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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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2025-05-15 13:34:36
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With You CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LUKE Luke didn’t like attention. Which was ironic, considering how much of it he’d been getting lately. Every Thursday, the performance rankings were updated and circulated through the team. For the past five weeks, it had been a consistent tug-of-war between two names at the top: Luke Reed and Ava Williams. A few others had dropped out of the race burnt out, distracted, or simply unable to keep up. Now, most people had picked sides in the unofficial, unspoken office rivalry. There were murmurs of “Team Ava” or “Team Luke” during lunch breaks and late meetings. All harmless, of course. But it made things... interesting. Luke didn’t mind. He liked the challenge. And he respected Ava’s work. She was good, sharp, and creative in a way that surprised him sometimes. Like at the last strategy meeting. He hadn’t meant to rattle her. He’d asked a few valid questions, at least valid in his mind. But she’d taken them as a direct hit. Fire had sparked in her eyes, and she’d thrown it right b
With You CHAPTER THIRTEEN
AVA A few weeks later, the marketing team gathered in the conference room on the fourth floor. The hum of the AC blended with the occasional scrape of chairs as everyone settled in, coffee cups in hand, eyes flicking to the screen at the front of the room. Ava sat a little straighter in her seat, her laptop open and ready. It was her turn. Today’s internal review was focused on upcoming marketing directions for the new line of electric vehicles Wright AutoTech was preparing to roll out. She’d been assigned to lead the brainstorming session, with a pitch already prepared—a fresh strategy that leaned into lifestyle storytelling, community engagement, and a heavy social media presence. It had taken her days. Nights. Nerves. Mark caught her eye from across the table and gave her a quick thumbs-up. She smiled faintly, took a breath, and stood. “So,” she began, clicking to the first slide, “our target demographic for the Voltis series falls between age 28 and 40 who are urban professio
With You CHAPTER TWELVE
LUKE As Luke walked briskly towards the parking lot, his car beeped and lights flickered on automatically. He slid into the seat, let the engine hum to life, and for a moment, just sat there. The stiffness in his shoulders were more pronounced and he let his head fall back against the headrest. He'd had a busy day, handling reports and getting contracts. He was exhausted, yet amused. The image of Ava's red face resurfaced. He'd caught her staring at him, she hadn't looked away fast enough. They hadn't really spoken to each other after the party so their interactions were a little awkward. He could still feel the smell of her perfume which surprising calmed his senses, or maybe he was more tired than he thought. Sighing deeply, Luke pulled out his phone and turned off the Do Not Disturb mode. The screen lit up instantly. Sophie (14 missed calls) Sophie (10 new messages) Sophie (2 voicemails) He didn’t open a single one. Ever since the party, Sophie hadn't stopped texting him, bu
With You CHAPTER ELEVEN
AVA The office was quiet when she stepped in. Early sunlight spilled through the slats in the blinds, brushing softly across the rows of empty desks. Computers still slept. Mugs sat where they’d been left yesterday, half-full, forgotten. She made her way to her desk, tugging off her scarf and setting down her bag then stopped. A yellow sticky note was neatly placed beneath her monitor. She blinked and picked it up, noting the clean handwriting. Well done. Your work stood out, keep going. No name. No initials. No hint of who had left it there. Ava stared at it for a moment, lips parting slightly. Her fingers brushed over the paper like it might explain itself if she looked long enough. She glanced around, but the floor was still mostly empty. Just Nelson a few desks away, already buried in his screen. “Hey, Nelson,” she said, holding up the note. “Did you…?” He pulled off one earbud. “Huh?” “This.” She gave a vague wave. “Leave something on my desk or see if anyone dropped any
With You CHAPTER TEN
