Chapter 4 Aveline chose another man's car over Xavier's . Seeing this , the driver returned uneasily to Xavier and stammered , " Mr. Beltran , Mrs. Beltran , she ... " As the black Maybach disappeared from view , Xavier coolly withdrew his gaze . " It's fine , " he said , his voice flat . Leona stepped forward from behind him , her tone thick with displeasure . " Aveline has become unbearably arrogant since marrying you . How dare she ride off in another man's car right in front of you ! Xavier , you must put her in her place . " Nearby , Vincent and Eileen exchanged a glance , both looking equally unconvinced . For years , they had mocked Aveline in private , labeling her nothing more than Xavier's desperate simp . Who was that woman , acting so cold and dismissive in front of Xavier , as though he meant nothing to her ? What had gotten into Aveline ? Sure enough , her previous humility had all been an act . Now that she had finally secured the title of Mrs. Beltran , she no longer felt the need to pretend . Eileen whispered in Vincent's ear, " Just you wait . Once Xavier dumps Aveline , she'll be crying her eyes out , begging him to take her back . " Vincent let out a contemptuous laugh in agreement . Josephine looked up at Xavier , assuming he'd be furious . To her surprise , he didn't seem to care . He smiled faintly and then said to her , " Let's go . I'll take you back . " She nodded with a sweet smile . Since Xavier wasn't upset , it only proved one thing - he didn't care about Aveline at all . *** After sending Josephine home , Xavier went back to Winslow Heights . Everything was pitch black when he pushed open the door . Aveline hadn't come back yet ? 0.00 % 08:28 Chapter 4 288 Vouchers Ever since she moved in , the apartment had always been lit up whenever he came home . Now , the darkness was a bit unnerving . He turned on the light and walked inside . After taking off his coat and tossing it onto the living room sofa , he entered the bedroom . There , he removed his suit jacket and tossed it onto the bench at the foot of the bed . As he took a shower in the bathroom , something felt off , but he didn't dwell on it . It was only when he went to the walk - in closet for his nightwear that he realized how empty it was . Aveline's clothes and accessories were gone . With only a bath towel around his waist , he stood motionless , lost in thought . Then it occurred to him that the villa in Parkview Estates was now fully renovated , so she must have moved there . He let out a short , dismissive laugh , put on his nightwear , and went to sleep . Early the next morning , as he was leaving for work , he saw the coat on the sofa and paused , slightly stunned . Over the past year , Aveline had seen to all his daily needs . It had slipped his mind that his clothes didn't put themselves away . He left the coat where it was and went out . When he arrived at the office , his special assistant , Claude Steele , followed him in and laid on his desk the letters that had arrived over the past three days . Spotting the words " Beacon Law Firm " on the top envelope , Xavier picked it up and skimmed it . Leona , who had always found Aveline calculating , had suggested that he have her sign a prenuptial agreement . This must be it . Just then , Claude reminded him of a meeting in ten minutes . He nodded , tossed the envelope into a drawer , and headed to the conference room . *** Aveline had drunk a lot the night before . After coming back to the studio , she lay in bed and soon fell asleep , sleeping dreamlessly through the night . When she woke the next morning , she felt fine , without any hint of a hangover , which surprised her . 19.73 % 08:28 Chapter 4 288 ( Vouchers She had never had a drop of alcohol before becoming an adult . After that , believing Xavier hated the smell of alcohol on women , she had never dared to drink . She'd never realized she could hold her liquor so well . Nevertheless , too much alcohol wasn't good for her health , and she should still drink less . Still in bed , she stretched and stared up at the ceiling . From now on , she didn't have to get up carly to spend so much time planning Xavier's breakfast and outfit . It was liberating . She got up , took a shower , and made herself a simple yet nutritious breakfast . Shortly after , Jasmine Scott and Julian Poole , the co - founders of the studio , entered the door . Jasmine had been Aveline's college roommate , while Julian was a senior one year ahead of them . After graduation , Jasmine and Julian had worked for a famous design company while also taking on freelance work . Once they had saved enough money , they invited Aveline to join them as a co- founder . Initially , Jasmine and Julian had envisioned a larger firm with more talent . But Aveline hadn't wanted to invest that much time in her career . Her priority was to be Xavier's perfect wife and manage his daily life , and a small studio was sufficient for her . Recognizing her exceptional design talent and not wanting to lose her , Jasmine and Julian agreed to her terms . They hadn't known Aveline had stayed in the studio . Upon seeing Aveline putting the plates away , Jasmine teased with a smile , " You're here early . Julian and I were saying on the way here that you wouldn't come over after Xavier went out . " Aveline smiled while washing the plates in the kitchen . Then she went back to the living room and said , " I moved here three days ago . " I'll be staying here for a while until I find a suitable place to rent . ' Both Jasmine and Julian looked at her in surprise . As a man , Julian felt it was inappropriate for him to speak up , so he just shot Jasmine a silent glance . Jasmine , however , had always been close with Aveline . She asked with a playful , mischievous smile , " What happened ? Did you and Xavier have a fight ? " Aveline replied , her tone still flat , " I'm planning to get a divorce . " The smile on Jasmine's face froze . 42.85 % 品 08:28 Chapter 4 288 iVouchers After a moment of stunned silence , Julian said , " I'm gonna put the kettle on and make us some tea . " He immediately made a beeline for the kitchen , without even putting down his bag . Jasmine walked over to Aveline and sat down , looking worried . " What happened ? Well , you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to . " " Nothing , really , " Aveline said with a light smile . " I just feel tired. That's all . The passion's gone . I'm done sacrificing for a man who doesn't even love me . " Jasmine knew a thing or two about Xavier and Aveline . She patted Aveline's shoulder and said comfortingly , " If you need me , just shout out . Aveline nodded . " Thank you . " Then she called in the direction of the kitchen , " Julian , could you come over ? There's something I want to tell you both . " Julian came over . As he sat down , he gave Aveline a keen , meaningful look . Her flat expression only stirred a more complicated wave of emotions within him . Just then , Aveline lowered her head and took out the business card Sebastian had given her the night before , so she missed his look . " I met Mr. Harmon last night , " she said . " His company is developing a resort and needs landscape design . The design fee for the project is in the millions . I think we can win this if we try . " Jasmine took the card from her and exclaimed , " Mr. Harmon ? You mean Sebastian Harmon , the chairman of the Crestmark Group ? " It really is him ! If our first case is a project from the Crestmark Group , then our studio is really going to take off ! " Seeing how thrilled Jasmine was , Aveline smiled . It made perfect sense that Jasmine was so overjoyed . After all , where the Beltran Group was the titan of Entora , the Crestmark Group was a leading enterprise in Kralville . It was immensely powerful and undertook only major projects . If they could collaborate with it , the contract would be very lucrative . On top of that , it'd be the best promotion their studio could ask for . However , Julian frowned , seeming worried . " Our studio has just been founded . Will Crestmark Group really work with us ? " Aveline smiled , " Don't worry about that . I chatted with Mr. Harmon last night , and he said his 69.29 % 08:28 Chapter 4 288 Vouchers secretary would send me the project info . As long as our design proposal is good enough , he will choose us . " After their conversation in the car , she had found him to be a kind and nice person . But it was probably also because Fiona had exaggerated her design talent , which had piqued his interest . Still excited , Jasmine blurted out , " How did you meet Mr. Harmon ? Did Xavier introduce you ? 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