Semua Bab Shared In Tangled Sheets : Bab 11 - Bab 20

By the time the afternoon light streamed in through the office windows, Ava had almost convinced herself she’d shaken off the morning’s incident— Almost.Her laptop hummed softly on the desk, a spreadsheet opened before her, but the numbers blurred into useless columns. Her mind kept drifting back to the sound of his voice, to the way her body had betrayed her, moving before thought, obeying him as if her will didn’t belong to her anymore.A sharp inhale steadied her. She couldn’t allow it. Not here, not with him under her authority.So when Tristan delivered his report on the company’s latest proposal, Ava caught the deliberate slant in his work. Details twisted, instructions bent, not outright wrong, just enough to make it clear he’d chosen not to follow orders exactly. She knew it was a challenge and she wasn’t going to let it slide.Her pulse flickered with irritation, or maybe it was something more, but she didn’t hesitate. She rose, heels clicking against the polished floor,

The underground parking lot was almost deserted when Ava stepped out of the elevator towards her car. The echo of Ava’s heels bounced off the concrete walls. She was alone, she clutched her bag closer, mind still buzzing with numbers and Tristan.She heard heavy footsteps that weren’t hers behind her. Then the shadow broke from between two parked cars. She attempted to run, but the masked man was faster.“Give me your bag.”Her breath stuttered. “I… I don’t have cash.”The man lunged at her, the impact caused her to stumble back, and her voice caught in her throat from fear. She saw the blur of another figure cut between them. A familiar figure.Tristan.He moved with terrifying precision, slamming the man into the hood of a car. First came the sound of impact, then a grunt, and the robber crumpled to the ground before bolting into the shadows.“Ava,” Tristan’s voice was laced with concern and urgency. “Are you hurt?”“I… no, I…” She stepped back, her heart still hammering, her hee

Ava’s breath hitched when she opened the door wider. The night air clung to her skin, and Tristan filled the frame with that infuriating calmness.“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered harshly, glancing over her shoulder toward the staircase. “This is my home.”“I came because you texted me.” His green eyes glittered with something unreadable.“No, I didn…” she stopped to check her phone and realized she had actually texted him. “It was a mistake.” Her voice sharpened. “Don’t twist it. And don’t ever show up here again.”Tristan tilted his head, amused. “Mistake, huh? Funny how often you make them when it comes to me.”Her stomach churned, shame and heat tangling into something unsteady. She forced her voice low and stern. “I mean it, Tristan. This… whatever game you’re playing, it ends here— now.”“Shhh, that’s enough.” His tone cut clean through her resistance, smooth and commanding. “Stop talking and go to bed.”The words slithered through her, a current pulling her under. Against

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, voice tight.“Xander…”“No,” he cut in, his tone sharp. “We’re leaving.”Panic flared. Leaving meant admitting something was happening, that Tristan had that kind of power. Ava straightened, her voice sharper than intended.“No. That’s exactly what he wants, don’t give him the satisfaction. Just ignore him.”Xander’s eyes darkened, anger simmering under the surface. His grip on her hand loosened. But after a long, tense pause, he sat back in his chair.The meal continued, but the atmosphere was poisoned. Every bite tasted of ash, every sip of wine heavier than the last. She could feel Tristan’s stare, hot against her skin even across the room. And Xander felt it too, his shoulders stiff, his silence weighted.By the time Ava excused herself to the bathroom, her nerves were stretched thin. “I’ll be right back,” she said lightly, standing too quickly.The hallway was dimmer, lined with mirrors that caught her reflection in fractured slivers. She

Back at TMP Inc., the boardroom glowed with polished wood and the steady hum of a projector. Ava stood poised, running through the figures she had carefully prepared, her voice steady and clear. But every so often, Tristan would interject, slipping into her rhythm like he owned it but let her present it.He didn’t contradict her outright. Instead, he leaned in at just the right moment, added a suggestion that made it sound like he was smoothing the edges she had already carved. The clients nodded, impressed, their eyes flicking between them.By the time the meeting wrapped, Ava’s jaw ached from clenching her teeth.The moment the doors closed behind them, she spun on him.“Don’t you ever undermine me like that again.”Tristan tilted his head, calm as ever, like he’d been waiting for this. “Undermine?” His voice was calm over her steel. “I was just… supporting you.”“Supporting?” Her laugh cracked with disbelief. “You made me look like I needed rescuing in front of them.”He stepped