Chapter 05

Avery had spent the whole day communicating with her lawyer and submitting her resignation letter to Serene Airlines through him. She had also sent an official email and finally got herself free from that company.

Then James and a few other colleagues called suddenly hearing about her resignation and later that evening, Violet had called her to cheer her up. She wasn’t particularly close with any of her colleagues but she has been friendly to everyone as she worked there and just for that fact, everyone loved her.

Avery quitting Serene was the biggest talk among the members of the company these days and since they had especially heard about her reason for quitting, the assistant CEO was quite in the spotlight. It not only brought the management of the company a bad name but also ruined its reputation.

“So, is it true that you applied for Aurora Airlines?”

One of her colleagues had asked her and she remembered how she chuckled. She had only mentioned it to James and Violet but words sure do spread fast.

“Did James or Violet tell you that?”

She had asked and her colleague had laughed as he replied.

“They were bragging. About their friend getting into the best airline in the country.”

That night, she was on the balcony of her condominium, looking at the city lights and she couldn’t help but feel a little lonely. She was a person used to a solitary life but after the contract marriage to Caden, she felt lonely from time to time.

Especially when she felt a little indecisive and unsure of her life, she wished Caden was there to give her that listening ear.

They weren’t close. Hell, they didn’t even know where each other worked. But despite all that, there were rare nights both of them would get home early and have dinner together, which were the only times they even saw each other during that period. It might have been only once or twice for the six months they were married, but they felt nice.

She looked inside her condominium, which was in a pure silence and she couldn’t help but feel that it would have been good to have some dinner with Caden that night. She wished she at least had his contact number but she knew, just like they agreed, Caden must have changed it, just like she did. Avery just wished, at least, they kept in touch.

She looked back at the city below and her thoughts traveled back in time as a memory replayed in front of her eyes like a film.

“Oh, Avery. You are home?”

One day, for the first time since they married, Caden had met Avery in their condo. Avery was just as surprised as him but was feeling kind of pleased.

“I am. How was your day?”

“Just as usual. Pretty busy. Barely had time to breathe. Why do you look upset?”

He asked so casually, as if he knew her for years and Avery was taken aback by how he knew it already.

“Something happened at the workplace.”

“You’re not happy working?”

He asked in return and she gave him a small smile as he replied.

“I’m happy. But you know… things.”

“Now that we’re both here. How about we have a talk over some dinner and drinks? Might make us both feel better. After all, it has been almost a month since I last saw you.”

She felt warm when he said that, wondered if Caden knew what he was doing to her heart. They might have started in a contract but even before Avery knew, she had fallen for him.

Even when they didn’t meet, Caden tried his best for her and even if it was a contract marriage, he tried to work it out and make her feel comfortable. Like when she found a plate of breakfast on the table when she was about to leave for work…

She stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded as she grinned.

“Only if you promise you will cook some tasty dish of yours.”

He grinned as he gave her a knowing look and then removed his tie before he nodded.

“I will.”

“Let’s wash up taking turns, I’ll get the drinks ready, prepare the table and join you in the kitchen then?”

Avery asked and Caden chuckled.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Soon enough, both of them were preparing for dinner. It didn’t take Caden much time to prepare some macaroni and cheese with some deviled sausages while Avery quickly washed the dishes and prepared the cups along with drinks on the table.

“Hey.”

She heard Caden from the kitchen and she shouted back.

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind coming here a bit? I want to know if the spice is too much for you.”

Avery smiled to herself as she walked to the kitchen. There was Caden, in his apron and messed up hair that was still wet from the shower, and Avery found herself too attracted to him, she almost had to slap herself mentally to get back to reality.

“You know my level of spice. It is right on the breakfast-“

But before she could finish, Caden had stuffed her mouth with some sausages and she immediately devoured it, the texture and flavor melting in her mouth.

“Mm… It’s so good.”

