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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mr CEO Your Ex-wife Is Back: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

150 Kabanata

31

AVAThere's a thin line between fear and panic and I was standing on the line… on one leg. For a few seconds, I just sat there holding my phone tightly in my hand and forcing my brain not to overthink anything. Especially what just happened. How scary can human beings get?I picked up my phone immediately and sent Daniel a message. “It’s urgent… please come.”I sat on the couch with my laptop open to the Lang Holdings shell-company diagram Daniel had sent over, but the lines kept blurring. Ava, what have you gotten yourself into!Viktor’s voice still echoed in my head, calm, proud, utterly without shame. He’d poisoned me and is now acting as though he is offering me a throne, the arrogance of it burning like acid in my veins.The apartment smelled faintly of citrus diffuser and the faint metallic trace of whatever he’d used, a constant reminder that my own home had turned against me. I hadn’t touched the tap since. Bottled water only, delivered by Daniel’s man.My phone buzzed in m

32

AVAThe vibration on my nightstand yanked me from a shallow, dreamless sleep. Gray light pressed against the curtains like it had something to say but couldn’t be bothered to speak clearly. 7:12 a.m. My phone screen glowed with a single message from an unknown number I already knew belonged to Viktor.Neutral ground. The Shard, private lounge, noon sharp. Come alone.I stared at the words until they blurred. My thumb hovered over the keyboard. Last night’s argument with Daniel still burned behind my ribs.I gave it thirty seconds of thought… staring at the ceiling crack that looked like a crooked smile and typed back: The Shard lounge. Noon. Public section, not private. I pick the table. You come alone or the deal dies before it starts.Send.I swung my legs out of bed, the marble floor ice-cold against my bare feet. A quick shower, black coffee from the machine that still tasted faintly of the bottled water I now trusted more than the taps. I pulled on a charcoal cashmere coat, the o

33

DANIELThe elevator doors closed on Ava’s retreating figure, swallowing her into the descending steel box. I stood frozen in the lobby of The Shard for a long moment, the taste of her still lingering on my lips from that fierce kiss back at the apartment. My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped steel wire around my ribs. Through the towering glass walls, London stretched out under a stubborn gray sky..double-decker buses crawling like red beetles far below, a lone cyclist weaving dangerously between taxis, the faint wail of a siren somewhere near the river.I wanted to charge straight back upstairs. Find Viktor Lang in that lounge, drag him by his expensive lapels, and put my fist through that calculated smile. The impulse burned hot and satisfying in my veins. But sense kicked in fast….Its too risky. Walking in there now would only paint a bigger target on her back and Ava had already made up her mind. If she heard I stormed in there after she told me to stay out of it,it wou

34

AVA The Harrington Foundation Annual Charity Auction glittered inside the Savoy’s grand ballroom like a jewel box built on lies. Crystal chandeliers dripped light over silk gowns and black tuxedos. The air smelled of expensive perfume, fresh orchids, and the faint sweetness of vintage champagne. I moved through the crowd in my emerald gown, the fabric whispering against my skin with every step, my clutch heavy with Viktor’s matte-black USB. Conversations flowed easily around me…soft laughter, polite smiles, subtle competition hidden beneath elegance. Everyone here was playing a role. Sienna caught my eye from across the room, radiant in silver, one hand resting lightly on her growing bump. She let out a mischievous smile which unsettled me. I held her gaze for a second longer than necessary, then turned away first. I slipped away during the heated bidding for a 1940s Rolex. The private study off the main hall was quiet, lit by a single brass lamp. I moved quickly, Behind the

35

AVAThe knock echoed through my apartment at 3:17 a.m., cutting through the heavy silence like a blade. I was still wearing the emerald gown from the auction, now crumpled and carrying the faint scent of orchids and champagne. Rain tapped softly against the tall windows, and the city below glowed with scattered lights from late-night taxis and glowing signs. I checked the camera feed twice before opening the door.Julian stood there, coat darkened by rain, eyes exhausted but determined. He held a thick, sealed folder under one arm.“I knew you wouldn’t want to hear anything I had to say after tonight,” he said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. “But I had to come. In person.”I closed the door behind him. The sound of the latch clicking felt final. We moved to the kitchen island. I poured two glasses of bottled water, the liquid crystal clear and safe. He ignored his glass and opened the folder instead.“Victor murdered my mother,” Julian began, voice low and edged w

