chapter 6

Chapter Six…

Ava’s POV…

A month passed quickly, yet every single day had felt like a test. A test of patience, of strength, of the will to start again.

This morning, I stood in front of the towering glass building that housed Blackmist Company—my family’s company. The empire my father had built from the ground up. It should’ve felt empowering, stepping into what would soon be mine. But instead, my heartbeat was calm and cold, my face expressionless.

No one in this building knew who I was.

And that was exactly how my father wanted it. That's how he wanted it to be until the big day comes.

Before handing over the reins to me, he insisted I start at the bottom, just like any ordinary employee. “To understand the business, you must feel what it’s like to build it,” he’d said. And I agreed. Because I wasn’t here to wave my name around. I was here to take what was mine and prove I didn’t need a title to do it.

I adjusted the strap of my black bag and walked into the lobby. The chatter, the quiet click of keyboards, the fast footsteps of assistants rushing past—everything screamed of order and ambition. Heads turned as I entered. Some looked curious, some indifferent. I walked through like I belonged, because soon, I would.

At the security desk, a young man in uniform gave me a courteous nod.

“I’m here to see the manager,” I said calmly. “I have an interview scheduled for this morning. About my job appointment.”

He smiled as he told me to wait a little bit.

He picked up the phone, dialed quickly, and spoke in hushed tones. After a moment, he put the phone down and nodded.

“You can head to the top floor. She’s expecting you.”

I blinked. She?

I didn’t ask questions. I nodded politely, thanked him, and walked toward the elevator, pressing the button that would take me to the top. As the elevator ascended, my stomach clenched—not with nerves, but with something else. A flicker of unease I couldn’t shake.

The doors slid open and I stepped out, my heels echoing softly on the polished floor.

And then I saw her.

I stopped.

Of all the people. Of all the people in the world.

It was her.

She was the manager of my father company.

She looked up from behind the glass desk, that same smug smile curling on her lips the moment her eyes locked with mine.

The woman who had been with Richard.

The woman I had heard laughing in the background of that call.

Her long red nails tapped against the desk as she stood up slowly, confidence dripping from her like the cheap perfume she wears.

“Well, well,” she said, voice smooth and laced with sarcasm. “I thought I recognized that face.”

I didn’t flinch. I didn’t speak. I kept my face still, unreadable.

She walked toward me, her heels sharper, louder, like she wanted them to echo in my ears. “I remember now,” she added with a chuckle. “You’re Richard’s wife right? The one who left.”

I corrected her without missing a beat. “Ex-wife.”

Her brow lifted. “Oh, that’s right.” She gave me an exaggerated pout. “So tragic… What happened? I mean, losing both children? That’s—wow. I'm sorry but Richard explained it all to me.”

Her words were like a slap, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of reacting. I simply stared at her.

She leaned closer. “So… let me guess. You're here for a job?”

I stared at her with a cold smile. “I am.”

She laughed. Loud and shameless. “You? After the way you carried yourself that day? I remember thinking you were some rich man’s daughter or something.”

I just smiled. Not a real smile—just enough to let her know I wasn’t bothered. “Isn’t there an interview to conduct?”

Her gaze narrowed, but she stepped back and motioned toward a chair across from her desk. “Sure. Have a seat. Let’s talk about your… options.”

I sat down quietly, legs crossed, hands folded neatly on my lap. She followed suit, her expression gleaming with thinly veiled mockery.

“So here’s the thing,” she began. “We don’t exactly have many open positions right now, but there is something available… if you’re not too proud for it. At least it fits for you.”

I waited, watching her without a word.

“Errand work,” she said, feigning a sigh. “Fetching coffee, making copies, delivering documents. That kind of thing. It’s all that’s left. If you're up for it, you can start today. If not, I’m sure there’s a boutique somewhere looking for part-timers.”

I paused for a moment, just to let her bask in her little power trip.

Then I smiled. A slow, calculated smile.

“I’ll take it.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

I smiled as I saw the shock on her face, I know she wasn't expecting me to say that out loud.

“I said I accept.”

I stood up slowly, my eyes on hers, watching her face twitch in disbelief.

“You… really?”

“You offered me a job,” I said simply. “And I came here to work. Isn't that what this company is for?”

She stared at me like she was waiting for me to crack, to admit I was joking.

But I wasn’t.

Because while she saw me as a joke—just some desperate woman trying to rebuild her life—I knew something she didn’t.

This company was mine.

Everything belongs to me.

And soon, she’d be the one standing across from my desk, waiting to be told her place.

But not today. Not now It Best to keep things low.

Today, I’d start at the bottom. And when the time came, I wouldn’t have to lift a single finger. Her expression alone would be worth every step I took in these halls. And then she will see I'm not that weak.

As I walked out of the office, I didn’t glance back.

I could feel her watching me.

And that was enough.