The Reunion After Seven Years novel Chapter 80

Avery was wary of Baron's presence with what she was about to say to Nicole. The Fang heir noticed it and decided that he should probably leave. "Nicole, it looks like you two have something very important, and quite sensitive, to talk about. I'll go ahead, I just remembered that I still have a few phone calls to make."

Baron rose from his seat and was about to leave, but Nicole stopped him.

"Take a seat, Baron."

She turned to look at Avery and reassured her that Baron could be trusted.

"Avery, Baron is a good friend of mine. He could help us. He's helped me so much since we were in Manhattan. Don't worry, there is no need to hide anything from him."

She knew that Baron was always reasonable and she trusted him as her friend. She just had to reassure Avery of that confidence. With a sigh, Avery nodded in response, looked directly at Nicole and began,

"Alright, so after the Ning Group fell apart, I thought that Aunt Sandra didn't have a job. Since Bonnie was still really young, I figured I should try to help by sending some financial aid. But when I went to see her, I accidentally saw that your stepmother was talking to a man and they seemed really close, suspiciously close.

I followed her in secret. I saw them enter a hotel, and it took long before they came out. After that day, I sent someone to follow her around for some time. I was worried that the reporters would bother her at first, but I accidentally took a picture of her and that man together in the picture.

I did a background check on the man and found out that he was the CEO of the He Group—Daniel He."

Nicole looked at Avery who was a little embarrassed as she explained. Although Nicole was surprised at what she had heard, her face remained stoic.

"My father passed away, and Aunt Sandra and Bonnie had to survive somehow. My stepmother needed to find a person she could rely on."

Nicole knew she couldn't really blame her stepmother for doing what she did. It was the most reasonable course of action. But she was rather uncomfortable with the fact that so soon after her father's death, her stepmother found a way out for herself.

However, she had been acquainted with the fickle and cold side of human nature seven years ago.

Avery continued, "But it wasn't just then. I looked into their check-in records, and found that they had already been in touch before the Ning Group's bankruptcy. I was really curious about it, because when your father died, she was so calm.

I thought she just buried all her emotions deep down and refused to show her pain, but later I found that it seemed not to be the case. I started to wonder whether your father's accident had anything to do with your stepmother. But I've investigated for so long, and got nothing. Maybe I was just thinking too much."

This was Nicole's family affair and she had hesitated telling her best friend about it before. The Ning family's reputation was in the gutter already, and adding this to the pile didn't look good either. Looking at the silent expression on Nicole's face, Avery was a little worried.

Nicole was processing all the information Avery told her. She was bothered, to say at the very least. Avery didn't want to burden Nicole with this. After all, she knew how hard it was for her friend to get through that tough time alone.

Avery reached her arm out and held her friend's hand. "Nicole, don't think about it too much. I'll keep investigating for you. Perhaps I was wrong, that's why I can't find the evidence."

A faint smile appeared on Nicole's face as she listened to Avery and looked at her worried eyes.

"I'm fine, Avery. You don't have to worry about me. I know you are doing this out of good will. You don't have to take responsibility for it. In fact, not long before my father's accident, the both of them were already arguing a lot.

Let bygones be bygones. I have no right to care about the affairs involving the prior generation. I just want to know why the Ning Group would go bankrupt all of a sudden, and why my father died not long after."

When she thought of this, she couldn't help but clench her fists, and the smile on her face disappeared.

"I'll investigate too, for you."

Looking at the serious expression on Nicole's face, Baron took the initiative to speak up and volunteer.

He knew that words of consolation would have no value and only the truth could help Nicole.

"Thank you. I'm so lucky to have you two by my side at this time."

Nicole smiled at Baron and Avery, suppressing the worries in her heart.

But after hearing this, she felt her heart getting punctured over and over again. She had hoped that what happened to her father didn't involve her stepmother. After all, Bonnie was her sister, and she didn't want her to be caught in between.

"Don't be silly, I'm always here for you."

As she tried to cheer up her friend, Avery lifted her hand to touch Nicole's hair and tossed it to the back of her ear. She caught sight of the red marks on her neck, smirked at Nicole, and then she looked at Baron.

She teased at the two people across her, "Tell me the truth. Are you two getting married? You lied to me!"

She knew that in Manhattan, it was always Baron who accompanied Nicole, but Nicole said that he was only a good friend of hers.

"Huh? What on earth are you talking about?"

Nicole looked at Avery in confusion. She looked as if she caught them sleeping together. She reached for a glass of water in front of her and took a sip. However, what Avery said next almost made Nicole spit the water out of her mouth.

"I'm talking about you and Mr. Fang. Are you really going to keep it from me? Don't tell me that hickey on your neck was bitten by Jay!"

Avery was always eloquent, but this was her best friend. Besides, they were all adults, so there was no need to hide anything.

Nicole coughed.

She covered her mouth with a napkin with one hand, and tidied up her long hair behind her ear with the other to cover the hickey on her neck.

Damn it! When she took a shower in the morning, she found that her body was covered with hickeys, which could not be covered up at all.

"It's nothing. I was just bitten by a dog."

Nicole was clenching her jaw, which made Avery feel that she was going to get bitten next. She shook her head involuntarily, and when she glanced at Baron's gloomy face, she realized that she might have said something wrong.

Maybe the hickey on Nicole's neck was not left by Baron.

Baron cleared his throat and simply said, "I will take you to the hospital to get a rabies vaccine after lunch."

He poured another glass of water for Nicole and put it in front of her. He spoke in a serious manner.

Looking at the guilty expression on Nicole's face, he knew that it must have something to do with Kerr.

He was getting anxious that Kerr would slowly slipping his way into Nicole's heart.

"Yes, you're right. She will be fine after getting vaccinated. Do you have any more work to do, Nicole?"

Avery tried to divert the topic quickly. She also felt a little embarrassed with the situation at hand.

"I'm fine. A little busy. I'm still competing with Baron, right?"

Feeling a little guilty with the turn of events, Nicole looked at Baron and changed the topic.

"That's right. You should work hard and focus on your work," Baron said.