Chapter 3~ Bad decisions

“Isn’t this too much?” Ava asked, looking down at her body. 

Night had fallen, and she was clad in a black halter-neck one-piece swimsuit. It had cross-cut-outs at the front, giving her a sultry look. 

A gold chain adorned her slim waist, dangling down to rest on her right thigh. Gold embellished heels sparkled on her feet, completing her elegant, yet seductive appearance. Her dark-brown hair was slicked back, making her look like she had just stepped out of the pool. 

Her face was bare, her lips glistening with a gentle touch of pink lip gloss. 

“How is it too much? You look sexy. Show Rick the dick what he lost,” Nicole, who was dressed in a two-piece red bikini with no care in the world, remarked. She styled her blonde hair into a high ponytail, finishing her look with transparent heels. 

“It’s too revealing…”

“Shhhh… I know you’re a nerd and reserved, bestie. But we are on a mission here,” Nicole said, holding Ava’s shoulders while looking into her eyes. 

They were in her room at the Anderson mansion, getting ready for the pool party that started an hour ago. 

“What mission?” Ava asked, her eyebrow arching. 

What was her troublesome best friend up to now?

Nicole smirked, a mischievous look flitting through her eyes. 

“Remember how Richard is obsessed with wanting to get into the Kingsley Group? He doesn’t even give other companies a try because his dream job is joining the Kingsley Group’s IT team. The CEO of the Kingsley Group, Kylan Kingsley, is here… and guess what? He’s my brother’s best friend.”

Ava furrowed her brows. “What has that got to do with me?”

“Since Richard wants to get into the Kingsley Group so much, how about you get ahead of him and block all of his attempts?” 

“And how will I do that?” 

“Girl…" Nicole rolled her eyes. "You will seduce Kylan Kingsley, of course. Once he’s wrapped around your finger, you get him to blacklist Richard. Once Richard finds out you’re with Kylan, he’s going to get angry that you were able to get close to Kylan Kingsley when he couldn’t.”

Ava’s mouth fell to the floor, her eyes growing wide to the size of saucers. 

“Are you crazy? You want me to seduce the most powerful CEO to get back at my Ex? How exactly am I supposed to do that? I heard Kylan can be cold and ruthless, and he doesn’t tolerate women who throw themselves at him.” 

Nicole smirked, giving her friend a once-over. 

“That’s why you’re wearing a sexy swimsuit. If you manage to grab his attention, girl, your life will change.”

Ava sighed, shaking her head. Her best friend’s suggestion was ridiculous. 

 “Have you been reading those naughty manhwas again? This is real life… There's no way a powerful CEO will glance at a mere student like me. Besides, I’m twenty-one and he’s twenty-eight… he probably has women his age throwing themselves at him. There’s also been rumours of him being gay since he’s never been in any dating scandals… how do you expect me to seduce a man like him?” 

Nicole walked towards her nightstand and took out a bottle of tequila before turning to Ava and raising the bottle. 

“By borrowing courage from a few shots.”

“What? That’s a bad idea… you know I get drunk easily.”

“Don’t worry about it… I’ll make sure you don’t misbehave,” Nicole said as she poured them both shots. “You need to take more so that you’re not shy.” 

Ava gulped, looking at the shot glass. Drinking while attending a pool party full of handsome guys was a bad idea, but…

She took the shot glass before clinking it with Nicole’s. 

“Now that’s what I’m talking about! Let’s go and make some bad decisions!” Nicole yelled, raising her shot glass before taking the shot. 

Ava shook her head before raising her glass and taking the shot in one go. She winced when it stung her throat, but she still reached for the bottle for another round. 

'Here goes nothing.'

…

The backyard of the Anderson estate was buzzing with music, laughter filling the air as half-naked men and women splashed, danced and drank from red solo cups. A large pool at the center shimmered beneath the glow of fairy lights hanging from the trees in the garden nearby. 

Ava’s mouth dropped as she stared in awe at the scene that looked like it had been plucked straight out of a hip-hop music video. 

“Damn, it’s packed!” Nicole yelled in Ava’s ears since the music was too loud. “But it’s just what we needed. You’re turning heads, girl.”

Nicole gave her a little shove, and Ava stumbled forward, finding herself at the center of attention. Silence fell upon the place, save for the music playing in the background. Heads turned and whistles rippled through the crowd.  

Ava forced a smile, her cheeks turning rosy at the attention. 

“I don’t think this was a good idea…” she murmured, her head spinning from the shots she had taken. 

“It is… look, you just walked in and already caught Kylan’s attention,” Nicole said, her voice laced with excitement.

“Where’s he?” Ava asked, looking around the area. She wanted to see what Kylan Kingsley looked like before making the decision to seduce him. 

Nicole leaned in to whisper while slightly turning Ava’s head. “Over there… the couch near the bar. He’s seated next to my brother.” 

Ava’s eyes fell on the couch, and her breath hitched when she locked eyes with the devilishly handsome man seated next to Liam Anderson across the pool. 

‘So that’s Kylan Kingsley? Damn.’ She mused, biting her lower lip.

She’d heard of him, but this was the first time she was seeing him in person. And boy, the rumours didn’t do him justice. 

They did say he was handsome, but not wet your panties at first sight kind of handsome. 

For a moment, she was frozen in her stance as she stared at the perfection that is Kylan Kingsley. 

His dark hair, which was cropped short at the sides and longer on top, was styled neatly, giving him a noble appearance. His face was nothing but perfection - perfectly shaped eyebrows, a sharp jaw that could cut glass, a neatly trimmed beard lining the sides of his face, giving him a dangerously manly look. 

From where he was seated, his presence commanded the place, like the party was held in his honour.

This outstanding man had his stormy gray eyes locked on Ava’s, staring at her so intently that she felt the hairs at the back of her neck rise. 

Her heart rate accelerated, but before she could process anything, a familiar voice cut through the music, making her heart sink to her stomach. 

“Ava? What the hell are you doing here, and why are you dressed like a slut?”