Chapter 4

Ava's POV

"We shall get married," I heard Tom blurt out in a toneless voice and I couldn't believe my ears. For a moment I couldn't move or even blink and I held my breath as though something bad would happen if I let it out.

Maybe, just maybe I was beginning to hear things because there was no way Tom said what I think I just heard.

"Err..mmm Mr Tom, I think I heard wrong," I said, slowly taking my gaze off his and shifting uncomfortably in my seat, "Please kindly repeat what you just said cause I think ..."

"Ava Brooks, we shall get married," he repeated himself, not letting me finish my sentence and smirked, "And it has to be soon."

I abruptly stood up and started laughing. I know I shouldn't be laughing but at this moment that was what I felt like doing.

"Ava? Are you okay?" Tom asked as he walked closer to me.

"Ah yes! Of course, I'm okay," I stopped laughing and replied. Wearing a big smile on my face, I turned to look at him and asked, "You must be playing a prank on me right?"

"A prank?" He asked, his brows raised.

"Yes, it must be a prank because there's no way I am …"

"It is not a prank and I don't play pranks," he said with a serious tone and I immediately knew that he wasn't joking.

"Wait what?! You can't be serious Mr Tom!" I shouted angrily. How dare he tell me to get married to him? What the hell is going on inside his head?

"Calm down and listen to me, getting married to me isn't such a bad idea you know," he said, wearing an evil grin on his face, "By the way, it's for the good of your company."

"You must have lost it," I started to yell, not minding if his personal assistant or anyone present could hear me, "I came here, thinking you wanted to invest in my company but you …you just wanted to play a prank on me, right? What do you take me for?"

"This isn't a prank! Just sit down and hear me out before jumping to unnecessary conclusions. I am a businessman." Tom blurted out and his tone sounded like he was angry.

In that moment, I glared at him and wished I could hit him. Why was he raising his voice at me? Why was he angry? I should be the only one angry and not him.

"You are …," I held myself back from finishing my sentence and took deep breaths before speaking again, "I can't believe you invited me here just to play with my intelligence and publicly insult me."

"Christ! I am not trying to ... If you would just sit …"

I put my hands up and waved them in front of his face so he could shut the hell up. "Enough! I have heard enough. You just wanted to announce to everyone that my company is about to go under, right?" I barked at him, giving him deadly looks that he would not forget in a hurry, "Well, thank you for humiliating me. I'm leaving."

"Wait …stop …Ava," he stammered behind me as I made my way towards the door but I didn't look back or stop.

To hell with his money, he could shove it up his ass for all I care. I am the boss of my world and I won't let anyone make me feel less of myself.

"Asshole!" I cursed as soon as I was outside of the hotel.

***********

Tom's POV

"Ava!" I called out after her but she just continued to walk away until she walked out the door.

Shit! I was pissed as hell. How could she walk out on me like that?

"Did you see that?! Did you see how she just disrespected me?" I turned towards Henry, my personal assistant, as I complained in anger.

"I'm sorry Sir," Henry said in a low voice with his head bowed.

"You are sorry? For what?! Why are you apologizing?" I scolded him, running my hand through my hair, "You did nothing wrong, it is Ava who should apologize. She dared to walk out on me!"

No one has ever dared to walk out on me and I mean no one but Ava. And damn it made me furious, I was fuming with so much anger that I felt like I was going to erupt like a volcano.

I hurriedly took a few steps towards the dining table where I and Ava were supposed to have dinner on, picked up a glass cup that was halfway filled with wine and threw it on the wall closest to me.

"Sir!!" Henry exclaimed in shock when he heard the crashing sound and gasped. I turned to look at him and I could see how shaken he was, "You need to calm down Sir please."

"Damn it! How could she do that?" I asked no one in particular as I walked towards an empty couch and sank into it, "You know what Henry, call her, no go out there and drag her back to this place. No one dares disrespect me like that, no one!!"

"Please Sir, you know we can't do that. She may not be as rich as you are but she sure has a lot of connections and we don't need bad publicity right now." Henry tried to explain.

I went quiet and thought of what Henry just said and even though I was still very furious I saw the sense in his words. Now wasn't the best time to gain the attention of the press, I already have a lot going on.

"I think we should find someone else," he said and I shot him a deadly look but he continued, "We need to find someone else and forget about Miss Ava."

"No Henry! It should be Ava and no one else." I announced.

"But Sir after what just happened I don't think she will be of any help," he started to say as he walked towards me, "There are so many ladies out there who would be willing to do what you want them to do without any problems."

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?", I questioned him with raised brows, "I have had my eyes on her company for a very long time now so it has to be her."

"What's so special about her company? We can find something similar." He said nonchalantly.

"No no, you don't get it man. I have carried out some investigations and done a lot of research on Ava and I know, in fact, I am very sure that she is the perfect fit."

"Perfect fit?" He questioned.

"Yes, she's the perfect person to be my contractual wife."

"How do you know that Sir? You don't know her personally."

"That's true but she's the kind of woman I fancy. She has this drive in her to become successful and it turns me on," I explained to Henry whilst wearing a mischievous grin on my face and stroking my chin.

Yes, success-driven women turn me on because why the hell not, huh?

I would get Ava, I may not know how yet but I'll make her do what I want.

"So what do we do now?" Henry asked but I just smiled at him.