Chapter 122: Bad Omen
"Thank you so much, Avy!" Evelyn turned around and pounced on Avery, making her chuckle. Avery hugged her best friend tightly, glad Evelyn liked this little surprise and the token of gratitude on behalf of the entire AWE team.
"Though I was the mastermind, Eli and your hubby deserve equal credit," Avery replied, breaking the hug. They both turned to the screen, where the video ended, announcing a happy collaboration between Reign Constructions and AWE, mentioning that it would start very soon and they all needed to look forward to it.
Evelyn smiled warmly, seeing Zevian’s name on the presentation. Gracia would have wanted the same, the guy her little bunny fell for respecting and supporting her dreams. Evelyn was glad she had found a gem among the hundreds of stones, one she thought she had lost forever a few years ago.
"Thank you," Evelyn said to Zevian with a smile. He pulled her close, hugging her waist, and she leaned against his shoulder as everyone enjoyed the presentation, which was soon coming to an end after sharing the necessary details.
"You know how hard it was to pretend I had no clue what you were doing behind my back all this time?" Elias grumbled, standing beside Evelyn, who smiled at him. "And I had to keep my mouth shut just to make sure your plans didn’t reach ears that didn’t deserve to hear them," he added, pulling his sister into a warm, protective side hug.
"Yeah!" Avery joined in. "There was a time he came to visit AWE, and you came early from your site visit. We had to turn him into a delivery box, wrapping him up in bubble wrap and forcing this huge giant to fit into the box," she added, laughing loudly.
"She was planning to throw me out the window," Elias chimed in, recalling the horrible memory. After that, he had never pestered Avery to visit AWE again, and he pretended like it didn’t exist at all, just so their mom wouldn’t suspect anything or catch on to the secret.
Evelyn tried to recall that day, breaking into laughter when Avery continued to explain how she had rolled the poor guy up in bubble wrap, turning him into a "man-mummy." Her eyes caught William’s smile as he listened to their banter, and her heart finally relaxed. He was happy, and she didn’t give a damn about what others thought.
"Alright, let’s take some pictures!" one of the staff members said, breaking the family’s chat. Immediately, a few people walked over and lined up on the stage. The ’Happy Homes’ template was put back on the screen, allowing the media and guests to capture good pictures of the event.
Avery and Elias exchanged a nod, mentally agreeing on what they needed to do without any words.
"Come on, Dad!" Elias pushed William to the center while Avery pushed Evelyn to the other side, placing the two of them together in the center.
Evelyn looked at Zevian behind her, unsure if this was the right move, as he was the main boss of the project and deserved all the attention. Zevian simply nodded reassuringly, understanding her worries. With a smile, he went to stand beside Avery, who immediately clung to his arm and posed for the picture.