LOGINThe moment Ava arrived at her office, Emily followed her in with a tablet in hand.“Miss Richmond, Mr. Liam Carter called. He wants to schedule an appointment. I didn’t confirm a date yet because I wasn’t sure when you’d be less busy.”Ava set her bag down and thought for a moment. Liam was one of NexaTech’s biggest investors. She could not keep him waiting too long, but she also needed room to breathe after everything that had happened that morning.“Schedule it for next week,” she said.Emily nodded. “I’ll call his office now.”“Thank you.”Once Emily left, Ava took her seat and went straight to work.About an hour later, there was a knock on Ava’s office door before it opened.Mr. Harrison and Mrs. Catherine walked in.Ava looked up from her screen and gestured toward the chairs across from her desk. “Please, have a seat.”They both sat down. Mr. Harrison placed a folder neatly on the desk and slid it toward her.“This came through the partnership desk this morning,” he said. “We t
Ava took her father’s hands in both of hers.“Dad… I was stupid,” she said, her voice still rough from crying. “I didn’t know John and his father would betray you. It’s all my fault.”Her eyes were red and swollen.Pete squeezed her hands and shook his head at once. “None of this is your fault, Ava. I failed to protect you.” His own eyes had gone red, though he forced the tears back. He lifted one hand and gently ran it over her hair. “My precious girl. You must have suffered.”Ava quickly shook her head. “No. I’ve been fine. You don’t have to worry.”Pete studied her face, unconvinced. A tear slipped down his cheek anyway. “It must have been hard out there.”“I’m alright,” Ava said, forcing a steadier smile. “Really. Don’t worry about me now.”She pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped her own face first, then carefully wiped the tear from his. Only after that did she draw in a deep breath. Their time was limited. She could not waste all of it on guilt.“I stayed away because I wa
Ava stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her.“Jerk,” she muttered under her breath.She stood there with one hand on her waist, breathing hard, still unable to believe what had just happened. The argument clung to her skin like heat that would not cool.What does he mean I can’t bear to see John Lyon fall?The thought alone made her anger spike all over again. John Lyon. The man she hated with every drop of blood in her body. The idea that she was hesitating for his sake was insulting enough to make her want to storm back downstairs and say worse than she already had.But beneath the anger, another thought pushed forward.Lucian’s reaction had been too sharp and too personal.Unless he also had something against the Lyons, it made very little sense. Ava’s brows drew together. It was only speculation. She had no proof. And yet the possibility settled uncomfortably in her chest.If that was true… then what did that make her? A pawn?She shook her head quickly, as if she
Just as the timer rang and the pies came out of the oven, golden and fragrant, the front door opened.Lucian stepped into the villa, loosening his cuffs as he walked in. He was halfway across the living room when something caught his attention. He slowed and looked toward the kitchen, then stopped completely at the doorway.Ava stood by the counter in an apron, flour faintly dusted across her wrist and sleeve. She was in the middle of a conversation with Mrs. Susu, looking more relaxed than he had seen her in days.For a moment, Lucian simply watched her. A flicker of curiosity crossed his face.“Mr. Blackwood, you’re home,” Mrs. Susu said warmly.Lucian nodded in acknowledgment, though his eyes remained on Ava. “Well,” he said slowly, a hint of amusement entering his voice, “look who we have here.”Mrs. Susu smiled. “Ava is making meat pie for you.”Ava’s eyes widened. She immediately turned toward the older woman. “When did I say they were for him?”Mrs. Susu only laughed as she tur
For a few days, Ava put the investigation into Gova Investment Company on hold.The official reason was the workload at the office. Post-launch reports, partner follow-ups, internal approvals, there was always something demanding her attention. But deep down, Ava knew that was only part of it. Maybe not even the real part.Perhaps this was just her way of delaying the inevitable.No matter how long she waited, she was eventually going to have to face her father.The thought sat heavily in her chest. She feared that meeting for so many reasons, some she could name, and others she could not. Guilt. Shame. The possibility that he might look at her and see only the years she had stayed away. The possibility that he might not want to see her at all.Ava sat at her desk, pen idle between her fingers, staring at nothing in particular.She could not keep asking Emily to dig. She had already decided not to drag anyone else into this mess. If she wanted real information on Mr. Rio and the peop
By the time John left Lilian’s house, the irritation from their earlier argument had settled into something darker. Her tears, her complaints, and even the kiss they had shared before he left were already fading from his mind. There was something else that had been bothering him for days, something he could no longer ignore.Ava.More specifically, the person who had suddenly appeared behind her.Ava had changed too quickly. She had gone from struggling to prove herself as Nexatech’s CEO to successfully launching a major product.Her sudden turnaround didn’t make sense to John. He knew Ava well enough to know that she was ambitious, but ambition alone couldn’t explain how quickly she had managed to turn things around.He drove to a private lounge in the city, one of the quiet places where wealthy businessmen could conduct their affairs without attracting attention. The moment he entered one of the private rooms upstairs, he found a middle-aged man already waiting for him.The man stoo







