for Murphyâs children to be enchanted by Stephenâs family to atone for the sins Murphy committed.
Life sure has its ways of toying with people.
Sighing yet again, Levant ignited the engine and speedily drove off.
In the hospital.
When Nicole roused from her slumber, she was greeted by the sight of Evan by her bedside. The worry in his eyes was evident and he was visibly fatigued.
Noticing that she had awoken, Evan affectionately asked, âNicole, how do you feel? Are you alright?â
She shook her head lightly. Then the commotion in the restroom came to mind. Everything â the womanâs every word, the two video clips â was still fresh in her memory.
The first video clip showed her trying to take someone elseâs child, while the second video clip was of her biting Nina.
The woman still said that she was a lunatic and that she hurt everyone around her whenever she went insane.
Could these be true?
âNicole, whatâs wrong?â
She came back to her senses after his question. âNothing. Iâm just tired. I want some water, please,â she replied.
âAlright, give me a moment.â
As he stood up to grab her a glass of water, she mulled over the problem.
Whether or not it was true, she could verify for herself. In the video clip, she could be seen biting hard on Nina. The pain was so excruciating that Nina kept wailing. Examining Ninaâs shoulder for a bite mark would answer all her queries.
The thought of that made her heart skip a beat. If it proved to be correct and she was truly unwell with some sort of âmadnessâ, what was she going to do?