A Lifetime With You

Chapter 59

Ava could not help but heave a long sigh, “You know, I thought you’d take that relationship a little more seriously since Kelly was such a distinguished girlfriend who’s also highly compatible with

you.” “But I’ve given you all of my true love. How could I ever look at another woman the same way again?” He smiled childishly. A leopard never changed its spots. This man was doomed to be a sweet- talking playboy. Ava rolled her eyes at him and said, “It’s because of your loud mouth that spewing insincere flattery everywhere, so no nice girl can keep a serious relationship with you.” “So, is that also the reason you didn’t pick me?” Sensing his facetious behavior now aimed at her, she quickly cut him off in a serious tone, “Selden, am Damien Radbury’s wife, so you better watch your manner with me.” “Sure you are now, but not necessarily forever, right?” His words had hit their mark. Ava was suddenly troubled because she had no clue as to how long she could survive the politics of the prominent Radbury family. Ever since the death of her child, she had given up on the Radbury family, but Damien.. She took a deep breath and forcefully steered her thoughts away from those dark corners. “Selden, I know that you have no shortage of women around you, and honestly, I don’t know Kelly that well either. Though she is a little unruly, I can tell that she’s serious about you. Are you really going to end things with her just like that?” Selden let out a laugh and asked, “Wow Ava, I never knew that you were actually Mother Teresa reincarnated! After everything Kelly has done to harm you, why are you still siding with her?” “What do you mean?” “Did you really think that the leak of the materials was an accident? And that the media storm surrounding the issue was merely a coincidence?” Ava was taken aback, “You mean to say that this was Kelly’s work all along?” How was this possible? Earlier at the office, Kelly was outraged at the incident. Could this all be a ruse? But how would it benefit Kelly to get her fired? “That’s nonsense! Why would she do such a thing?” Selden handed her a few sheets of paper and explained, “Two days ago when I first heard that her agency had contracted your company to produce the publicity clip, I felt that something was amiss. Hence, I took some time to investigate the matter. This morning when the story broke, I checked and found that the IP address of the source was

pointing directly to Kelly’s residence.” The evidence was placed in front of her, and it was clear as day. Ava could not ignore them. But there was still something that she did not understand, “But still…why would Kelly want to harm me? Is there some misunderstanding between us I’m not aware of?” Before Selden could answer her, a lightbulb lit up in Ava’s mind.

That was it! Kelly must have misunderstood her relationship with Selden! “I can’t let this go on, I must go to her and clear things up right now.” Her hand was already on the door handle as she said those words, and she was ready to exit the vehicle. Selden grabbed her before she could leave the car.

“And what if she’s doing this on purpose?”

Ava was stupefied. She turned around and found Selden, who looked very serious, instead of the smile he was wearing.

Ava was not used to seeing such a serious expression of Selden, so she was at a loss for words.

He repositioned his grip on her wrist and then to her palm, with a vice-like strength that was difficult for Ava to escape. “Sel… Selden, stop messing around, I want to get off this instant!” Ava stuttered. “I’ve told you many times over, but you’ve always brushed me off as a joker. Ava, maybe you had no idea before, but every jest I’ve made for you has been from the bottom of my heart.” Selden’s seriousness was unprecedented, and Ava squirmed uncomfortably. She could not wait to escape the situation.

“Ava, I’ve been a fool. All this while, I thought that you would return to my side if I just waited patiently at the sidelines. But you have ignored me instead. So this time, please give me a chance, and let me be the one to sweep you off your feet.” “Stop your nonsense,” Ava avoided his gaze, “Remember the last time you made me this exact promise? Well, what has it amounted to? Absolutely nothing! You ran off with your new girlfriend, Kelly, in a blink of an eye.”

“Is that what you’re upset about? Because…” She did not have the courage to listen anymore, so she put an end to the conversation, “Selden, you and I are destined to be friends and nothing more. I’ll only

ever see you as my buddy.” Ava batted away his hand and hastily ran out of the car. She bumped into Damien’s father, Daryl Radbury. It was then that she looked around to take in her surroundings. What a coincidence, Selden had been driving down a main road, and at the time of her exit, they had come to a stop at the intersection right outside of Radbury Group’s Headquarters. At the same time, her father- in-law who rarely appeared at the office building was incidentally walking down that same stretch of road.

He spotted her coming out of Selden’s car. Ava was dumbfounded and knew not what to say. Across a street not too wide, she bowed politely at Daryl and hoped it would pass as a greeting.

Daryl noticed Ava, as well as Selden who was beside her now.

“Ava, please let me finish.”

Selden had not recognized Daryl across the street yet. All he wanted was to grab Ava’s hand and only to be dodged by her.

“Long time no see, Selden.” Daryl was now making his way towards them. Selden was shocked and retracted his hand hastily. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“How do you do, Uncle Daryl?” Selden greeted him warmly. The Radburys and the Oakley family were both tycoons in the Southeastern part of China. Out of respect and mild enmity, the two families did not frequently meet with each other, hence their interactions were few and far between. However, it was only proper that Selden addressed Daryl as Uncle out of respect for the elderly. “What are you up to with Selden here?” Daryl inquired. Ava hurriedly lowered her head and explained, “Selden and I have been friends since high school, and we are just normal friends.”

Ava was worried that her interactions with Selden earlier on might be misconstrued by Daryl. Hence, she was eager to be rid of Seiden as soon as possible. Selden smiled bitterly and corroborated her

story, saying, “Yup, we’re just old friends having a chat. I don’t want to get in your way if you’re busy.” Daryl shot a look of mild confusion at Ava and he nodded, “Alright, I’m best to get going then, you two carry on, and I have to leave now.” Compared to Damien’s mother, Karen Adaly, his father could be considered a kind man. However, in the eyes of a shrewd and experienced businessman such as Daryl, someone like Ava was not at all an impressive character. Hence, his demeanor towards his daughter-in-law was at most lukewarm. Once Daryl was out of earshot, Ava whispered, “I’m sorry, Selden.”

Then she turned around and fled from the scene. She did not need to run far before she found a taxi. Afterward, she boarded it rushingly. The taxi driver smiled knowingly and asked, “Hey miss, are you just finished a fight with your boyfriend?”