Chapter 3 He Became A Stepfather

• "Yes, we're having a party at my place tonight, you have to come! And I'll be announcing something big!"
• On the other end of the phone, Avery's friend Lily sounded excited.
• "Oh? What big news?"
• Avery asked, curious.
• "You'll find out later."
• Lily teased mysteriously.
• "Alright, darling, I'll definitely be there."
• Avery had known Lily since they were toddlers. They had played together endlessly when they were kids.
• Avery's mother had passed away when she was young, and she had lived with her father. But he was always too busy with work to pay attention to her. Later, her father remarried and had a son and daughter, which made Avery feel like the odd one out in the family.
• Her stepmother forbade her siblings from playing with her, so Avery often spent her time talking to the butterflies in the garden. It was during that lonely time that she met Lily, who added color to Avery's otherwise dull childhood. Their bond remained strong to this day.
• Avery decided to cancel her performance tonight and attend Lily's party instead.
• Recently, Lily had been spending a lot of time with a guy, so Avery thought the big announcement would be related to him.
• Thirty minutes later, Avery's pink Porsche pulled up in front of a villa in a wealthy neighborhood, nestled on the side of a hill.
• When she entered the living room, she immediately noticed the crowd. People were mingling, holding glasses of wine, chatting with each other.
• Seeing Avery walk in, Lily rushed over with a big smile. "Avery, you made it!"
• "Of course, I wouldn’t miss your party." Avery casually grabbed a cocktail from a passing waiter’s tray.
• "Tonight, my mom’s going to announce something big, and I guarantee you’ll be shocked," Lily said with a mysterious grin.
• "Oh? I thought you were going to announce something exciting yourself," Avery replied.
• "My stuff’s a long way off. I’m just having fun with it," Lily said, leading Avery deeper into the house.
• But halfway across the room, Avery spotted her stepmother, Marry, laughing with Lily’s mother, Emma.
• When Marry met Avery’s gaze, her expression darkened, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain. However, since it was Lily’s party, Avery decided not to start a fight, so she quickly looked away.
• To her surprise, Marry walked right up to her. "Avery, I never expected to see you here. But I noticed you didn’t bring a gift? How rude."
• Avery didn't want to argue with someone like her. After all, she had already sent Lily the gift yesterday—several boxes of cocktails, which were already being served at the party.
• "Marry, the cocktail in your hand is Avery's gift to us," Lily said with a smile.
• Marry seemed surprised and looked down at the drink in her hand. She had already had several of them. "…"
• Just then, Emma, Lily’s mother and Marry's close friend, walked over. Her face was stern as she looked at Avery. Without greeting her, she scolded, "Are you causing trouble again and making your mother angry?!"
• Avery shot Emma a furious glare. "That woman isn’t my mother!"
• "How can you say such a thing?!"
• Emma’s face flushed with anger as she pointed at Avery. "She’s been taking care of you since you were a little girl. Of course, she’s your mother! How could you have no conscience?!"
• "Conscience?"
• Avery sneered. "If you all have conscience, then why did Marry force my mom to commit suicide?"
• "You—"
• Marry trembled with fury, gritting her teeth. "You’re legally my daughter! Don’t think you can get away with anything just because you’ve grown up!"
• Avery couldn’t be bothered to argue further. "Since I turned eighteen, I’ve been living independently. I have nothing to do with you. If you die, it won’t concern me!"
• "Starting a fight at someone else’s party? Do you have no manners at all? And this is your best friend's mother’s party! Avery, I’m really disappointed in you!"
• It was Marry who had started the confrontation, yet now she was blaming Avery for it.
• "If it weren’t for the other guests, I’d have your father teach you a lesson! You should have gotten married off already. Stay away and stop ruining people’s lives!"
• What Marry really wanted to say was that she had arranged a marriage for Avery, intending to marry her off to the disabled son of a wealthy lawyer, all for the sake of her own career.
• Avery let out a cold laugh and looked at Marry’s ugly face. "Marry, didn’t you start all of this? Telling me to get married at someone else’s party? Are you out of your mind? Or are you hoping I’ll expose the truth about what you did to my mom?"
• "Shut up!"
• Marry quickly lowered her voice, trying to stop Avery. This was the secret she never wanted anyone to know. Her face turned pale with fury, and she raised her hand to strike Avery.
• But Avery was quick—she grabbed Marry's wrist and slapped her across the face with her other hand.
• "You—"
• Marry gasped, covering her face, her eyes wide in disbelief.
• Lily and Emma rushed over, pulling them apart as the crowd around them started to gather.
• Emma quickly approached, her expression worried as she checked on Marry. "Marry, are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
• "You bitch! You actually dared to hit me! I’ll kill you!"
• Marry, no longer caring that it was her best friend’s party, lunged toward Avery, trying to pull her hair. She couldn’t stand losing face in front of so many people.
• But just then, a man stepped forward from the crowd.
• Emma immediately grabbed Marry's arm and whispered in her ear, "He’s here, so stop making a scene with Avery for now."
• Marry took a deep breath, and reluctantly lowered her hand.
• Avery, following Emma’s gaze, saw a tall, handsome man walking toward them. His presence made the room fall silent. Everyone was watching him.
• Avery snapped out of her anger and looked up, her heart skipping a beat.
• How is he here?!