“I don't want any relationship with you beyond necessary company communications. I hope you respect my wishes.”
“Ava, please. I know I made mistakes, terrible mistakes that I can't take back. But I'm trying to be better.”
I maintained my distance, arms crossed. “This isn't about your personal growth journey, Blake. It's about consequences.”
“I recognize that. I threw away the one person I loved most. And I regret it every single day.
For a moment, I could almost see the true cost of his actions reflected in his expression. But I was no longer the woman who would sacrifice herself on the altar of his redemption.
“I can't help you feel better about what you did,” I said. “And I won't absolve you, either.”
“That's not what I'm asking for.” He reached for my hand, stopping just short of touching me when I pulled back. “I just want another chance to show you who I
The doctor's face wasn’t giving anything away, and he had the kind of practiced blankness that would make you want to shake an answer out of him.“We've stabilized him for now. But I won't sugarcoat this—he's in terrible condition,” he told us flatly.“Is he going to make it?” I asked.The doctor’s eyes shifted away for a second. Bad sign.“That’s hard to say at the moment. The bullet severely damaged his lung and he lost a dangerous amount of blood before they found him. And being left untreated for two days…”“But he survived the surgery,” I pushed.“He did.” The doctor sighed. “The next twelve hours will tell us more. If he makes it through the night, his chances will definitely improve.”If. How much a small word could carry the weight of someone’s life.After the doctor left us standing there, Jason and I stared at each other in silence for a couple of seconds, my heart still banging behind my clothes. Our conversation probably ended along the lines of me returning to check on hi
AVAIt had been three days of unanswered calls and texts left unread from Blake. It seemed as if Blake vanished from earth.I drummed my fingers against my desk, staring at the email I just sent to Blake's assistant, who replied me that she had resigned from the office already. But from the other information I could gather he had not been in the office since Tuesday. That was the day before we found his face in the footage. Today was Friday.I got up from my desk and paced to the window.We tried his penthouse apartment first, but the doorman confirmed he hadn’t seen Blake days before. We checked up with his friends as well, and there was nothing.I had even contacted Claire, who confirmed she was in touch with Blake for some weeks after they met at the station but then she cut off communication some days earlier because an issue came up. I went to Instagram to refresh Blake’s account showed no activity since Monday. The last post he made was a photo of the city skyline at sunset. I s
AVA“We’ve officially opened an investigation based on the evidence you provided, but I want to manage your expectations, although the recording is not conclusive from a legal perspective.”I stopped sipping my coffee. “What does that mean? You can hear them planning to kill my parents. How is that not enough?”The lawyer sighed. “We reviewed the audio file. Without any clear identification of who the speakers are or some kind of verification of the authenticity of the file, it's problematic evidence. As we both know, technology can be easily manipulated or fabricated.”“So Charles just gets away with it? Again?”“I didn’t say that," he replied firmly. “We’re pursuing multiple angles. Had this been a video recording with the original file metadata intact, we’d be in a stronger position. But we would be looking into other options like the financial records, statements, and the connection to Mrs Montgomery’s poisoning.”“What about Charles himself? Have you brought him in for questionin
BLAKEI had to stop him before anything stupid would happen. As much as I disliked my dad, I also loved him. It was a complicated emotion that defined our relationship for years. The knowledge of what my father was capable of had been a weight I carried in silence even though I wasn’t quick to distance myself from the family business and its darker underpinnings.The car I was following turned off the main road and drove deeper into the industrial district.I kept my own vehicle at a safe distance, lights off. I was only relying on dad’s tail lights to guide me through the abandoned warehouses.When dad’s car finally stopped outside a decrepit building with boarded windows and graffiti-covered walls, I pulled over several hundred yards away and cut the engine.I watched dad alight from the car with a duffel bag.I then waited until he disappeared inside before exiting my own vehicle. I made sure I was staying close to the shadows. There has been an article circulating about a crime da
AVAI sat on the edge of the bed and watched Alexander sleep before gently kissing his forehead.He opened his eyes and then focused on my face with a small smile. He’s been ill for several days now due to the stress of Isabella’s case.“Morning my love,” I brushed his hair back from his forehead.“Your fever’s down.”Alexander shifted to make room for me beside him and I slipped under the covers, letting him pull me against his chest.The warmth of his body was comforting after days of worry, worry for him, for Isabella, for everything.“I’m going to head to the hospital,” I said after a few minutes of quiet closeness. “I’m taking a few things so I can stay there for the rest of the week. That way I can keep an eye on Isabella when you can’t be there.”We had agreed that Isabella shouldn't be left alone with Charles, not until we could determine whether Alexander’s suspicions were correct. The hospital staff could only do so much and Charles had been making noises about having her tr
AVAAlexander stood rigid beside me, his attention fixed on the medical chart in his hands.“Potassium levels are critically elevated,” Alexander read slowly.“8.1 millimoles per liter. That’s fucking high.”The doctor nodded grimly.“Hyperkalemia of this severity is what triggered the cardiac arrest. We’ve administered calcium gluconate to protect her heart muscle and insulin with glucose to help move the potassium back into her cells, but we’re monitoring her closely. The next twenty-four hours will be critical.”I watched Alexander’s face tighten with worry. This was his sister lying in the ICU,“Has her husband Charles been reached? Is he aware?” Alexander asked.“We were able to reach out to his manager. They said he would be here as soon as he could.”Alexander clenched his jaw at this information, but he simply nodded.“Is there an estimation of the timeline for this buildup? This level of hyperkalemia doesn’t happen overnight.”The doctor took the chart from Alexander's hands.