The conversation between Xavier and Josephine , however brief , was enough to reveal Xavier's gentle and thoughtful side - a side Aveline had never had the privilege to witness . Aveline , too , had been pampered since she was a little girl . She had never set foot in the kitchen because her mother didn't want her to smell like grease . But then she met Xavier . Knowing he hated eating out , as the food was often overly flavored and greasy , she learned to cook despite her aversion to the smell of grease . She prepared three meals for him every day , but he never once told her not to overexert herself . He ate out with Josephine all the time , never seeming to mind the overly flavored , greasy food . Josephine occasionally offered to cook for him , but he gently declined , saying he didn't want her to overexert herself or expose her to the greasy mess of cooking . A wave of regret surged over Aveline . She hated herself for realizing the truth so late . She composed herself and walked out , outwardly calm . Josephine was sitting on the sofa , while Xavier stood by the wine cabinet , a glass of whiskey in his hand . It gave her the feeling that they had been waiting for her , worried that she had come here with some ulterior motive . Out of the corner of her eye , Josephine caught sight of Aveline . She suddenly picked up the coat lying on the sofa and smiled . " Darling , you've started tossing your clothes around since you began living alone ? You should hang them up after taking them off . Here , let me help you put it away . " With that , she stood up and walked past the coffee table . But Xavier stepped over and extended his hand . " Let me . " He took the coat and draped it over his forearm . Sensing Aveline's presence , he glanced in her direction . Aveline walked toward the door , pretending not to have seen them at all . 0.00 % 08:28 " Aveline , " Josephine said , " have you collected all your things ? Surely , you wouldn't want to leave anything behind . It would be such a hassle to come back for them later . " 11 Aveline couldn't help but laugh coldly to herself . Josephine was so phony . Although she spoke politely , what she truly wanted was for Aveline to stay far away from their world . Besides , whenever Xavier wasn't around , Josephine always spoke to her in a mocking or disdainful tone . But now that he was here , she was putting on an act of intimacy . Anyone who didn't know better would think Josephine genuinely treated Aveline like a sister . Aveline didn't respond . But just before she walked out the door , she suddenly thought of something . She turned around and said to Xavier , " Have you read the agreement ? When are we going to finalize it ? " Xavier was a little taken aback , assuming she was referring to the prenup . It was only then that he remembered the letter from Beacon Law Firm , still sealed in his drawer . Perhaps Fiona had told Aveline about it , which was how Aveline came to know Leona had asked the lawyers to draft the prenup . Chances were , Aveline knew about the content , too . Given that Leona was prejudiced against her , the terms were surely unfavorable to Aveline . He asked Aveline , " Are you sure ? " No wonder she hadn't heard from him for days . His question made it clear - he had never believed she would actually go through with the divorce , thinking her disappearance was just an extended tantrum . He must have been surprised to see she hadn't demanded anything in the divorce agreement . He likely still thought this was all just a play for his attention . She gave an indifferent nod . " Yes . Absolutely . " Hearing this , he shot her a meaningful glance . " Fine . You set the time . " She wanted to say tomorrow , but then it hit her that the bid registration was tomorrow . They were almost certain to pass the preliminary review , which would be followed by a massive amount of work on the design proposal . She had no idea what her schedule would look like . " I'll let you know once I've settled on a date , " she said . 