Chapter 10

That night, Avery tossed on the bed from one side to the other. She couldn’t sleep. There was so much going on inside her mind and that was driving her crazy. Her mind constantly ran back to everything that had happened on the first day of Aurora Airlines.

There she expected a peaceful and new start but in return, all she got was chaos and confusion. She had more problems when she came back home than when she went there in the morning. All of this was just frustrating her.

From being in the headlines of the Airline Magazine to the co-workers hating her for kicking out one of their employees to finding out Andy was the assistant CEO and to wondering who the hell Janet was, Avery’s mind was a fucking mess.

Why didn’t Andy say who he was that night? Did he send Janet? What was the true self of Janet? The cheerful, bubbly girl she knew or the ferocious, prim lady she met? Avery groaned in frustration.

She knew there was something more than it reached the eye and she was determined to find it. But all of that had to wait because her eyes weighed down from exhaustion and she fell into a deep slumber.

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Avery didn’t know why she was doing as Alex asked. The man owed her an explanation. But she did it anyway. There she was, standing in front of Aurora Airlines, wearing the beautiful strapless red dress with her hair loosened down her shoulders.

She knew Andy had a reason to make Janet specifically tell that to her.

She took a deep breath as she entered the building. She joined the crew of new recruits as she was sure she couldn’t put through some random person hating her tonight. Gladly, the newcomers welcomed her gladly.

They walked into the main auditorium and took the seats that were assigned to them. The auditorium was grand and well equipped with décor. The light from the grand chandeliers complimented the colorful fresh flowers perfectly. Candles were lit on tables and drinks were already served to each person.

A few minutes after everyone was seated, Avery saw Andy getting up onto the stage.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.”

He said in a formal yet friendly tone and just then Janet stood beside him, making Avery perplexed all over from the beginning again.

“As you all know, we are here today for the opening ceremony of the annual…”

She didn’t hear what Andy said further because she turned to the colleague sitting next to her and questioned.

“What is the position of the lady standing beside the assistant CEO? Could you tell me if you know?”

“Oh, I heard people say she is the secretary of the CEO. Didn’t she speak with you yesterday?”

The colleague answered with a question coming right back at her and Avery smiled sheepishly.

“She did. I just didn’t have any idea who she was.”

The colleague was about to say something but they were interfered by a server who was extending a tray of cupcakes to them. With that, they heard Andy announce.

“Please take one cupcake. It is our first refreshment but also it decides your team throughout the next week. There will be a ribbon in the cupcake, tie it in your hand. The members with the same color belong to the same team.”

Andy smiled briefly before he added.

“And this year, the executive board along with the CEO, me and Janet here will also be playing with you all. Good luck!”

He said as he got off the stage and though Avery tried to locate where he walked to, her sight was blocked by the server.

“Miss, please take a cupcake.”

He said and Avery took the cupcake to her hand. Then she scanned around to find Andy but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn it.”

She muttered under her breath.

“Hey.”

She leaned to the colleague beside her as she started to eat the cupcake.

“Yeah? Oh look, my ribbon is green! What’s yours?”

The boy asked and that is when Avery looked at hers.

“Blue.”

She replied and then asked again.

“Do you perhaps know who the CEO of this company is?”

The boy nodded. He was a young pilot who will be on his maiden journey with Aurora soon.

“It is-“

“Ms. Avery.”

Before he could complete, a woman approached Avery from behind. She was elegant and classy with sharp facial features. She looked like that one elder someone would go for advice and right now, she was smiling down at Avery.

“Please follow me.”

Avery stood up from her seat while keeping the rest of the cupcake on the table. She took the ribbon with her and tied it in her hand while she followed the woman.

She wanted to ask where they were going but knowing that asking questions would only bring her more questions, Avery kept her mouth shut. Every minute inside the Aurora building had been eventful for her and she was kind of getting used to it.

The woman stepped into the elevator with Avery and, as if to ease the tension of the silent atmosphere, she smiled. When they reached the topmost floor, they got out into a little area that had another door. The woman gestured Avery to that door.

“This leads to the rooftop. There is someone waiting for you, please go in.”

Avery bowed to her in courtesy before she did as she was told to. The moment she opened the door, her face broke into a wide smile.

“ANDY!”

She squealed, making Andy chuckle. The half hopped half walked to the man as the wind gushed against her body.

“The one and only.”

“What the hell is going on here? You owe me an explanation big time! You’re the assistant CEO?! So, you gave me your own email and gave me the job here? Andy, oh my god! There are so many questions!”

“Slow down, Avery… I know you’ve got a lot to ask. But first tell me. How are you holding up? Did anyone say anything to you? The company had been quiet on the edge with the recent firing and everything.”

“You fired the head of HR for me? Andy, why did you-“

“Correction. I didn’t do that for you. You showed me his real face but I did for the betterment of the current and future employees. Do you know he was bribed by Serene to not accept you?”

Avery clicked her tongue.

“I didn’t expect any less from Serene. They were bitter about not being able to trample me and milk my effort out this time. But did you know the receptionist literally called me out on the first day here for pulling strings and getting her colleague kicked out?”

“She said that to your face? Like directly?”

Andy asked, his eyes widening and Avery shook her head.

“Oh no, not like that. But she was direct about me pulling strings with the assistant CEO. I didn’t even know the ACEO was you. I only figured it out yesterday.”

“Yeah, Janet told me you might have figured it out, which is why I didn’t answer the phone. I was just waiting for the right time to meet you.”

“For a dramatic entrance, I guess?”

Avery asked with a grin and Andy grinned back.

“What’s life without a little drama?”

“Trust me. I’ve had enough drama in my life for the past few weeks. That aside. Were you the one who sent Janet for me?”

Avery eyed Andy and Andy nodded.

“Yes. I thought you could use some help. Firing Hans Nicholas was something that impacted the employees a lot. He worked with us for a long time so the employees are quite close to him. But don’t you worry.”

Andy kept a comforting hand on Avery’s shoulder.

“There’s an official investigation going on. You are not the first misconduct he had done for the company. When his true colors come out, everyone will turn their gears on you.”

Avery nodded. It was true she was worried about getting along with her co-workers. And hearing Andy say that put her mind at ease. They both stared at each other for a few seconds, feeling warm inside their hearts and it was Avery who spoke first.

“I’m glad I can work with you, Andy. Even more glad to know I have the assistant CEO to have my back.”

She said playfully and this time, Andy smirked.

“In that case… there is someone you need to meet. He will be here any second now.”

The man looked at his watch and tapped his feet on the ground impatiently. He looked at the door Avery came from a few minutes ago and smiled when he heard the sound of the door being pushed.

“Andy, shouldn’t we be at the auditorium, why did you call me here?”

A familiar voice invaded Avery’s ears, making her whizz her head at once to look at the man coming from the door.

“This better be…”

The man’s words hung in the air as he saw Avery and he stopped in his tracks; his mouth gaped open in surprise.

“Caden…”

The name escaped Avery’s lips as happy, unknown tears filled her eyes. The man that she was longing to see for months, the man she saw in her dreams every day, was finally standing in front of her once again.

A hard wind blew across them as if to tone down the heat that rushed through their bodies. Avery’s red dress fluttered to the hard blow while her hair swayed to a pattern. She looked extremely regal in Caden’s eyes as her name got whispered through his lips.

“Avery…”

But before he could reach her, Janet came running through the door, her hair disheveled and her emotions all over the place.

“Sir, we have an emergency.”