Chapter 48 Marital Discord

Alexander responded with a gentle smile; he was not at all offended. "Understood, Grandma. I will," he assured Scarlett, reaching out to hold Ava's hand.
A wave of sadness washed over Ava as she felt his hand close around hers. He was playing his part well, but she knew his thoughts were with another woman. The whole dinner was a charade, a pretense they would drop as soon as they were alone again. The thought was heartbreaking.
Despite the ache in her heart, Ava maintained a smile on her face. She looked at Alexander with eyes full of affection, playing along with the act.
Alexander turned his gaze to meet hers.
For a moment, he was caught off guard. Her eyes seemed to be filled with love for him. She was a convincing actress. If he didn't know any better, he would've believed she was truly in love with him. But he knew better. She had told him herself that she considered him no more than a brother. No, perhaps even less than that. She was tired of him. His heart ached at the memory of her words.
Without realizing it, Alexander's grip on Ava's hand tightened.
Ava frowned after feeling the increased pressure. She nudged him gently with her foot, a subtle reminder for him to let go.
Alexander quickly let go of her hand.
Mia, who had been quiet for most of the dinner, turned to Ava. "I heard you graduated. Have you decided where you want to work? Or do you have other plans?"
"Ava plans to go to grad school," Alexander answered for her.
"Really?" Scarlett asked, puzzled. "Ava, when we were talking about work in the living room, you didn't mention anything about grad school. You said you were going to find a job."
Ava smiled, "I'm still planning. I haven't made a final decision yet. I'll let you know when I do."
She had only mentioned grad school to Alexander as a temporary solution. She hadn't decided whether she wanted to go or not.
Alexander frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.
He felt like he had been fooled again. Was she really planning to go to grad school? Or was she just trying to avoid working at the SK Group with him?
Was anything she said to him true? How much did he really know about her?
"You should make a decision soon," Mia advised. "Indecision is not a good trait. Time waits for no one."
Ava nodded, "I understand, Mom."
She could tell that Mia didn't seem to like indecisive people.
She had been feeling down lately because of her impending divorce from Alexander, so she hadn't been in the mood to think about some things. After all, everyone had their ups and downs. It was impossible to be on top of everything all the time.
"Ava will make a good decision. There's no need to rush. It's better to take some time to think than to make a hasty decision," George countered, seemingly having a different opinion than his wife.
Mia responded with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "Making a mistake is still a mistake, no matter how long you think about it. Aren’t you experienced in that, George?"
George frowned, "I'm just speaking from experience. It's always better to think things through than to rush."
"Yeah, and what kind of decisions have you made after all these years of thinking? Decisions that are so brilliant they deserve applause?" Mia retorted; her tone laced with mockery.
Ava couldn't help but feel uneasy. Something significant must have happened between these two. They were throwing veiled insults at each other in front of Grandma, as if they were engaged in a cold war. But they weren't divorced, were they?
Ava found herself wondering if she and Alexander end up like this one day. But then she corrected herself. There was no need to think about the future. They were already there.

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