Carson didn't know what to say. He was thinking of a way to dodge her statement when Avery suddenly laughed. "Why are you so scared? I was just kidding!" But she wasn't. She meant every word she said but when she saw his scared and confused expression, she didn't want to hear him reject her. Not anymore. "But, what about the deal?" She turned back to her computer as she continued working. "I'll tell you when I want my reward. But not now." He knew something was up but he decided not to comment anymore. He then went back to his seat.It was already late at night when Carson finished working. He still had to prepare for a meeting tomorrow when he turned to Avery. She was busy typing as well. "Avery?"She stopped and turned to him. Ever since their last conversation, there was an awkward silence between them. Avery tried to think of a way to start a topic but there was nothing. Everything suddenly became uncomfortable. "Yes?""It's getting late, aren't you going home?""You do
As Avery walked through the building, she felt uneasy. She took a deep breath as she gathered all her courage. Tomorrow would be a big day and she needed to prepare herself. The following morning, Avery decided to wear a black straight dress that highlighted her curves. Her hair was straightened up and her perfume was different. Her whole aura was confident and powerful. The employees, as always, turned to her as she passed by.When she entered Carson's office, the smile on her face widened. Allison was there talking to Carson about something. She didn't say anything and just head to her seat. But as she fixed her things, she made sure she can hear their conversation"I'm sorry, Carson. I really wanted to go. Our date was fantastic but I decided to go with someone else."Carson chuckled, "No worries, Allison. I had fun too. I'll probably see you at the event?"She nodded but didn't respond. He was about to lead her to the door but she declined and left on her own. When the door c
The event took place in a huge mansion. Avery heard about these events but never did she imagine that she would actually go to one of these. The mansion was full of lights and the bodyguards were scattered everywhere. Expensive cars took turns in entering the gate and Avery couldn't take her eyes off the mansion. It was magical. When the car reached the main door, Avery slowly opened the door and took a step. There were flashes everyone as each reporter took a photo of her. Despite being crowded by reporters, she saw Carson standing near here with a smile on his face. Avery suddenly got the confidence and smiled back at him. He was wearing a black tuxedo that matched the color of her dress. His hair was brushed up and he was overflowing with charisma. She took his hand as he helped her get out of the car. The moment she was out, she could hear the reporters calling her. "Carson, who is this gorgeous woman?" "Is she your new girlfriend?" "Whose family did she come from?" "Will she
"Why would he lie about our relationship?"Jenny frowned while Avery turned her gaze to the man beside Jenny. He looked young and average, just like how the wealthy men described him. He was wearing a simple suit and his hair was a bit messy. He didn't give a vibe of someone who would be successful in the future but he looked kind. "Why are you looking at my man!" Jenny suddenly commented as she noticed Avery's attention to the stranger. She held the hand of her date. Avery then smiled at Jenny. "I was just surprised at your sudden… downgrade." Jenny frowned and crossed her arms. It was very obvious that she would lose her cool at any moment. "Don't you think I know who you are? You're also a nobody. Don't act as if you belong here. You're a downgrade as well." Avery then started walking to her, making Jenny took a step back. When Avery was near Jenny, she moved closer to her ear. "I don't think you've done your research properly. You might've missed that I dated men who are far
Avery immediately stood up, "Carson"He didn't turn to her and started walking back to the party. "The dress is waiting for you. Get changed and I'll wait for you at the dining hall." He didn't wait for her to respond and left. That was when Avery was sure that there was a distance between them and she was not sure which among her plans was exposed to him. After he was gone, a young woman entered the garden with a box with her. She looked like she ran from a far away place and handed Avery the box. "Do you need my help wearing it?" Avery declined the offer as she needed time to think. The woman led her to the washroom and waited outside. Avery looked at herself in the mirror. Her heart kept beating fast and she couldn't compose herself. She opened the faucet and let the water run. She took a few deep breaths. "You can do this. You're still in the game" She removed the pins on her head, releasing her curly hair. She head to one of the cubicles where she changed her dress. Her n
Avery knew she had to take a risk to prove her good intentions. She didn't want to ruin what she had now especially after she made that deal with Ji. She has to win Carson's heart at the same time, she wanted to do something with Ji. She didn't want to do her part of the deal. Deep inside, she knew Carson deserved the position. He worked hard to finish all his tasks and do everything he can for the company. But she couldn't let herself fall under the pit with Ji. She needed to secure her spot in Carson's life before she brings Ji down. "I just want to be on your side."Carson moved his head to turn to her, "You were already on my side. You don't have to prove anything." She moved her head to look at him closely. His eyes were mesmerizing. She didn't really know where she stood with him. Some days he was nice, some days he was different. She smiled, "So we're okay?"He didn't respond and raised his hand and twirled her, making some people in the room turn to them. He pulled her b
Avery moved away as she fixed her dress. Carson did the same but he was moving too slow as if indicating that he didn't want to leave yet. She chuckled, "You liked it that much?"He didn't respond and held her hand. "Let's meet with the others."After the fireworks show, Carson and Avery said goodbye to some of the guests. Avery was supposed to ride the same car that brought her to the mansion but Carson insisted that he took her home. As expected, he brought his Ferrari. But this time, Avery didn't have to wait for a long time. He opened the door for her, which he didn't before. Avery raised an eyebrow with the sudden act. "Wow, this is new."Carson laughed, "Just get in the car, miss" She did as she was told. The car ride was quiet but it wasn't awkward. Avery looked by the window as usual as the view was magnificent. "You're not taking me home just to continue what we started, right?"He almost choked by what she said. He chuckled, "No. I just really want to take you home.
