Ava's POVMy heart raced as I waited for Mom to declare who the new director would be. She seemed to enjoy taking her sweet time, letting the tension build in the room. Five agonizing seconds passed before she finally spoke."Mike Harrison."I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, relief washing over me. Thank God she didn’t put me there. If she had, everyone would have whispered behind my back, claiming I’d only gotten the position because my husband was Mr. Blackwell’s assistant—or whatever role Liam was playing today. He certainly hadn’t acted like the CEO during this whole ordeal.Mike’s eyes widened, his mouth dropping open as he hurried forward. “Mrs. Blackwell? Are you saying I’m going to be the new director of this department?”“Yes, Mike,” she replied firmly. “You’ve earned it. But don’t follow in Tina’s footsteps, or you’ll regret it just as much as she does.”“I won’t, ma’am. I promise.” His voice was filled with enthusiasm as he eagerly shook her hand, flashing a bright smile
Ava's POVMy face pulled into a frown, and then I burst out laughing. This was the funniest thing I’d heard so far."Mike, you're really funny, okay?" I said, still chuckling. "But it’s getting late, so now I need to go home."He didn’t respond, so I glanced up at his face. My smile disappeared as I realized that there was no smile on his lips."Uh, Mike, excuse me, I need to pass. You're blocking my path.""Ava, I don't know what's so funny. Did I say something wrong?" he asked, his voice serious.Oh my God, he was serious? "Wait a second, you're serious, Mike? You actually want me to go out on a date with you?""Yeah, is there an issue with that? I don’t see any problem," he replied nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just asked the most ridiculous thing in the world.“Well, there is a problem, Mike," I retorted, folding my arms. "My husband was here barely an hour ago. Didn’t you see? Perhaps you were too busy celebrating your big win, and you didn’t notice. But Liam Ross is my husband,
Ava's POVI quickly detached myself from Mike’s hold, staring wide-eyed as Liam stormed into the room.“What the fuck is going on here?” he asked, his voice low but sharp, as his piercing gaze moved between me and Mike.For the first time in my life, I was speechless before my husband. I didn’t know what to tell him. What do you tell your husband when he catches you kissing another man in the office?“Liam...” I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.He cut me off, his eyes narrowing. “I asked a question. What the fuck is going on here?”My heart pounded in my chest, and I looked at Mike, silently begging him to say something that might diffuse the situation. Apologize. Back down. Walk away. Something.But Mike, being the arrogant fool he was, squared his shoulders, meeting Liam’s furious gaze without an ounce of fear.“I was just doing for your wife what you cannot do for her,” Mike said smugly. “I was telling her the perks of being with me. A better option than you.”The a
Liam's POVI stood under the shower, letting the cold water flow over my body and cascade down my face. I needed to cool off. This was better than drinking, especially since I’d never been a fan of alcohol. But no matter how cold the water was, it couldn’t extinguish the fire raging within me.What in the world had that idiot been thinking, kissing my wife?No, I wasn’t mad at Ava. Hell, I could never be mad at her. She was the only good thing in my life, the only person who kept me sane and happy. But that fool—Mike—he had no right. The thought of his lips on hers, even for a second, made my blood boil. Ava was mine. My wife. Always mine. Nobody would ever take her from me, no matter how hard they tried.After what felt like hours under the shower, I finally turned the water off and wrapped a towel around my waist. I stepped out of the bathroom and headed for the closet to grab some clothes, but a soft whimpering sound stopped me.It was faint but unmistakable.A sniffle.I turned qu
Ava's POVA slow but steady heartbeat was the first sound that greeted my ears as I woke up. Liam's arms were wrapped around me firmly, but not enough to hurt. His face was peaceful in sleep, as though the world beyond this room didn’t exist.He looked so cute—his plump lips protruding in a small pout, his long lashes fanning his cheeks. His dark, soft hair was messily scattered across his forehead, and I reached up to brush the strands back into place.As I stared at his face, my mind drifted into thoughts. Last night had been emotionally draining, but also relieving. I had been so scared that Liam was angry with me.The thought of him doubting me had crushed me, but he had explained that his anger wasn't directed at me. Whatever misunderstanding we’d had was fixed now, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.“You know,” Liam’s groggy voice broke through my thoughts, soft and deep from sleep, “if you keep doing that, I don’t think I’ll want to get out of bed today.”I paused for a
Ava's POV"W-what a-are you saying?" I stuttered, turning to face Liam, my eyes wide open.Liam chuckled, ruffling my hair, making me slap his hand, a frown taking over my face."What I just said, my love, is that you are going to be my personal assistant, starting today. So hurry up, we are going to be late for work.""Um, mom, what is going on?" I turned to her, seeing as her son seemed to be running mad or something. "Liam is talking trash this morning. I don't know, maybe he didn't sleep well or something. What is going on?"Mom and Dad exchanged a glance before she passed me a small reassuring smile. "My darling, we agreed last night that it was best for you to work closely with Liam. That way, nothing would happen to you while working like it did with Tina and Mike. It’s the best way to keep you and our grandbaby safe, honey. You have to believe us. You have to understand.""Wait... but, mom—"Mom sighed softly. "Please, try to see it from our point of view." She reached for my