36

AVAThe rain hammered the roof of the car like frantic fingers trying to warn me back. My headlights were off, the black SUV crawling forward through the Docklands maze of shipping containers and broken streetlights. The address Viktor sent burned in my mind. I had no idea what waited inside…what exactly Viktor is planning, what traps, whether Daniel was even still breathing. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking on the wheel.I had met Rafe, a ghost from my past who owed Elena more favors than he could count…and he helped me with a gun and the layout of how that place actually is.I didn’t know if going alone without a strong backup was a wise or foolish decision but Daniel’s life was on the line and I couldn’t afford loosing that one person that made life feel whole for me.I parked behind a stack of rusted containers and sat there for ten seconds, breathing hard. The emerald gown from the auction was still stuck to my skin, wet and cold. I slipped the gun Rafe had given me into my coat poc

37

AVAThe gunshot echoed forever, a sharp, final sound that punched through the rain and the rust and my own screaming heart. I stood there, gun still raised, smoke curling from the barrel like a question I couldn’t answer. Viktor clutched his shoulder, blood blooming dark across his navy suit, face twisted in shock and pain.“What have I done” I said in panic and for a moment, I wanted to reach out to Viktor to know if he was alright. I didn’t know I would actually use this gin….I hadn’t aimed to kill—just to stop him.I had never shot a person in my life.“Please be Okay, Don't you dare die!!, Lord please don’t let him die.”I prayed silently, the words tumbling out in my head like a frantic rosary I hadn’t touched since childhood. Let him live. Let the bullet miss anything vital. Don’t let me become what they are. My hands shook so hard the gun rattled against my palm. Forgive me. Just let us get out.Daniel moved before the guards could react. He twisted, elbow driving into the first

38

AVAMorning light seeped through the edges of the blacked-out curtains, soft and gray, the kind of London dawn that promised nothing. I woke first, tangled in Daniel’s arms, my bare leg thrown over his, his steady breathing warm against my neck. The memories of last night hit me all at once… the desperate way I had moaned his name, the scratch marks I’d left down his back, how completely I had fallen apart under his touch. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I felt suddenly shy, almost embarrassed, like the woman who had begged him harder wasn’t really me.I tried to slip out of bed without waking him, but his arm tightened around my waist.“Don’t,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep. He pulled me back against his chest, pressing a slow kiss to my shoulder. “Stay right here.”I turned in his arms, hiding my face in the crook of his neck. “I can’t believe how… loud I was last night,” I whispered, mortified. “I’ve never been like that before.”Daniel chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through

39

AVAThe damp Shoreditch air clung to my skin as I walked away from the safe house, coat pulled tight around me. My legs felt heavy, but I kept moving, flagging down the first black cab I saw. I gave the driver my old apartment address without thinking. I needed familiar walls to breathe.When I pushed open the door to my apartment twenty minutes later, the lights were still on from the night before. And there, sitting on the edge of the kitchen island with the same folder in his lap, was Julian.I stopped dead in the doorway.“What are you still doing here?” I asked, voice flat with exhaustion.He stood slowly, looking rumpled in yesterday’s shirt, eyes tired but determined. “Waiting for you, Ava. We have an unfinished discussion from last night. You left rather abruptly.”For a second I just stared at him, too drained to feel the proper level of shock. He had stayed here all night?.“Get out, Julian.”“Ava, please just hear me out. I know things look bad, but I—”“Leave,” I cut him o

40

AVAThe freezing water had hit me like needles, soaking through every layer of my clothes. I stood under the icy spray fully dressed until my mind finally went quiet. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I turned off the tap, wringing out my soaked blouse and jeans.I stepped out of the bathroom still dripping, clothes clinging to my skin, hair plastered to my face. The moment I entered the living room, I froze.Daniel was sitting on the edge of the sofa, elbows on his knees, watching me.“Shit—” Panic flared. I spun around and darted back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me.I stripped off the wet clothes as fast as I could, grabbed dry leggings and an oversized sweater, and ran a towel through my damp hair. Taking a deep breath, I stepped back out.Daniel was still there, a faint amused smile on his lips. I crossed the room and sat in the armchair across from him.Before I could speak, he said quietly, “I don’t like when we argue, Ava.”I exhaled slowly. “Same. We’ve survived

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