The Ultimate Chance-Chapter 154

She glanced at the door and turned back to face him, not revealing her intention. Perhaps she was still wondering whether or not to go through with trying to frame him.

In the end, she forced an innocent laugh. "What are you talking about? I just wanted to spend some time with you." She buttoned her coat. "But if you don’t want me, I don’t blame you. I did do some huirtful stuff, after all."

It was not about that but he let her use it as a way out. There was no need to get petty with her or she might decide mutual destruction was better than giving up. She sighed, taking her time to leave as though she was waiting for him to change his mind and call her back.

As soon as teh door shut behind her, he let out the breath he had been holding and buzzed for his asisstant.

"Mr. D’Aboville?" She asked.

"That woman who just came in is banned from RA Vaille. If she ever shows up no matter what her reason is, don’t let her in." He instructed.

"Understood, Mr. D’Aboville."

Relieved that she had taken care of it, he turned his computer back on and ordered flowers.

______

Meanwhile, Avery found Alex Grant’s contact number and asked Mina for his schedule. It turned out, the man stuck to the same daily routine. He worked from 4am to 3pm and as soon as he got off work, he visited a foster home for about an hour and got back home, released the babysitter for the day and took Gemma out to play. They would end up at the Reynold’s near their block, where Alex would grab a cup of iced coffee and Gemma would have chocolate milk.

It wasn’t hard to pretend to bump into them. Avery had considered going to the foster home at the same time as Alex but on second thought, she could not be certain that he would go to the same home where he grew up. He could go to a different orphanage and she didn’t have the time to run around trying to track him down. It was best to bump into them in the Reynold’s.

She waited in her car for what felt like forever and wondered whether Mina had it wrong. Or rather, did Alex find out he was being investigated and decide to change his schedule? That would be a bummer because she would never meet him again if that was the case. Instead, he would look her up and find that she was the new girlfriend of Shirley’s ex and heaven knew what Shirley had said about them.

Checking the time on her phone, she decided to leave if they didn’t show up in the next thirty minutes.

It felt like forever. She had to duck whenever she saw anyone getting close enough to her car to see her. It would not be funny if someone reported her for being creepy and sneaking around.

By the twentieth minute, she was ready to give up. But just when she took out her phone to tell Damon they needed a new plan, something caught her eye on the opposite side of the street. A black mercedes came to a halt and she was quick to check its plate number and compare it to Alex’s. It was a match! He was here, after all.

It was different from what she had expected. He usually came here on foot since he would be taking Gemma for a walk. When the door opened and he got out, she understood why. He helped Gemma out of the car and for a moment, Avery couldn’t take her eyes off the little girl.

She was wearing a pink tutu and had her hair in a bun. She looked adorable. So she had taken a ballet class. That explained why they were late. They must have just gotten back from ballet class. Gemma looked excited, trying to walk on her toes with her little hand in Alex’s.

He chuckled and patted the bun on her head.

Even from a distance, she could feel how much Alex loved her. If everything she had found out was not sufficient proof, this was enough evidence that this little girl didn’t need Damon to take care of her. She already had a father who loved her and looked carefree holding his hand, more than ever. Shirley was merely using her for her benefit. The poor girl.

Every doubt she’d had about this not being fair flew right out her car window as the father and daughter disappeared into the cafe. She gave herself a minute to compose herself and work out the best timing to bump into them, then she walked into the cafe.

She walked up to the cashier while pretending not to see them waiting on the next queue for their drinks. "I’d like a decaf machiato." She said and took out a five from her purse.

"Avery!" Gemma shrieked excitedly.

’Good.’ She thought. Now she didn’t have to be the one to make the first move.

She turned sweetly and feigned surprise. "Gemma? You’re here too?" She walked over to them and pretended not to know Alex. "Are you her..."

"Father." Alex introduced himself. "Do you know my daughter?"

She feigned shock, letting her jaw drop. "No way. You’re not her father."

"Excuse me?" He looked offended, grabbing Gemma’s hand protectively.

"It’s just..." she lowered her voice so no one would overhear them. "I’m sorry. I’m just confused. This is my boyfriend’s daughter, and I don’t know you. I have no idea how she can be your daughter too."

Alex was confused. When the barista called his name for him to pick his drinks, he practically sprinted over. He then returned to tell Avery, "let’s have a seat. This is an insane misunderstanding."

Avery picked up her order and joined them at the table they had selected. Alex waited until Gemma was focused on her drink and asked, "what do you mean she is your boyfriend’s daughter?"

"Exactly that. He is her biological father. Wait. I have pictures of them together." She took out her phone and pulled up several pictures of the day Gemma was brought over to her villa, when she played with Angel and Aubrey. There was one of Damon holding her and as they were both facing the camera, the resemblance was obvious.

Alex looked nearly horrified when he saw it. He wanted to ask if she had the wrong girl but then he remembered how excited Gemma was to see Avery. Whatever was going on wasn’t a coincidence.

"She is my daughter in every way that matters." He insisted.

"Except biologically." She shrugged. "Her mother brought her home and looking at her resemblance to her father and brother, no DNA test is needed. Not to mention, there had to be a DNA test taken for assurance and it also proved that she is his daughter."

"Her mother?" Alex perked up at the words. "You must be mistaken. Gemma has no mother."

"Yes she does. Actually, her mother is my boyfriend’s ex." She pushed and scrolled through the pictures to show him a picture of Shirley and Gemma. She had secretly taken the picture but only Shirley’s back was visible. Even though, no man would fail to recognize his girlfriend even from a snippet and Alex was no exception.

"Shirley." He hissed when he saw her. "Let me guess. Is your boyfriend’s name Damon?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"How did you know?" She feigned shock.

Alex didn’t answer her. Instead, he stood up and took Gemma’s hand. "Let’s go, pumpkin."

"Alex." She called before he could leave. He stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at her. "I didn’t tell you my name."

"I know. That’s because I investigated you." She swallowed. This was the riskiest part. She had already planted a seed of doubt in his heart about Shirley but she couldn’t let him confront her. Shirley was capable of spinning a tale out of thin air and if he believed her, everything she had done would be meaningless.

So she spoke up before he did. "Shirley showed up with Gemma and claimed he was Damon’s. I don’t know what she aimed to achieve but she is using an innocent child in her schemes. On one hand, she knows you are her dad. On the other, she is meant to think Damon is her dad too. Who knows what this kind of instability will do to her."

He pursed his lips. "Avery Vaillant, right? How could I not think about it?" He contemplated, remembering everything Shirley had said about her.

She smiled. "That’s me." Knowing she had already done enough, she was certain she didn’t need to do much more. Alex would either confront Shirley or investigate her. If she did much more to convince him, he might suspect her too, so she gave him a business card.

"I will not pretend to be doing this exclusively for Gemma. She is adorable and my son would have been thrilled to have her as his sister, but I’m doing this to protect my family. I don’t want my children to be unstable because of Shirley. If you think about it and decide you want to do the same, give me a call and I’ll be willing to share some of the evidence I have to prove Shirley’s fraudulent act."

Instead of taking the business card, he shoved her hand away. "I don’t want you or Damon near my daughter."

"I will respect that." She smiled. He didn’t say it but she knew within a week, Alex would have a million questions in mind that only she could answer, and he would seek her out.