Billionaire Romance Novel: Falling for Ava.
CHIDEBELE ENEGIDE
CHAPTER ONE: Betrayal Stings
Ava slammed the glass door of Darcy’s office open. She bolted in with a mixture of rage and pain smeared on her face. She marched straight to where Darcy stood offering her a smile.
“Av…..” Before her name could leave Darcy's lips, Ava’s hand landed on her cheeks, the sound of the slap echoing in the silent room. The smile fell instantly off Darcy's face.
The impact of the slap sent her staggering backward, blurring her vision for a moment. She threw her hands over her stinging cheek, her eyes widening in shock.
“Ava!” She barked, lowering her hand.
“Don't you dare say my name!” Ava warned.
“What's this about?” Darcy spat, shooting her a questioning glare.
“How could you do this to me?” She choked out.
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Darcy yelled, confusion etched on her face. Tension filled the room as they both glared at each other.
Her initial confusion turned to realisation. “How did you find out?” she asked, roughly pushing her hair backward.
“The nerve of you to ask me that. How could you?!” Ava exclaimed “Of all the people in the world, it had to be you, my own sister”
“Step sister” Darcy corrected sternly. Her eyes and tone, devoid of remorse.
Ava's mouth parted open in shock, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. She felt the tears that had welled up in her eyes drop heavily. Those words cut deeper than a sword. It was the first time.
It was the first time Darcy had used that word. She never imagined a day like this would come; a day when the sister she raised and loved with everything would betray her.
“You seem to be forgetting that,” Darcy said, her tone devoid of emotion.
Ava scoffed “Step sisters?” She repeated, her lips trembling “Who are you? I trusted you Darcy, but you chose to stab me in the back over those fleeting feelings?”
Darcy scoffed, “Fleeting feelings?” Her eyes welled with tears “You think I did this over some fleeting feelings? I love him! I fucking love him!” She yelled “You were too in love that you didn't notice your sister was hurting”
Silence hovered between them for some seconds. Ava scowled, hurt and bewilderment written all over her face.
She was the one hurting? After all she has done to me, she thinks she has a right to feel hurt. Ava thought bitterly.
“I am not the only one to blame here” Darcy defended “Chase killed him! I didn't!”
“Can you hear yourself?!”
“I never wanted any of this to happen. When Chase told me about his plans to force you into his life and promised to make Zayn mine I admit I was tempted. I was blinded by my desires and my desperation, so I decided to be the devil.
“When he realised you were never going to be his and opted to kill you and your son…. I hesitated for a moment. I admit I wanted you out of the picture, but I just couldn't bear to see you die.
“That's why I made that choice to look for a way to get you out of the car before it exploded. I knew that losing your son would break you but I decided to sacrifice him for you. I did that for you!” Darcy yelled hysterically.
“Fuck you!!” Ava yelled, her veins highlighting on her forehead. “Fuck you, Darcy” Her voice quivered “What was my little boy's offence?” She cried out in a strained whisper. Tears blurred her vision until they began to drop in bits with every word “Where's your conscience? How do you sleep at night?”
Those words lingered in Darcy’s heart. She bit her lips, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to break loose.
“You should have known that I would have been better off dead than seeing my son burn before my eyes. If you really loved Zayn all you had to do was tell me”
“Oh cut the crap!” she snapped. Her voice rose to an octave, “And what would you have done? Give him up for me?” then it dropped. “Why do they only see you?” She stared at Ava disdainfully. “Theo, Mark, Chase, and Zayn; every single one of them. It was always you. They never noticed me. Do you know how it feels to love someone who would never even look at you?”
“I never asked my heart to love Zayn,” Darcy continued, tugging at her heart. “It hurts. I'm hurt too. I'm sorry I hurt you, but I don't regret it because that's how far I was willing to go for him to look at me!” She blurted out, breathing heavily as she wiped her tears violently with the back of her hand.
