Chapter 544
When Ava called me “Aunt Emi“, Noah’s expression shifted for a moment.
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He had come to Claudeville after hearing that things weren’t going well between Irvin and me. Especially after our divorce, he had often dreamed of being with me and bringing me home to introduce me to his family.
Those dreams were just like this, warm and joyful. In them, his bedridden sister was healthy again, and his uncle supported our relationship, blessing us with warmth and love.
And now , that dream had come true. But he wasn’t in it.
He had come to terms with it. He knew love couldn’t be forced, and he genuinely wanted the best for William and me. But still, he couldn’t stop the ache in his heart.
Why couldn’t it be him instead?.
He was so in love with me and wanted it so badly.
But that was how life worked. The more one wanted something, the harder it was to get it. And the more unreachable it was , the more one desired it, making it harder to stop caring or let go completely.
After dinner, Noah and William went into the study to talk.
Just as I was about to head back to my room , the housekeeper came over to tell me that Henry wanted to talk to me about Ava’s
treatment.
I knew he was using Ava to threaten me. He was afraid that I wouldn’t want to meet him. The message was clear. If I refused, something might go wrong with her treatment.
After a moment of silence, I told the housekeeper to bring him in.
When Henry arrived, he gestured to let the housekeeper leave. As soon as we were alone, he exploded in frustration.
“Emilia, it’s fine that you got out. But why did you have to destroy that organization? I spent so long negotiating with them! I was finally on the waiting list. They were going to arrange a heart transplant by the end of this month. Now it’s all ruined!”
The woman Henry had been obsessing over had a serious heart condition. She wouldn’t be able to survive without a transplant, and he was willing to do anything to get her a suitable heart.
He had finally secured a match through Timothy’s organization and was just about to proceed with the surgery. But then , the organization was wiped out.
He was so devastated that he no longer wanted to continue living.
Before I could say a word, he stared at me and said coldly, “If William could take down that kind of organization, I’m sure he can arrange for another heart transplant. You’d better tell him to get one for me right now. If not , I’ll stop treating Ava, and she’ll relapse soon.”
Henry knew that he would only be needed and have the power to negotiate with William as long as he was treating Ava.
Before , he clung onto this to protect his precious Julianne. But now she didn’t even matter anymore compared to this woman. All he cared about was getting a heart for her at any cost.
But he was also afraid of William. That fear made him feel like his threats wouldn’t be as impactful. So instead of going to him directly, he came to me.
“You could ignore Ava’s condition before, but now that you’re marrying into the Ashford family and becoming her aunt , you can’t pretend her life doesn’t matter. You know how much she means to William and Noah. If you want her to live , get me that heart transplant,” he said.
I stared at him for a long moment. Then a thought crossed my mind. “Fine. I’ll talk to William and make sure that he finds one
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for you no matter what,” I promised.