Averi was stranded in Morocco for four days before returning to Frankfurt Airport. Jordan's desire to return home is like an arrow. The first thing he does when starting up is to contact the crew to apply for a return flight route.
Karter said goodbye to the two of them in the waiting hall, feeling a bit choked. In just a few days, it felt like they were friends who had lived and died together.
Saying goodbye to Karter, Averi first took Jordan to the hospital for a check-up and re-bandaging, then headed back to the hotel to get some rest for a couple of days. On the morning of the third day, Averi wheeled Jordan onto the Forbes family jet.
The two falsely claimed to have been robbed, and the flight attendant gasped for breath and asked if they wanted to call the police. Averi smiled and said, "Forget it, I only lost some watch cash, it's not worth wasting time."
As the plane took off, Jordan looked at Averi with red eyes and said, "Averi, we're going home."
Averi leaned over and hugged her shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work," she paused and smiled, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. My year-end bonus will be increased by zero"
Jordan's tears had just slipped out of his eyes, and now he burst into laughter with a spectacular expression.
During lunch, Jordan suddenly sighed, "I didn't expect to meet Dallas there. Fate is really amazing"
Averi chewed slowly and swallowed the cod in her mouth, put down her knife and fork, and looked out the window at the sound of clouds. After a long time, she curled her lips and said, "Yeah."
When the two parted ways at the airport, they couldn't say anything in front of everyone's eyes. While he was delivering the plane ticket, Averi silently said to come back early, while Dallas remained silent, holding onto the ticket tightly. Finally, his thumb lightly brushed against hers, as if accidentally touching her.
The warm touch seemed to be still there, and Averi touched her right thumb.
The plane landed and still sent Jordan to the hospital first. The doctor recognized the gunshot wound at a glance, but fortunately he did not suspect it. He began to roast about the poor suture after he sighed that Europe was not peaceful recently.
After arranging Jordan, Averi dragged himself back to the Forbes family mansion exhausted, and it was already 1am when he entered.
Odin received a message from the butler and waited in the small hall all night. He heard a noise outside the door and got up to greet him, saying, "Averi, you're back."
Averi smiled faintly and said, "Still up this late?"
"Yeah, I'm working on my paper."
When she finished changing her shoes, Odin bent down to grab them, not wanting to be overtaken by Averi, so he put the high heels he had changed into the shoe cabinet. As she walked inside, she said, "I'll go see Dad first, and you should go to bed early too."
Odin stood at the door for a while, followed slowly, and stopped at the staircase to look at her.
What's wrong? "Averi asked.
"It's nothing, really. It's just… it's been a while since I last saw you, and you seem a bit different somehow."
"Really? Must be your imagination—I've only been gone a few days."
Odin chuckled lightly and said, "Maybe. Good night, Averi."
"Goodnight."
Waiting for someone to disappear at the stairway, Odin turned to look at the shoe cabinet.
Just now, she didn't want him to touch her shoes. For the past six months, she has always maintained a neither cold nor indifferent attitude... Odin thought irritably, did she make a mistake?
After going upstairs, Averi didn't go back to her room, but went to knock on the door of the room at the end of the corridor first.
There was no response from inside the door. After waiting for a few seconds, a young woman with short hair opened the door and her gaze met her face. She smiled with surprise and said, "Averi, you're back"
Maeve Griffith stepped out and gently brought the room door before saying, "The chairman is asleep"
"How has Dad been these days?"
"There hasn't been much change, it's pretty good."
Averi nodded, glanced at the jade bracelet on her wrist, and asked, "And you?"
Maeve blushed and whispered, "I'm doing well too." After a pause, she added without any hesitation, "It's not a big deal."
Averi understood and said, "Is Mareli causing trouble again"
"No, it's not that, it's just—"
"Go on, say it."
Maeve carefully watched her expression, organizing her words in her mind before speaking: "The lady came to see the chairman with a lawyer the day before yesterday. She said the previous stock transfer was invalid because the chairman wasn't fully aware at the time and was tricked by Teagan into signing it. She even asked him to sue you and get the shares back."
"Did Dad consider it?"
Maeve nodded. "The chairman didn't say anything, but it seemed like he might have been a little swayed."
A few months ago, Cristopher had another trip to the ER, and after that, he began distributing shares. On the surface, it seemed fair, with everyone in the family getting a share. But in reality, he had allocated the core real estate and financial assets to Averi. Mareli's claim that he was "unaware" wasn't entirely untrue. At the time, Cristopher hadn't been fully lucid—Teagan had taken advantage of the moment, appealing to his emotions and reasoning, persuading him to sign while he was in a highly vulnerable state.
After coming to his senses, Cristopher did have some regrets. But then he thought it over—he'd always favored Averi, and her marriage to the Hebert family was already set in stone. In his current condition, he couldn't return to run the business anyway, so he might as well take the chance to retire and enjoy his later years. He mulled it over for a few days and let it be.
Now that Mareli brought it up, old doubts resurfaced, and Cristopher wondered if he really had been out of his mind at the time. More importantly, he couldn't quite accept not being the ultimate authority in the Forbes family anymore, even if the new authority was his own daughter.
After a brief silence, Averi replied calmly, "If she wants to sue, let her."
Maeve quickly said, "Averi, the chairman hasn't fully decided yet. I'll talk to him again. They say older people are like children—they just act on a whim. He's probably only thinking this way because you've been gone these past few days. Now that you're back, he'll definitely change his mind."
Averi waved her hand dismissively. "No need. Let Mareli make her fuss."
"Averi?" Maeve was puzzled.
Averi didn't explain, only saying, "Whether she wants to find reporters or lawyers, let Mareli do whatever she wants. Don't try to stop her, and don't try to talk Dad out of it."
Maeve was full of questions, but she knew Averi had her reasons and nodded in agreement.
From inside the room, a faint, indistinct sound emerged, making Maeve instinctively say, "Averi, Cristopher is calling me. I'll head in first."
Averi nodded. "Alright."
As the door opened, Averi caught a glimpse of Cristopher struggling to prop himself up to reach the water glass on the nightstand. Maeve quickly stepped forward, picked up the glass, and brought it to his lips.
An aging man and a young woman—a stark contrast between wealth and youth. Yet, his fortune made it easy to find those willing to trade their youth for his money.
Now Cristopher needed help just to drink water, yet he could still have affairs. Mareli had thought herself the last woman in his life, only to be blindsided by the arrival of Maeve.
