No one at the table bothered to speak up against Coraline's accusations, not even Brian. He just sat there, completely oblivious to the turmoil unfolding before him. Perhaps he, too, believed her false claims. Maybe he saw me as a gold digger like she did. Come to think of it, maybe that's why he was so harsh on me for being late that day. It was his way of reminding me of my place, of showing me that without money, I couldn't expect any leniency from him. "Well, I don't need to prove anything to you, Coraline. But thanks for the reality check. I almost forgot that all you care about these days is someone's bank account. Consider me reminded, although I didn't need it. I'll make sure to keep that in mind." I stood up, pushing my chair back and turning to face Miranda. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Edwards. It was nice to catch up with you." "Ava," Sean's mom tried to stop me, but I couldn't bear to stay any longer. Sean also rose from his seat, shooting a glare at Aaron and Corali
[AVA] It's hard to turn down the sad younger brother of your deceased best friend, especially when you used to be just as close to him as he was to his sister. That's probably why, when Kian asked if I needed a ride, I couldn't bring myself to say no. He saw right through my feeble attempts to decline, or maybe it was the frustration etched on my face and the lack of alternatives that made my situation painfully obvious. I slid into the backseat, longing for this nightmare to be over. To be completely honest, all I could think about was kicking off these torturous heels, shedding this suffocating dress, and collapsing onto my bed. I craved the comfort of my covers, wishing to sleep away the memory of tonight's events. It was the only way I could imagine finding solace and moving on without being consumed by despair. I refused to let this one awful day have a lasting impact on my life. I had a bright future ahead, and I wouldn't allow tonight's ordeal to bring me down. But despite m
I remained silent, seeing no point in saying anything. I followed his request, securing the seat belt and letting out a resigned sigh as it clicked into place. Brian wasted no time, pulling the car out of the parking lot, and we were soon back on the road. Awkwardness hung heavy in the air, and my mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions. I was on edge, fearing that something else would go wrong. The night had already been a disaster, thanks to Coraline and her clueless boyfriend, but even then, with all the attention on me, I wasn't as anxious as I was now. As we drove in silence, I averted my gaze out the window, observing the city, its bustling people, and the vibrant lights. But no matter how hard I tried, tension coursed through my body, my fingers tightly gripping the edge of my dress. And just when I thought and reminded myself for the umpteenth time to calm down, the car came to a stop at a red light, and without even thinking, I found myself glancing back
[AVA] All hell broke loose before I even arrived at work. “He’s been fired!” Nicole exclaimed, leaning over the desk and panting as if she had just climbed the stairs from the seventh to the eleventh floor to bring the terrible news. I furrowed my brows, trying to make sense of her urgency. "Take a breath and slow down," I said, placing my handbag and phone on my desk. I turned to face her. "Who are we talking about?" Nicole glanced around, her eyes briefly stopping at Mr. Larson's office. "Your boss." Confusion flooded my mind. I had multiple bosses, so it wasn't exactly a straightforward question. "Which one?" I asked. "The immediate one," she clarified, and finally, it clicked in my head. My jaw dropped. "Wait, seriously? Are you kidding me?" This was completely unexpected. "Why? What did he do?" "I honestly have no clue, but I'm dying to find out," Nicole exclaimed, shaking her head. "I've been on edge ever since I heard about it. I couldn't resist going upstairs to invest
"Did you like them?" Sean blurted out as soon as I pressed the phone to my ear. I rolled my eyes. "Why do you even care?" "Damn!" He cursed. "It's worse than I thought, isn't it?" "You think?" Another eye roll as I found myself sinking into my chair. "You completely abandoned me in the middle of the night." "I'm prepared for the lecture you're about to give me. Let's get it over with." I shook my head. "The dinner was a complete disaster." "Tell me about it." "Your sister was awful." "You did warn me, didn't you?" "And that idiot Aaron? What was he even doing there? It would have been nice to have a heads-up if he was going to be anywhere near us." Sean let out a sigh. "I wish I had known. Apparently, it was supposed to be a surprise." "More like a shocking disaster!" "Just thinking about how Cora managed to get his attention baffles me. That guy is trouble." He was right, but Aaron wasn't my biggest concern of the night. "Do I even need to mention the Reinholds? Why didn
[BRIAN] I constantly remind myself not to meddle, not to stress about what's happening around me, and that it's not my responsibility to fix the mess. But the more I repeat those thoughts in my mind, the stronger my desire becomes to resolve this messed-up situation. The more I feel compelled to get involved, the more I feel the need to protect her. Why? Why do I have such a strong urge to save her before her heart gets shattered? Why does it affect me so deeply? A voice in my head, the most confident one, assures me that it's simply because I've known her for such a long time that it has become an instinct, especially considering she's the exact age my daughter would have been if she were still alive. Every time I think about Valarie, an invisible knife pierces my chest. A sharp pain wells up in my heart, and I can't freaking breathe for a whole damn second. I can't accept how unfair everything is, how none of this was supposed to happen. If only Val hadn't been so stubborn...