AVA Ava didn’t check the board immediately. She’d told herself all week that the numbers on the board didn’t matter. That she was working for her own growth, and was unbothered by negativity. But when Thursday morning came, her pulse ticked just a little faster. She could hear the low hum of speculation, the banter between interns and engineers. Someone whistled. Another let out a low “Damn.” The digital leaderboard refreshed on the far wall screen at 12 noon sharp. It ranked the top five performance scores in the department based on completed campaigns, client feedback, and project impact. A message popped on her screen. Mark: You might wanna take a look at the board, champ. Ava’s breath hitched. Before she could reply, a louder voice cut through the floor. “Of course, you lot would drop,” Ken barked from his office, the door wide open for maximum effect. “Too much time looking pretty, not enough time working.” There was a chuckle. Ken walked over and clapped his shoulder. “
With You CHAPTER NINE
LUKELuke had been at his desk before seven. He needed to catch up with his pending contracts which he paused during the weekend. Winning the competition and being the team leader would impress his grandfather. However, it was no longer about his inheritance but about his relationship with his only living family. Luke may have lost his parents, but Graham had lost his son. And seeing his grandson in the path of destruction was another kind of pain for Graham. Luke knew that he had to earn Graham's trust again. Keeping his focus, he tried to shut down the chaos in his head. Still, he’d noticed the moment Ava walked in.He saw her pause at the sight of him, and gave her a small nod. Her eyes flickered in surprise and her brows pulled ever so slightly. She returned his greetings with a nod and hurried to her seat.Luke turned back to his screen and tried not to think about how weirdly satisfying that one-second exchange had been. An hour later, the office buzzed as people got to work.
With You CHAPTER EIGHT
AVAAva groaned as the sun filtered through the blinds, slicing across her face like it had a personal vendetta. Her head throbbed, not quite a full-blown hangover, but enough to make her regret not chugging a bottle of water before bed. She hadn't even had that much to drink, Luke had made sure of that. Her mouth was dry. Her legs felt like jelly. And her stomach... well, it was fine, but her pride was a little sore.She dragged herself out of bed and padded to the kitchen, where the smell of fried eggs and toast greeted her.Christine was already up, lounging on the couch with her bonnet on and a bowl of cereal in hand, looking way too alive for someone who got back late. The second Ava stumbled into the living room, she smirked."Well, well, if it isn’t the star of last night’s awkward drama," Christine teased, flipping an egg. “How’s the hangover?”“I didn’t even drink that much,” Ava muttered, reaching for a mug.“Yeah, yeah. That didn’t stop you from slurring ‘he’s so annoying’
With You CHAPTER SEVEN
LUKEHe didn’t expect the glare.He’d told her to take it easy—softly, even. No sarcasm, no edge. But Ava had turned sharply, eyes sharp as blades, voice low but cutting.“Why do you care?”That made him pause. Not visibly, of course. He was good at keeping his face blank, at saying nothing with his expression. But he registered it. The tone. The heat in it.She was already irritated—probably at David, or maybe just the entire evening—and now she was looking at him like he was the problem.He didn't respond right away. Just leaned back, eyes on the glass she gripped like it held answers.“I don’t,” he said finally. “Just saying.”She scoffed and looked away. They sat in silence for a while. It was tense and quiet, safe for the conversations going on around them.Luke wasn’t the most social person. He knew how to blend in when necessary, how to hold conversation when the moment demanded it. His gaze drifted across the table. Christine was smiling like she knew something she shouldn’t.
With You CHAPTER SIX
AVA “This is Kade,” Kayla introduced the guy standing next to Luke with a wide smile, looping her arm around his. “My boyfriend.” The table responded with friendly smiles and teasing whoops. “And this,” she added, gesturing to Luke, “is Luke, Kade's best friend. They used to live together back then in college.” Christine leaned in toward Ava and whispered, “Best friend? Really?” Ava didn’t answer. She was too busy pretending not to care where Luke sat. Christine, ever the schemer, suddenly rose from her seat, dragging her purse as if on instinct. “Oh! I'm switching spots,” she said breezily, shooting Ava a mischievous smile. But before Luke could take the open seat beside Ava, David slid into it. Ava tried not to react. Luke took the seat directly across from her, far enough to breathe but close enough to hear. “Christine,” Ava muttered through clenched teeth. Christine only shrugged innocently, sipping her drink. Introductions went around again—Christine, David, a few other
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