AVA
“Grrrrrr!” The harsh sound of the alarm clock filtering into my ears had me groaning as I woke up with a start. I massaged my temples and stretched, letting out a small yawn.“Freedom at last,” I muttered under my breath when A chuckle filtered into my ears again, making me jolt. My hands flew to my chest to stop the beating organ from bursting out in fright.
Emily? Standing right in the middle of my room with a wild smile on her face was the maid who helped me escape that day.
I stared at her for a minute, blinking and rubbing my eyes to be certain she was the one.
“It’s me, Ava” She said, smiling, and I jolted from my bed, running to meet her.
“It's you!” I squealed in delight, throwing my arms around her in a tight hug. “How did you get in here? Did he see you?!” I whisper-yelled after releasing her from my grip.
She nodded, raising her hands in a placating manner. “Yes, he saw me”
What?!
I hugged her again. “I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that because of me.” I apologized profusely.
She wrinkled her nose, confused, before staring at me deeply. “I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. I went away for a few days on a personal assignment.”
What?
“You mean you have been unharmed all this while?” I inquired to be sure of what I was hearing. I had lost sleep because of this issue, and now she tells me that she has been fine all along.
“That's right, ma'am.”
Wow. I blinked at her, not understanding where all of this was stemming from.
Seeing my confusion, she decided to put me out of my misery. “Mr. Zayn never punished me, only issued a stern warning, I think that it's a ploy to control you and scare you from escaping again.”
The hell he was! He was probably one of those wealthy men who refused to acknowledge the fact that not everyone could be controlled.
A rush of emotions filled my heart, bordering on gratitude, relief, all at once. I tapped her arm instead. “I'm glad that you are back.”
“Yeah, me too. I'm going downstairs to prepare the table. Breakfast starts in twenty minutes.” She announced before turning away.
Good.
Twenty minutes later, I headed downstairs, feeling a sense of excitement since I had received permission from Mr. Arrogant. I double-checked my outfit in the corridor mirror and nodded. At least I looked presentable.
From my vantage point, I spotted Zayn sitting at the dining table with his head buried in his phone with his brows furrowed in concentration.
Feeling bold, I decided to join him. My slippers clicked on the linoleum floor, but he refused to look up until I stopped at the seat beside him. “Good morning to you, Mr. Arrogant”. I said, reaching for the chair tentatively as I waited for him to respond.
He raised his head to look at me and after staring at me for a while, he finally spoke up, “You’re not supposed to eat with me” He responded, his voice cold and detached.
A grin spread widely on my face “Ooopsie,” I started to say, “I’m so sorry sir, but the baby wants to eat her and if I’m right, the baby gets whatever he wants right?” I asked jokingly, my voice dripping with sarcasm, but he didn’t respond.
He returned his focus to his phone, making me roll my eyes and dig in the baguette.
They smelt delicious, and I could feel my insides leaping for joy at the thought of consuming the lovely meal.
He had wonderful maids. I just hoped that he treated them nicely.
I noticed his gaze on me and raised my face to meet his, “Do you have something to say, Mr.?” I asked, raising my brows.
“Stop munching loudly, it’s irritating” He spoke up before continuing on his phone and I increased the sound, for unknown reason I enjoyed making him annoyed.
Everything was going on smoothly until a chunk of baguette got stuck in my throat and I tried as much as possible to bring it out to no avail.
I cleared my throat various times just to get rid of the lodged chunk in my windpipe. My throat was beginning to hurt from the pain of swallowing. I grabbed the glass of juice in front of me to wash it down, but it only worsened the situation.
“Z-zayn,” I called him, but he ignored me like I didn't even exist. I tapped on his side of the table, yet he refused to answer.
“Zayn!” I yelled out in frustration.
That proved disastrous because, at this point, I had already begun to choke, coughing out loudly. His head piped up like a bullet. His eyes widened in horror.
“Holy shit!” He cussed and sprang into action, reaching for a jug of water that was opposite me. “Take this.” he poured the water into the glass, spilling a few drops in the process. “My goodness! Are you okay?” He asked before patting my back gently like a child.
