A light knock woke Ava from her deep sleep. She groaned as her body ached from all the exercises she'd been doing lately. Slowly, she forced herself out of bed and opened the door. Standing there, in his usual cool and calm demeanor, was Ethan.Ava’s eyes widened. She rubbed them, not quite sure if she was still dreaming or if Ethan was actually standing in front of her. But there he was, in his workout clothes, looking as serious as ever."Get dressed and meet me in the gym room. Your exercise starts in 20 minutes," Ethan said without waiting for a response."My muscles hurt... Can we leave it for another day?" Ava began to complain, but before she could finish, Ethan was already walking away, heading toward the gym.Ava hurried to get dressed, grumbling under her breath. The aching was intense, but she pushed herself to move quickly. She couldn’t afford to look lazy now.When she finally made it to the gym, she automatically headed for the weightlifting equipment. But before she cou
“Where’s Ethan?” Noah asked, scanning the room. “Hope he didn’t stress you out. If he did, I’ll deal with him.” He threw a couple of playful punches in the air, making Ava laugh.“I’m here, Noah,” Ethan’s calm voice interrupted from the stairs. He was descending slowly, his steps measured. “Why are you always so loud?”Noah's face lit up. "Aw, did you miss me?" He tried to give Ethan a big hug, but Ethan quickly stepped away."Back off, man," Ethan grumbled, dodging Noah's arms. Ava couldn't help but smile at their silly behavior."Oh!" Noah suddenly remembered something. He handed Ava a shopping bag. "I got you a little present, cupcake. I hope you like it!"Ava's face broke into a big smile. "I love it already," she said, peeking inside the bag.Ava's eyes widened with surprise as she took the bag. “Thank you, Noah,” she said, her smile growing as she peeked inside. She pulled out a small blue box, and when she opened it, her breath caught in her throat.Inside was a stunning diamo
Ethan hadn’t returned since he left the house this morning. Ava didn’t know why, but it bothered her more than it should. She found herself wondering where he could be. As she sat on the couch, flipping through channels without really watching, Noah appeared at the top of the stairs. "You're still awake, cupcake?" Noah asked, coming down. "It's already 11 p.m. Aren't you feeling sleepy?" "I... I just want to finish this TV show," Ava lied, glancing at the screen. Why was she lying to Noah? She couldn’t tell him she was waiting for Ethan to come back. Not like I have any right to care where he is, she thought to herself. "Oh, okay," Noah replied, heading into the kitchen. He came back with a glass of juice. "Is Ethan back yet?" he asked casually. "No!" Ava said a little too quickly. Then, in a softer tone, she added, "Do you know where he went? He left this morning and hasn't been back all day." She tried to sound indifferent, but there was curiosity in her voice that Noah could
Ethan walked in, his face unreadable as always. He was composed, "there was a hint of turmoil in his eyes, like a storm was raging just beneath the surface."Noah, sensing the tension in the air, gently took Ava’s arm and pulled her out of the kitchen. “Come on, let’s give them some space,” Noah whispered to her, though curiosity was eating her alive.As they sat in the living room, Ava couldn’t help but glance back toward the kitchen. Something felt off between Ethan and Victoria. Goosebumps rose on Ava’s arms when she heard Ethan’s cold, sharp voice.“What are you still doing here?” His words sliced through the air, low and sharp.Victoria, unbothered by the chill in his tone, smiled sweetly and moved closer to him. “I missed you, baby. I thought we could catch up. I even made you breakfast, your favorite,” she said, her voice dripping with an unsettling softness. “I don’t need your breakfast. I have a cook.” Ethan’s voice was ice-cold, sending a shiver down Ava’s spine. She had ne
Ava's POV I haven't seen Ethan since the mess with Victoria. It shouldn’t bother me, right? I mean, we don’t have that kind of relationship, but it does. I don’t know why, but it bothers me a lot.It had been over a week since I'd last seen him. I figured he hadn't been home. But then, out of nowhere, Ethan walked out of his room all dressed up and looking fine.I couldn't help but stare. He still had that something special about him. When he smiled at me, my heart did a little flip. Damn those butterflies! He came down the stairs and gave me this warm smile that made me realize how much I'd missed him."Good morning, princess," he said with that smirk of his. I felt my face turn red hot. Then, to make things worse, I started hiccuping. Talk about embarrassing!He handed me a piece of paper. Between hiccups, I took it and looked inside. It was a meal plan. I looked at him, totally surprised."You need to eat healthy. That's your meal plan," he said, walking towards the door without l
Exercising without Ethan has been tough. I hate to admit it, but I really miss him. It's been over a week since he left on that mysterious trip. I don't know what's gotten into me, but I can't stop thinking about him.“Come in,” I said, my voice slightly tired. The door creaked open, and there was Noah, as cheerful as ever.“Good morning, cupcake!” he greeted with his usual energy. “Get dressed, it’s time for your workout.”Noah’s been like this every day since Ethan left. I can’t thank him enough for keeping me on track, even when my motivation dips. He always finds a way to get me moving.“I’m ready,” I said, forcing a smile. I didn’t feel ready, but I knew I needed to keep going.“Oh, then let’s go burn that fat, cupcake!” Noah grinned as he stepped out of my room, his enthusiasm contagious.Exercising with Noah isn’t bad, actually. He doesn’t coach me but he’s always there to make me laugh. Even when I’m struggling, he finds a way to lighten the mood. But he never stays long—only
Ava's POV I stared at my reflection in the mirror, turning from side to side. The wedding dress hugged my body tightly, maybe too tightly. I frowned, pulling at the fabric."Ava, you look amazing in that dress!" my best friend Sophie said, her eyes wide. "Just look at you!"I looked at myself again, still not happy. "I look fat, don't you think?" I asked, pinching at my sides.Sophie laughed and came closer. She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me to face the mirror again. "Look carefully," she said. "All I see is a very beautiful bride-to-be."Just then, someone walked into the room. I turned and saw it was my stepmom, Grace. My heart sank a little."What are you doing here, Grace?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I came to see how beautiful my daughter looks," she said."Your stepdaughter," I corrected her quickly.Grace came closer, her eyes moving over the dress. "Look how beautiful these dresses are," she said. "They were
Ava's POV My heart was pounding as I rushed into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor over and over. I needed to get to Dad's office. My whole world had fallen apart in just a few hours, and I needed something solid to hold onto.The elevator doors finally opened, and I stumbled out. Dad's office took up the entire top floor of the building - the penthouse suite, as he liked to call it. The view from up here was usually breathtaking, but today I barely noticed it.I was relieved to find the office empty. Wiping my tears, I went straight to Dad's desk. I had to find that contract - the one I'd begged him to sign. It said that once I got married, Gabe would take my place as the acting chairperson of the company.How could I have been so blind? Dad never liked Gabe, but I thought he was just being overprotective. Now I understand. But even knowing what Gabe had done, my heart still ached. I loved him so much. How could he betray me like this?I rifled through the drawers,