Tom's POVInitially, his words appeared absurd to me, leaving me unable to understand their true meaning.My company, and not Vance Tech?"Why did you suddenly change your mind?" I asked, trying hard to sound steady."It was exactly what I had always wanted. I had only wanted to take small steps forward, but with her, I believe it's safe to take this significant leap. Undoubtedly, a person's life surpasses that of a mere company," he scoffed, followed by a laugh."Chris. I don't know what you're playing at, but this is a dangerous game. If …""You're going to call the cops? Come on, I thought we already discussed this and agreed that no one would call the cops. But if you want to, go ahead. You have complete freedom to do so."Once again, he didn't mention the cops much. Instead, he was determined to make it clear to me that he intended to harm Ava.Ava had Indeed been correct in her assessment. Time had passed, and I no longer recognized him. He had transformed into someone even more
Ava's POVSaliva formed in my mouth, and my palms grew sweaty.They hadn't picked up any weapons yet, so there was still a glimmer of hope.I instinctively moistened my lips as my eyes darted back and forth between the weapons and the men.Surely Tom wouldn't allow them to cut my finger?I knew their request was absurd and impossible, but a part of me desperately wanted to believe that Tom wouldn't allow such harm to come to me. I wanted to believe that he would take action."Go ahead. Make him listen to her scream," Chris said abruptly, his anger evident. I let out a scream before they could even grab any of the weapons.I tried to stand, but my legs, tightly bound, forced me back down onto the floor.The men burst into laughter and pulled me back."No, no, no! You can't do this! You can't!" I screamed as they examined the weapons.I fought, even though I knew it was pointless.But they easily pinned me down, making it difficult for me to move a muscle.My finger was forcefully slam
Ava's POVWhen I woke up, I found myself alone in the room.My head felt a bit foggy, and my body was too weak to move. However, the best thing I noticed that morning was that my hands and feet were no longer bound.I quickly glanced around, searching for any signs of someone hiding nearby, but I couldn't see anyone. The room was in disarray, and after a few minutes, memories of the previous night flooded my mind.Last night, they had placed a powdery substance in front of me and instructed me to sniff it.Initially, I found it absurd, but they reminded me of their torture tools, making it clear that they were serious.Scared, I lifted the flat tray holding the powdery substance and brought it closer to my nose.As soon as I had taken a whiff of it, it hit me hard, almost like I had sniffed too forcefully. I ended up sneezing uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face. But instead of offering help, all they did was laugh and record videos.I felt disoriented as if my head was spin
Tom's POV I glanced at the address on the paper and realized it was a place I was completely unfamiliar with. This made me wonder if she was trying to play a prank on me."Don't believe me? Well, the owner of this mini-mansion went on a vacation, and they broke in after doing their boring research," she casually mentioned, nonchalantly brushing her sleek fingers."Broke in?" I asked, my brows furrowed in confusion."He took a flight, so they assumed he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. And even if he did, they believed he wouldn't take any action once they threatened him," she explained further, but it only increased my doubts."How do you know about this?" I asked, and she looked at me with a bright smile."My brother talks a lot in here because he thinks I am not listening," she said and started laughing while hitting the bed. She made me feel sick, and yet sorry for her and guilty too. "Why are you telling me this?" I queried, puzzled."You're my boyfriend," she said simply a
Ava's POVAs I looked at the men, a grin slowly spread across their faces. It was then I realized that they had been expecting me.They were well aware that I would take advantage of the fact that I wasn't bound, and they had been patiently waiting for me to come to them.At first, some of them seemed annoyed that I had tried to escape, but for some unknown reason, their annoyance was replaced by silly grins."I asked you a question," Chris pressed, his smile not reaching his cold eyes as he stared at me. "Did you enjoy dancing with me last night? Or rather, did I help you put your fingers to good use—one last time?" he drawled. It was then that I understood why everyone around us was grinning foolishly."You are quite daring but also foolish. You willingly jumped into a pit, thinking it was an escape route," one of his men remarked, rising to his feet.I had no idea where he was headed or what he was about to do, but I couldn't just stand there. My first thought was to run, but befo
Ava's POVIf I had been crying earlier, those were not tears.When I realized that Tom actually had feelings for me too, my cheeks flushed, and it felt as though I was shedding tears that had been heated to a boil.I didn't want him to see me in that vulnerable state, so I quickly grabbed a nearby pillow and hid my face behind it."What's wrong?" he asked as he moved to sit on the bed, leaving the chair he had been sitting on."Nothing. I'm just… I'm just… I don't know, Tom," I cried, my voice muffled by my pillow. I couldn't understand why he liked me or what he saw in me. How did I not see it coming?He gently tugged the pillow away from my face, and I sniffed."You're as red as a tomato. Would you have believed me if I had told you that I was scared you wouldn't have feelings for me in return?" he asked, and I shook my head.This moment was supposed to be joyful, but maybe it was the recent events—I just didn't feel good.I blinked several times and gazed into his eyes. He appeared
