Chapter 5

No matter how many times I think about it, it still doesn’t make sense.

Last night, Adrian made love to me like I meant something, like he felt something.

And now this? Firing me? Pretending I never existed?

My hands trembled as I grabbed my phone and opened the office dashboard. Just as I feared, Sarah hadn’t been lying. The termination notice sat there in black and white, cold, clear, and final.

I dialed his number with shaking fingers. Straight to voicemail.

“Adrian, call me back,” I hissed. “I need to know what the hell you told them.”

My voice cracked halfway through the sentence. Victor’s words kept echoing in my head that I was only good in bed. The thought made my chest tighten, and before I knew it, tears were slipping down my cheeks. But I refused to let them drown me. Wiping my face, I stood up, got dressed, and headed straight to the office. I was going to get my answers from Adrian myself.

By the time I stepped into the office the next morning, whispers had already filled the air.

Eyes followed me, curious, pitying, and eager for drama. I kept my chin up, pretending I didn’t care, but inside I was breaking apart. I had bills to pay, my sister’s tuition, and rent due next week. I needed this job.

How could he do this to me?

The only answer that made sense was cruel: Adrian Blackwell wanted to erase his one-night mistake. And I was that mistake.

“Ava, I’m so confused! You really didn’t do anything wrong, right?” Sarah rushed toward me the moment she saw me heading for Adrian’s office.

“Sarah… last night, we slept together,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I have no idea why he did this.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. That bastard! Is this his way of telling you that you weren’t good enough for him?”

I wanted to scream, or laugh, or cry maybe all three. How could I explain that last night, he looked at me like he was in love? That every touch felt real, and maybe I’d been stupid enough to believe it?

“Calm down, Ava,” Sarah said, grabbing my hand. “Go to his office and hear what he has to say first.”

I nodded, trying to steady my breath, and walked toward his door.

“Mr. Blackwell has gone on a business trip,” his secretary said before I could speak.

For a second, I couldn’t move.

A business trip?

He had slept with me, fired me, and disappeared before I could even ask why?

My heart pounded painfully in my chest as I let out a bitter laugh. “Of course he has,” I murmured. “Why face your mess when you can just run?”

The hallway spun a little, and I leaned against the wall, gripping my bag tight.

What kind of sick bastard have I gotten myself involved with?

“I knew it, the flawless Ava finally found her fit,” Mary laughed the moment I walked into the office. Neither Sarah nor I said a word. Mary had always wanted my position, so my absence was clearly her victory.

“Any good news?” Sarah asked, worry etched across her face.

“Are you worried about me losing my job or about losing your best friend at work?” I joked, trying to sound strong.

“Ava, if you weren’t my best friend, I’d slap you right now. How can you joke in a situation like this?” she half-screamed, half-whispered.

“Then should I cry instead?” I said, pretending to sob though we both knew I wasn’t pretending much.

“Cut the crap. What did he say?”

“He left for a business trip this morning,” I sighed.

“That sick son of a…” She didn’t finish. I covered her mouth before she could curse out loud.

“Sarah! We’re still in the office,” I whispered urgently, dragging her out to the rooftop.

“How dare he sleep with my best friend, fire her, and then leave town like she’s a game to be played!” she shouted, pacing back and forth.

I smiled faintly. It was strange, but comforting, seeing someone carry your anger for you.

“That arrogant bastard! I should’ve known he was just a walking disaster wrapped in a handsome face,” she ranted.

“Sarah! Do you want to get yourself fired too? This is his building.”

“I don’t care, Ava! If that’s the kind of man he is, I shouldn’t be working for him anyway. Such a waste of a good body and a beautiful face!” she yelled again, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

She stopped pacing and sighed. “So… what do we do now?”

“This isn’t the only job in the city,” I said quietly. “Maybe I’ll go home for a while, see Mum and Lily. It’s been too long anyway. Then I’ll come back and figure things out.”

“So you're just going to give up?”

“Sarah this is already a losing battle, he's Adrain Blackwell” I reminded her

Sarah sniffed, wiping her eyes. “He really separated us, didn’t he?”

“Sarah,” I teased, “I’ll ask one more time, are you crying because you’ll miss me… or because no one’s going to cover for you when you’re late anymore?”

She gave me a watery laugh, and for the first time since last night, I felt like I could breathe again.

I can’t remember how the rest of the day went, but I got home with a loud banging in my head. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep for two days straight.

Even though I lost my job simply because I slept with my boss, I tried to look on the bright side. Maybe this was life’s way of giving me a vacation. Still, I couldn’t understand why Adrian Blackwell would do this to me. Maybe Victor was right, maybe I was only needed in bed, and nowhere else.

As I lay there, lamenting my life, my doorbell rang. It was probably Sarah, she’d said she would drop by, so I didn’t bother checking. I just went to open the door.

“Mine, mine… if it isn’t the love of my life,” a familiar voice teased.

It was a voice I knew too well, a voice that once meant everything to me but now only made my skin crawl.