Ava's POV"Are you deaf? I asked you a question." Her voice cut through the air like a sharp blade."I am Mr. Blackwell's assistant, ma'am. His new PA.""His personal assistant?" she asked, disdain dripping from her voice. "You? What the hell have they hired now? Where's Jason?"She folded her arms, her face contorted into a glare."I didn't even like Jason," she muttered under her breath, "but to hire someone better than him, and they go and hire a lousy klutz."Her words made my face turn red, and my hands balled into fists at my sides. I am not a klutz.I took a deep breath, reminding myself where I was. This was Liam's office, not a place to let my emotions run wild. I couldn't afford to speak out of turn, especially not to someone who looked like she could be a potential client or one of his investors. That would be a disaster—not just for the Blackwells, but for me as well. If I wanted to climb the ladder and become someone great one day, I needed to be professional and act wise
Ava's POVThe room fell into stunned silence as I registered her words. What did she mean by that? Did Liam really say something like that? Why?Liam seemed to be in a trance for a few seconds before he shook his head, muttering, "Celeste, stop it."She raised her brow, feigning innocence. "Oh, what are you talking about, Liam? Have I done something wrong? Oh, is it what I said?" She laughed awkwardly. "Don't think too much about it, my dear. Ava, I'm so happy to see you again," she beamed, facing me.The person in front of me was a complete and stark contrast to the person who had just insulted me outside. She was behaving like we were friends or something. Well, Liam did say we were friends growing up, right? Just not anymore!"It's nice to meet you too," I lied, wishing she would leave already so I could spend some time with my husband."It's nice. Liam, how about we go out and eat something? Catch up, you know? It's been a really, really long time," Celeste smiled at Liam.Liam, y
Ava's POVNo.No.No effing way.I refuse to believe it. When I heard what the police officers had said, I let out a loud gasp, which betrayed my location as all eyes turned to me. But by the time they could move towards me, I bolted, running as fast as my legs could carry me away from them.The men's footsteps were pounding against the tiles behind me, too much noise for a hospital, but at the moment, it didn't matter."Ava, wait. Please wait!"Multiple voices were shouting at once that I couldn't make out who was talking. It didn't matter; I just needed to get away. Where to? I had no idea, but I kept running.I stood no chance, though, not only because I got tired but because there's only so much distance a heavily pregnant woman could cover. Domenico met me first, pulling me by the elbow to face him.I jumped into his arms, soaking his shirt with my tears. "Don't cry, baby. Don't cry. Everything will be okay."I sank to the concrete ground, shivering from the cold that was seeping
Ava's POVHis eyes lingered on my trembling figure, staying for a while on my stomach before he sighed. "There's no time to waste. Let's get going."The men reluctantly got in while eyeing my direction, and the cars roared to life.They drove off in the opposite direction from how they came while I fell to the ground, unable to stop my tears even as the driver tried to get me to calm down.About a minute later, the cops arrived and rushed towards us since the driver had turned on the lights.Domenico was the first to reach my side, lifting me up and cradling me against his chest. Why were they here now? It was all useless. My husband had been taken. I was numb. Their presence now was unnecessary.I was placed in an ambulance, but even as the red and blue lights shone so bright, I couldn't feel a thing."Some cop cars have gone after them. But what exactly happened?" I heard a voice ask. Dad? Or Carlos? I didn't know, and I didn't care. I was numb at the moment, unable to believe that
Ava's POVI held my breath, feeling tears stream down my face as the man walked closer. This is it. My baby and I are going to die. I'm so sorry, baby. I failed to protect you, I whispered, rubbing my stomach.Once the man got closer—so close I was sure he could see the car—a deafening sound erupted from the store. Once. Bang. Twice. Bang. And then, like a chorus. I froze, my eyes wide as my mind reeled with different possibilities of what could be going on. Oh my God, what if they've killed my husband. No. No, this can't be happening.My prayers were slightly answered when the men who went in started filing out, dragging an extra person between them. There's no mistaking it. That was Liam.Although relieved that he hadn't been shot, my heart still clenched when I saw the state he was in. His suit jacket was nowhere to be found, his shirt torn in different places with blood seeping out, and bruises littered his entire body."Oh my God. Please save us," I cried, knowing that I couldn't
