Stars Waited Above Empty Streets by Lorin Wren 128

Chapter 128 You Handle It 

“Don’t bother coming. I’ve got it under control.” 

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After what happened earlier, Ava couldn’t bring herself to face Jonathan. Things had nearly blown up right in front of him. She didn’t have the guts to show up now. 

Whatever. Grace wasn’t worth her time. Jane could handle her just fine. 

Jonathan and Avery were brought into a private room. The second they walked in, Jonathan didn’t even look at Grace. His face was stone–cold. “What the hell happened?” he asked. 

Jane brought up Grace’s Holoband footage and showed it to Jonathan. Then she turned toward Avery, who was already standing by Grace. “Grandma, you should probably see these too. I know you 

like Grace, but are you really sure you know who she is underneath all that sweetness? 

“She’s been playing all of us. Just because we didn’t keep her around, she flipped and started scheming. She thought she’d land herself a rich husband. When that didn’t work, she went after us instead. She knew this was Ava’s big party. She was watching her nonstop, waiting for a shot.” 

Avery stared at Grace’s bruised, swollen face, and her brow pulled tight. “Grace, what did I tell you before we came here?” Her voice sharpened. “I said you could come, but you had to follow the family’s rules. This is what you call following the rules?” 

Avery’s stomach twisted. She’d barely even returned to Capitol Planet, and Grace had already stirred up a scandal with the Morren family. She didn’t even want to imagine what Jonathan was thinking of her now. She had always been careful around him. Polished. Soft–spoken. Respectful. Given her background, that was the only reason she’d ever been accepted into the Morren family in the first place. 

“Jonathan, I swear I didn’t think she’d ever do this!” Avery blurted. “She promised she’d behave. She always played the quiet, obedient type. Even Selkie liked her. I figured she’d never been here before, so I gave her a chance.” She stopped looking at Grace and quickly shifted to defending herself. 

Jonathan finished watching all the clips, including the messages where Grace had leaked information. He gave Asher a passing glance, then looked straight at his wife. “Avery, you brought her. You decide what to do with her. She’s married into the Treshfield family, not ours.” 

Avery’s expression faltered. Even with makeup, she couldn’t hide the wear on her face. “Jonathan, she might be a Treshfield, but she came after the family. If you speak up, not even Riley will object.” 

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13:13 Wed, Jan 14 

Chapter 128 You Handle It 

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“Avery, I don’t deal with the Treshfield family’s drama.” 

That was his way of saying he was done with this. 

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But the colder he got, the more panicked Avery became. She had spent over a hundred years by his side. Back when she was young, she’d felt proud to be married to a man like him. But now that she was older, she finally saw the truth. To him, she was just the woman who gave birth to his kids. Nothing else. 

It could’ve been any other woman, and he still would’ve agreed to marry her. He never loved her. He never cared. Not once had he shown her warmth. She was the only one foolish enough to get swept up in the illusion of wealth and power. But the Morren family had never belonged to her. These days, she barely even set foot in their house. 

“Jonathan, this was all on Grace. She’s the one who crossed the line. The Treshfield family won’t say a word if we punish her. Jonathan…” 

Jonathan’s stare turned icy. “Then, take her and go. Go back to wherever you came from. We don’t want either of you here.” 

Avery froze. She hadn’t seen that coming. It looked like he was punishing Grace. But really, he was punishing her. This man still hadn’t changed. He never treated her like she belonged here. 

Avery’s lips trembled into a bitter smile. “Jonathan, I just got back. And you’re already throwing me out?” 

“I don’t need your input on my decisions. The kids are all here. Do you really want me to spell it out in front of them?” 

Avery’s face went pale. She understood now. She had begged for this marriage. He had laid everything out from the start. But she thought that after raising three kids with him, even giving him a daughter, maybe something had shifted. She thought their relationship had changed. She got greedy. But he never changed. Not even once. 

She couldn’t stay. She covered her face with both hands and ran out of the room. She didn’t even spare Grace a second look. 

As soon as she was gone, Jane turned to her grandfather, “Grandpa, should I go check on her? She’s probably really upset.” 

Jonathan waved her off. “No. Let her be. She wanted me to make a call, and I did. She’ll live with it. As for that woman, get her out. And make sure she keeps quiet.” 

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