Chapter 399

S31 142. Ava’s Heart Aches

“Mommy, do you think Eva is okay? Why hasn’t Uncle Jeremy given us any news?” Emily blinked at Kara. Her tiny hands kept giving her

mother massages.

Kara turned her head with a gentle smile. “Eva must be very sad and shaken. Maybe Uncle Jeremy and Ava are busy calming her down.”

Louis stopped massaging his mother. He checked the time then pursed his lips. “But it’s been an hour, Mommy. Uncle Jeremy must have let us know if Eva is fine.”

“Or it could be,” Frank interrupted in a half-whisper, inviting the twins to listen carefully, “Uncle Jeremy forgot to tell you guys. He’s become more forgetful since dating Ava. Maybe because his mind is too full with her.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed. Her head tilted slightly. “I think that makes sense. Moreover, Eva must be crying and her voice is loud. It disturbs Uncle’s concentration.” Emily patted his ear lightly.

“Daddy, is there any way to stop Mrs. Moore? I don’t think she will stop doing bad things if she doesn’t go to prison. Why doesn’t Daddy report her to the police?”

Frank’s gaze shifted to Louis. His son was looking at him with sad eyes. “To report someone to the police, we need strong evidence. Otherwise, she could report us with accusations of defamation and false reports.”

Louis’ eyes and mouth widened. “Does it mean Daddy can go to prison?”

“Yes, that possibility exists, but it won’t happen if we’re careful.”

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Emily raised her shoulders, pinching her neck. “I don’t want Daddy to go to prison.” Her head shook slightly.

“Calm down, Princess. Daddy won’t go to prison. Daddy is a good person.” Kara stroked Emily’s cheek.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the door. Seeing Jeremy and Ava walk in, everyone’s eyes widened.

“Uncle Jeremy?” Louis jumped down from the sofa. “What happened? How is Eva? Why didn’t Uncle tell us?”

Jeremy glanced at Ava briefly. Instead of answering Louis’ question, he spoke to Ava. “You must be tired. Take a rest.”

“Yes.” Ava took a deep breath and looked down. “Sorry everyone. I just need some time alone. Excuse me.”

While hiding her red eyes, Ava went up the stairs. Everyone froze until she was no longer visible.

“What happened, Jer?” Frank broke the silence.

Jeremy’s jaw became even harder. His hands clenched into fists remembering the incident earlier.

“Eva wasn’t hurt, but she was devastated because nothing cou saved from her boutique. She blamed Ava and said that they wer longer family or relatives.”

“Ava is sad because Eva blamed her?” Emily’s brow furrowed upward

Jeremy nodded. “She’s confused about what to do with Eva. And now she’s confused about how to tell her mother. By the way, what are you guys doing here? Aren’t you supposed to accompany Mrs. Connor to therapy?”

“We ran away when Mommy and Daddy arrived. We said we wanted to play with Mommy and Daddy. Mrs. Connor didn’t suspect anything.

“Louis shook his head slightly.

Jeremy nodded. Stuffing his hands into pockets, he thought again. Unexpectedly, the sound of a wheelchair came from behind his back.

“Mrs Connor?”

The woman’s eyes looked red. Her lips trembled to suppress the turmoil in her chest. When Bryan stopped the wheelchair in front of Jeremy, she tried to make a sound. “What happened to Eva’s boutique?”

The twins subconsciously held their breath. Frank and Kara didn’t dare move. They were all waiting, what response Jeremy would give and how Mrs Connor would react.

“A fire broke out at Eva’s boutique.”

Mrs. Connor took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Her fists seemed to be shaking.

“Does this have anything to do with that Patricia?”

Jeremy swallowed hard. “It cannot be confirmed yet. The police are still investigating.”

“According to you?” Mrs. Connor looked at Jeremy more closely.

Jeremy nodded. Mrs Connor let out a sigh. “Where is Eva now?”

“I just asked the bodyguard who followed her. She went home. She hasn’t come out again until now.”

“Is there a possibility that Patricia will strike again after what happened to her boutique?”

Frank finally stood up and approached Mrs. Connor and Jeremy. “I don’t think so. The Moores rarely attack their targets directly. They always target their opponent’s weaknesses. In Eva’s case, it’s her boutique.”

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Mrs. Connor tried to nod, but her neck was too stiff. “That’s good. That boutique is nothing compared to Eva’s life.”

Jeremy was stunned. She didn’t expect her future mother-in-law’s reaction to be so calm.

“Sorry. I was negligent in looking after your youngest daughter. I should have been one step ahead of Patricia. But apparently, I was too late. I didn’t expect her to act this quickly.”

Before Mrs. Connor could speak, Jeremy added, “And please don’t blame Ava. All of this happened because of Patricia’s grudge against my family. This has nothing to do with Ava.”

For a long time, Mrs. Connor kept silence. Her eyes flickered studying Jeremy. Her expression was hard to read.

“Don’t apologize. I taught Eva wrong since the beginning. If she hadn’t grown up with that kind of temperament, she wouldn’t have been in danger.”

Jeremy was stunned again. The woman in front of him didn’t seem like the Mrs. Connor he knew. Could it be that Eva’s confession in the yard had opened her eyes and awakened her heart?

“I don’t think you should blame yourself either, Mrs Connor.” Emily’s voice suddenly caught his attention “Mommy said, all mothers want the best for their children. So, you must have tried to educate Eva as best as possible.”

“Emily is right. Besides, regretting won’t change reality. As Daddy says, we’d better think about our next steps rather than regretting what’s past.” Louis nodded firmly.

Mrs. Connor’s eyes filled with tears hearing them.

“So, what steps should I take? The relationship between my two daughters has been broken. It’s difficult to repair it because from the

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start, the bond between them was bad.”

Suddenly, Emily’s finger went up to the side of her head. “How about comforting Ava? She looked very sad earlier. Uncle Jeremy said Eva didn’t want to be her sister anymore,” she said sweetly.

“Yes, only Mrs. Connor can comfort Ava. All this time, she has always loved Eva. Her heart would really hurt if Eva hated her, and it would be even more devastated if Mrs. Connor scolded her.” Louis nodded with a reassuring expression.

Mrs. Connor froze. Her brows furrowed slightly, her eyes shaking

even more violently. She felt slapped. All this time, she had been too busy thinking about Eva. She never paid enough attention to Ava.

Then, with a face full of regret, Mrs. Connor turned towards the stairs. “Can you guys help me go upstairs?”

Jeremy raised his eyebrows. “You want to talk to Ava? She can come down to see you.”

“No. I want to see her. Is that possible?”

The men exchanged glances. A second later, they agreed to take Mrs. Connor upstairs.

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