Ava's brow squeezed in confusion as she looked up."Noah?" she called, looking up at his familiar face in surprise."Yes, it's me," Noah Bright replied with a wide grin on his face."What are you doing here?" Ava asked in surprise as she looked around them.Last time she checked, she was still at fashion height and not in a hospital."I should ask you the same question; I mean, you're standing directly in front of my store," Noah replied, pointing at the building.It was glass-walled from top to bottom, and you could see all that was displayed in the store clearly."You own this?" Ava asked in shock, her mouth forming an oh sign as she remembered the conversation from the party."Yes, I do. So imagine my surprise when I see you standing out here looking lost," Noah asked with a grin."Oh, I…" Ava stuttered, wondering how lost she must have looked.She was grateful it was him though; after he saved Jordan on the plane, he had gotten a soft spot in her."Do you want to come in? Rest you
"Hey bro, finally," Beth said with a smile as she kissed Noah on the lips.Ava's lips formed an oh shape as she noticed the resemblance in their features."Ava, meet Elizabeth, my younger sister," Noah introduced before adding, "Beth, Ava, a friend.""Hmm, that's new," Beth said to Noah before turning to Ava, extending her hand as she said, "Hi Ava, it's nice to meet you.""It's great to meet you too," Ava replied, taking her hand with a smile of her own."He never brings friends to work, well, at least friends who are work-related," Beth said, her brows raised as she looked from her brother to Ava."Well, it was a coincidence; I was actually just walking by," Ava tried to explain."She's playing with you Ava," Noah said, shaking his head at Beth."I like you," Beth said, adding, "You should come by more often.""Thank you," Ava replied with a warm smile."Alright, head out, boss; I've got everything under control," Beth said, shooing Noah out like a mother hen protecting her chick."
As Bella got to the door, it swung open again, and standing there was Ava."Are you okay? Where were you running to?" Ava asked Bella with rasied eyebrows."I was running to you. I forgot to tell you something and to also give this to you," Bella said, dangling a car key in front of Ava's face."Oh, right, that's exactly what I came back for; did you think I was going to walk the kids all the way to the school?" Ava askedBella shrugged as she answered, "Well, you never can say."Ava shook her head and took the key from Bella's hand before saying, "See you later.""Yeah, and humm, most improtantly, I have a meeting today, and I really want you to come with me," Bella stated.Ava looked over her shoulder and said, "We'll see.""Ava, be back on time," Bella called out as Ava got into the car.Brad had gotten a rental car for them, which they could use to convey the kids for their summer classes since he would be at work.Ava winked at Bella, then smiled sweetly as she backed the car out
Ava quickly slammed down on her brakes just as their cars almost collided."Who the h*ll drives like a maniac near a school?" Ava said to herself in a pissed tone.Unbuckling her seat belt, she stepped out of the car, walked to the front, and saw they had avoided collision by a mere inches.The driver of the other vehicle remained in the car, which further pissed Ava off.She walked over to the driver's seat and knocked on the window. The car was tinted, so she could not see anyone inside the car."Scroll down your damm glasses," Ava muttered, trying to keep her voice controlled.Instead of the driver's window going down, Ava saw it was the one at the back that did."Anything the matter?" Ava heard.She moved to the back and saw him sitting there, an unreadable expression on his face."Were you trying to make a statement by what just happened? How can you sit down there looking all smug?" Ava shouted.Nathan had dropped off his son at school and had used another entrance that was rese
As the elevator doors opened, Nathan and Mike stepped out, the soft chime of the bell echoing faintly down the hall."On second thought, Mike, I need you to go to finance and tell them that if I don't have that report in the next twenty minutes, it’s not going to be a very good day for them," Nathan said, stopping abruptly mid-stride.Mike sighed but nodded, checking his wristwatch with a quick glance. "Alright, I’ll head over right away," he replied, already turning on his heel."Call me when you have it," Nathan added, before he resumed walking down the hallway."Sure, boss," Mike muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly.He wasn’t surprised by Nathan’s abruptness; especially with the way the day started.A few minutes later, Nathan entered the office that had once belonged to his grandfather. All traces of vacancy had been scrubbed away, leaving the space feeling vibrant and lived-in once more."Hello, Dad," Nathan said as he stepped inside, nodding toward Peter, who sa
"What was that?" Bella muttered, her head snapping around towards Daphne."Oh, wow," Ava muttered, surprised by Daphne's confidence.All through the exchange, Daphne's head was bent, not in the least bothered by their presence."I'm going to tap her," Ava stated, standing up from her seat."No, don't, let me," Bella replied, grabbing Ava's arm and pulling her back to her seat."Okay, if you say so," Ava stated.Bella stretched out her hand and tapped on Daphne's shoulder, since she was the one sitting close to her.Daphne raised her head slowly, a scrowl appearing on her forehead as she turned in their direction."We were just trying to be friendly," Bella said, meeting Daphne's pissed-off look with a peircing gaze.Daphen shook her head, looking at them like she didn't understand what they were trying to say."I meant, what you said was kind of offensive," Bella added.Daphne raised a hand in the hair, signaling Bella to stop speaking. Then she nodded her head, waited a few seconds,
Ava stared at the paper Nathan Crawford, her husband, kept in front of her like it was a piece of art she needed to understand."Ava, sign the damn document; I don’t have time for this,” Nathan shouted, his brows drawn together as he tapped his feet on the floor impatiently.“I… I don’t understand Nathan; did I do something wrong? Does grandfather know about this?” Ava stammered as she looked up at the man she had loved for most of her life.Nathan brushed a hand through his hair in frustration as he sighed deeply, trying to contain his irritation with her.“We both know this is not going to work, and three years is long enough for us to cut it loose, don’t you think?” Nathan said calmly, trying to get through to her.“It’s just been three years, Nathan. I know we can make this work after that night…” Ava was saying, but Nathan interrupted her.“Don’t!” he said, his voice hard as he glared at her before adding, “That was a mistake, one night of drunken mistake on my part, okay.”“It me
“How could you be so dense? You probably brought this on yourself. All you had to do was remain silent, be a faithful wife, and be obedient. Would it have killed you to not have signed those damn papers?” Charles Parish shouted at Ava, his eyes almost bulging out of his skull.His face was squeezed in anger, his brows drawn together as he stared at his firstborn daughter, wondering how he had gone wrong with her.“Is that all you have to say to me?” Ava replied, her eyes filled with tears.She had walked through the rain, hoping she would at least find some solace with the man she called father.“What were you expecting, a hug? After the shame you have brought on this family? How could you get yourself divorced from him?” Amelia Parish, Ava’s stepmother, said, trying to look dissatisfied with the outcome of her stepdaughter’s marriage.“Oh, I don’t expect that from you, seeing as you pretty much did exactly what she did to me with my father,” Ava said, her voice dropping a notch as she