“Why the hell didn’t I check who was at the door?” I muttered, hitting my forehead lightly. The last thing I needed was to deal with this good-for-nothing bastard right now.

“Well, maybe it’s because you missed me,” he said with a smug grin. “Don’t be ashamed, I missed you too.”

I shot him a disgusted look, wondering what on earth went on in that head of his. He really couldn’t be normal.

“Victor, nothing I said had anything to do with you, so stop spouting nonsense.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say. I came bearing good news,” he said, grinning like a spoiled child.

“Victor, we both know that anything coming out of your mouth isn’t good news for me. So please, go home.” I turned to head back inside. I was exhausted. I’d suffered enough today.

“Don’t you need a job to cover your bills?” he asked, smirking.

I froze. There was no way Victor could know I’d been fired. That was something only people from work knows and Victor isn’t acquainted with anyone from my work place.

Anger surged through me. I rushed toward him, hot tears streaming down my cheeks as I remembered everything I’d poured into that job. Grabbing his collar, I shouted, “You! What did you do? What did you do to my career?”

He leaned close, his breath warm against my ear. “You didn’t want me, so I had to make you want me.” Then he laughed, a low, cruel sound that made my stomach twist.

“You see, Ava… when you have money, you have power. And power… is power.”

My knees gave out. I sank to the floor. This was a man who once claimed to love me, who left me for someone else, and now wanted to destroy me. How was I so terrible at choosing men?

I looked up at him, trying to steady my voice. “So what exactly do you intend to achieve by doing this?”

“It’s simple,” he said, his tone smooth but cold. “Come back to me, Ava. I’ll take care of you. No one has to know. It’ll be like we never broke up.”

I stared at him, barely able to believe what I was hearing. My chest tightened with anger, disgust, and something close to pity. He really thought this was love?

I wanted to scream to call him a psycho, a manipulative bastard but what was the point? He’d never listen.

“There’s no point in feeling like you’ve won,” I said instead, forcing my voice to stay calm. “There are other jobs everywhere. You don’t own the world.”

He gave a low, bitter laugh that sent a shiver down my spine. “You still don’t get it, do you, Ava? I have power. The moment another company hires you, I’ll make my wife withdraw her shares and support. No one dares go against her. You’ll be blacklisted before you even start.”

My heart pounded in my chest, but I refused to let him see the fear in my eyes. “To hell with you,” I spat.

That must’ve struck a nerve, because his expression darkened instantly. Before I could react, he grabbed me and shoved me hard against the wall. The impact knocked the breath out of me.

“Stop acting all high and mighty,” he growled, his face inches from mine. “Just yield, Ava. Otherwise…”

“Let me go!” I shouted, pushing against his chest, but he was too strong.

His grip tightened on my wrists, I stopped struggling and just but stared at him, angrily. “You’re pathetic, Victor! You think this is power? You’re just a coward hiding behind your connections!”

That hit something inside him. His eyes flared, jaw clenching hard. For a moment, I thought he might actually slap me. His breathing grew heavier, his chest rising and falling as he fought to control himself.

Then, suddenly, he released me. I stumbled backward, hitting the edge of the desk. My chest heaved, air rushing back into my lungs as my whole body trembled.

He raked his fingers through his hair, pacing like a man losing his mind. “You make me insane, Ava,” he said, his voice low but rough. “You always have. You push me, then act innocent when I snap.”

“Don’t you dare blame me for your madness,” I hissed, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. “You don’t love anyone, Victor. You just want control.”

He stopped pacing, his eyes locking on mine. There was a bitter smile on his lips, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ll come back,” he said, almost softly. “You’ll realize no one will hire you, no one will stand up to me. And when you’re desperate enough, you’ll come back, because that’s what people like you do.”

“I’d rather die than need you again,” I shot back, my voice trembling but firm.

Victor’s smirk deepened, twisted. “We’ll see.”

He straightened his shirt and walked out like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t just turned into a monster before my eyes.

The moment the door slammed shut, I collapsed onto the floor. My whole body was shaking; my heart felt like it was clawing its way out of my chest. I hugged myself tightly, trying to stop the tremors, but it was useless. The scent of his cologne still hung in the air, sickeningly sweet, making me want to scream.

I wanted to scrub my skin raw, erase every trace of him. But more than anything, I wanted revenge.

I barely had time to catch my breath, still shaking, when my phone started ringing.

An unknown number.

I stared at the screen, my heart still pounding from everything that had just happened. The last thing I wanted was another conversation with anyone. So I let it ring. Once. Twice. Then silence.

A moment later, a message popped up.

“Ava, how dare you ignore Adrian Blackwell’s calls? Did you like your gift?”

I froze. My breath caught in my throat.

My gift?

What the hell was he talking about? Firing me? Was that his idea of a gift?

Then another thought hit me, cold and sharp.

Wait... Victor.

My stomach twisted.

What if Victor and Adrian were working together? What if this wasn’t just revenge or obsession, what if it was planned?

A sick feeling crawled up my spine. I looked around my apartment, suddenly hyper-aware of every shadow, every sound.

Was I really just a pawn for him to play with when he's bored?