Chapter 10
Joshua took Avery to a high–end restaurant.
The soft sound of music filled the restaurant, creating a calm and soothing atmosphere.
Joshua passed the sliced steak over to Avery, and only then did she snap out of her thoughts.
She had to admit Joshua’s hands were really beautiful. They were well–defined, long, and clean. The sight of them made it hard to look away.
It was the first time Avery found watching someone cut steak to be so enjoyable.
Seeing her lost in thought, Joshua couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Eat first. You’ll have plenty of time to look in the future.”
Avery’s face turned red. She muttered in a small voice, “I was just thinking about something. I wasn’t looking at you.”
Joshua’s smile deepened.
“I didn’t say what you were looking at. Is that an admission of guilt?”
Her face turned even redder.
He was clearly trying to trap her! He was truly a sly man!
At that moment, Delcan entered with two contracts in his hand.
Avery thought he had come to talk to Joshua about work, so she continued eating. However, to her surprise, Delcan bent down and handed the contracts to her. “Madam, here are the acquisition contracts for several stores around your traditional medicine clinic. Please take a
look.”
Avery stared at the contracts in confusion.
“Since you like traditional medicine, why not expand your clinic and let more people know about it? I bought the surrounding pharmacies as a birthday gift for you.”
Avery looked at Joshua, stunned. Birthday gift? Didn’t he already give her a bangle? Why was he giving her another birthday gift?
Joshua seemed to have read her thoughts and explained, “I saw that bangle by chance and thought it would suit you, so I bought it. It wasn’t a formal gift, so it doesn’t count as your birthday gift.”
With that, he looked at her wrist to notice it was empty.
Joshua furrowed his brows together. “You don’t like the bangle?”
Avery shook her head. She looked like she just remembered something and smiled bitterly.”
No. I just think that it’d be a shame if I were to accidentally break such a beautiful bangle.”
Joshua wanted to say that it was just a bangle. If she liked it, he could buy her different ones every day.
But seeing Avery’s expression, he realized that the matter was more complicated than he thought, so he swallowed the words.
Avery didn’t take the contracts from Delcan. She looked at Joshua and said, “This gift is too expensive. I can’t accept it.”
Joshua raised an eyebrow and asked, “I’ve already bought them. Are you asking me to return them?”
Avery had no retort. She thought for a moment and came up with a suggestion.
“How about this? Consider it an investment. I’ll give you half of my earnings.”
Joshua laughed amusedly at Avery’s words.
He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “From now on, you’ll be mine. Do we need to be so clear about sharing everything?”
A while later, the waiter brought out a strawberry cake.
As Joshua cut the cake for Avery, he said, “Take it. If you make money, you can use it to buy clothes and jewelry or whatever. If you lose money, I’ll cover the loss for you.”
After a moment’s thought, he added, “And if I’m ever unwell, I can rely on you for medical needs. I don’t trust other people with my health.
Avery nodded.
Ever since Joshua’s eldest brother, Jimmy, passed away, Samson had been preparing Joshua to inherit the family business.
Although Joshua’s second brother, Nathan, and third brother, Mason, had not dared to speak against him openly, one could never be sure about their methods behind the scenes.
After finishing the dessert, they left the restaurant. By then, it was already late.
Avery thought of going home since the Sinclair family had another big event waiting for her the next day.
But Joshua said, “I’ll take you somewhere first. Once we’re done, I’ll send
Avery smiled. “Could it be that you’ve prepared another surprise for me?”
“Kind of.” Joshua gave a faint smile, looking quite pleased.
Hearing that, Avery’s curiosity was piqued.
you
home.”
The car stopped in front of Leicester Mall, and Avery looked with interest at the supposedly
Π
top mall in Starbury.
This was the wealthy’s shopping spot, and it was said that even the cheapest items here were at least a hundred grand. Especially the jewelry, which was the most famous. The daughters and wives of wealthy families took great pride in owning jewelry from here.
When Abigail had her birthday last time, Molly spent eight million dollars on a limited- edition necklace as her gift. Abigail treasured it like a gem, only wearing it for major events.
The ground floor of the mall was the shopping area, and the first floor housed a café.
But what struck Avery as odd was that there wasn’t a single person in the café.
Suddenly, the lights in the café went out, and their surroundings became dark.
Avery jumped in surprise. Before she could react, Joshua reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist.
Colorful fireworks exploded in the sky, and they could see them clearly from where they were standing. Avery stared out the window blankly, unable to return to her senses for a long while. This was the surprise Joshua had prepared for her?
Watching the brilliant fireworks in the sky, Avery couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness in
her heart.
She remembered that on Clyde’s 18th birthday, he had secretly asked her out to set off fireworks together. At that time, they played around and Clyde swore that he would only love her in his lifetime. She had believed him completely.
Because Clyde was the only person who cared for her after her grandfather passed away. He was the only one who spoke up for her when her parents misunderstood her. He was the only one who truly believed in her.
But later, Clyde also started to ignore her.
Then, on the day of their wedding, she accidentally discovered Clyde’s affair with Abigail. That was when she realized how foolish she had been to have ever believed those words he said.
“Do
you like it?” Joshua’s deep voice came from beside Avery, pulling her back from her thoughts.
She forced a smile and replied, “I really like it.”
Before Joshua could say anything else, Avery’s hands reached up and rested on his shoulders. Then, she tiptoed to lean in and kiss him on the lips.
Joshua’s gaze darkened, and he immediately took control, pressing her onto a nearby table.
His fingers traced down her neck, causing Avery to shudder and hold her breath.
Joshua leaned close to her ear, his warm breath sending shivers through her body.
“Happy birthday, Mrs. Smith.”
Avery looked up and met Joshua’s eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in…