Ava's POVTen minutes went by as I stayed in the car, waiting for Liam to return. Boredom slowly crept in, and I kept tapping my fingers on my knee while singing a song to distract myself from the eeriness of the surroundings.The driver sat still, his eyes focused on the direction Liam had gone in. When it got to 15 minutes, I sighed and pushed open the door, stepping out into the chilly dark night. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself to prevent the cold from biting my bones.The driver's door opened behind me just as I started walking in. "Mrs. Blackwell, where are you going, ma'am?"I shrugged. "He's taking too long. I'm going to check on him," I said and continued strolling towards the building but halted when the driver gripped my forearm."Ma'am, please stay in the car. I'm sure he will be here soon. He might not be happy if you go in."I hated the fact that he was right. Liam had told me to stay back. But what was taking him so long? I couldn't stop the clenching of my
Ava's POVSoft kisses on my jaw, running down to my chin and the back of my neck, woke me from the deep slumber I had been enjoying. “Liam, let me sleep, please,” I groaned, but he chuckled, his warm breath tickling my skin.“Come on, baby, just once again.”Was he serious? Hell no. I frowned into the pillow, cuddling further into it as the chilly breeze from the open window hit my skin when Liam pulled the sheets down my shoulders.“Liam, it’s cold. Give me back,” I murmured, extending my hands without raising my head from the pillow.“Babe, no. Not until you give me my birthday present.”“I’ll give you at the party, Liam. Come on.”“No, I want it now. You know what I mean,” he whispered, his voice husky as he bit my earlobe.Gosh, I married an insatiable beast.“Liam, I gave you your present as requested two times last night. Now just leave me alone.”“Babe, just once more, and I’ll be the happiest birthday boy ever.”I pretended not to have heard him and pushed myself further into
Liam's POVAva's soft black curls called out to me, and I didn’t hesitate. I ran my fingers through them, my eyes taking in every inch of her face. Her parted lips seemed to invite me to taste them, but I held myself back. I wasn’t going to be a creep while my wife slept.My thoughts raced toward what she had just requested of me. It wasn’t an impossible thing, just very difficult. Fixing things with the twins' side of the family? Hell no."You don’t understand, my love," I whispered to her, though she couldn’t hear. "So much of this rivalry revolves around you. I want to protect you, and I promise I’ll die before someone harms you."I left a lingering kiss on her cheek and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind me so it wouldn’t wake her. I walked with no destination in mind, but my feet took me back toward the twins' room.As I barged in, I had just one thought in mind: I was doing this for Ava and no one else."If I didn’t know better, I would think you had a secret
Ava's POVThe room descended into a tense silence. All eyes were stuck on the brooding muscle of the man at the doorway. Liam's chest rose and fell fast, his hands and jaw muscles all clenched. But what bothered me was the murderous glare he was giving his cousins.Deciding to intervene before anything happened, I called out, "Liam, why would you just barge into someone's room like that? Don't you know how to—" The words were sucked out of my throat as he strode in, brushing past me and the boys, and walking straight into a room on the side.Maybe the bathroom? "Oh, maybe he has diarrhea and couldn't make it downstairs in time," I said with a chuckle. Dom joined me while Carlos just shook his head at us. A few seconds later, the door burst open again, and Liam emerged, holding out some clothes in his hands."Put these on," he tossed them towards Carl and Dom.Understanding dawned on me at that moment. He was angry because his cousins were shirtless in front of me. For goodness' sake,
Liam's POVAfter telling Ava to stay in the room, I marched out of the house, feeling frustration simmer beneath my chest. I needed to let this rage out. After everything these people had done, they still had the nerve to show their faces here.And that’s not the only issue. They just had to know my Ava. They were the ones Ava had been talking to on the phone all this while."Dang it!" I exclaimed and kicked the tire of my car, ignoring the beeping sound it started making.My mind was racing. What the hell do I do now? I need to get rid of these guys in order to have peace of mind. I don’t want them anywhere near Ava. Not after all the psychotic things their mother did.I just hope she isn’t coming here. Yes, she's very much alive, and I don't think she has gotten over the silly crush she had on my dad. It's a good thing he cut off all ties with her.At the thought of their mother, I remembered mine. When the family came in, I noticed she disappeared. I hope she’s okay. This had, and
Ava's POVMy heart raced as I waited for Domenico or Carlos to tell me what was going on. But they just stared at each other as if trying to figure out who should go first."Guys, come on," I groaned. "Just tell me. It can't be that bad, right? Unless you're scared that something will happen to me. Remember, I'm a strong girl. I can take it."Dom scoffed, and I glared at him. Carlos just shook his head at his brother's childishness in serious moments."So, Uncle Nathan, Liam's father, is the reason why everything is going on."My brows creased with confusion. "What do you mean? How is he the reason when he was welcoming you guys? If there was a problem, shouldn't he have been angry like Liam too?""Will you just shut up and listen?" Domenico interrupted me.I rolled my eyes at him but shut up still because it seemed like I was delaying it further."Our dad died when we were barely five. Remember when we told you?""Yes?""Liam's dad stepped in like a father figure to us. He took utmos