Aveline was trying very hard to concentrate on the files on her desk ,but the task seems impossible.
She was feeling extremely uncomfortable with all the stares and envious glares she was receiving from her female co workers
What is there to be envious??
Only if they knew how life with Zayed Ahmed would be!
They would be running for the hills, if they so much as get a slight hint on how her short lived marriage was to Zayed was.
They should consider themselves lucky, Ava mused...
"So you are the lucky lot winner" Ava looked up to see Alexis looking at her with amusement.
"I don't know what you are talking about" Ava
feigned ignorance.
"Ofcourse you have no idea that Mr Ahmed had a special interest in you. Neither do you have any idea that his sole focus during the entire meeting was on you. Nor do you have any idea that you were extremely squirmy and fidgety during the meeting" Alexis said teasingly
"Fine. Point taken" Ava said with a resigned sigh
"So, what are you going to do about the boss's interest in you??" Alexis asked excitedly.
"I'm not going to do anything. I'm working in the second floor and he works in the top floor. There will be no reason for us to cross our paths. And even if , by any chance I happen to be in his way, I will make sure to avoid him" Ava said coolly
"Aww. Your plan would have worked if you are working in the second floor. But unfortunately ,you have been transferred to the top floor. You just got promoted to work in the
boss's team" Alexis said and Ava looked up at her in horror.
"Why the hell would he do such a thing??" Ava whisper yelled, her heart making a tattoo against her ribcage.
What the hell is he upto? Is he hell bent on making her life miserable again?
"Maybe to get to know you better" Alexis mused
Ava felt a mirthless laughter bubble up in her
When he had the chance, he didn't want to know her. And now he wants to??
What a joke!
"I just joined a month back!! I can't just be promoted like that" Ava argued.
"You are the first person to argue when you are promoted, Ava"
"Does everyone knows??" Ava asked looking around her, to see her still receiving the envious glares.
"Words spread faster than forest fire Ava!!"
"That explains the chilling looks I'm getting" Ava sighed
By noon she was sitting in her new cabin in the top floor very near to Zayed's cabin.
Why is he doing this?? He hates her!! Doesn't he?? So why couldn't he just leave her alone
"Are you comfortable Ms Dupont" a tall beautiful and elegant woman who had come with Zayed asked
"Yes, Ms - ??" Ava trailed off not knowing the lady's name
"Ms Patel. But you can call me Ameya" the
woman said and Ava's eyes widened in surprise.
Ameya Patel?? Why does the name sound so familiar, Ava wondered
And then a vague memory resurfaced. Basim had once told her about a girl who once tried to con Zayed.
And the name he mentioned was something similar to this.
Tariq had been trying to explain to her why Zayed has trust issues. That Zayed has had his trust broken multiple times in his life.
And Ameya Patel is one woman who broke his trust?
No she can't be?? If she is ,would Zayed give her job??
"Thank-you Ameya. And yeah, you can call me Ava" she said giving a warm smile to the woman
who may or may not be someone from her husband's ,no ,ex husband's past!!
"If you need anything, you can tell me" Ameya said
"Sure" Ava nodded with a smile and Ameya left.
During all these hustle bustle in the office and meeting Zayed after six long years, Ava forgot the major issue she had to take care of.
What if Zayed meets her kids.
No. She can't allow that.
Her kids are hers alone.
There is no way she would allow Zayed anywhere near her kids.
But doesn't he deserves to know about the kids. Or more precisely doesn't the kids deserve a father ,he heart whispered
No, some fathers are not worth having!! Her brain screamed
"Ava" Ameya came in again.
"Yes Ameya"
"Zayed ,I mean Mr Ahmed wants you in his cabin now" Ameya said
Zayed ,Ava mused.
So they are on first name basis. What exactly is the relationship between them
A bolt of jealousy rushed through her veins
"Ava? Hurry okay" Ameya said and left
"What does he want from me??" Ava talked out to herself
Zayed was going through an important file,
reading the same line again and again.
All he could think about was Aveline
What has come over him. Why did he transfer her to his floor?
"Come in" he said as he heard the soft knock on his door.
The door opened and in walked his Aveline. No! Not his Aveline!!
"Your Highness?? You asked for me??" She asked
"Your higness?? Why the formalities Aveline. After all, we were very intimate in the past, weren't we??" He asked with a smirk and felt extremely satisfied with the catch in her breathing pattern.
"What do you want??" She asked warily.
