LOGINAVA DUVAL I stepped into the basement in time to see Lily furiously typing on the computer. The keyboards clacked loudly, and her focus seemed unmatched — straight face, dead eyes, and a slight twitch in her lips. After that chaotic meeting, I spent most of the time with Winnie. But today, she was cuffed with her boyfriend in the bar above talking about whatever interested them while smooching. No, I didn't want to see that. Ethan didn't stay in the basement, and even if he did, I was in no mood to talk to him. Taking a deep breath, I casually walked towards her, giving an awkward wave. She seemed to have sighted me because she shrugged, then pulled out a seat for me beside her. “What are you doing?” I asked, peering into the screen as I sat down. In the most serious tone, she answered, “Trying to put some bugs in your organization's system.” I raised a brow, looking suspiciously at her. “What did you say?”“That was a joke.”Oh. Lily turned the screen so I could see
ETHAN COLE Ava agreed to help. We didn't talk about that night or what happened the following morning. After we had entangled ourselves in heat, the morning should've been awkward. No. We fucked. Again. Now when everything had finally descended on us, we sat in the car giving awkward glances at each other. I kept my eyes on the road, heading straight to the bar. Normally, the bar stayed open on weekends. It was most lively by night, and ran through the next day. Winnie had gotten so used to it, she grumbled when I told her to lock up the bar. She did bring up the fact that Seth was still part of our team, and he could saunter into the basement at any time.But, I knew better. He wouldn't be there, not when he was Serena's lapdog. “Are we heading over to your place?” A small voice rang out startling me out of my thoughts. “No. Do you want to go there?” I threw her a questioning look, but she ignored, moving her gaze to the god-damned window. “Let's stay focused, Ethan
AVA DUVALI had never met someone as stubborn as this nutcrack who stood before me. His hand dropped to the side as he stepped over the body without a care in the world. “Nikolai? Ouch, Ava you do know how to hurt my feelings,” he said, placing his hand over his chest in feigned pain. I scoffed, trying my best to stay strong. God knew, I wanted to melt into his arms, slap him, kick him then kiss him till I woke up from this absurd dream. For those weeks, this monster hadn't cared to see me. Now, he was popping out from nowhere like a fucking batman. “Why are you here?” I asked again, squaring my shoulders. He stopped a few feet away from me, then let out a sigh. “You weren't home,” he said so casually like this information wouldn't make me spiral. Should I be happy that he was at least watching me or angry that he was stalking me? “And how does that concern you, stalker,” I spat, folding my arms. Ethan looked at the body, before drifting his gaze back to me.“Well, yo
AVA 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