The water helped to ease the tension in my throat, and I found myself swallowing again, but this time, it ran through my throat freely.
I sighed in relief and blinked back the tears threatening to fall off as a testament to the pain I was feeling.
“How are you feeling?” He asked again with concern flickering in his eyes.
Zayn’s eyes locked unto mine and I felt a shiver run down my spine.“Yeah, yeah, I'm better now,” I swallowed from the intensity of his gaze. “Thank you.”
He kept staring into my eyes, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, avoiding his intense gaze. “Umm…” I trailed off.
“You should be careful next time, chew slowly.” He said, and the only thing I could notice was the little distance between us. He was so close.
I give a slight shake of the head. “Yeah, it was a total mistake.” I chuckled nervously. “It's not as though I would want to…”
He nodded while still staring into my eyes, “I understand, you have to be careful next time, it’s not good for the baby”
Way to mess it up, Mr. arrogant. He was only acting concerned because of the baby. Why was he staring at me so much? I fought the urge to ask him to sit down and stop pretending like he cared about me.
His gaze dropped to my neck and I instinctively swallowed. “Do you want to continue eating this, or can the maids get you something else?” He inquired from me.
Yeah, that made sense. We had still not broken eye contact. “I'd go for another meal,” I muttered.
He stood up, straightening himself when an angry voice thundered. “What the hell is going on here?”
I turned back to see his finacee, Sophia, staring daggers at me.
ZAYN'S POV My lips pressed into a firm line, as Sophia's voice rang out, echoing through the dining hall. She was supposed to be in Rio De Janeiro, but why did I feel so mad about her timing?Exhaling through my nose, I slammed my fork on the table. “And what are you doing here? What happened to your trip?” I asked, gritting my teeth. Sophia blinked rapidly, disgust lighting her face, “What is going on here, Zayn. Just now, the both of you were…”“I asked first. What the hell are you doing here?” I interrupted, turning to her. “Does that matter? Is that the most important thing now? No, I don't think so!” Sophie moved closer, her eyes bouncing from me to Ava. She was starting again. She was trying to raise trouble, “You not talking makes it all the more suspicious.” She spat.“What exactly is wrong with you, Soph? You just came in, and started flying wrong accusations everywhere. What do you think happened? Did you see me locking lips with her, or does this perhaps look like a bed
AVA’S POV “Who the hell is Lucy?” I screamed, my voice hoarse with panic, “H…how did she die?” I stammered, my legs trembling in fear.What exactly had I gotten myself into? My mind was racing. I couldn't think straight. My eyes bouncing between all three of them, I blinked, trying to piece together what the man just said. Why was no one answering me? Their silence was adding to my fears.“Why won’t you talk? Please…. Answer me” I said, moving forward, careful not to step on the glass, “Just now, you were saying something about another surrogate dying.” my voice came out urgent, and desperate with a little wobble.I swallowed, moving closer to the strange man, who had a lazy grin on his face. Zayn spoke up, his voice firm, “Ava, go inside. You need rest. I’ll explain later.”Who needed the damned rest when something like death was mentioned. “He didn’t tell you? What a pity…” Zayn's uncle began, with a pitiful smile and adding more to my fears, “Lucy was so pretty, it’s such a pi
ZAYN'S POVSophia folded her arms, shaking her head, as she exhaled. “It won't take me long. It's just a week this time around. A week will pass by before you know it. It's only seven days. Seven days, Zayn.” She held up her fingers, looking at me with such desperation that made it seem like she wanted to push the exact way she was feeling onto me. “That's what you keep saying. I'm tired of hearing you give excuses! What exactly are you going there to do?” I snarled, my voice dripping with venom. It wasn't long since she went to Rio de Janeiro, now she was talking about Jamaica! “New products will be released in Jamaica, and I have to be there to inspect them in person. Check everything out, and decide which ones I want, and which ones I don't want.” “You’re so unbelievable, Sophia! An assistant can do that for you. You can have a video call on it. Isn't this just an excuse?”“No. There might be little flaws that I can't see unless I go there in person. Touch it, feel it… you don'
