AVA“No. Absolutely not!”“You're yelling,” I hissed.“I don't care,” he grabbed me by the shoulders, sounding separate, “Listen, Chloe means nothing to me. You're the one I'm gonna end up with. I love you.l“You're hurting me,” I squirmed. His fingers were digging into my skin and I tried to pull way but he was stronger than I was.“Didn't you hear the part where I said I loved you? Come on, baby. Don't throw away everything we've got because of someone inconsequential.”He tried to kiss me but I avoided his touch.“Don't you even think about it. You disgust me, Blake.”Shaking free of his grip, I threw the door open and exited, slamming the door shut noisily. My hands flexed with the urge to drive a fist into the wall but I held on to my temper. Going off at the slightest provocation wasn't going to earn me anything but a bad reputation.It was after I walked out of that office I realized how exhausted I was. Ever since Charles's wedding, I never knew peace of mind. Was this what my
Out of the frying panAVAI shot Lily a warning glance the moment the word “strippers” left his mouth. Did he just refer to us as strippers? Now I was even angrier than how I was earlier that day when I saw saw Blake walking in with Chloe. This was worse. And thatbitch named Melinda. Of all the things Melinda could have thrown at me today, she just had to send us to these degenerates.“Well?” The bearded one – Alan, I assumed because I read his file briefly – slouched deeper into his leather chair and waved his empty glass at us.“Don't just stand there. Pour us a drink,” his eyes were especially on me, raking over me in a way that made me want to shower for a week.“Who the hell do these people think we are?” I grunted through clenched teeth. My hands were already curling into fists when Lily's fingers wrapped around my wrist.“Just play along,” she whispered tightly. “For the contract. We need this.” I could hear the tremor in her voice as well, which meant she was just as disgusted
ALEXANDERI noticed a figure falling from just above me as I proceeded towards the stairs. Out of fast reflexes I rushed closer enough to catch them before they landed fatally ok the ground.It was a woman. She grabbed my arm tight and breathed heaving against me.When I looked at her face, it was Ava.I was genuinely curious to find out what she was doing in a club because I really didn’t see her as one to enjoy indulgence in these kinds of please. I helped steady her on the ground next to me but she kept holding on tight to my arm.“Let go,” I said.It seemed as though she didn’t realize she was clinging to me with so much ferocity. Embarrassed, she loosened her grip on me, her hands brushing against my jacket as she stepped back.She looked shaken as she forced herself to speak.“Alexander, you have to help me. Lily is still up there with those men!”My jaw tightened, “What men? What happened?”“There’s no time to explain!” Ava’s voice cracked with desperation. “They’re dangerous,
I was still shaken from the events of the past hour. Alexander’s assistant had called us an Uber, making sure we would reach our destination in one piece.Lily faced the window, probably deep in her own thoughts. I covered her palm and squeezed lightly, hoping she could sense the love I was trying to communicate.“I’m sorry,” I whispered.Lily turned to face me with a small smile on her lips.“I’m sorry, too. This shouldn’t happen to anyone.”I was tired and bruised, but my heart responded to her kind words. “You’re an angel, Lily,” I said.In response, Lily sat closer and gave me a hug. Right then, I felt so lucky to have met her, and I was grateful too. It was so strange that I would meet someone this kind hearted in just a matter of a few hours. And there was another part of me that hated the fact that she’d faced this situation because of Blake’s spite against me.“What do you think they’re going to do to those guys,” Lily asked.I shrugged. “They’d probably get arrested. Maybe th
Morning at the office felt different today, for some reason. It was like a ray of hope sat at the bottom of my gut, telling me that today wasn’t going to be as bad as yesterday. Amazing what a good dose of rage and pain medication could do for a girl's perspective.Lily ambushed me at the elevator, “How are you holding up, warrior princess?”I snorted at the nickname. “Shouldn't I be asking you that? I'm not the one who pulled a heroic save yourself moment yesterday.“Please,” she waved off my concern. There was a dinging sound, and the elevator doors opened up. As we continued walking towards the office, she continued, “Everything still rings pretty vivid in my head, you know, but I’ll get over it in time.”Feeling that twinge of guilt and appreciation again, I warped my arm over her shoulder and massaged it. “Thank you.”“That's enough thank yous already, Ava. Just want to be sure you’re fine too.”“Takes more than a couple of sleazebags to put me down. Although I might need a new l
ALEXANDER“You have a meeting in Singapore tomorrow at three with the CEO of Yali Enterprises,” Johnson rattled off as we strode through the parking lot.The pulsing neon lights of Tropicana tonight were a welcome sight after the endless meetings I had today in Paris. At least we'd sealed that deal, hence, another empire added to my collection. When I went in, I found that my boys were already holding court at our usual spot. The circle looked like a collection of men who collectively controlled enough wealth to buy a small country.“Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence,” Connor drawled with an insufferable smirk dancing on his face.I slid into my seat. “Just expanding the empire, gentlemen. Paris has fallen.”David arched an eyebrow as the waiter materialized with our usual—champagne on ice.“I take it the French surrendered gracefully?”“Don't they always?” The deal was a risky one alright, but then again, I built my fortune on calculated gambles.“To Alexander,”
