The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1472

After a moment, she asked with some distress, “What exactly is love? Why does it make people act out of character and stir up all sorts of strange emotions, even leading to sadness, heartache, and sorrow? If it affects one's mood so much, wouldn't it be better not to talk about love at all?”

In her world, she had no feelings for anyone else except for Satan.

And her life, too, only had two distinctly different modes.

When she was not on a mission, she followed Avery around, completely content with just good food and drink. She didn't need anything else.

When she was on a mission, she transformed completely, truly becoming an emotionless assassin.

Therefore, she couldn't comprehend love and affection.

Avery looked at her, bemused and confused, and couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and playfully ruffled her hair. “If you don't understand, then you don't understand. Enjoy the present moment, but you'll understand, eventually.”

In the end, he added, “Even if you understand, I won't allow you to experience these hardships. If you're talking about love, the other person should only bring you happiness. If they dare to make you suffer even a little bit, I'll deal with him myself.”

Violet blinked in partial understanding. Although she didn't fully comprehend, she felt completely at ease.

So, in a somewhat dazed state, she responded, not thinking too much about it. She reached out to him and said, “Hey, I feel like having strawberry flavor today.”

Avery raised an eyebrow, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small item, placing it gently into her palm.

After returning from the Gordon residence, Avery entered the lobby and saw Albert. Immediately, his face darkened, and his voice turned cold. “What are you here for?”

Albert's expression was far from pleasant, his face gloomy and shrouded in anger. With a stern face, he began to question in a rather unfriendly tone, “I heard you went to the Gordon residence. Did you confront them about Phoebe's matter?”

Upon hearing that, Avery let out a cold, scornful laugh. “Confront them? Are you expecting an explanation?”

Albert was seething, gritting his teeth as he said, “Of course, it's about Phoebe's ordeal! You don't need to lie to me. I know it was the Gordon family who did this! Neera, it was her! How could she be so cruel to harm Phoebe to such an extent? She—”

Before he could finish his words, Avery's face turned stern. His sharp, knife-like eyes stared directly at him like a sharp arrow shot fiercely toward him. “Are you saying Neera had harmed Phoebe? Uncle Albert, you can't possibly be unaware of what happened, can you?”

Albert was taken aback, his eyes bulging round in surprise. He stiffened his neck, refusing to admit it. “What's true or false about the whole matter, I don't know. All I know is that she, Neera, is now living the high life, being pampered and treated like a VIP in Lordsworth Estate. However, my daughter is barely alive. Her existence is no different from being dead! I can't possibly let this matter rest!”

Avery squinted his eyes, chuckling once more. “Oh? You don't want to let it go just like that? Well then, tell me, what do you plan to do?”

Albert choked up again.

This time around, before he had a chance to speak, Avery beat him to it, his tone even colder.

“Uncle Albert, everyone knows everything that's going on. We both know well what kind of mess Phoebe has made. What are you trying to achieve by making a fuss in front of me now? Phoebe knew about the secret passage in the Gordon residence. I haven't even had the chance to question you about it, yet here you are, bragging in front of me. All right, now I'd like to ask you something. How did Phoebe find out about the secret passage in the Gordon residence? Also, how did you know about Phoebe's current situation? If I remember correctly, since you came back from Bartitsu Guild, I've warned you not to have any contact with anyone from there. So, is it that you want to betray the Cox family, Uncle Albert?” Avery questioned.

One question after another was thrown out, and Avery's tone became increasingly harsh.

Hearing those questions made Albert break out in a cold sweat. Even his back was soaked with sweat.

He gritted his teeth and defended himself by saying, “I'm just worried about Phoebe. After all, she is my daughter...”

“If my memory serves me right, Phoebe is no longer a part of the Cox family. You say she's your daughter. So what? Are you also planning to leave the Cox family? Is that it?” A cold, detached laugh escaped from Avery's lips. His face was expressionless, his gaze icy and stern. “If that's the case, the door is open for you to leave. From this point forward, the Cox family will have nothing to do with you.”

Ronald was also there. Hearing those words, he felt somewhat overwhelmed and quickly stepped in to mediate. “All right. That's enough. Albert, stop causing trouble. The Cox family has finally found some peace recently. Don't stir up more chaos for Mr. Avery.”

Albert felt a lump stuck in his throat, unable to swallow it down or cough it up. It was so uncomfortable that he felt he wouldn't be at ease until he spoke his mind. Relying on the fact that he was an elder to Avery, he fearlessly said, “Avery, I am still a member of the Cox family and your elder. Lately, you've been causing unpleasantness between us over an outsider. Isn't this inappropriate? Even if the Gordon and Cox families have a good relationship, they are ultimately not from the same family. The people of the Gordon family are outsiders, not to mention Neera, who doesn't even bear the Gordon surname. She can't compare to our own family! For her sake, you even drove your own cousin away, and now you're disregarding her life and death. Don't you think what you're doing is too excessive?”

In response to his questioning, Avery's face remained expressionless, his tone icy. “Excessive? Is this considered excessive? In my opinion, merely driving her out of the Cox family is a punishment that's far too lenient. Had I known earlier how malicious her intentions were, I would have dealt with her directly from the start, ensuring she'd never have the chance to cause trouble again!”

The thought of Neera being bullied to such an extent by Phoebe, the thought of that girl almost enduring endless humiliation and losing her life over it, made his hands, hanging by his side, involuntarily clench into fists.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and the blue blood vessels and deep purple tendons were clearly visible.

Albert was startled by his words, his pupils dilated. For a moment, he didn't know whether to feel angry or shocked.

After a brief pause of two seconds, Albert sharply retorted, “Do you even realize what you're saying? She's your cousin! How could you?”

“Cousin?” Avery scoffed disdainfully. “Tell me, what has she ever done for me? What has she done for the entire Cox family? Other than causing trouble and using the Cox family's name to bully others, what else has she done? In the past, I turned a blind eye to some things because she was young. But she's only gotten worse. Are we supposed to continue tolerating her? Mr. Albert, the Cox family is neither a garbage dump nor a shelter. If she wasn't your adopted daughter, she would have been dealt with long ago. How could she have stayed in the Cox family for so many years up until now? It seems I've been too lenient with you, leading you to misunderstand that I'm easy to talk to and tolerant. This has made you increasingly reckless, even daring to speak to me, the head of the family, in such a way. You're so quick to point fingers, so why don't I just give you the position of the family head? Then you can rightfully lecture me.”