AVA’S POV“I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. I…”“It's fine” I cut in, quickly, stepping backwards, as I blinked uncomfortably. “I'll just… uh, I'm just going to… you know, go out. Like you wanted me to.” Stepping backwards, I turned around, and left his office immediately, sucking in all the breath I'd forgotten to breathe in. His receptionist was staring at the door, and my guilty conscience made me think she had somehow magically heard and seen everything that went on. “Where is the waiting room?” I asked, and she rose from her seat. “Come with me, please.” She said, getting out from behind her desk to walk ahead of me and my bodyguard.We went with her, and I couldn't help thinking of all that went on minutes ago. Everything had just changed drastically, and the energy was weird. His eyes! They looked like a swirling tsunami of desire. They acquired a dark feel as he stared at me, and even now, the goosebumps were present on my skin. I exhaled through my mouth, and shook m
ZAYN'S POVAva clutched my shirt with shaking fingers as she watched me with her large dark eyes bouncing between mine.“What happened?” My hands settled on her shoulders feeling the violent tremors running through her. She tried to speak, tried to take in deep breaths, but couldn't stop the frantic shallow gasps from escaping her. I looked towards her room, as she also looked back, her pupils blown wide with panic. Her grip clamped down even harder on my chest. “In my room…” her voice was a breathy whisper that trembled with the force of her terror. My chest tightened, as an unsettling dread cooked in my belly, “What did you see?” My lips stretched into a thin line. “I… I…” a sob broke out of her, and her trembling fingers flew to her mouth, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She struggled to get the words out. “Wait here.” I said, brushing her hands off my clothes gently, stepping cautiously to her room.There it was. I didn't even need to step in before my breath was knock
AVA’S POVI woke up to the sound of Zayn's voice speaking rapidly on the phone, or was it the breeze pouring in?As I turned to look, my eyelids fluttered open slowly, and I met with the luxurious ceiling of the hotel before turning to see Zayn standing in front of the water dispenser, ending his call with frustration on his face. Sitting up, I noticed my breakfast spread out on the table, with a wide range of delicacies ready to be devoured. Why did he order so much for just breakfast?“Did you find out who did it?” I asked, my voice a little hoarse, and he turned a little too sharply like he hadn't expected me to be awake. He exhaled softly, before heading over to the sofas crowded around the spread out breakfast. “I think you should have your meal first.” He said, opening some closed dishes. I closed my eyes, letting out a slow sigh, “Has the matter been solved? I want to know that first.” The image of that horrific scene still played in my head, and no matter how tight I shu
AVA’S POV.I shot to my feet, my eyes going wide, “What? Which maid was it? What is her name?.” My feet already carried me straight to her without knowing it, and my hands clamped around her shoulders. “Uh… no, it's not what you think. I… I don't know her. I barely saw her. And I suspect she did it.” She said and air rushed past my lips, as I bowed my head, my hands still on her shoulder.“Thank you.” I said softly, feeling my hopes crash like a waterfall. I let my hands slip off her shoulders, and took a few steps back. “You may leave now.”She asked, tentatively, “Will you be okay?” “Yes, thanks once again.” I placed both hands over my face, as she walked out, “Don't close the door.” I ordered, quickly. “I won't.”That unknown maid was definitely the one who did that to my room. It had to be no one else but her. The problem was finding that maid before she did something else to me. I had to tell Zayn. I lay flat on my bed. If I told them that the only maid allowed in my room was
ZAYN'S POV.Her lips.It kept replaying in my mind, I couldn’t get the picture out of my head, no matter how hard I tried.I don’t know exactly what it was that was making me attracted to her because there were so many likable things about her.Her stubbornness, how fierce she’s and not afraid to take any decision or perhaps her determination.I looked towards where she was seated studying the brief of the meeting, her white gown clung to her body, showcasing her shape and not to talk of the tiny baby bump that was already shooting out.Fuck! I could feel my little monster rise up, just at the mere thought of her….. This was so wrong, but I couldn’t help it. She looked divine and for a moment, my mind drifted to Sophia.Never for once, had Sophia cared about my business or work. The only time she would come in here was to demand that I give her money. Looking at how determined and eager Ava was to get the job, I couldn’t help but imagine Sophia’s reaction in my head. ‘I can't do thi