AVAThis night was the worst night ever. I was fuming. I needed space. I needed to clear my head. This house was a major reason why I felt suffocated. Everything in this place reminded me about him. It reminded me of the life we could’ve lived together. Blake staggered in front of me, reeking heavily of alcohol. I tried to move around and he blocked my way.“Blake, get out of my way. Don’t make me mad.” I said through gritted teeth.The scene from the bar still assaulted my mind. It made me boil with anger . How could he? How could he try to hit me?“You know you’re pretty, Ava? Come, let’s have fun tonight. I promise it’ll be amazing.” he said, reaching his arms out to hug me.I slapped one arm away. “What do you think you’re doing, Blake?”He frowned in confusion. Years ago, I’d have thought it was cute, but his very existence made me disgusted.“What? Let’s have some fun. Come on, don’t be a party pooper,” he said, reaching out again.“Blake!” I screamed.I wanted to slap that enti
I moved out of that darned house within the next hour to a short let apartment rented earlier in the year. At least, I wasn't foolish enough to put all my eggs in one basket. Ever since I found out about Chloe, I’ve been really suspicious of a lot of things. So, I rented a house with the little money I'd saved. For now, it would give me the space I needed and an opportunity to restrategize. I had to work my way back to the top where I belonged.The universe finally decided to throw me a bone this morning. When Isabella texted about afternoon tea, I found myself actually looking forward to it. Maybe because I saw something of myself in her—another woman who'd gambled on love. The difference was, her bet had paid off, and mine didn’t.I got to the mansion, which was a place I used to call home before I handed everything to Blake on a silver platter.Isabella told me she was going to meet me outside. She wanted to take me somewhere. Her dark blue SUV purred up the driveway, windows rolli
Sniffling hard, I got up and rushed out of the front door, shaking with fear.Grandma needed to be at the hospital as soon as possible. My heart pounded in my chest, and tears burned my eyes even as I squinted ahead at the driveway as the rain kept pouring down. The spot where I parked my car was empty.I rushed down the porch, instantly getting drenched while I frantically looked around the compound but my car was gone.What the fuck? I shuddered.I ran out of the property to look on the street for some reason I thought I must have been seeing things but there wasn’t anything looking like my car in sight. There was very little time for me to process the mystery because grandma was all that was on my mind.Sprinting over to one of the neighbors’ houses, nearly slipping in the downpour, I pounded on the door.“Help! Anybody! Please, help!” I screamed at the top of my voice, hoping someone would hear me.I pulled my phone out of my pants pockets but it was drenched as well, luckily it w
AVAI was conflicted. Seeing Blake here must mean that he frequently visited Grandma and I had no idea what or how to feel about that. He has always treated me horribly, but here he was, acting in front of my grandmother like the perfect gentleman to ever exist. I didn’t think I wanted to be a part of whatever was shoeing inside there as long as Blake was around, so I made the decision to leave before I got noticed.But on turning around, I heard a noisy creak underneath my feet, coming from the loose floorboard of the porch. I immediately noticed how the voices in the house stopped, just as I also kept still until I was sure they weren’t gong to bother about the noise.Then, Blake’s voice boomed. “Who’s there?”I was surprised by how protective he sounded.I cleared my throat. “I wonder why you’re here of all places,” I said, almost rolling my eyes..“Ava?” He said and then there was a pause before I heard the latch open. Blake stuck his face out.When his eyes met mine, he made to s
AVAI'd spent the better part of my afternoon preparing for Cedric's visit. It was I who invited him earlier on. My heart was floating with a kind of pure joy that I had not experienced in quite a long time. But things were changing now. Everything in my life had shifted so dramatically since my first promotion. I now had a company car that now sat in my driveway, my impressively tripled salary, and even my very own personal assistant.Sure, I spent my childhood being surrounded by privilege and never wanted for anything, but this feeling was entirely different and almost intoxicating. This success was mine alone. I earned it by merit and not by privilege, so not a soul could diminish this victory. Not even Blake with all his manipulations, not Chloe with her schemes.I was bubbling around the house as I set up everything like I knew exactly what I was doing. It was a good thing I had hosted Alexander before so I could say I was a bit experienced in impressing a billionaire. The silve