Avery laughed after hearing what he said, "Impossible." Alexander raised his eyebrow while Avery continued to laugh. "Alex, we both know my past. I will never fall inlove." He just nodded as he took a sip, "We'll never know if you keep on denying it." Avery stopped laughing because she knew deep inside, Alex might be right. When Avery woke up after 2 days, she was surprised to see a call from Carson. Her heart immediately skipped a beat just by seeing his name. After meeting with Alex, she started reminding herself of everything. Her past, her rules, and her beliefs. She thought she was composed, but just a simple call from him made her feel butterflies all over again. "Hello?""Avery"His deep voice echoed in her room as she put the call on loudspeaker. A smile appeared on her lips the moment he called her name."What is it?""Wait for me to go there. We need to go to work together."She immediately sat with his sudden statement. "What do you mean?" He paused for a bit
"Do you feel the same way towards me?" She paused with the sudden question. He looked worried and nervous but she didn't understand why. "Why?"He chuckled, "I need to know why you were doing all of these. Why try so hard to talk to me when you could've just run away? I don't think you would do these to your other targets." She looked down as he spoke. "I feel the same way as you."He smiled, "That's good to know." She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Is this even real? Or is Carson getting revenge for everything that she did to him? "If this is some kind of joke, I don't want to be a part of it."He shaked his head. He could feel her drifting away and he didn't want that to happen. He looked at her with concern. "No, Avery. This is real. I want to make this work. I know our beginning wasn't that nice but I want to start fresh."She didn't know what to respond. She couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. After 3 months, this is what he wanted? "
Avery couldn't believe what she was seeing right now. Even if she can see Carson in commercials and billboards, it was different when she saw him again. His aura was different from the one she remembered. He was no longer angry or cold. His vibe was warm and gentle, just like he was when they first met. She lightly smiled, "Indeed. Are you free?" He walked to her and nodded. She wiped her hands using her handkerchief as she lead the way. "So I heard that you opened a café." He started as they walked. She nodded but paused when she realized that she didn't tell the news to anybody aside from Jane and Alexander. "How did you---"He didn't let her finish and smiled when they reached the café. Jane and Brix were smiling widely as if everything was a secret surprise. Avery shaked her head as she smiled. "So, we have a date. We'll leave the two of you?" Jane asked as Avery and Carson approached them.She didn't wait for Avery's response and grabbed Brix's hand. The couple then left.
Jane took a deep breath and Avery knew what the answer was. She leaned back in her chair while Jane sat in front of her. "So what now?"Avery looked at her friend, she didn't want to sound like she was giving up but she was running out of ideas. Jane looked at Avery as she recalled what happened in Carson's office. Jane smiled and nodded. "She did. She wanted to talk to you but you know how Avery can be." Carson lightly smiled but she can sense that he was sad and hurt. "I can't meet her, Jane. I don't know what she told you but I can't trust her anymore."Carson sounded exactly like Avery. That's when Jane understood how her bestfriend fell for the man. "I know it's hard, especially after what she did but Avery isn't the type to fix relationships. She usually runs away since she doesn't care. I know that might be hard to believe, but she is doing everything she can to just talk to you. She even talked to your sister." His eyes widened when he heard the last line. But he didn't r
Avery knew that Carson might've made a mistake when he called her that night. He could've just dialled the number without knowing who it was because if he really did call her, he would've said something.She knew she was drunk because she could hear bottles in the background. The sound was too familiar as she heard the same bottle sounds whenever she went to Jane's place. But what she didn't know was Carson's history related to alcohol. She just risked everything when she decided to meet his sister.Ms. Lee's reaction was exactly what Avery hoped to see. But all her plans were ruined when the young billionaire's sister spoke. "There is nothing I can do to help you." "What do you mean?"Ms. Lee lightly smirked, "You met my family, remember? You know how things work and who decides for everyone. I care about Carson but nothing I do or say would matter to that family." Avery paused. This was the first time she saw this side of Ms. Lee even if she just met each other once. "I see."
