LOGINAva could barely answer.
Her body was still trembling, thighs weak, breath uneven. The wetness between her legs and the shine on Lucian’s mouth made her cheeks burn all over again. She tried to look away, but he caught her chin and turned her face back to him.
“I asked you a question.”
Ava swallowed. Her voice came out soft and unsteady. “No…”
“No, what?”
She hesitated, still dazed. “No… I can&rsq
That evening, the Hale household was busy.Lilian stood in front of the mirror, turning slightly to check her dress from every angle. Her eyes were bright, and she kept smoothing the fabric even though it already looked perfect. Her father had just told her that the wedding date would finally be set tonight at the Lyon residence. She felt like she was floating. She left her room and made her way downstairs.Her father was already dressed and waiting. Only her mother was still missing.Mr. Hale checked his watch for the third time and frowned. He pulled out his phone and dialed his wife.The moment the call connected, his voice turned sharp. “Where are you? You need to hurry. We shouldn’t keep the Lyons waiting.”“I’m on my way,” Mrs. Hale replied. “Traffic is bad.”In the background, Lilian’s voice rose immediately. “Mom, hurry up already! You’re going to make us late!”Mr. Hale pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just get here soon.”He ended the call. Lilian spun around, arms crossed,
“Miss Richmond has arrived,” Emily announced quietly.Ava drew in a small breath and straightened her shoulders before stepping into the meeting room with Lucian beside her.Mrs. Catherine and Mr. Harrison were already seated at the table. At the far end, a distinguished middle-aged man in a dark suit stood.Ava knew immediately that he was the general manager of the foreign company.“Miss Richmond,” he said with a polite smile. “I’m Mr. Greg. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”“Likewise. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”“Not at all. We understand you have been on medical leave.”Ava nodded and carefully took her seat. Lucian pulled out the chair for her before sitting beside her.Mr. Greg opened the documents in front of him.“Our company is currently developing a new technology that we believe has great potential in the international market. We are looking for a strong partner to help us expand it.”He paused before continuing.“We are asking NexaTech to invest thirty million
About two minutes later, Ava’s phone started ringing. She picked up the phone and answered at once.“Is anything the matter, Emily?”Emily’s voice came through quickly, sounding a little worried. “Miss Ava, there’s a problem, and I think you need to come to the office.”Ava immediately sat up straighter. “What happened?”“The meeting with the foreign company has been moved to one pm this afternoon. Mrs. Catherine arranged it without informing you. She claimed she didn’t know you were on leave, but the general manager is only available today, and they don’t want to postpone the meeting.”Ava frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”“I only just found out myself. I’ve tried to see if we could reschedule, but they aren’t willing to change the time. Miss Ava, this partnership is important for NexaTech. I think you should be there.”Ava fell silent for a moment. She glanced down at her injured ankle.She had spent the entire week
For the days that followed, Ava’s routine stayed almost the same.She woke up, had breakfast, listened to Lucian remind her not to walk around too much, sat in the living room for a while, then went back to sleep. By evening she ate dinner with him, and once again he told her to rest.At first she tolerated it. By the third day, it started to get under her skin.She was bored. Restless. Every time she looked at her phone and saw messages from Emily, the urge to go back to NexaTech grew stronger. But the ankle still limited her, and that only made the irritation worse.She hated sitting still.More than that, she hated how easily Lucian seemed to accept that she should do nothing at all.Ava stared down at her walking boot with an annoyed expression.“How much longer?” she muttered to herself.She was beginning to feel like she had been sentenced to house arrest.After a full week of staying at home, it
Ava stayed in the living room and watched as Lucas and a woman carried her important things into the new room. Mrs. Susu brought breakfast over to where she was sitting. Ava managed only a few bites before setting the plate aside and taking the medicine the doctor had prescribed.The next few hours passed slowly. She scrolled through her phone until even that began to bore her. Lucian did not come downstairs, and for once she was grateful for the space.She called Emily a couple of times to check on work, but there was nothing that needed her urgent attention.Ava let out a quiet sigh.She had grown used to waking up, going to the office, and staying busy. Sitting still and doing nothing felt like its own kind of torture.After a while, she decided the best thing to do was sleep. Maybe by the time she woke up, more of the day would have already passed.She informed Mrs. Susu, who came over at once and helped her back to the new room. It was
Ava woke up the next morning and sat up like she always did, ready to get dressed for work. The moment she tried to put weight on her left foot, a sharp pain shot through her ankle and forced her to stop. She winced and slowly eased herself back down on the edge of the bed.“Right,” she muttered under her breath. “I almost forgot.”She carefully stood up again, making sure most of her weight remained on her good foot, then limped over to the side table and picked up her phone. After a second, she dialed Emily.Emily picked up quickly. “Miss Richmond?”“Morning, Emily. I won’t be coming into the office today,” Ava said.Emily immediately sounded concerned. “Is everything alright?”Ava sighed and leaned her shoulder against the wall for support. “I had a little accident yesterday and sprained my ankle. The doctor advised me to rest for a few days.”There was a