She said with her eyes closed and when she opened them, she had found a Caden looking so fondly at her that her heart skipped a beat. They stared at each other’s eyes for a few long seconds, not knowing what overtook them but Caden broke eye contact first as he cleared his throat and said indifferently.

“Please help me carry this to the table.”

He handed her the pot of macaroni and Avery’s face tainted in a light pink with embarrassment before she took it to her hand and walked away without looking at his eyes.

They were finally sitting on the opposite ends of the table, quite distant from each other, but warm smiles making the atmosphere feel so filled. They had served themselves the food and poured the drinks and were soon munching through them.

At first, the taste of food made them forget about everything and Avery had audibly claimed that Caden was such a good cook. Both of them hadn't realized how hungry they were until that moment, which was why the first ten minutes of the dinner was silent.

But when Avery finally could get her mind off the food, she spoke first. She hasn’t still gotten over the little moment they shared earlier but she had to conceal it in order to not break the contract. The first condition of it was to not have feelings for each other.

“So, where did you learn to cook this well?”

She asked and that made Caden smile. It was a very distant yet heartwarming smile.

“I lost my dad as a kid. So, I lived with my mom. Eventually, as I grew up, I got together with her in the kitchen. It was like our way of bonding. Since she was a good cook, I learned from her.”

“I see…”

She replied with a smile and since she already knew a little about his father being dead, it wasn’t much of a shocker to her. But it was definitely the first time Caden was so much open about it.

“What upset you at work?”

This time it was Caden who asked and Avery’s face fell.

“The way they treat me.”

“As in?”

“As in, I’ve tried so much for this company. I’ve given it my all but they look down on me just because I’m a female. I understand their concerns but I have already proved them wrong enough. Still, they refuse to heed.”

“Do you want to join my company?”

Caden asked without thinking much and at that, both of them stopped in their tracks. Avery, because of the sudden suggestion and Caden, because he didn’t know what got into him. He had always felt confused about his protectiveness about Avery. He didn’t know why his mind had no leash when it came to her.

Avery cleared her throat as she laughed nervously and then remarked.

“What? Are you going to start an Airline Company for me, Mr. Wright? I didn’t know I had you down that bad.”

Caden chuckled back, feeling thankful that Avery broke the awkwardness and then commented.

“I could do that just to please you, sweetheart. Don’t tempt me.”

“Rich much?”

“I’m a billionaire for your information.”

“Damn. I couldn’t say with all the walk-in-closets and expensive suits you had.”

Avery rolled her eyes and both of them broke into laughter.

Ever since then, the conversation fell into more of a light-hearted pace and soon enough, both of them were fake flirting with each other, not knowing that they were really falling.

Avery smiled at the memories as she closed the door that led to the balcony and went inside the condo. Now that she thinks about it, they might have actually loved each other or at least cared about each other genuinely. But it was all in the past.

She took a deep breath as she sat on her bed and pulled out her laptop. And pushing all the thoughts of Caden out of her head, she browsed to check her emails. Since everything was settled with her resignation, it was only a matter of a few days that she started working in Aurora Airlines and she couldn’t help but feel excited about it.

She was surprised to find an email from Aurora Airlines and she wondered if they sped up the process of taking her in as she opened it, but her hopes vanished in thin air as she read it.

Dear Ms. Avery Foster,

We deeply regret to inform you that our company has made the difficult decision to withdraw from our offer of employment. While we had initially extended an offer to you, subsequent discussions with the executive committee of our Human Resources department have led us to reevaluate our approach to recruiting and investing in female pilots for a variety of important considerations. Primarily, our focus remains on ensuring the long-term success of our company.

We sincerely hope you can understand the complexity of this decision. We extend our heartfelt thanks for your interest in our company and for the time and effort you invested throughout the application process. Your qualifications and achievements are undoubtedly noteworthy. We value your understanding and wish you every success in your future endeavors.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Hans Nicolas,

Minister of Human Resource Department,

Aurora Airlines.