Novels by Avery Joe

AltheaThings were changing. A lot.Althea Lewis from the past didn’t like uncertain and quick changes. Well, that was me. It took time to get used to anything, so to had a drastic change all of a sudden was draining.I meant, it took me months to finally be able to get a grasp of my new world, this business thing. And I couldn’t even say that I’d masteredt it.God knew I was far from it.Yet somehow, I didn’t mind the change that happened between Matthias and I. I liked it even, if I could put it that way.It felt like he was an entire different person, yet remained the same. The same Matthias Cox, but better. He brought a kind of stillness that didn’t demand anything from me, which was something I didn’t expect from him. At least me from months ago wouldn’t.He was calm where I was tense. He knew what to do, precise, where I was scattered and needed a lot of guidance. I didn’t need to explain my silences to him—he simply understood them. Vice versa, I didn’t feel the urge to ask abo

MatthiasTristan Kennedy.One name that I didn't really care about before. One name that had lived quietly in the shadows all this time, like a ghost behind a curtain. Everyone knew who Charles Kennedy was. He wasthe filthy rich misogynist who had crazy ideas that almost tanked his own empire.Almost. Underlined that word. Because his company was also one of a kind, an evidence of miracle, some would said.Some said that Charles came to his senses before the fall, miraculously managing to steer the wheel before he succumbed to illness. Others said it was a blessing from God for bad people. The latter sounded like nonsense, if you asked me. That kind of poetic ending sounded dramatic, too clean. I never liked those versions of the story. If God was real, He didn’t run a business portfolio. And companies like K Company didn’t just bounce back from near-collapse on sheer luck.Someone had pulled the strings. And if they could do that, then they were either a genius, or a psycho. The line

MatthiasEven though people say the crime scene will be the strongest evidence, the reality is often not the case. There would be times where you found nothing but the wind, no trace of a scent.However, again, I didn't have many options.The police station was not helpful, the orphanage that Cyan visited—I didn't have time to go because of the many meetings and the money-crazy people who could only sue instead of thinking and working—didn't give much information, so my option was Staten Junior High.I had gone to Marcus before to ask about Reiley, but I went back to school to ask something else; to see things from a different perspective. Some things was worth it to be checked twice. At least, I hope this one did.I had never thought I would come here once again, and some of the teachers sure shared the same thought, but they welcomed me nevertheless.“Mr. Cox, come in,” said Mrs. Josephine, the new vice head principal. She smiled so brightly, probably because I just told her a few d

AltheaIt was weird remembering how before I felt like I can’t get used to this world, and a few months later I felt empty because I wasn’t sitting on my working desk.It was strange; how quickly the walls of my office started to feel like home again. The smell of brewed coffee lingering in the air, the faint hum of the overhead lights, the rustling sound of papers and keyboards and footsteps just outside the glass doors.It had only been a few weeks since I last stepped into this space, but it felt longer. Too long. I used to complain about deadlines and office noise, but now that I was here again… I missed it. All of it. Even the chaos.I walked into my office slowly, fingers grazing the edge of my desk like I was reacquainting myself with something lost. It was clean, perfectly arranged. Just the way I left it.“God, finally.”I turned around and found Rebecca, my assistant, standing at the doorway, arms crossed, a wide grin on her face. She looked the same, stylish as always, sharp

Althea“Is everything okay, Matt?”The question slipped out before I could stop myself. I tried to make it sound casual—nonchalant, even—but my voice betrayed me with just the faintest edge of concern.Matthias stood across the room, near the wide living room window, one hand loosely holding his phone while the other hung at his side. The morning light softened the angles of his face, casting a golden glow across the lines of his jaw, but it didn’t do much to hide the tension in his shoulders.He didn’t answer immediately. He just stared down at the screen like he was reading something important. Or pretending to.“Matt?” I called him once again.Finally, he exhaled and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah. Everything’s under control.”It was the kind of answer you gave to stop more questions. The kind meant to reassure without actually offering anything real. I set my coffee cup down on the table a little too loudly.“That’s not really what I asked,” I said, more pointedly this time.Matt

MatthiasI made sure Althea was asleep before I slipped out of the bed.She’d curled into my side like she always did lately, breathing deep, her fingers unconsciously gripping the fabric of my shirt even in sleep. Maybe I could’ve stayed. Maybe I wanted to. It had become a quiet habit—sharing the night, the bed, her warmth. I didn’t know when it started to feel natural, but it had. And I didn’t mind it.But not tonight.Tonight, there was something I needed to do. Something I’d been pushing off for too long.The doctor had said she needed rest, and I wanted her to have it—wanted her to be safe, even if it meant doing the darker parts of this alone. So I moved carefully, slipping from the bed and tugging the covers back over her shoulder before leaving the room and closing the door with a soft click.The apartment was dim, quiet. I padded through the living room barefoot, the only sound the low hum of the city outside the window. I adjusted the headphones, waiting for the familiar chi