Avery waited for his voice as her heart continued to beat fast. The other line was silent and she didn't know what to do. "Carson?" She asked but the line was cut. She looked at her phone in confusion. Then the sky rumbled, making her turn her head up. She smiled, "Thanks, mom. I get the sign." The following morning, Avery was planning her ultimate move to get Carson back. She couldn't go there as she didn't want the press to be bothering the both of them. Plus, the reports said she moved to another country and surely, the press would be staying by the company to watch Carson's moves. As she laid in bed, her eyes widen when a sudden idea popped in her head. She immediately got her phone to dial another number. "Hi! Do you deliver?"Carson, on the other hand, was busy with work. He was so drunk last night that he couldn't remember what he did. He couldn't explain what he was feeling because it was the first time he felt anything like this. "Do not do anything reckless, Carson.
"Mark?" Avery asked, her tone was low and sad. She wasn't expecting to see anyone at this hour. He smiled, it was like the first time they met at his office when she decided to ruin John's life. He was wearing a black sweatshirt and pants. Much in the same colors as what Avery is wearing."How are you? Where are you going?" He asked as he looked at her outfit. She chuckled, "Just a walk." He cleared his throat, signalling that he was about to ask something important. "Is everything alright? I read the article about the break-up." Avery lightly smiled, "You know I don't belong there."He looked at her as if she was wrong. "Let's walk" She raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Aren't you supposed to do something or go somewhere?" He then pointed a small corgi looking by the tree. "I'm just walking the dog"Avery smiled as both of them walk. The little corgi followed upon seeing them. It didn't have a leash but it seemed to be obedient to its owner. "I know what kind of person you are ba
Avery was too tired to even wake up from the constant ringing of her phone. She only realized that someone was looking for her when she heard a loud bang on her door the following day. She jolted up, thinking that no one would dare do that to her apartment especially when not a lot of people know her place. She grabbed her robe, wrapped it around her body, and head to the door. When she opened it, she saw a tired-looking Jane. "What happened to you?" Avery asked as she let her friend in. Jane was catching her breath as she walked to the small living room. Jane took a deep breath and looked at Avery. She held her phone to her friend's face, where Avery saw the article about her and Carson breaking up. "What happened? I've been calling you since last night because I want to know how are you and you're not picking up---" Avery cut her friend off, "Why are you worried about me?" Jane looked at her bestfriend as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I am your bestfriend. We
Avery moved her body closer to the wall. It's wasn't like she was afraid but she was worried that the elevator would have another malfunction. On the other hand, Carson stood still as he pressed the button."We're stuck" He commented as if it wasn't the most obvious thing to say. He then saw a light coming from Avery's side as she opened the flashlight of her phone. "I'm sure they already noticed what happened. We can just wait for them to come." She replied. Her tone was confident and calm. He sighed and decided to sit by the corner. The area suddenly became cold and he hugged his legs. Avery decided to sit as well but far from him. They were both silent as they waited for the rescue to come. Avery wanted to talk to him but she couldn't find the right words to say. "Carson""Who asked you to do this? Is it Ji?"Avery knew he would ask this and this was the perfect time to come clean. "At first, it was just me. I think by now you have found out what kind of person I am. I wasn'
Avery frowned as she saw Ji's facial expression. A smile formed on his lips as he watched the scene. He knew this was going to happen that is why he invited Carson for lunch. "I...." Avery's voice cracked when Carson walked away. For some reason, she couldn't lie to his face. She couldn't say her alibi because of how he looked like. She feared that this day would come and she would see him this hurt. Tim turned to Ji who was pleased and he couldn't help but frown. He turned to Avery who watched Carson leave the restaurant. At that moment, he knew that she really loved him and there was something that drove her to do this. Her hands trembled as she turned to Tim. Tim, on the other hand, lightly smiled. "I guess Carson thought of it differently. But thank you for helping me decide a gift for my wife." Avery's eyes widen while Ji raised an eyebrow. Tim turned to Ji, "I'm sorry. This is a huge misunderstanding. Since you're the one who brought Carson here, mind helping my friend Av