The CEO Gets What He Wants
Chapter 61

Avery raised her head and stared at Cayden unblinkingly.

Time seemed to come to a standstill. She did not know how much time had passed before she regained her composure. Her heart continued to churn with a kaleidoscope of emotions.

Her long eyelashes quivered, drawing attention to the tears welling in her eyes.

Cayden is Moore.

The truth was a hard pill to swallow.

Still, he was not the only one who had changed a great deal. Avery could say the same for herself.

She supposed it was fortunate that after all those years, she had once again run into the man who had always held a special place in her heart.

Sadly, her life had gone down a tragic path after leaving high school.

As Avery stared at Cayden before her, she suddenly remembered the passionate kiss they had shared in his car earlier. An inexplicable emotion surged in her chest, taking her aback.

She felt as though she had been transported back to high school times.

A shrill voice cut through the silence. "What's this show of favoritism, Moore? Don't tell me you only remember Avery?" A gorgeous and statuesque woman approached Cayden and shot him a flirtatious glance.

Alas, he only had eyes for Avery.

The woman who had flirted with him pursed her lips awkwardly before rolling her eyes at the plain-looking Avery.

Cayden continued staring at Avery as he said, "I remember her. One summer, we had a basketball match with a high school in the city. A lot of our schoolmates showed up to watch the match. All the girls were screaming when I made the last shot. When I turned around, I realized Avery had the loudest cheer."

His words caused Avery to flush as red as a tomato.

Impossible! I would never have done anything like that!

She had been picked on all her life. While she probably "deserved" a spot in the far corner of the stands at a basketball match, she would never get a spot in the front row to cheer for the players.

Avery suddenly became the center of attention after Cayden's declaration.

Flustered and scared of becoming the common enemy, she looked at the crowd timidly and stammered, "N-No. I-I really didn't do that."

Meanwhile, the overseas expert invited by Cayden had finished examining Hollie's leg.

After the expert left, Hollie put on a birthday hat and greeted the crowd. A massive cake was wheeled out on a trolley and placed before her.

Nephele stood beside her mother as the latter made a wish and blew out the candles before cutting the cake.

While giving out pieces of cake, every one of Hollie's former students gave her their best wishes.

Avery had not seen Hollie since she left high school, and she was naturally nervous and excited about that day's event. Hollie had cared for her deeply, and it made up for the maternal love Avery had always craved.

Though to be honest, she had no idea what maternal love was supposed to be like.

Nephele wheeled Hollie away from the noisy crowd to a table on the first floor of the mansion.

Avery met them, and Hollie patted one of her hands gently. "I'm relieved to see that you're doing well, Ery. It has been many years. Have you tried looking for your mother?"

Avery's hand stiffened in response.

"I haven't." She forced a smile on her face as she met her former teacher's gaze. "She must be living well now, and I don't want to disrupt her life."

Actually, Avery had tried to look for her mother in the past.

She remembered pasting missing person notices along the road when she was ten. Sadly, her efforts did not bear fruit.

After she grew up and came to the big city, she realized she had been looking for a needle in a haystack.

No one seemed to know where her mother was.

Nephele comforted her friend, "I agree with you. You're all grown up now, and you don't need to rely on anyone else. Just take good care of your father."

Overall, Hollie was glad to see that Avery had done well despite her horrid experiences in high school.

Cayden approached them a while later with a glass of fruit juice. He placed it in front of Avery like an attentive boyfriend.

A waiter followed him with a tray of fruit juice, which he served to Hollie and Nephele.

Nephele sipped on her juice and shot Cayden and Avery furtive glances. Their relationship is probably more complicated than I imagined. They seem to have met each other before today's party.

Just then, a married couple walked over to their table with a three-year-old toddler in tow. Both adults were high-flying white-collar workers in the city.

The husband offered a hand to Cayden and said, "If I didn't see you today, I wouldn't have known that I actually worked at your company, Moore."

"Nice to meet you," came Cayden's reply. He appreciated courteous people.

The wife also shook hands with Cayden and Avery and greeted them warmly. The couple joined them at the table.

Their toddler, however, leaned against Avery's leg and sucked on his thumb.

"I'm sorry. My kid must think you're too pretty," his mother apologized to Avery while wiping the toddler's drool. The toddler was still smiling at Avery. Avery reassured her, "Don't worry about it. I love kids."

"Are you married? If you are, why don't you try for one soon? Honestly, it's quite fun to raise a child."

Cayden glanced at Avery, who sipped on her juice instead of replying to the woman. He squeezed her hand comfortingly under the table.

Avery hastily pulled her hand out of his grasp, surprised by his action. How could he tell that I'm upset by the topic? Does he know how to read minds?

Meanwhile, the husband piped up, "I heard Ms. Choume say that you transferred schools after a year in our high school."

Cayden nodded in reply but did not elaborate on his reasons for leaving.

"I know a secret..." Nephele said. She did not think her mother would stop her since many years had passed.

"I heard this from the principal himself." Nephele glanced at Cayden and continued, "Apparently, Moore fell in love with a girl in high school and was summoned to the principal's office for a telling-off!"

It was a shocking revelation.

Avery was baffled by how quickly her heart sank.

He liked another girl in the past.

Nephele carried on in a mysterious tone, "Surprisingly, Moore swore to the principal that he wouldn't disrupt the girl's studies and that he would marry her once he graduated." She then peeked at Avery before adding, "The principal fumed and asked him if he knew what love was, claiming he would regret it once he graduated high school! Then, Moore said he knew what love was, and he even said he already imagined marrying and raising kids with the girl."

Cayden's silence seemed to affirm Nephele's claims.

Back then, his family had been embroiled in an internal feud. Young and at the mercy of others, Cayden had been sent to a small town to study. To his surprise, he fell in love with someone, though it was largely a one-sided affair.

That year, Cayden utterly lost himself to the unrelenting claws of passion.

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