I divert my gaze from the desk and look at Ava. She's dressed in a pristine white office blouse that fits her perfectly. Her dark gray skirt is snug but modest enough not to send any inappropriate signals. I tighten my grip on the pen in my hand, trying to maintain focus. Because the more I think about her, the more I recall the immense pleasure I experienced while picturing her on her knees, wearing that alluring little black dress, satisfying me with her soft lips wrapped around my erection. Damn it. Not again. I need to get her out of my mind before I do something foolish. Ava keeps her eyes lowered, as if she believes I've summoned her to reprimand her for something she feels responsible for. I wonder if she already knows the reason for being here. No, I don't believe she does. If my opinion held any significance to her, she wouldn't have completely disregarded it last night. She would have given it some consideration, as I intended, and inquired about the reasons behind my
[AVA] As I close the door of the restroom and lean against it, panic begins to consume me. What the hell just happened? Did he really... No. It can't be true. It must have all been in my imagination. But what other explanation could there be? He was standing too close—close enough that I could feel his breath on my face, taste the scent of his strong cologne. His fingers beneath my chin left a burning sensation, and his gaze...it felt like he was piercing into my soul. I take a deep breath, attempting to steady my racing heart, and approach the sink to splash water on my face. I need to rid my mind of this absurd notion. Whatever I felt when he pinned me against the door, it can't be what my mind is telling me. It must have been a misunderstanding. It has to be. There's no way he intended any of that to happen. And the way he so rudely threw me out of his office is clear evidence of that. But I'm burning up right now. Not just my face, but my entire body feels like it's on fir
[AVA]“Nope! Still not picking up his phone,” Sean says, shaking his head, trying his damnedest to keep it together.I can’t blame him. If Brian walked out on me this way, I would freak out like hell. Fuck, I don’t even know what I would do. I would probably have a meltdown or something.Perhaps tha
[MAX]I’m ready to take a break and hand over the counter to Patrick when the rainbow girl walks into the café/diner, and the bell chimes over her head.Her eyes find mine in an instant, and I stop whatever I’m doing for reasons I don’t even want to know.“Hey!” She walks over to me, leans on the co
[AVA]“It’s a great idea,” I say to him, finally realizing that it’s never the gift that matters, it’s the intention. And Sean loves Aaron; he only wants the best for him.Sean looks so damn relieved, tears twinkling in his eyes.“Oh, thank God!” He chuckles, nervously running a hand through his dar
I chuckle. “I’d love that, but I’m not sure Aaron would appreciate being put on the spot.”“Don’t worry, I’ll work my magic,” Sean winks and heads toward the kitchen, leaving me alone in the living room.I wander over to the bookcase, running my fingers over the spines of Sean’s collection. He has a
[AVA]“Brian was right, this is a very bad idea,” I mumble to myself as I stand outside the apartment Sean and Aaron share. And yes, let me remind you this is the same apartment where Sean found Aaron furiously making out with his sister.And yes, I should not have thought about that because now the
[AVA]“I’ll miss you,” I say once Brian and I step into the elevator of his penthouse.Kian and Mason are already downstairs, waiting for us. But Brian, being Brian, needed a moment to “make it up” to me for the whole two weeks he would be absent.I’m excited for him. I swear, I am. And yet, when I
[BRIAN]Time for some honesty: I’m terrified of what I’m about to do.Rock/Mountain climbing, I’m not sure if I’m made for such stuff. I mean, sure, I love treks and long walks and boating and camping and driving and all that stuff but climbing a mountain? That sounds a little stretch, even for me.
We pull back and Brian glares at his twin brother, who in turn, winks at us, making sure we know he has only been kidding. “We are heading to the next store. Think you can take your make-out session on the go?”Brian flips him off and Mason laughs, walking away with Kian in tow.Kian looks over his
[AVA]“I can’t believe you agreed to this.”“Trust me, I can’t believe it either.”I chuckle, not able to help myself. I would have loved to see Brian climbing a mountain, but I can’t, and that makes me sad. But maybe I’ll have better luck next time. I just hope Brian will be as willing to take part