Chapter 14
725 Words
Fish had called Anthony.
Avery had just entered one of his shopping malls—completely unaware that he owned the place. And she wasn’t alone. Chelsea had walked in seconds after.
Anthony stiffened. Avery didn’t know anything about his properties. She couldn’t have known she was walking into his territory. And after the argument about the gown, maybe she was still upset. If Chelsea saw her now, she'd definitely cause a scene.
He didn’t think twice. He called his driver and headed out.
At the mall, Avery stared at the card in her hand, shocked and unsure.
Anthony sat beside her on his wheelchair, voice smooth but firm.
“Please,” he said to the manager, “Let her choose from the finest designers. Anything she wants.”
Then he turned to Avery, took her hand gently, and kissed the back of it. Her heart skipped.
“I’ll head back to the office now,” he said softly. “See you at home, honey.”
That one word "honey" sent a flutter through her chest. She nodded, managing a small smile.
“See you at home, dear.”
Chelsea watched, lips pressed into a bitter line before storming off in jealousy and rage.
Avery was still processing what had just happened as the mall attendant began to guide her through racks of exquisite designs. Dresses she could only ever dream of before were suddenly within reach.
Anthony had just treated her like a queen in public.
But at home… it was different. At home, they were barely even friends. Was she doing something wrong? Or was there something he just wasn’t telling her?
Later that evening.
Anthony sat in the living room, scanning files spread across the glass coffee table. Avery stepped in, bags in hand from her shopping spree.
He glanced up briefly and then back at his documents.
“Where’s my card?” he asked, voice neutral.
She pulled it from her purse and handed it to him.
"Thank you" she purred.
“You know you’ll have to pay for all of that, right?” he added, not looking at her.
Her brows furrowed.
“Huh?”
He closed the file slowly and looked up at her, eyes cold now.
“I’m serious, Avery. Twenty-five million naira. That’s how much you spent today. You’ll repay it.”
The words slammed into her like a punch.
“I... I don’t understand—” she began.
“Let me make this clear,” Anthony cut in, voice sharp. “Don’t ever embarrass me like that again. Do you know how it looks for people to think my wife couldn’t afford her own clothes? That she had to be rescued in my own mall?”
Her lips parted, stunned into silence. So this wasn’t about her. Not about kindness or concern.
It was about his reputation.
“You owe me. One month,” he said, holding up his phone so she could see the bank alert. The transaction lit up on the screen, bold and clear just like the reality of their marriage.
Nothing but a transaction.
Avery's throat tightened. She tried to speak.
“But... I thought...”
“But what?” he snapped. “You thought this was a gift? A gesture? You don’t have any money, right? Then think of something. One month.”
He turned back to his files like she wasn’t even there.
She stood frozen for a beat, then slowly turned and walked away. Her legs felt heavy as rock. Her chest, hollow.
Anthony sat in silence after she left, the room colder than before. He stared at the door, then down at the edge of his file.
He had seen the faint bruise on her cheek earlier. She hadn’t said a word about it but he knew. He remembered how he had shoved her off the bed last night. How she must have hit the cupboard.
Guilt crept in like a fog, wrapping around him until he could hardly breathe. He hadn't said sorry. He hadn’t even looked her in the eyes.
He told himself he didn’t care. That it was just convenience. A contract. But the ache in his chest said otherwise.
And for the first time, he wondered if she was the only innocent thing left in his life… and if he had already destroyed that too.
- Writer
