LOGINBirthdays were strange.When I was younger, I counted down the days weeks in advance, excited about presents, cake and whatever surprise Davis managed to convince everyone to help him plan.Now, at nineteen, I would have been perfectly happy spending the evening with a small group of friends and going to bed before midnight.Unfortunately, nobody seemed interested in what I wanted.Especially Davis.The party was already in full swing.Music drifted through the house, blending with conversations and laughter. Students from campus moved between rooms carrying drinks and snacks while others crowded around the dance floor that had somehow appeared in the living room.I still didn't know how Davis had managed to organize all this in less than a week.Actually, I did know.Money.The answer was money."Ava."I turned and found Mason approaching with a drink in his hand.He smiled when he reached me."You've been avoiding everyone.""I've been greeting people for almost two hours.""Exactly
The moment Stella and Davis started talking, I slipped away.Not completely.Just far enough that I didn't have to sit there watching Stella rediscover her crush.The balcony door was already open.Cool air drifted inside.And unfortunately, Christien was standing there.Of course he was.For a second, I considered turning around.Then I remembered I was still annoyed with him.So I stepped outside instead.Christien glanced over briefly.Then looked back toward the city.Neither of us spoke.The silence stretched.Awkward.Uncomfortable.Exactly the way things had been between us lately.Finally, I crossed my arms."I'm surprised you're helping with the party."His gaze remained on the view."Davis asked."That was it.No explanation.No elaborationSomething about the answer irritated me immediately."That's it?"He looked at me."What else would it be?"I laughed softly.Not because anything was funny.Because I couldn't believe him."You've spent the last week avoiding me."His ex
By the time I got home, my thoughts were still scattered.The newspaper article still sat at the back of my mind, but for a moment, I pushed it aside.Just for a moment.When I opened the door, I didn’t even step fully inside before I heard it.“Labubu!”I froze.Then my eyes widened.“No way…”“Surprise.”Davis appeared from the sitting room like he had always been there.For a second, I didn’t move.Then I ran.“Davis!”He caught me as I practically jumped into him.“Easy,” he said, laughing. “You’re still violent, I see.”“I missed you,” I said immediately.“I know.”That made me pause.He smiled slightly.“I missed you too.”I pulled back and looked at him properly.He looked the same.Maybe a bit more tired.But still Davis.Still my brother.“You didn’t tell me you were coming back,” I said.“I wanted it to be a surprise.”“It worked.”He sat back on the couch and pulled me down beside him like it was normal.Like he never left.Like nothing had changed.For a few seconds, it ac
AVA'S POVI woke up the next day and the first thing I thought of was Christien.Not the party.Not Mason.Christien.“Ughhh" I groaned into my pillow.This was exactly why I hated sleeping after emotionally exhausting nights.My brain always chose violence the next morning.The dance replayed immediately.His hand at my waist.The way he had avoided answering my questions.The way he'd looked at me right before I walked away.I buried my face deeper into the pillow."Pathetic."The word came out muffled.A knock sounded against the dorm room door.Then it opened before I could answer.Stella.I had slept in her dorm because it was late to go home from the venue.Maybe.Part of me was just tired of going to that house everyday ... .since christien no longer comes there.“Morning girl" she smiles.She dropped onto her bed dramatically."You look terrible.""Thank you.""You're welcome."I threw the pillow at her.She caught it easily.Then grinned.That grin immediately made me suspic
The drive home was quiet.No conversations…….i was expecting father’s call but he didn’t call.No unnecessary distractions.Just the city lights sliding past the tinted windows and the low hum of the engine beneath me.Normally, nights like this helped me think.Tonight they didn't.Because every time my thoughts settled, they returned to the same place.Ava.I looked out the window.Annoyed by the fact that I was still thinking about her.Annoyed by the fact that she had somehow managed to turn a simple business event into the only thing I could remember about the evening.The project with Richard Cole had gone well.The negotiations were progressing.The permits would be finalized next week.Everything had gone exactly as planned.Yet the only thing my mind insisted on replaying was a black dress and a stubborn girl refusing a ride home.Ridiculous.I loosened my tie slightly.The image returned anyway.Ava standing between Mason and me.Looking irritated.Refusing both of us.Order
Her eyes found mine.Again.Across a crowded ballroom.Across conversations, music, and people moving between us.For a second, neither of us looked away.Then Stella said something.Ava turned toward her.And the moment was gone.I looked away first.Back to the conversation in front of me.Back to business.Back to the reason I was here."Mr. Virelli."My attention shifted to Richard Cole."We should finalize the revised schedule next week.""Agreed."He nodded."The contractors are expecting confirmation.""I'll have my office send the updated documents.""Good."The conversation continued.Investments.Construction permits.Numbers.Normally, this would have been enough.Normally, work had a way of silencing everything else.Tonight it wasn't working…..it never worked with Ava.Every few minutes, my attention drifted.Not intentionally.Never intentionally.Yet somehow, my eyes kept finding her.Near the bar.Near the dance floor.Standing beside Stella.Laughing occasionally.Loo
Our eyes locked instantly after he said that.His cold black eyes were now on mine.He didn’t look away, and I was too carried away to do so either. My heart was beating so loudly, I feared one of them would hear it.“Ummm, Ava, take your bags up. The first room you find is yours,” Davis said,I do
I didn't stop walking until I reached the hallway leading to the restrooms.The music from the ballroom became muffled behind me.Distant.My heels clicked against the polished floor as I slowed down.Then stopped.Then immediately regretted stopping because it gave me time to think.And thinking w
AVA’S POV;“Me… y-yes… I’m Davis’ sister.”Okay, so this stranger was seriously making me lose my mind.He kept staring down at me, and now I was suddenly realizing just how short I was.But something about the way he called me “little” annoyed me.He stared at me for a while, one eyebrow slightly
AVA’S POVAnd here came the girl who had been obsessing over my brother since freshman year.She walked into the classroom, and immediately the principal addressed us.“Ava, Lily told me you were going to Pasadena today,” Stella screamed, grabbing my shoulder while shaking me violently.She had alw







