Chapter 99

Chapter 99:

Ava stepped out of the police station, feeling lightheaded.

The sun wasn’t particularly harsh or blinding, yet her eyes, unaccustomed to daylight after days indoors, squinted against its soft glow.

Her dizziness made her steps wobbly, and as she reached the doorway, she accidentally bumped into someone.

“Hey, watch it!” Ava stumbled back, pressing a hand against the wall for support. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you see where you’re going?”

The person she collided with staggered backward, almost losing their balance.

Their eyes met, and shock rippled through both of them.

Ava’s eyes grew wide. “When did you return? How is that even possible?”

The girl Ava bumped into didn’t say much, only muttering, “You’ve got the wrong person,” before turning and walking back toward the station.

Ava reached out and grabbed the girl’s arm tightly, her grip sharp enough to make Wendy flinch.

“Wendy! When did you return? Answer me!” Ava demanded, her tone growing sharper.

Wendy spun around, her short hair swinging with the motion.

Her face, sharp and delicate, showed no hint of emotion as she looked at Ava with a cold, almost dismissive gaze. “What’s it to you that I’m coming back?”

“But aren’t you—”

Wendy pulled her arm free and snapped, “That’s none of your concern,” before walking away.

Ava froze, watching Wendy’s retreating figure. Her mind swirled with memories, adding to the haze clouding her thoughts. Now that Wendy was back in the country, did Bobby know?

Stories live now on galnσ𝓿𝑒ℓ𝓼․𝑐o𝓶

Ava’s temples pulsed painfully. Bobby, Fernanda, and all the others—this would only add to the mess she was already in.

The driver, waiting outside, finally came looking for her. “Miss Ross, is something wrong? May I drive you home now? Your parents are worried about you. They haven’t seen you in days.”

Unease crept into Ava’s chest as she thought about her parents.

Normally, they would be waiting at the airport to pick her up, eager to see her after the time apart. But this time, neither of them had shown up, and it was obvious they were upset with her.

Ava sat in the car, a knot forming in her stomach. Wendy and Fernanda spelled trouble, and her parents’ anger loomed ahead. She felt overwhelmed.

When she arrived home, she saw Hunk and Joselyn in the living room. Her greeting was hesitant, laced with guilt.

Hunk had plenty of harsh words ready, but seeing her drained and weary, he decided against it.

“It’s good you’re back,” Hunk said, his eyes softening with concern. “Go rest. I asked the cook to make your favorite dishes—they’ll be ready soon.”

Ava nodded quickly, relief washing over her that Hunk wasn’t angry. She hurried to Joselyn and flopped down beside her, resting against her shoulder. “Mom, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you upset with me?”

Normally, Hunk was the one who was strict, while Joselyn was the warm one. But today, why was her dad acting so soft, and her mom so distant?

Joselyn let out a deep sigh, brushing Ava’s hair softly. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset with you—I’m just sad about everything you’ve been through in the past few days. Go get some rest. Just remember—think things through before you act. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you.”

Ava nodded, her head lowering as she tucked her chin in, whispering a quiet agreement.

After she headed upstairs, Hunk noticed Joselyn standing by the window, her mind clearly elsewhere. He sighed softly and asked, “Sweetheart, what’s going on? You’ve seemed distracted since last night. Is something wrong with the business?”

Joselyn hadn’t told Hunk about giving Fernanda that one percent of the shares, knowing he’d be furious if he found out.

“I’m fine,” she replied, brushing it off. “It’s just… have you had a chance to think about what we talked about last night?”

She had brought up the idea of sending Ava abroad, but Hunk had said he needed more time to think about it.

“Honestly, I don’t think it matters much whether she goes or not.” Hunk was torn about sending his only daughter away. “Ava’s always been with us. She’s never been away for more than a few days. Can we really just send her off like that?”

“But what choice do we really have if we’re not willing to do this? Should we just let her keep causing trouble?” Joselyn’s frustration was clear. “Since Fernanda came back, Ava’s been a mess. Fernanda hasn’t done anything, but just being near Ava seems to drive her crazy. Ava is so obsessed with Bobby, she’s losing it. Maybe sending her abroad for a few years would help. It might help her move on from him.”

Ava’s feelings for Bobby weren’t the issue; the problem was that Bobby didn’t feel the same. It was all one-sided. They’d tried talking to Ava about it, but she refused to listen.

And now, with Bobby engaged to someone else, Ava’s chances seemed even slimmer than before.

Joselyn couldn’t help but believe that if Ava could just let go of Bobby, everything would get easier for her.

Hunk let out a long, drawn-out sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as if the weight of the situation had finally hit him.

“I see your point,” he finally said, nodding. “If you’re certain about this, then let’s go ahead with it. It might not be as bad as it seems.”

On the second floor, Ava overheard the entire conversation, her hand instinctively flying to her mouth in shock.

Her legs gave way, and she slid down against the wall, feeling weak.

She could barely process what she had just heard.

Her parents were seriously considering sending her away.

How could this be happening? If she went abroad, she’d have even less chance to see Bobby—and even fewer opportunities to change anything.

Then, as if it wasn’t enough, Wendy appeared out of nowhere, and Ava’s sense of urgency shot through the roof. Ava couldn’t help but remember that Wendy and Bobby had once been a couple. She could feel the situation spiraling further out of control.

She stumbled back to her room, collapsing onto the bed. Her eyes fixed blankly on the ceiling as her mind raced.

Her phone caught her eye, and an idea struck her suddenly.

Wendy had shown up, and there was someone who should be more worried about it than she was. Since she wasn’t sure how to handle things, she figured it would be better to let someone else take care of it.

With that in mind, Ava finally smiled, picked up her phone, and typed out a message.

Meanwhile, in a restaurant, Fernanda glanced at the text on her phone and couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smug, almost mocking smile.

“Got some business to attend to, huh?” Wendy asked, sitting across from Fernanda, munching on her food. She glanced at Fernanda and then at the plate in front of her. “Are you sure that spicy food won’t make your injury worse?”

The chili oil on Fernanda’s plate looked fiery, almost too spicy to handle.

“It’s fine,” Fernanda replied with a shrug. “Eating it occasionally won’t do any harm.”

“Your legs are still healing, and yet you’re out here?” Wendy shook her head, smirking. “I didn’t expect to see you looking so… frazzled after all this time.”

Fernanda just shrugged, showing no sign of concern.

It had suddenly hit her that she hadn’t seen Wendy since the exam, so she went to the bar where Wendy worked. When she got there, she found out that a serious fight had broken out, and Wendy, being the bartender, had to give a statement to the authorities.

Afterward, Fernanda ended up at the station and ran into Wendy just after she finished her statement. The two of them decided to grab a bite together.

“Want to know who sent me this text?” Fernanda waved her phone teasingly.

“No,” Wendy answered, shaking her head. “I’m not interested.”

“It’s about you, though.”

Wendy froze for a second, her frown deepening. “About me? Seriously?” Who could it be? Did they share any mutual connections? Wait a minute. Could it be…

“I know who it is.” Wendy’s expression immediately went icy. “Don’t show me. I don’t want to see it.” It had to be Bobby.

Despite Wendy’s cold reaction, Fernanda handed the phone to her, the screen facing her.

Wendy glanced at the screen and was instantly taken aback.

After reading the message, she stared at Fernanda in shock.

“I never mentioned it to you before,” Fernanda said with a smile, her voice slightly playful. “By the way, my name is Fernanda Morgan.”

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