Avery heard her name from outside the window.

She hurried to wipe her tears with the back of her hand. She looked up. The screen was dark. The curtain was pulled down, and it became a wall again. It was like nothing happened before.

Avery struggled to stand up. She walked over to the window with a pale look. There were barracks weld outside the window. She could only look down through the iron bars.

"Avery!"

Underneath the window was a green lawn. Andrew stood in the chair in the lawn, pulled his hands around his mouth, and shouted her name.

She was still upset about the video she just saw. All she could think of was Evan covered in blood.

Her intuition told her something was wrong. But she didn't know where it went wrong.

"Avery?" Avery came back when Andrew called her the second time.

"What are you doing here? How do you know I'm here?"

Avery was kept on the 4th floor. She had to speak up so Andrew could hear.

"I'm here to meet Mr. Howel."

"You have an appointment with Mr. Howel? Aren't you supposed to be in the city? Didn't we agree that after picking Jessica up..." Avery froze for a bit. She recalled she saw Jessica running in the crowd with the bridesmaid's dress the day she was brought here, "you didn't see Jessica?"

"No," Andrew hummed. If James didn't have Jessica, he would never let James go. The great opportunity was wasted.

Avery was speechless. She was confident she could get Jessica out. But it turned out the plan failed. Avery felt upset and frustrated because of the dissatisfactory ending.

"I'm here to persuade Mr. Howel to let me take you away," Andrew still was on the bench. Maybe he was tired, and his feet were still on the bench. But she sat down.

"Then?"

"He wouldn't see me."

It wasn't that easy to meet Mr. Howel.

Avery wasn't at all surprised at Andrew's answer. She was tired after a while. So she bent over on the window.

"If he refuses to see you, what are you doing here?"

"I'm finding a place to kneel to beg for him."

"I'm not lying. I knelt there two days before," Andrew pointed in another direction, "then I found out you're kept here. So I changed my kneeling spot."

Andrew said it with ease, which agreed to his languish nature. But he meant it when he said he knelt to beg Mr. Howel. She just cried. Now she felt crying again for Andrew.

"Are you touched? If I had known, I would have knelt before. You might agree to go out with me," Andrew realized Avery went soft easily because of niceness. She never yielded to power. If he had known, he would never force her with all the tricks.

It was a pity...

Andrew touched his chest, subconsciously. Maybe he didn't have much longer left.

This was as much as he could do for her.

"Leave. Go back and rest," Avery knew from Jamie that his health wasn't good recently.

"We said we would leave together. Do you want to ditch me?"

"I..." Avery wanted to say Mr. Howel would keep her here forever. But when she was about to say, a maid walked to Andrew. This was Mr. Howel's place. She had to be careful about whatever she had to say.

The maid said something to Andrew and took him away.

Andrew followed the maid. Like always, he passed multiple layers of security checks. When he entered the door, Tinder held Evan to leave Mr. Howel's room.

Evan and Andrew looked at each other. Andrew lifted up his eyebrows.

"Evan, did your grandfather punish you for misbehavior?"

Evan didn't expect to see Andrew. He was utterly surprised. He was hit multiple times by the infrared ray guns. Although he had no actual wounds, the infrared ray guns stimulated bullets' force. The pain was the same.

Even so, he had such a strong atmosphere that no one would overlook.

"What are you doing here?" Evan looked at the stuff Andrew was holding. It had no wrapping papers. They were a chess book and a set of the chessboard. If he wasn't wrong, the chessboard was made of precious jade, and the book was the first edition of a famous chess player. Both were very expensive.

"Do you have trouble with your intelligence? I come here to play chess with Mr. Howel."

"With my grandfather?" Evan sneered, "good luck."

"I will. I also will win my bride away and embrace the prime of my life."

Andrew smiled flirtatiously. Lucien came out to greet him.

Evan knew what he implied by saying "bride." He frowned suddenly. Too bad, Lucien shut the door. They were kept apart.

Mr. Howel stood in front of the French window. He looked at the cage and fed the eagle.

"Mr. Howel, I brought a jade chess board and a chess book by the player you always admire. I heard that you're really into these. So I asked for some favors and some friends brought it from the city. After so many you've done for my family, this is the least I can do. I hope you will accept it."

Mr. Howel was feeding the eagle. He stopped at the chess book and looked at it. Andrew saw the sparkles in his eyes. He recognized it.

Andrew watched every of Mr. Howel's subtle changes. He smiled.

"Mr. Howel, do you want to play with me?"

Mr. Howel was tempted. He asked the maid to bring some tea. He led Andrew in the study.

Multiple bodyguards followed them in too. Two were behind Mr. Howel, and several were in different corners of the study.

Andrew seemed to be used to it. He wasn't affected at all. He half-knelt on the table and set the chessboard. Then he said deliberately.

"Mr. Howel, I'm not as good as you. I hope you'd go easy on me."

"I know your father was a renowned player. I think you're as good as he is. Don't let me win," Mr. Howel tapped on his lap. He took a walking stick from the maids and put two hands on the head.

Andrew smiled.

"If so, do you want to play something more interesting?"

"Hahaha."

Mr. Howel laughed out. Even his shoulders got shaken up, "a chess player's mind is not on the chess."

Andrew set up the last piece. He looked up and said sincerely.

"I've been kneeling for three days. I'm stuffed. This chance to play chess with you saves me from boredom. So I want to think of something interesting to do."

Mr. Howel looked at Andrew with a deep meaning. But he didn't say anything more.

Evan looked like Mr. Howel a lot. But Mr. Howel looked more like his age. He had some distinctive wrinkles around his eyes. But Andrew could tell how arrogant, wild, and self-centered Mr. Howel was when he was young.

Moments later, he removed his hands upon the piece.

"How do you want to play?"