20.41 % 08:28 Chapter 6 : 1 288 ¡ Vouchers With that , she turned to leave . The moment the door closed behind her , a peculiar feeling stirred within . It felt as if that single door now separated her from Xavier's world entirely . It'd be a lie to say she felt nothing . After all , she had loved him wholeheartedly for years . And that apartment - which had once been theirs - had now been claimed by someone else who carried herself as its rightful hostess . Inside , Josephine had thrown shade at her , subtly blaming her for intruding on their little world . But she couldn't refute any of it . Perhaps Xavier thought the same way , believing she had deliberately left the certificates behind . Aveline let out a self - mocking laugh and stepped into the elevator . The next morning , the moment Xavier arrived at the company , he immediately thought of the prenup . He opened the drawer , wanting to take a look . But the letter was nowhere to be found . He wondered if he had placed it elsewhere and forgotten about it . Shrugging nonchalantly , he called Gerald and asked , " Did you draft the agreement ? Or was it Fiona ? " Gerald thought he was referring to the divorce agreement . " Fiona did . Why ? You don't have to pay a dime for the divorce . Why are you still hesitating ? Just sign it . Xavier arched an eyebrow in surprise . "1 Fiona and Aveline were close friends . How could Fiona be OK with Aveline agreeing to such terms ? He couldn't help but grow curious about the content of the agreement . Just as he was about to ask Gerald to send it over , his secretary entered to remind him of a meeting in ten minutes . He had no choice but to hang up . On his way to the conference room , Lauren called . " What's going on with Aveline ? When is she going to try on the wedding dress ? The designer is internationally famous and only designed the dress for her as a favor to me . She cancelled the agreed meeting time , and now I can't even reach her . What is she trying to do ? Is she unsatisfied with the designer ? Or me ? " Xavier asked , " Didn't Aveline book another appointment ? " 43.92 % 08:28 Chapter 6 288 ¡ Vouchers Lauren hissed , " No ! And I'm very busy , you know ? I say we just cancel the wedding . She'll be the one who looks bad , not us . " " Mom , " Xavier smiled helplessly . " I'm going into a meeting . I'll ask her to call you later . " Don't be mad , OK ? That's how you get wrinkles . " Lauren snorted heavily before hanging up . *** Aveline , Julian , and Jasmine still hadn't settled on a name for their studio yet . However , for their bidding proposal , they held a serious discussion and finally decided on one - Everglow Studio . It symbolized eternal light . Aveline was quite satisfied with the choice , as it resonated deeply with her current state of mind . She wanted to leave all the darkness behind and face her bright new life . Within an hour after Everglow Studio registered for the bidding , Sebastian's secretary , Vivian Sanders , called them with the great news . They had passed the preliminary review - a decision made by Sebastian himself . Jasmine and Julian were overjoyed . Jasmine smiled , " Mr. Harmon made the decision himself ? Aveline , he obviously did this for you . " Aveline was a bit surprised , too , but she thought Sebastian had probably done it for Fiona's sake . Next , they would begin preparing the design proposal . The first task at hand was the conceptual design , and their first step was a site visit . Vivian said she could accompany them to the site at any time . After some discussion , Aveline , Julian , and Jasmine settled on the next day . They didn't have any other projects at the moment anyway . In the evening , Jasmine and Julian left . Then Aveline was about to enter the kitchen to make some dinner . Just then , her phone chimed . It was a text from Xavier . " Mom's upset . Call her to explain . Even throwing a tantrum has its limits . " Xavier had never called her . He'd only text her when necessary , and his messages were always 66.35 % 08:29 concise . She glanced at the message and then set her phone down , her face expressionless , and entered the kitchen She wanted a divorce because of his infidelity . Now that Lauren was upset , she was supposed to be the one to explain things to her ? Why should she ? And how dare Xavier claim that wanting a divorce was nothing but a tantrum ? The fact that he had brought Josephine back to the Beltran's mansion said it all . Aside from Leona , no one in the Beltran family liked Josephine . Lauren , Xavier's stepmother , of course , despised homewreckers . Her assessment of Josephine was , " She's the daughter of a homewrecker . What else could she be but trash ? " Lauren , a proper wife , of course , despised homewreckers . Her assessment of Josephine was , " She's the daughter of a homewrecker . How decent could she be ? " But if Xavier was determined to marry Josephine , there was nothing anyone in the family could do to stop him . After all , he was in control of the Beltran Group now . He was both the CEO and Chairman of the Board . Aveline smiled sarcastically and turned on the stove . Over her dead body would she call Lauren to explain . Hadn't they humiliated her enough already ? 86.84 %