Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ava’s POV

“Ava, can you see what you’ve done?” Natalia’s voice rang out in the tense silence, full of anger and bitterness. “Look at what you and Liam did to my husband. I swear, I’ll make you both pay for this.”

I rolled my eyes. “Natalia, maybe your husband wouldn’t have gotten involved if he’d let the argument stay between the people it actually concerned. And he's not a kid so stop crying.”

She gasped, her eyes narrowing. “How dare you? He’s my husband, and he has every right to stand up for me however he wants! I’m going to make sure you and Liam regret this.”

Her words usually sent a chill through my heart, but not this time. This time, I felt… nothing but calmness. I wonder why though.

I looked back at her, my tone of voice steady “I got married today, and so did you. We’re all tired, and we need rest. Let’s keep this quiet. You know how Dad’s health is—I’m not sure he would appreciate any of this noise.”

My mother gave me a cold stare, but rolled her eyes and turned away, taking her minions with her. That was one thing she couldn't deny. Her feelings for dad.

I walked towards the room Liam and I were using and stepped inside. Liam was pacing up and down, running his hands through his hair in frustration. His shirt was off, revealing his toned, muscular physique. I stopped mid-step, unable to stop myself from staring. Wow. He looked like he’d walked out of a magazine cover, every ab and muscle sharp and Inviting. How did Natalia leave such a fine piece of cand–

"Ava!" Liam exclaimed, making me jump. I quickly looked away, flustered.

Liam smirked, glancing down at his chest. “Let me get dressed,” he said, grabbing his shirt.

I crossed my arms, my lips pulling into a frown. “Yes, do that fast because we need to talk.”

Once Liam finished, he came over and sat on the bed, patting the space beside him for me to join. But I stayed where I was, arms crossed, letting my frustration show.

"Liam, what you did was completely unnecessary," I said, my voice firm. "I know we agreed to make my family suffer in our own way, but you should’ve let me go and help them. We’re still in this house, and my dad’s health is the only reason I’m doing any of this. I can’t stand the thought of him getting hurt… especially knowing his condition is because of...." I stopped, catching myself before saying too much.

Liam’s expression softened. “Ava, I’m sorry. I acted on impulse, and it won’t happen again. I promise.”

He flashed a smile, those dimples showing and catching me off guard. I found myself staring, a blush creeping onto my face. I quickly shook my head. This guy… I don’t even know him, yet here I am, admiring his beauty. I must be losing it.

Liam spoke again, breaking my thoughts. “Ava, I’ll go check on my uncle’s house tomorrow. I just got a call that it’s almost finished. We’ll be able to leave soon.”

A smile crossed my face at the thought. "That’s great news, Liam. Soon, we’ll have a place of our own."

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Because I don’t think I can stay here with your family any longer." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Anyway, I’ll sleep with the guards tonight. I know you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing a room with me."

“Goodnight," I whispered, suddenly aware of my quickening pulse. Why am I thinking about him like this?

That night, I couldn’t escape thoughts of Liam, and he filled my dreams—leaving me feeling really strange when I woke up the next morning.

I hurried to get dressed, remembering I had to leave for my new job soon. As I walked downstairs, Liam entered the house, and we met at the entrance to the living room.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted me, a dashing smile on his lips. Goodness, my heart seemed to somersault.

My eyes widened, as my cheeks flushed. "Good morning, Liam."

Just then, Uncle Betram’s voice interrupted us. "Well, when you two are done staring at each other like you want to eat each other up, your dad wants you to join the family for breakfast."

My mood dropped instantly. I glanced at Liam, but he gave me a reassuring smile. "It’ll be fine," he whispered.

We headed to the dining room. My father looked up and smiled. “Ava, you’re starting your new job today. That’s great honey! I'm proud of who you've become. So, how was your first night as a married woman?”

I forced a smile. “It was great, Dad. Liam and I… we’re happy.” I caught Liam’s approving nod, which sent a small thrill of excitement through me, though I kept my expression calm.

Natalia plastered a bright smile on her face and said, “Daddy, Jim and I had an amazing night too. We’re even leaving for our honeymoon later today!”

My father smiled politely. “Oh, that’s good.” But he left it at that, and I could see Natalia’s smile fall.

Ha! Serves you right!

Our mother interjected quickly, “that’s wonderful, darling! You both go and enjoy your honeymoon, unlike some people who can’t even afford the smallest vacation.” Her eyes flickered to me.

I rolled my eyes, glancing at Liam, who gave me a reassuring look. The moment breakfast was done, Liam offered to drive me in his almost beat up car to the company.

My new job was at Winston and co–A big company in the heart of the city. Although not as big as the Blackwell industries. Who am I kidding? It's nowhere close.

The receptionist directed me to the 18th floor, where I was to meet my boss, Jeremy Winston. I had heard plenty of things about him—mostly his reputation as a ruthless CEO. What I didn’t expect was to find such a strikingly handsome man, seemingly in his late thirties or early forties, standing before me.

“Miss Ava Patel?” he called out before I could introduce myself. His eyes widened when he saw me and I noticed how they flickered over my body. But there was an intensity in his gaze that made my skin crawl. Maybe it was the way his eyes lingered on my chest or it could be my imagination.

“You look really beautiful today,” he said, his smile making me more uneasy. Bosses don't say that, do they?

“Thank you, sir." I replied, my heart racing as I turned away from his piercing gaze.

The rest of the day felt like torture as I tried to focus on my tasks, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Jeremy was watching me. My office was right outside his own so he could see me.

At the end of the day, he approached me again, a smirk on his face. “Ava, I can’t help but admire you. I know, I know—I’m just your boss. But this office doesn’t have a no-dating policy. That said, would you like to go on a date with me?”

My stomach twisted. His words were inappropriate, and I couldn’t help but wonder how I would cope here if my boss was going to be like this.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Winston, but I'm married,” I said, showing him my ring finger.

His smile dropped immediately, and he turned away, saying, “Okay, you can go home, and make sure you're in tomorrow very early.” His voice had suddenly gone cold, and I stared at his back as he disappeared. Wow, was this what I would be dealing with every day?

I arrived home, my mind still jumbled with thoughts on the events at the office when Uncle Bertram approached me. “Ava, go get Liam. Your father has something important to tell you both.”

My heart dropped. What does my father have to tell me that he wants to share with Liam?