AVAI had just finished breaking down in the restroom. It wasn’t seeing him that made me so emotional, it was the fact that he never gave up. He travelled miles away just to search for me. I made a silent prayer that he would understand that wink. As much as I wanted to run into his arms and hug him tightly, I needed him to tread carefully with Carter.Because the Carter I’ve stayed with these days is a very careful and dangerous man. Currently in the books, he was the good one, my supposed passport shows I am his wife with other documents he had managed to forge. Thankfully, Zayn was able to handle the situation well. Carter stared at him, and I was sure he had already started having doubts about Zayn coming here, “Mr. Beckham…” he began and Zayn interrupted him, “Call me Zayn, no need for formalities anymore.”Carter clenched his fists underneath the chair. He was barely able to hide the hatred and disdain he hadfor Zayn. “Zayn. The thing is that, I enjoy my quiet space, and yo
ZAYN It’s been a week since I arrived in Abu Dhabi. I had made sure that the kids were safe with Cassandra. She hasn’t given me any reason to doubt her and, moreover, she was the only person I could trust with them. Noah had given me the necessary details on their particular location and even went as far as finding out Carter’s Favorite restaurant. But it’s been a week now and no progress. I came here day and night, sometimes I just sat outside. Other times, I pretended to be a guest, ordering black coffee I barely touched, all this just to get a glimpse of Carter. It was exhausting—and fruitless. Until today. I bumped into a lady and had just turned to apologize when the words got caught in my throat. This can’t be. Her eyes, those lips—Ava. It was difficult to see her face because of her clothing choice and just as I was about to speak up, a familiar voice interrupted me. “Mr. Beckham?” I froze once more as I turned. Lo and behold, Carter was standing bef
AVAI’ve lost count of how many days I've stayed here. Escaping proved more difficult than I thought it would. The other day I found out that Carter had changed my name, and even created a new passport.How he was able to do that in my unconscious state still amused me. Everything about the house was creepy, from the colors of the room, to the old maid, to the numerous bodyguards. Who knew Carter, Zayn's supposed bodyguard and trusted servant, could be this rich? I’ve not been allowed to leave the house and anytime I ask why, Carter's excuse was that I am not strong enough to start moving out. And when I persisted, he said I didn’t have the right clothes to go out with. And so today, he decided to get me the ‘RIGHT’ clothes. The sound of his horn broke me away from my thoughts. I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me he’d arrived. I hurriedly went into the room and laid down on the bed. In no time, the door was open ajar and Carter walked in. This has been the normal routine of com
CASSANDRA I stepped out of the house for the first time in two months. I couldn’t leave the kids for a second with the fear that my mother would strike. Seconds, minutes, days and now two months, I have cried every night and woken up to different nightmares. Her face haunted me—I could still remember how she looked when she found out I had betrayed her. Guilt was killing me slowly, and it only worsened when I looked into Zayn’s eyes. I see him struggling every time, the other day I found him crying in the garden. The last time I’d seen him like this was when he lost his mother, and it hurts that I partook in his pain. I was stupid, wicked and misled. Sometimes I felt like coming clean, but that will make him hate me and distance me from the kids I’d vowed to protect with my life. And now, I was in my car, going to see the mastermind behind all this—Rebecca Beckham. My mother. I was done hiding, it was time to stand up to her. It was a three-hour journey and
