LOGINAVA DUVAL The music boomed throughout the room as bodies swayed in rhythm to the music playing. I sat at the counter looking intently at my drink. The clear liquid stared back at me, making me question why the fuck I was here. After the first attack that night where the man wanted to use a crowbar on me. The night where I first met the mysterious man who saved me who also turned out to be Ethan, I hadn't gone back there.But here I was, sitting in that same party past midnight with no Ethan to save me. I took a swig from my cup, dropping it hard onto the counter. But I was here, wasn't I? The reason was to forget him, yet he kept plaguing my mind. Abandoning my drink, I moved to the dance floor swaying my hips to the music playing. Since I had already made the mistake of coming to this party, I decided to make use of it. “Hey gorgeous, you look good,” someone slurred, stepping in front of me. I flashed a smile, assessing him. Blonde wavy hair, clear blue eyes, an
AVA DUVAL I stared blankly at the files in front of me while my father's secretary examined the men. Yes. I was looking for a new bodyguard. One was the fact that I wanted to shamelessly forget that man by getting a new guard. Two was that someone had been watching me through my window. After Ethan left, the house felt hollow, and a bit eerie. Then there came the stalker. He didn't follow me when I went on my morning run or when I walked home late at night. But I could feel his gaze whenever I wanted to eat or try something… different. Was it a broke stalker? That would definitely be depressing.Either way, I was getting this new bodyguard, with or without father's approval. Secretary Lee was here to help, and she'd promised to keep her mouth shut although she didn't know the full truth about Ethan. Leaning back into my seat, I groaned, hopelessness pressing down on my shoulders. How could one file hold so many uninteresting things? Either the men were too hot or they wer
ETHAN COLE“If there's something you want to say, say it!” I hissed, scrunching my feet against the wooden table. The coffee in the cup stirred, as the cup moved towards the edge of the table. Winnie let out a sigh, picking the cup up. “Well?” I raised a brow, ready to swallow every bullshit they were about to spill. Winnie and her godforsaken boyfriend, Zero who I so badly wanted to punch. “Nothing much, except that you're finally acting human,” she said, raising the cup to her lips.Oh. I relaxed into the chair, unclenching my fist. Zero rolled his eyes, not too ready for our bickering. All the more reason why I needed my fist on his jaw. “You fucked bad, but VAR wouldn't know that, except…”We all fell quiet. The truth we had been dreading for ages had finally come to light. Seth. Our teammate. We've been together for years, and yet somehow, his loyalty was with VAR. It wasn't a surprise though. It just hurt in the worst ways. An exasperated sigh left my lips. “We'r
ETHAN COLEThe last person I needed to see stood right in front of me, a glass of alcohol in his hand. His dried lips wore a sinister smirk that said he knew something. Still, I wasn't taking any chances. Seth had long been crossed off the loyalty list, so slipping up would be the most stupid thing to do. I downed my second glass, placing the cup on the counter with a loud thud. “Christ! You keep staring at me like you want to kill me,” I noticed, sliding the cup over to Winnie who gave me an irritated look. Seth let out a sigh. His eyes were drowsy, and he didn't look like he wanted to talk. Maybe he wasn't staring. He was just dead drunk. “Nothing really. I've been wondering why you're here. Shouldn't you be with your princess?” Bile rose to my throat, but I pushed it down so as the thought that kept forcing its way to my mind. “The only thing I do there is search for the files. It's boring,” I said in a gruff tone. Seth nodded lazily, though I knew he didn't believe
AVA DUVAL Loneliness. That was a pathetic feeling. It left you needy… wanting what you might never have. I did find the truth about VAR, and that alone worsened the case. The key to the secret room had exclusive documents stacked in it — ones about every single organization we'd partnered with, including VAR, and a bit of our recent technology. The failed ones to be exact. That organization had a shit ton of assets, and the deals they made with my father were mostly in their favour. It left me with the question of why. Digging through my memory, the answer had always been there, staring me in the face. Greed. They wanted more. Liam Curvy’s death was totally Ethan's doing, but the endgame? It was all connected to that organization. My head sunk deeper into the pillow. I stared blankly at the ceiling, wondering what he was doing at the moment. Ethan Nikolai Cole. My Niko. That bastard knew all about this… that was his sole purpose of coming here. I needed to f
ETHAN COLE Two weeks had passed. Two weeks without speaking to her. Two weeks of her haunting my fucking sleep, making me wake up with sweat dripping down my face. Yes, Ava stayed on my mind. She lived there now, refusing to leave no matter how hard I tried to push her out. Winnie rested on Zero's laps, while he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair.I turned away, green with envy. Why did everything these two did in my house somehow reminded me of the woman I betrayed. Screw them. In fact, screw the entire team for rubbing my failure in my face. Grunting, I moved to the bathroom, turning on the sink Water splashed over my face, the cool feel not helping me one bit. “Ava,” I muttered.Maybe if I had rejected VAR's offer and sought her out in a different way, we would've still been together. I listened to the sound of rain splattering on the ground, and the wind, ruffling the leaves. So, I was officially stuck indoors with these two lovebirds who didn't know







