Novels by Gold

Ava's POV My entire body literally went stiff. I slowly turned around and there he was, standing several feet behind me. His suit jacket was on, his hair perfectly pressed, and his expression was calm. Far too calm. I looked at the office, then at him.“I wasn't going inside.”“I can see that,” his eyebrow lifted.“I was just looking.”“From inside the doorway?”“Well…” I swallowed, then continued. “I'm sorry I was curious.”His gaze shifted toward the door and back at me. “You should be careful with your curiosity, Ava.”“Okay,” I replied, nodding slowly.He glanced at his watch, “I have a meeting in an hour.” Then he continued. “I'd be gone for most of the day, the rules still stand.” Then walked closer to me till there was almost no space between us and said, “you do not want to get on my last nerve, Ava Maxwell.” I swallowed hard then he turned to leave. As he turned, I remembered something so I stopped him.“Wait.” He stopped and turned to me. “What am I supposed to do today?”

Ava's POV The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the silence. Not the peaceful kind, the kind that made me wonder where I was. I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds, my mind still foggy from sleep. The room was bright, sunlight slipping through the curtains and spreading across the floor. Then I remembered everything. The wedding, the mansion, Brandon and the strange shadow down the hallway last night. I slowly sat up, pulling the blanket closer to my body as the memories from yesterday came rushing back. Rubbing my forehead, I let out a quiet breath. "This is insane.” I pushed the blanket aside, and placed my feet on the cold floor. Standing across the room, I glanced at myself through the mirror. My hair was a mess, and there were faint traces of yesterday's makeup still around my eyes. I looked tired. More than tired. I looked like someone who had just escaped an asylum. “Mrs Lockwood?” a voice called out after a soft knock on the door,

Ava's POV By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Not the kind of exhaustion that came from a long day at work. This was different. My mind had simply just had enough. I dropped my handbag on the couch and kicked off my shoes before walking into my bedroom with the shopping bag that was on my front porch. Inside it was the dress covered in a protective garment bag, it had been delivered while I was at the hospital. I carefully opened the bag after getting to the room and took it out to hang against the wall. I stared at it from across the room, my chest felt heavier. I walked closer and slowly pulled the garment down. The dress appeared underneath; white, beautiful, expensive. A wedding dress.. my wedding dress. I reached out and touched the fabric, it was soft beneath my fingers. I couldn't help but imagine how different this moment would have felt it things happened differently. If Ethan were standing beside me, if this were a normal wedding, if I had spent months pla

Ava's POV “Mrs. Maxwell, this was delivered for you,” she beamed with joy and she said that. I stared at the box and back at her. “Delivered?” “Yes Mr. Lockwood sent it” My eyes narrowed slightly, of course he did. I took the box from her, turning it over in my hands. There was nothing written on it. No note. No explanation. Just a small, plain black box that somehow managed to make my heart beat a little faster. I looked at Lily who raised an eyebrow and told me to open it. “Why do I feel like I'm about to see something I wouldn't like?.” I gave her a look before slowly lifting the lid. My breath caught. A ring sat neatly inside. For a moment, neither of us said anything. It wasn't the kind of ring I'd imagined someone like Brandon would choose. It wasn't enormous or covered in diamonds. It was simple and elegant, with a small stone set in the middle that caught

Ava's POV“Wedding dress?!” I yelled, my voice echoed through the room. I stared at the message on my screen, waiting for the words to somehow rearrange themselves into something that made more sense.I dropped my phone on the bed and took a few steps around my room before picking it up again. Maybe I had misunderstood. Maybe Victor meant someone else's wedding dress. Although that would be a pretty strange thing to send to me.I quickly tapped on his contact and pressed call. He answered after the second ring.“Hello Mrs Maxwell.”“Hello, sorry what exactly does this message mean?”“I believe the message was quite clear” he replied after a brief pause. I closed my eyes, of course he'd say that. He's so much like Brandon, just a little bit more accessible. “Am I getting married tomorrow?”“No”“Then why am I shopping for a wedding dress tomorrow?” I asked, opening my eyes.“The wedding isn't tomorrow,” I breathed out in relief before he continued. “But the preparations begin tomorro

Ava's POV The silence that followed after my response was unbearable. It was like the walls themselves were holding their breath. I started feeling uncomfortable with the silence.He then turned around, his eyes trailing all over me for a second, like they were studying me and his expression plain, as usual.“Good” he replied, jolting me out of my thoughts. Then he reached out for a book which I assumed was the contract, and showed me where to sign. I quickly signed and dropped the pen. “Good?” I asked with the most confused facial expression everI wasn't sure what I had expected, but that reply was certainly not it. I thought maybe he'd ask if I was sure , or remind me of what I had just agreed to. Maybe at the very least, he'd look surprised.I'd just agreed to marry the man who had made my life miserable at work, and all he had to say was good?“I'll handle everything else when necessary. You can leave” I mouthed a little wow and turned towards the door. Soon, I was out of ther