"Really?? You are ready to give me anything I
want??" He asked huskily, relaxing in his chair.
"Yes. As far as it is professional" she said glaring at him
"Ofcourse. Professional! That's what I meant!!" He said shrugging.
"You didn't tell me why I'm here"
"As you know, the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. We need many new deals to promote the company profits" he said and she nodded.
"So we have a business meeting in India day after tomorrow with the Malhotras. And we need you to accompany us ,that's me and Ameya, on this business trip" he said.
He had purposely mentioned Ameya's name hoping to make her jealous and he was very satisfied with his success, as he saw the angry flare in her eyes.
"But I'm a trainee here. Why would you need me there for the meeting"
"You are qualified Aveline! Top scorer of the batch with a degree in economics from London university. And with an experience certificate from two best companies in London!!" He said
"But it's short notice. For the meeting day after tomorrow we will have to leave tomorrow. I'm not prepared" she said panicking at thought of having to leave her kids
"Oh. We are not leaving tomorrow. We are leaving today evening" he said with a smirk and she looked at him in horror.
"Why today?? The meeting is not tomorrow" she said
"But it takes time for preparations Aveline" he said with a cunning smile.
"But ,I can't just up and leave. I have commitments" she said panicking.
Why the hell is she panicking?? He wondered.
"What commitments??" He asked through gritted teeth.
"Personal commitments Mr Ahmed" she said with a calm face which further infuriated him.
"Be ready by 6 in the evening. Give me your address and I will pick you up there" he said to which she immediately shook her head in no.
"No Mr Ahmed!! I will meet you here in the office" she said which increased his suspicion.
Is she hiding something?? Why does she not want him come to her house!!
Or is it someone she is trying to hide? Zayed thought darkly
"Fine" Zayed breathed out through gritted teeth
Ava wondered what is going through Zayed's mind.
He is up to something. She could feel it in her bones.
She immediately called Victor and Lizzy to let them know about the sudden business trip and asked whether the kids could stay with them for a few days.
She purposely avoided mention Zayed's name because she knew Lizzy would worry on her behalf and Victor might come over and throw a few punches.
Not something she particularly wants to happen. She wants to keep her personal life as far away from Zayed as possible.
September 2021, India Zayed was standing leaning onto the first car in which Ameya is already seated. He was waiting for Aveline to come out of the airport. They had landed in India an hour ago, but they couldn't land in the airport they had initially planned to ,because of some weather conditions. So, now they will have to travel by road to reach Delhi ,where they are to meet the Malhotras.As he turned around to talk to the driver, he saw a flash of yellow dashing to what she assumed to be the relative safety of the second car.He allowed himself a smile as he finished what he wanted to say to the driver, before closing the door and striding towards it himself.Shock turned her hazel brown eyes wide as he slid into the seat alongside her. A moment later she turned both her face and body away, shrinking against the door as if she might will herself right through it,and his feeling of satisfaction deepened.She was terrified of him.Strange how that knowledge had altered his long-
"Who the hell was that?"She jumped at his livid voice. She had totally forgotten he was sitting right beside her.Did he recognize she was talking to their baby?What if he realized?Oh goodness! How is she going to deal with him if he discovers the secret.Zayed was fuming!!!Who the hell was she talking to?And how dare she talk like that. That too sitting right next to him."Huh??" She looked confused for a moment and he realised she had forgotten he was sitting beside her, which infuriated him further.Then a look of panic came into her eyes."That is not how you talk to your mother. Who was it on the call" he asked through his clenched teeth."I don't think it is any of your business Mr Ahmed" she said and turned away from him leaving him fuming.Zayed felt like punching someone, preferably the 'baby' she wants to cuddle to.Zayed looked at her and saw her looking out of the window panes. Totally blocking him outFor, whatever troubled her, and however her mind worked, she was
September 2021 , A village in India"What's wrong??" Ava heard Zayed asking the driver when the man stopped the vehicle, due to some commotion in the area.She woke up completely from her slumber and wondered how she fell asleep in this tense atmospher.She looked out the window to see that they are in some remote part of some state and the time is around four in the morning.That means they have been traveling for around ten hours now and she has been asleep for the last five hours or so.How she fell asleep when Zayed was just an arm length away was beyond her."Your Highness! A huge banyan tree has fallen, blocking the road. There is no way the road will be open for another few hours" the driver said and Ava sighed in resignation God!! What sin did she commit in her previous life that she is being punished now!! An extra few hours with Zayed would be like few decades.She simply do not want to endure that torture.How much ever she is dying to close the distance between them and