ZAYN It’s been 74 fucking days since I last saw her. Papers, files, documents, and lots more were scattered on the table, all contained clues and places I’d already searched. But I wasn’t stopping anytime soon.If I have to, I’ll search the whole world for her. I refused to accept that she died. It seemed too convincing. The shrill of my phone rang loudly, and I didn’t bother checking it, “Any news?” I asked, immediately, my voice hoarse from days without proper rest. It was my agent, Noah. “No sir.” He responded, “But one thing is confirmed, she is not in the waters. In all my years of expertise, if someone dies in the water, the current always returns to the body after a few days, a week, or even a month. But in Ava’s case, there’s nothing to show even after continuous searching.”I heaved a sigh of relief. This was what I wanted to hear—that she didn’t die in the water, that’s why I asked them to search.This was also confirmation that Ava was RESCUED. She had been pulled out,
AVA The door creaked open, and I shut my eyes immediately, pretending to be asleep. I could hear footsteps coming closer to where I laid. And then—strong, sweaty hands roamed around my body and I felt like I was being pricked by a needle. I already knew who it was…his fragrance was choking the hell out of me. His hands reached my chest and I stiffened. What did he want to do? My heart was racing and just as I was about to hit his hands off, the shrill of his phone rang. His hands left my body as he stood up, I heaved a deep breath. “Blackwood speaking.” His irritating voice spoke out, and I peeked my eyes open to see him by the window. “I can’t believe it worked. The universe seems to work in my favor.” I froze, my ears listening attentively, I couldn’t hear what the other person was saying but from Carter's response, I already had an idea. “She doesn’t remember a thing, Noah!” He squealed in delight and I tightened my hands underneath the bed. “I’m not let
AVA What was he saying? Christopher? My husband? Why was Carter telling lies to me? Or were we in any sort of trouble?Every nerve in my body screamed at me to react, to shout, to call out the lie—but I didn’t. Something about the way he was looking at me…the way his words were so carefully chosen… told me this wasn’t just a misunderstanding.This was a setup.My heart was racing beneath the calm facade I put on my face. The last thing I could recall was the sound of the gunshot…falling from the cliff and sinking deep into the river. And then…darkness clouded by vision. But here I was, Alive and Awake with Carter spilling lies to me. My eyes scanned around the room before landing back on Carter, he had a smug expression on his face. “Where are we?” I asked, my voice low.My body ached so bad, especially my legs and I could barely sit upright. “My love, we are home.”Home? This didn’t look like home. The vicinity didn’t even look familiar, and it made me wonder where I was.
CARTER.United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Cleveland Clinic, 9am. The sound of the beeping machines was the only thing that could be heard in the room. I walked to where she was laying down…looking so pale but her beauty remained untouched. She was still as beautiful as ever. Infact the most beautiful lady I have ever seen. I heaved a deep breath taking a seat beside her, my eyes fixed on her. I couldn’t stop wondering— what if I didn’t get there in time? When I called that fateful day, and she didn’t pick my calls, I knew something was wrong. My men confirmed it when they spotted her car speeding out of her house. We tracked her location but by the time I got there, it was already too late. The divers began their work and Ava was found deep in the water. It was a miracle that she still had a faint heartbeat. We made sure to clean all our tracks before leaving the vicinity. Treatment commenced immediately in New York but when I discovered Zayn still believed she was alive I had t
ZAYN. I staggered into the house, my head spinning. This had been my daily routine for two months now, and I didn’t care. Ava has left a deep void filled with darkness in my heart and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to accept she was dead. I ended up getting drunk every day, so I could see her in my dreams. Immediately I stepped into the sitting room, the light was turned, and I covered my eyes with my hands. “Who the fuck is that? Turn off that light!” I yelled, my head pounding. “When are you going to stop this?” Cassandra’s brittle voice spoke up, “For goodness sake, Zayn, it’s 4am in the morning, and you have been in the bar all day.” She continued, “You think this is what Ava would want? You drinking yourself to stupor?” “I …w…wasn’t drinking.” I lied. She scoffed, “You reek of alcohol, Zayn. From your clothes to your scent, everything about you and it’s so infuriating since you’re supposed to be a father of newborn babies.”