Chapter Five

Ava's POV

“Name your price,” my CEO said, his eyes locked on me.

‘A contract marriage for eighteen years,’ the more I thought about it, the more my heart ached.

“Sir, If it's because of Lily, I can be her nanny not your wife!”

He leaned forward, his expression unreadable. “Ava, my mother is on my neck to get married, your stepmother is maltreating you. Let's get married to be free from them.”

“I…didn't tell you my stepmother is maltreating me.” My eyebrows furrowed in shock.

“Oh, you didn’t need to say it directly. I understand when you told me about your late brother,” he said, his tone now calm.

A contract marriage with my CEO wasn’t how I wanted to escape my stepmother's trap, but even at that, I began weighing my options inwardly. Ethan King was a cold-hearted boss, Alicia was a wicked stepmother, which of them would I be safe with?

“Ava…” he called, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“I need to think about this,” I said and without waiting for his response I stormed out of his office.

I’d read books on contract marriages but never thought I’d be proposed to, and certainly not for eighteen years. Every contract marriage I read about lasted only two years, why did my CEO want eighteen years?

Just as I settled into my chair, my phone rang, breaking through my thoughts. I answered it after glancing at the caller.

“Ava, you need to meet me at my house now,” Harvard said with urgency. “Martins has concrete information for us.”

“But I’m at work and it's too early to leave.”

“This is very important,” Martins chimed in.

“Can't it…..” my phone suddenly went off, cutting off our conversation.

I sighed, I was terribly frustrated. The phone had been giving me problems, but the money I had been putting into the investigation of my brother's death, didn't let me afford another. And my father wasn't ready to get one for me as well.

Now, I knew I needed to see Harvard and Martins. But I needed to get permission from my CEO before I got fired.

I walked slowly back to his office and after a gentle knock, I entered.

“What do you want?” He asked coldly, making my heart race.

“I need to leave... .I have something important to attend to,” I stammered.

He raised an eyebrow and adjusted his glasses as his piercing gaze bore into me. “Your job isn't important?” He scoffed, making my heart pound harder.

“I didn't mean that ... .I'm sorry, I need to go for today please,” my lips trembled as I spoke.

He picked up a piece of paper from his table, folded it inside an envelope and extended it to me.

“I’ll stay, I’m not going anywhere again,” I quickly said, thinking it was a sack letter.

A soft chuckle escaped his throat as he replied, “no one is sacking you, Ava.”

A wave of relief washed over me. “Who is the letter for?” I asked, collecting it.

“That's the terms and conditions for the contract marriage, read and digest before you resume back tomorrow and let me know your final response,” he said sharply, leaving no room for question and returned his gaze to his laptop screen.

I felt a rush of anger rushed through me. His entitlement and rudeness were too much for me to bear, but I bit back my anger, since I still needed my job.

“Thank you,” I said reluctantly and strode out of his office.

I packed my table, placed the envelope in my bag and quickly dashed to Harvard’s place, anxious of whatever he wanted to say.

“It took you so long,” Harvard said immediately as I entered his two bedroom apartment.

“It was traffic. What's up?”

“Martins has something to show you,” Harvard said. I shifted my gaze to Martins and he brought out his phone, scrolling through it.

“Watch this,” Martins said, handing me the phone.

My eyes widened as the video played. I recognized the place I was seeing. It was the day I’d taken Aiden out for dinner to celebrate his sixth birthday. It was an unfortunate scene to remember. My brother was shot right before me and no one knew where the gunshot came from.

“How did you get this video?” I asked, my eyes welling up with tears.

“I saw it on a friend's phone. He was eating at the same restaurant with you that night.” Martins explained.

“This is ten years ago. How will someone still keep such a devastating video on his phone?”

“He didn't know he had the video until his G****e video backup revealed it. He had captured the scene while taking a video of his fiance.”

I exhaled deeply and sank into the chair behind me. “This isn't enough evidence; there's no face of the criminal”

Harvard turned to me, his expression serious. “Ava, the video captured the gun’s muzzle. The gun’s design showed the gunman has a connection with someone prominent. To investigate further, we need more money and connections.”

“Prominent,” I repeated in deep confusion.

“But I’ve suspected my stepmother all along. She saw Aiden as a rival to her son. She had always wanted my dad to refer to Rowan as the heir, not Aiden… ”

“Ava, we need concrete evidence to believe it's your stepmother. Maybe she used someone else's resources or a prominent figure was involved.”

“What do we do now?”

“You need to take the job as your CEO's daughter’s nanny,” Martins replied. “With that, you earn more money for the investigation and potentially gain connections.”

I sighed deeply, nodding thoughtfully. To track down the hired killer, I'd have to get closer to a prominent figure.

My mind racing, I pulled out the contract marriage terms and conditions. “He proposed a contract marriage,” I told my friends, who exchanged shocked glances.

“Ethan King proposed a contract marriage to you?” Harvard repeated, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise.

“Yes,” I nodded slowly.

“Congratulations, it looks like the job is done!” Martins exclaimed with a small laugh.