Olivia Sparks

Later that day, Ava drifted from one store to another, spending her time finding the best gift for Olivia. However, after scouring the ground floor of the mall, what she thought was an easy task ended up being a chore. What exactly could you give someone who has everything including a prince? She wandered aimlessly around her playground, letting her feet take her wherever it wanted to go. Soon, she was on the fourth floor of the mall where the nursery and children's section was. "Huh?" Her brows knitted, seeing a man's familiar silhouette standing on the sidelines as a pregnant lady try and test strollers that were lined up in front of them. On a regular day, Ava knew which direction she should go to exit which floor as she had memorized all the Lin Malls by heart. However that afternoon, her mind got too muddled that instead of fleeing the scene, she walked towards her cousin Selena. "Ava!" Selena was smiling but Ava saw right through the guilt that pooled in the former's eyes. "I bumped into Uncle Henry and he said he'll show me around," Selena explained without being asked. She hooked an arm on Ava, dragging the latter to where the strollers were. "Good afternoon, Dad." Ava paid her respects to the Lin patriarch. "Sorry if Selena is bothering you. Uhmm, I'm here now so…" Ava gulped at how awkward the situation was.  She didn't know what to say to her father-in-law. They rarely spoke to each other, and when they do, it would be Henry seeking favors from the Lee family or vice versa. Forcing a smile, Ava tried to act as naturally as she could even though deep inside she was deeply bothered by seeing Henry and Selena together. She prayed her disgust wasn't so obvious when Henry Lin patted her arm, tenderly smiling at her as he announced, "That's great to hear, I was on the way out anyway." The Lee cousins replied with a smile and watched as Henry Lin and his entourage left the scene. Ava pivoted in her spot and faced her cousin named Selena Go who was heavily pregnant with her first child. Ava was itching to ask her cousin why on earth she was with Henry Lin but saw how many eager employees were waiting for them to talk that was why she forced out a smile and sighed. "Have you picked which one you wanted?" She almost rolled her eyes on the spot upon hearing Selena huff. "You ruined my mood. How can I get a freebie now that you shooed Uncle Henry away?" "I don't want to sound petty, but I can buy everything that your hand touches this afternoon. Can't believe how you can stomach calling him uncle when…" Ava peeped at Selena's bulging belly and tutted. She inched forward, whispering in Selena's ears, "Is that why you 'accidentally' bumped into him here? So you can go shopping with your baby's daddy?" "AVA!" Selena shrieked, covering her mouth when she realized she spoke louder than she should be. Her hands dropped, curling into white knuckle fists as she bottled up her anger. "I see cousin Ava grew a spine after hanging out with Olivia and Emily," she sneered. "I'm always this way, Selena. Birds of the same feathers flock together. That's why the three of us clicked." "Let's stop arguing, it's not good for my daughter." Ava's beady eyes narrowed at Selena who was now rubbing her round belly with eyes closed as if in a solemn prayer.  Suddenly, Ava's maternal instincts kicked in and she had this feeling that maybe Selena didn't know who the father of her child was which is a double yuck in Ava's dictionary. How could her cousin sleep with a man when she was married to another?  Ava chuckled, looping her arms on Selena. "Since we're here, let me do the horror of keeping you company since you badly needed one." She had to let go of whatever uneasiness she had in her heart because Ava was not one to hold judgment on other people, especially since she wasn't in their shoes in the first place.  Maybe there's a reason why Selena was drawn to a man like Henry, like a moth drawn to a flame. And it was too late for her cousin to realize how destructive that attraction was until her wings were burned by it. Ava glanced at Selena, offering something she was best at—organizing parties. "Sooo, what theme do you want for your baby shower? We can make a list of things you wanted, then make a baby registry for you so your guests would be the one to buy this stuff. See? You picked it… but they will buy it for you. Smart." Selena's lips quivered. She didn't know whether to be glad that she's picking baby stuff or sad that she won't be able to even touch those things. She pried her arm off Ava who was surprised by the pregnant lady beside her and charged it to the hormones acting up. "I'll let you in on a secret, okay? But promise me you won't tell anyone," Selena said and clasped both of her hands with Ava's. "I can't promise, so don't tell me," Ava replied and gulped. Just the word secret made her ears perked up, excited to share the news to her gal pals. But she didn't want to betray her cousin, that was why she had to come clean that she couldn't agree to Selena's terms and conditions. Dragging Ava to the fitting room, Selena slid the curtain behind them closed. She sat down on a tufted ottoman, rubbing her belly in circles. "Last night… I caught him in the study… sniffing coke on his table. I was so scared I said I would just go out for a drive to grab midnight snacks and never returned home." Ava's eyes enlarged, her mouth formed into an 'O'. It was news to her that Lance Go succ.u.mbed to the promise of a temporary high.