Tom's POVMr. Roger looked nervous as he had finally confessed their greed, and as he met my expressionless eyes, it seemed he understood the gravity of what he had done."That's why they were so adamant," he explained, his eyes darting from Henry to me. "I actually wanted to pull out, but I had already used the money for my wife's surgery, and there wasn't really any way of getting it back." He moistened his lips nervously as he spoke."So are you saying that he successfully bribed the entire board too?" Henry asked.Mr. Roger shook his head. "No. A few persons rejected the money because they wanted to stick with Mrs. Lockwood. And I really wanted to, but I …""I can imagine the others saying exactly what you're saying - making excuses. But excuses don't cover up what you've done. Mrs. Lockwood will be the one to decide whether or not to expose you," I announced, noticing fear crossing his eyes."I… I know what I did was wrong…," he stuttered, avoiding my gaze.**************Ava wen
Ava's POVI gasped, and my phone slipped from my grasp."Raise them. Those hands," he said slowly, and my hands shot up to the ceiling immediately. "Good. Now, any little, stupid sound that I don't approve of, and I'll blast your head," he threatened softly, causing my eyes to close tightly.He was dressed entirely in black, with a black cap covering his head.He then moved closer to me; even with my eyes closed, I could feel his presence growing stronger.My limbs trembled, and it seemed like I would collapse any moment. "You need to lock the door," he whispered into my ear, his voice dangerously close, as he pressed the gun against the back of my neck.My legs sprang into action instantly, a little too fast."I'm not trying to run away. I'm not," I assured him in a wavering voice as I proceeded to lock my door.With the tip of the gun in his hands, he forcefully pushed me to the bed while he leaned against the nightstand, carefully observing me."You must think you've won. Everythi
Tom's POVThe idea of getting married had always been daunting to me because it represented a lifelong commitment.It was not something I could easily walk away from, but the way she asked me about it gave me a sense of excitement. It made me feel like there was a lot to expect from her. After all, ever since our relationship began, we had been able to overcome many obstacles and challenges, which had only brought us closer than contract marriage partners typically would be."Alright, that's it. Well, since you guys need to come to a better and more sincere decision, I'll be on my way," Melody announced. She gave Ava a deep hug and left the restaurant.After staring at Melody for a long while, Ava's gaze returned to meet mine."I don't know about you, but I want to spend a lifetime with you. I can't imagine being with anyone else now. I don't want us to see where this goes, I want us to take us where it goes. And Chris won't have power over us anymore, because this time, we'll go thr
Tom's POVAva and I exchanged a fearful glance as terror gripped us.Had Chris heard or seen us approaching, or was he angry because I hadn't shown any fear when he talked about detaining Melody?Ava swallowed and took the first step. After three more steps, she broke into a run and smashed through the window. It was quite impressive how forceful she was. How on earth could a woman break through a window?I followed in her footsteps and saw a trail of blood coming from the hall.My eyes widened and immediately I tried to stop Ava from running headfirst into whatever was waiting for us, but she was too fast.As soon as she reached the end of the hall, she let out a scream and instinctively placed her hand on her chest before bolting into the living room.I followed her and found Chris on the floor, blood pouring from his leg.Melody still had her gun pointed at him, but Ava hugged her tightly as if she had been raised from the dead.Tears streamed down Melody's cheeks, but her grip on
Ava's POVChris had abducted Melody, there was no other way to put it, but I still clung to Tom because he was at his most vulnerable at that moment and wasn't ready to deal with anything else.As his tears continued to fall, I felt conflicted.I was afraid for Melody's safety in the hands of the reckless Chris, and afraid that if I interrupted this moment with Tom, I might never experience anything like it again.I held him closer, and for a moment he remained still. He rested in my embrace, perhaps reflecting on the painful memories he had been made to endure.We were there for about half an hour, and the entire time was filled with a sick feeling of worry for me.Finally, he pulled away from me and stood up."Wine for us? I believe we have no secrets now," he remarked, and I nodded with a faint smile. "Is something bothering you?" He asked, sitting down again."Are you feeling better now?" I asked, gently touching his tear-streaked face."I never thought I could cry, but you seem t
