All Chapters of The Contracted Affair: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Ava's POVI blushed as I realized I had been walking around in my stained lavender gown, searching for him.My eyes darted around anxiously as Tom smiled for the cameras and carried me out of the party.Neither of us said a word until we reached the car. It was as though he understood my embarrassment and wanted to give me some space.He gently placed me in the car and turned to walk away."I'm going home," I said, "I can't stay here anymore." He turned back to me."You don't have to go home. I will go get you the things you need," he said, casually dipping his hands into his pocket while coolly observing me."I absolutely refuse to go back to that party. Didn't you see how everyone was staring at me? And I'll definitely need to find a reporter to explain this situation, but first, we need to have a conversation."But he just gave a half-shrug."I'm not sure what you…. You know what? I'm leaving with the car. You can take a taxi if you want," I said, wearing a frown. I started to head

Tom's POVI received a call from an unknown number and initially considered ignoring it, but after about a few seconds, I decided to answer the call."Hello? Who's this?" I asked."Good evening, Mr. Lockwood. I am Mrs. Lockwood's partner on the Joint Venture project, and I have something of utmost urgency to tell you," she said, her voice filled with fear."How did you get this number?" I asked, just to be sure she was really from the company."Ava provided us with a number to call in case her stalker poses a threat to her. Audrey made a threat to harm me unless I convinced Ava to come to the office after hours. Currently, Ava is in the office." She paused to take a deep breath. "I'm dead scared. Audrey said something about a snake. Please, I need you to find her. I never intended to harm Ava." She sobbed, struggling to speak, and I quickly stood up."I'll be there," I said and hastily walked out of the house.While driving, I exceeded the speed limit and kept trying to dial Ava's num

Ava's POVThe moment the machine started to repeat its words over and over again, I took to my heels and started to run.I ran as fast as I could till I could get a cab. I tried to stay calm, but I couldn't; I was scared for Melody. Tapping my phone to check the time, I urged the cab to go faster.Within minutes, we reached Melody's house, and I burst through the door."Melody!" I screamed, my eyes scanning the room, but to my surprise, she was okay.Melody was sitting at the table eating sliced apples."Wow, you're a terrible friend. I thought 911 would be here before you. What if I actually had a heart attack? I could have been dead a while ago!" she exclaimed while munching on some slices of apple."What? You... you didn't have a heart attack?" I asked, gasping for breath and scanning the room. I thought maybe the actual Melody was struggling to breathe on the floor."Come and sit," she said, motioning towards the empty space beside her. "Of course, I did have an attack, but my a

Tom's POVI quickly changed my gaze from its state of shock to something else.Chris gave me a smirk, satisfied to see the shock in my eyes. Then he stood up from the chair slowly and smoothened his suit, which looked like it would have cost a fortune."Shall we?" He asked, his stretched arm gesturing towards the door. His voice was deeper than I last remembered, and he spoke with a cold elegance that let me suspect he was worse than he had been in the past.I walked head-high into my office, and he followed after me.He closed the door behind him and slowly made his way to the office plaque, and began running his hands over its smooth texture.He glanced at my desk and the chair. "You seem to have improved a lot, Lockwood," he eventually spoke, his gaze returning to the plaque."Is there a problem if I have?" I asked, putting my hand into my pocket, and suddenly, he turned around, an obvious smile playing on his lips."Of course not. It's not a problem if you've gone further than an

Ava's POVI took a deep breath as I reached the door, pulling my expression into something that I hoped looked more like a smile than a grimace. I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, trying to look as normal as possible.I couldn't let Tom notice how unsettled I was.Slowly, I punched in the combination of the lock and opened the door.Tom was on the sofa with his eyes glued to the TV."Shouldn't you be working?" I teased, aiming for a light tone. "You always seem to find an excuse to watch TV, even during work hours." I locked the door, making sure it was secure."Well, the TV wasn't bought as a decoration," he said, eyes on the screen as he flipped through the channels. "It was bought to be used."I ignored him, walking into the kitchen to serve myself the meal he'd prepared."What's wrong with Melody? A heartbreak? Seems weird that she'd only want to speak to you because of that." Tom's voice floated in from the living room, and I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my