Chapter Six: Unmasking Royalties

Ava walked into the office, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. She had barely taken her seat when a tall woman with sharp features and a pinched expression marched toward her.

“Where have you been?” the woman snapped, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Ava blinked up at her, already on edge.

“I was just gone for a minute.”

“You’re always out of your post,” the woman barked.

“Do you even want your salary?”

Ava’s eyes flared with disbelief.

“I wasn’t slacking off,” she said, her tone laced with frustration. “I just stepped out briefly.”

The woman’s voice turned colder than ice.

“Don’t talk back. Your salary for this month is docked.”

Ava’s heart dropped. She folded her arms, a defensive wall building around her.

“That’s so unfair.”

The office buzzed with whispers.

“Jade’s never been this mean before,” someone murmured behind a partition.

“Is she targeting Ava?” another voice asked.

“Look at Ava, she’s beautiful. Jade’s probably jealous,” a third voice whispered.

Just then, the sound of dress shoes echoed on the stairs. The general manager, Mr. Warner, stepped down, his sharp gaze landing directly on the scene.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, voice low and authoritative.

Jade turned without missing a beat.

“This newbie keeps disappearing. I was just trying to discipline her.”

Mr. Warner’s eyes narrowed as he turned to Ava.

“What’s your name?”

“Ava Miller,” she said, her voice steady but cautious.

The name struck Mr. Warner like a bolt of lightning. He wobbled slightly, grabbing the railing. He remembered what James Hamilton had said over the phone: “Look out for Ava Miller. Help her if she needs it. If anything happens to her, it’s on you.”

Mr. Warner looked back at Jade, his face a mask of disappointment.

“If this is how you handle team members, then maybe you shouldn’t be on this team,” he said firmly. “You have two choices: write a proper apology, or resign right now.”

Jade’s face turned red with rage and humiliation. Without another word, she grabbed her bag and stormed out of the office.

The room went silent.

Mr. Warner turned back to Ava with a softened expression.

“Don’t worry about her. Come to my office.”

Ava stood hesitantly and followed him. She knocked softly on the door once he was inside.

“Ah, Ava Miller, right?” he said, glancing up.

“Yes, sir.”

“Come in,” he said, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Ava stepped in, still shaken from the confrontation.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry for what happened earlier.”

“There’s no need for that,” Mr. Warner said gently.

“None of it was your fault. You don’t owe anyone an apology.”

Ava looked down at her hands.

“Still… I’ll make sure to be more cautious moving forward.”

“You don’t have to be cautious,” Mr. Warner said, smiling.

“I want you to feel safe and welcome here.”

He reached into his drawer and slid a thick envelope toward her.

“This is your hire bonus.”

Ava blinked, her eyes widening.

“Sir, I… I can’t accept this.”

“You can and you should. It’s yours.”

Her face broke into a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Warner.”

“Thank James,” he said under his breath with a smirk as Ava walked out of the office.

Back at her desk, Ava opened the envelope. Her eyes nearly popped out at the amount of cash inside.

“A bonus this huge?” she whispered.

“This must be part of Hamilton Holdings… No wonder the perks are this good.”

She tucked the envelope into her purse and grabbed her coat. She had a dinner to get to.

At the restaurant, Ava took a seat and glanced around, nervous but excited. When Liam walked in: tall, confident, and stunning in his black suit and crisp white shirt, her face lit up.

“Hey, over here!” she called, waving.

Liam strode over with a raised eyebrow.

“I thought we were broke?” he asked, glancing around. “This place is expensive.”

Ava laughed, pulling out the envelope like a magician revealing a trick.

“Not anymore,” she said. “Check this out, my new hire bonus.”

Liam opened the envelope and his jaw dropped.

“Holy—this is insane!”

“Tonight, no tacos. We’re eating like royalty!” Ava said, handing him the menu.

“Pick anything. Everything’s the house specialty.”

As they dug into the rich, savory dishes, Liam watched Ava with quiet admiration. She looked up, a smear of sauce on her lower lip.

“You’ve got something here,” he said, his voice soft. He leaned forward and gently wiped it with his thumb. The touch made Ava’s heart flutter. Her eyes closed briefly, savoring the moment.

Their eyes met, locking in silence.

“Stop staring at me like that,” she murmured, cheeks turning pink.

Liam smiled, leaning in slowly to kiss her when a voice thundered from behind.

“Ava, What the hell is going on here?!”

Both turned sharply. Noah stood at their table, his face flushed with fury.

“What are you doing here with him?” he barked, his eyes on Ava.

Ava stood slowly, face pale.

“What are you doing here?”

“You’re such a slut,” Noah spat, his words dripping with venom.

“After five years of being together, you’re just going to fuck this gigolo?”

“You left me!” Ava snapped, her voice cracking.

“You abandoned me at our wedding. Don’t come here acting like the victim.”

Noah sneered, stepping closer.

“My mother was right about you, you’re just a gold-digging slut.”

Ava’s face crumpled, but before she could speak, Liam stood up slowly, his eyes cold.

“No one—no one—talks to my wife like that.”

Without warning, Liam punched Noah square in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. He grabbed Noah by the collar and slammed him to the floor.

Noah coughed and wheezed, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Do you even know who I am?!”

Liam’s face was like stone.

“Yeah. Another spoilt brat from the Smith’s family. Which, by the way, has officially lost every Hamilton Holdings contract.”

Noah froze.

“What?”

“You heard me,” Liam said.

“Your family’s empire is on the edge of collapse. And if you want to save what’s left, I suggest you crawl out of here now.”

Noah’s face turned ghostly pale.

“Who the hell are you?”

Liam smirked.

“The man your family should never have messed with.”

Noah stumbled to his feet, glancing between them.

“I guess I underestimated you,” he muttered to Ava, bitterness in his voice.

“No wonder you dumped me.”

With one last glare, he stormed out of the restaurant.

Ava stood there, trembling slightly. She glanced up at Liam, questions swirling in her mind.

“What did Noah mean by that?” she thought, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Something didn’t quite add up.