Twenty minutes later, Scarlet arrived at the office, her steps purposeful as she made her way to Ethan's office. She knocked lightly on the door before entering, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern."Brother," Scarlet greeted warmly, her voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. "You sounded pretty serious on the phone. What's going on?"Ethan rose from his chair to greet her, grateful for her presence. "Hey, Scarlet," he began, gesturing for her to take a seat opposite him. "Thanks for coming."Taking a deep breath, Ethan recounted the events of the morning's meeting with Aviana. He described Aviana's distant demeanor, his attempts to understand her mood, and the abrupt end to the meeting after confronting her.Scarlet listened attentively, her brow furrowing with concern as Ethan finished his explanation. "So, you think Avi's mad at you, but she won't tell you why?" she summarized, her voice soft with empathy."Yeah," Ethan replied, running a hand through his hair in frust
Scarlet grinned at Aviana's comment about Milo, nodding in agreement. "He definitely does. But speaking of being kept on your toes, how's my brother treating you these days, Avi?" Scarlet asked playfully, raising an eyebrow teasingly.Aviana's smile faltered immediately at the mention of Ethan, her mood shifting drastically. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself before responding. "Ethan?" she replied tersely, her voice edged with irritation. "He's... he's fine."Scarlet sensed the change in Aviana's tone, her playful expression fading as she picked up on the underlying tension. "Uh-oh, trouble in paradise?" she asked cautiously, eyebrows raised in mock concern. Aviana scoffed, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "Paradise? More like a roller coaster," she muttered, her hands gesturing animatedly. Scarlet sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair as she looked at Aviana with exaggerated concern. "Okay, spill the tea, Avi. What happened between you and Ethan this
Ethan stood outside Aviana's office door, his mind racing with thoughts of how to approach her. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then knocked gently."Come in," Aviana's voice called from inside. Ethan entered cautiously, finding Aviana seated at her desk, engrossed in reviewing some documents. She looked up as he entered, her expression neutral but her eyes betraying a hint of wariness."Avi, can we talk?" Ethan asked softly, stepping further into the room.Aviana leaned back in her chair, her expression cool and composed despite the underlying irritation. Ethan stood before her, unsure of how to break through her icy demeanor."What's there to talk about, Ethan?" Aviana began, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she tapped her pen on the desk. "I don't expect you to have figured out the reason I'm mad at you already. It might take you a day, a week, or a lifetime to figure it out. Who knows?"Ethan blinked, taken aback by her blunt honesty. "Avi, I—""Nope," Aviana cut in,
Ethan looked up, his face flushed and his posture stiff as he tried to hold Aviana close. His usual aloof demeanor was completely absent, replaced by a flustered and panicked expression. “Faith! I—I didn’t expect—” he stammered, his words tumbling out in a jumbled mess.Faith couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Ethan, the ever-composed boss, was now visibly flustered, with his shirt slightly askew and a look of sheer bewilderment on his face. Aviana’s cries were still unabated, adding to the hilarity of the situation.“Uh, Sir,” Faith said, trying to suppress her laughter as she walked over to them. “It looks like you’re having a bit of a rough time here.”Ethan, still holding Aviana, glanced at Faith with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. “Faith, I... I don’t know what to do. She’s... she’s crying because I figured out something too quickly, and then I made it worse by saying I got help from Scarlet. I don’t know how to fix this!"Faith’s eyes twinkled with a mix of amuseme
Aviana lay in Ethan's arms, their bodies intertwined in a comfortable silence that spoke volumes of their deep connection. The room was quiet, save for the soft rhythm of their breathing and the occasional contented sigh that escaped their lips.Ethan gently brushed a strand of hair away from Aviana's face, his touch tender and filled with affection. He couldn't help but marvel at how natural and right it felt to have her in his arms, to feel her warmth against him.Aviana shifted slightly, her head resting against his chest as she looked up at him with a soft smile. "You know," she murmured, her voice tinged with a hint of playfulness, "you have a way of making everything feel so... perfect."Ethan chuckled softly, his heart swelling with love for this woman who brought so much joy into his life. "I'm just glad you feel that way," he replied, his voice gentle. "You mean the world to me, Aviana."Aviana's smile widened, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on his chest as she gazed up at
LA, AirportStanding not far, after alighting is Aviana Cole, her mother, Joana Cole and her brother, Hayden Cole. Finally, they were here. In LA, the most popular city in California. Surrounded by vast mountain ranges, valleys, forests, beautiful beaches along the pacific ocean and nearby desert. She could not believe her eyes. She stood on the same spot as if rooted to the ground. Her eyes moved from the elegantly dressed people moving to and from the airport, to the beautiful tall buildings. These were enough for her to understand that those who lived in the city were extremely rich. She fell in love with the city at first sight. No longer holding her joy, she shouted happily,"Wow, this is so amazing! I've never seen a scenery like this before. Hey, look at that building. It's really awesome!" said Aviana excitedly, pointing to the direction of a tall building her eyes came across.The mother and the brother stood there stupefied by the little woman's
Aviana paced the room nervously. In her Twenty-three years of living, she had never been this scared. Her heart rate increased. She was breathing so heavily it seemed she might hyperventilate. It had been three hours since Hayden was taken to the operating room. Whatever was happening inside the room, she didn't know. Nobody knew except for the doctor.In her hands, she held a string of beads. It was a kind of rosary that catholics used when making prayers. This was the only item she had of her father and she cherished it so much. Her father gave it to her years ago when he was still alive. She believed that, if she made a prayer with it, her brother would be okay. Actually, she had never believed in it, at first. She never believed that praying with the rosary, could make prayers come true.When her father gave it to her, he told her that it would protect her always, and that whatever she needed, she should pray with it and her desire would be granted. She never saw t
"Um, he's fine. He's out of danger for now, but..." he hesitated. Whatever information he wanted to disclose to her was very critical. He knew, people react to critical information differently. Some would cry it out, others would take it calmly and others would remain quiet. They would not cry, they would not talk or say anything. This party was the most affected. They could result to committing suicide.Apart from being a doctor, he was also a psychologist and he knew so much about psychology, and studying people's minds to know their reactions. He needed to calm her, first, before he could disclose to her whatever was going on with her brother."First, you need to stay calm. Breath in and then out," he said as he gestured to her, while he inhaled and exhaled too."Okay, I'm calm," she said as she followed his lead and breathed in and out to steady her breath. "What's going on with Hayden! Please doctor, just tell me! Tell me he's going to be fine!" she pleaded