"Play the part well Mrs Ahmed. We don't want them to be suspicious, now do we??"She stiffened when his lips touched her earlobe and the memories of their one night of love flashed in her brain. The heat of the memory crept up her cheeks and by the time he withdrew she was blushing to the roots and the smirk on his face told her he knows what exactly she was thinking.She cursed herself for being so vulnerable where Zayed was concerned.Hadn't she learned her lesson yet!!!As they walked towards the little cottage home, hand in hand, Ava's heart was pounding and she was pretty damn sure Zayed could here the sound of it."Hello. I'm Balraj Rao" the old man introduced folding his hands, which is the traditional Indian way of saying hello. Ava returned the gesture."Zayed Ahmed Al Zidra. This is my wife Aveline Ahmed" Zayed introduced them to the old manWife!! Wife!! Wife!! Never once in their eight months of marriage, did he introduce her as his wife.He was ashamed of her back then
As they sat around the dining table having breakfast ,Balraj Rao filled them with the history of their village, the cultureof their nation and their beliefs and customs."How long have you two been married" Sarala asked"Seven years" Ava said without thinking and stiffened immediately thinking what she was blurting out.She turned to look at Zayed only to see him already looking at her."Oh. But you two look like newly married couple" Sarala said smiling."Kids??" Balraj asked"Yes" Ava said at the same time Zayed said "No" Ava cursed herself for talking without thinking."What she meant is ,Yes. We are trying for babies now" he said.Only if he knews!! She thought to herself "Seven years!! And you are still only trying" Sarala asked with a frown!!"Actually Ava was very young when we married. So we thought to wait a little longer" he reasoned and she rolled her eyes at his excuse.He is talking about the woman who became a single mother of three at the age of 19!! She mentally sco
By the time they reached the Delhi resort where they are booked in ,the next morning , Ava was too impatient to check in so that she could catch a glimpse of her babies before they are down for their afternoon napOh how much she missed her babies."Good morning Zayed. Good morning Ava" Ava looked up to see Ameya greeting them with a pleasant smile on her face."Good morning" they both replied in a chorus"The meeting with Mr Karan Malhotra is scheduled at ten. You only have time to freshen up" Ameya said glancing at her wrist watch"That's great. Come, let's go get our key" Zayed said and the three of them walked up towards the receptionist, where they were handed only one set of key card.Ava frowned at that because, Zayed seemed totally cool at that, as if he didn't expect another set of keys. It was Ameya who finally decided to ask for her set of keys."What about Ava's accommodation" Ameya asked and the receptionist frowned in confusion "There were only two bookings Ma'am. One f
"Love you too" he heard her saying to someone on call.His jaws clenched in angerZayed didn't like it one bit.Who the hell was she on call with?Who was she telling love you too to?Was that Arif Mehboob??Is she still with him??But didn't her employees file say she is single."Who was that??" He asked snatching the phone from her."Hey. Give it back. You can't do this" she protested"Oh yes I can" he said scrolling through her call log and saw the number saved as MomWasn't that the same number who called her last time too."Whom are you cheating Aveline?? That is not the way one talk to their mom. So definitely you are lying to someone" he gritted out."I'm not lying to anyone. Neither am I cheating. And even if I'm, it's not any of your business Mr Ahmed. I'm your employee. So please behave like an employer" she said infuriating him further."Fine Ms Dupont. You have 10 minutes to get ready for the meeting. Meet us at Mr Malhotra's suite in exactly 10 minutes. And I hate tardine
The journey back to London was uneventful as Ava managed to stick to Ameya during her travel and surprisingly Zayed didn't make a fuss.Back in the office, Ava was subjected to the scrutiny of her colleagues.The word had spread that Zayed and Ava got stuck alone during their journey to Delhi.The envious stares and whispers are getting on her nerves.But she couldn't react. She didn't want anyone to know about her relationship with Zayed."Hello Ava" she looked up to see a woman caked in make up looking at her with a very fake smile. But the malicious glint in her eyes gave it away."Hello" she said wondering what this woman, whose name is still unknown to her is doing at her desk."I'm Cassandra" she said smiling and Ava returned an equally fake smile back."How can I help you Cassandra" she asked."Oh no silly. I just came to introduce myself. You are new to our floor so you may not have many friends here and I thought why not make friends" she said "Thank-you so much Cassandra"