Ava's POV"Are you telling the truth? Will you really tell me everything, no matter what happens?" I asked.He was silent for a while but eventually spoke. "I will tell you everything, no matter what happens. I promise you, Ava.""Is that Tommy?" Dora suddenly asked, bursting into a high cackle."Oh, um, Tom. She's here. Dora is here," I said uncomfortably as she began to approach me."What?! Dora?? Where? Where are you, Ava?""We are in the parking lot," I replied immediately. "She told me she wants coffee, cigarettes, and her brother.""Take her to the closest coffee shop and get her whatever she wants. I'll be there soon," he told me before I ended the call."You want coffee right?" I asked her, my voice a bit shaky."I thought you weren't going to give me any," she raised a brow at me."I've changed my mind. Tom said to give you whatever you want.""Oh, my sweet Tommy. I always knew he still had feelings for me.""But what exactly happened between you two?" I quipped."He tried to
Tom's POVThe nurse explained to me how they had gone to Dora's room to offer her treatment, but found out that she wasn't there.They had tried calling Chris, but he was wanted so his phone was turned off. Then they had called me, but I had also been unreachable.When I had gone to visit her some days ago, I was asked to provide all of my contact numbers, so I included my office number as well and it turned out to be the only way for them to reach me now."Are there any CCTV cameras?" I inquired, and the nurse let out a sigh."The last time she was seen, she walked into the staff toilet and never came out. When it was checked again, it was discovered that she had stolen the clothes of a nurse and left her unconscious. At the time, no one suspected her, so she was able to run out," she explained, her voice trembling slightly."So?" I asked."We think she might go to visit any of her relatives. Maybe you or her brother," she finished, and I licked my lips."It's fine. If she comes to s
Ava's POVI was about to open my room door, but then I remembered that Chris had made me lock it from the inside. I realized that I would probably have to find another room to sleep in. I quickly went into the room next to mine and slammed the door in anger. Then I flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.It was so frustrating that he didn't feel ready to tell me anything about Dora. He wasn't prepared to narrate the whole thing to me, leaving me in the dark.The fact that I had trusted and loved him blindly brought tears to my eyes.How could you tell someone you loved them and still refuse to let them know all there was to you?I hated secrets. I hated liars, and I hated deceivers!!With that thought, I found myself drifting off to sleep.The night I had had indeed been an eventful one, full of fear and anxiety.*************The next morning, I woke up at dawn, took a shower, looked through the wardrobe for clothes set aside for unexpected guests, and chose an outfit.
Ava's POVI was dumbstruck; I mean completely speechless."Wait, isn't that Tom's wife? The new girl he loves?" She started to shout. "Ha, she's not as pretty as we thought." She then paused and looked around. "Hey guys, why were we scared? Obviously, it's because we didn't expect a stranger. I can't believe he ended up saving her after all. If it weren't for us, she would have lost her fingers. Why did you even tell him the location? You should have just let her hands rot. She doesn't need them."The way she spoke to herself was unnerving. Suddenly, she began to laugh like a maniac, and I found myself breathing faster out of fear of what she might do."Does Tom think he'll lead a good life after ending mine? No!! I'll make him miserable too. I'll make him share my hospital room and laugh with me, too!" she promised as she ran her hands over her bed.I stumbled back a few steps.."He… he made you like this?" I asked in a shaky voice.In a fit of bubbling rage, she angrily demanded, "A
Ava's POVI gasped, and my phone slipped from my grasp."Raise them. Those hands," he said slowly, and my hands shot up to the ceiling immediately. "Good. Now, any little, stupid sound that I don't approve of, and I'll blast your head," he threatened softly, causing my eyes to close tightly.He was dressed entirely in black, with a black cap covering his head.He then moved closer to me; even with my eyes closed, I could feel his presence growing stronger.My limbs trembled, and it seemed like I would collapse any moment. "You need to lock the door," he whispered into my ear, his voice dangerously close, as he pressed the gun against the back of my neck.My legs sprang into action instantly, a little too fast."I'm not trying to run away. I'm not," I assured him in a wavering voice as I proceeded to lock my door.With the tip of the gun in his hands, he forcefully pushed me to the bed while he leaned against the nightstand, carefully observing me."You must think you've won. Everythi
Tom's POVMr. Roger looked nervous as he had finally confessed their greed, and as he met my expressionless eyes, it seemed he understood the gravity of what he had done."That's why they were so adamant," he explained, his eyes darting from Henry to me. "I actually wanted to pull out, but I had already used the money for my wife's surgery, and there wasn't really any way of getting it back." He moistened his lips nervously as he spoke."So are you saying that he successfully bribed the entire board too?" Henry asked.Mr. Roger shook his head. "No. A few persons rejected the money because they wanted to stick with Mrs. Lockwood. And I really wanted to, but I …""I can imagine the others saying exactly what you're saying - making excuses. But excuses don't cover up what you've done. Mrs. Lockwood will be the one to decide whether or not to expose you," I announced, noticing fear crossing his eyes."I… I know what I did was wrong…," he stuttered, avoiding my gaze.**************Ava wen