AVAAs soon as I arrived at the office, Blake’s assistant came to meet me.“Your presence is being requested at the office, please,” the assistant said.I wondered what this was about this time. If Blake tried to pull anything stupid, he was going to see the other side of me this morning. I stormed across the corridor, annoyed that Blake was the first person I had to see on a wonderful Monday such as this.I reached the office, standing at the doorway while he propped his elbows on the table and clasped his fingers underneath his chin.“Welcome, welcome, have your seat,” he said.“I prefer to stand,” I said dryly.“Suit yourself, then,” he said and leaned back into his chair, watching me.I stared back at him with the same intensity, letting him know I wasn’t happy to be there or anywhere near him as a matter of fact.“I heard you got the contract,” he said, raising a brow.“I did. Thankfully. It was hard trying to get it, but I succeeded.”“Right,” he said dryly, “I’ve contacted Cedr
AVAI finally set up all my boxes in my apartment. There was still a lot to do, so I needed to make a proper schedule that would accommodate everything. I decided to get some groceries first so I could have food at home while I worked. In the next hour, I rushed to the grocery store and stuffed my cart with groceries ranging from vegetables, juices, cereals, pastries, and the likes.Finally, I checked out at the counter and drove back home. The supplies were a lot to carry. My fingers were looped through several plastic bags as I struggled to walk through the corridor. I'd been given my own pass card, which allowed me access to most facilities. As I neared the elevator, in the corner of my eyes, I saw Alexander walk towards me.I almost rolled my eyes again, but I didn’t. I never expected that he'd still be around here. We got closer to the elevators and he went first with pressing the button while I struggled with the bags, hoisting one of the heavier ones under my arm.“Hi, I didn’t
BLAKE“Fuck!” I yelled into the air, grabbing a handfull of my hair.What the actual fuck was happening? Everything I worked hard to build was crumbling to the ground. I pressed down on the accelerator of my car, increasing the speed. The rage inside me was too much to be contained. I needed an outlet, something to calm me down.The familiar urge to call Chloe bubbled up, but I squashed it instantly. That bitch was the reason my perfect world was falling apart. She’s brought me more harm than good.How dare she send those photos to Ava. I should have known she'd try to destroy me and I knew it was because of the stupid reunion.Earlier that day, my assistant informed me about the high school reunion my previous classmates had planned. Initially, I scoffed at the idea.Why revisit a past where I was nothing but the poor kid scrounging for scraps? But then a delicious thought occurred to me….I could return as a conquering king and show them all who Blake Montgomery had become. Things we
I watched Alexander’s back as he retreated, moving further and further away from me. There was a sinking feeling in my gut, like I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life. I was scared. There were a million scenarios that could’ve happened right there. I needed to douse the fire that threatened to burn everything down.“Why did Alexander come here? You brought him?!” Blake yelled, completely furious.“No,” I retorted, keeping a straight face. “He must’ve come to see you.”Blake scoffed, shaking his head. “You really think I’m a fool, don’t you?”I glared at him, amazed by his audacity. I began to question why I was trying to hide Alexander. I wasn’t even in any explicit relationship with him. Blake, on the other hand, was as shameless as a pig. In fact, I’d broken up with him. There was absolutely nothing between us.“Wait a minute,” I said, lifting a palm. “You’re suspecting me, right?”“You haven’t given me a reason not to.”It was my turn to scoff. I placed my hands on my hips.
AVAI still had the keys to Blake's apartment. Getting out of the vehicle, I sauntered to the front porch, stopping to listen for any noise before making any move. Of course I was aware he was supposed to be away at some reunion, which should have made this easier. But then, with Blake, you never really knew what could happen. I knew the kind of person he was and that’s a given. But that wasn't to say I wouldn't be shocked if he caught me off guard with something else.When I went into the house, it all felt so nostalgic…to a point I hated it and felt like I was going to fetch. There were all those eight years of my life in every corner of this house. Also, not much had changed since when I left so I figured he probably wasn’t even staying home. He was obviously having the time of his life with his married mistress elsewhere.Blinking, I shut out all the nostalgic feelings to her down to work.I wasn’t carrying a lot of heavy stuff like furniture. I’d decided I would buy my own with t
The atmosphere was as pensive as it could get and my glare could have burned holes through Sara's perfect facade as she turned those innocent, pleading eyes towards Alexander. She clung to his arm like a particularly stubborn vine, playing innocent with those practiced doe eyes. The manipulation was so obvious it made me sick. Even after all she'd done, she was trying to escape the consequences.“Still waiting for that explanation,” I said, taking a deliberate step forward.Sara's minion immediately moved to block me, like some kind of designer-clad bodyguard. How quickly they'd gone from bragging about their superiority to cowering behind each other. The image of them injecting Fudge earlier still burned in my mind and the way they laughed about it afterwards like it was nothing.The silence stretched heavy and uncomfortable. Cedric kept shaking his head in disappointment and I could only imagine how displeased he was. But I noticed how his eyes kept darting to Alexander, waiting for