“You're so fucking pathetic,” Ava said “How stupid can you be? Did you really think this would make Zayn look at you? If you really love him like you say, you would have thought of the pain he would feel losing his son. How would he feel knowing that you and his own brother are responsible for his son's death?”
“You can hate me and curse at me, but you don't know what it feels like. Do you know how I felt watching you two acting all lovey-dovey in front of me? It was like a slow poison killing me from the inside”
Ava was horrified at the person in front of her. Was this really her sister?
“You are so selfish. I sacrificed my entire life for you and this is how you chose to repay me” Ava wiped her tears with her two hands “He will never love you. You can try all you want but he will never be yours”
Darcy gritted her teeth, eyes cold and watery. That was the bitter truth and she knew deep down.
“Our tie ends here. From this moment on I'll forget that you're my sister” She walked towards her. She stared her in the face, eyes vengeful “I'm going to make you and Chase pay. I’ll make the two of you burn in the hell you created for me” She turned to her heel and marched out of the office.
Darcy collapsed on the chair, panting heavily as she gripped her chest, the tears she had held back finally falling like a flood.
CHAPTER TWO: The West Brothers
{Five Years Ago}
Chase and Zayn West were an influential duo in the corporate world. They were described by the tabloids as young, handsome, and successful.
Chase was only 32 and Zayn 28, yet they successfully ran a multi-billion dollar Winery. They owned one of the largest wine brands in the world.
West Winery was established twelve years ago by their late parents, James West, and Rose West, two countryside groundskeepers who had a passion for winemaking.
One night, when James and Rose were returning from the vineyard they were involved in a ghastly car accident that had killed them on the spot. After their parent’s demise five years ago, Chase was made the President and Zayn the vice president, following their father's will.
Since then, the winery has expanded twice as much under the leadership of the brothers. Apart from being resilient businessmen, they were known as the billionaire playboys. They were accustomed to getting what they wanted, both in business and in pleasure.
“What’s the update on Lim Vine?” Zayn asked, his eyes fixed on the guy in front of him in the meeting room.
The staff were seated behind a long sturdy wooden table. Pictures of vintage wines decorated the earthy brown walls. Chase sat at the head of the table while Zayn sat at his left.
To the right was the Chief Winemaker, the Marketing Director, and the CFO. In the opposite direction sat the various heads of the sales, production, distribution, and research & development teams.
Chase and Zayn's secretaries sat at the rear end, taking the minutes of the meeting.
“We're still trying to convince them” The sales manager responded “Mr Lim’s concerned…” He hesitated “over Chase’s recent scandal with the Chinese supermodel”
With a frustrated grunt, Chase ran his right hand through his hair “So this is about the scandal?” His voice hardened “I thought the PR team already handled that”
“All articles were taken down, but it had already gotten a lot of views” The SM replied.
“We are not going to take no for an answer” Zayn interjected “We need Mr. Lim’s partnership to expand to the Asian market”
“I want all hands on deck” Chase ordered “Write him a million proposals if you have to. We need to convince him somehow”
“And how do we do that?” The CFO asked. “He's probably worried about soiling his company’s image”
“We need to assure him that there's no need for such concerns,” The production manager said.
“I think this will be the best time for the wine-tasting event” The marketing director suggested “We should move the event to next weekend. We can divert his attention to that. When he sees our dedication he may change his mind.
Chase turned to his secretary “Aubrey, when will the new sommelier resume?”
“Friday,” she replied.
“It's settled then,” Zayn said “We can hold the wine tasting next week”
“I need a detailed report of the event on my table by Monday,” Chase said.
They all chorused “Yes Sir”
*************************************
“Let's try to avoid scandals tonight, please,” Zayn said to Chase as they walked into the dimly lit bar. He arched his eyebrows, waiting for his response.
Chase laughed, nudging Zayn playfully. “Fine”
Soft music blasted through the speakers. Sounds of people engaging in subtle conversations and people clinking glasses filled the air. They took a seat at a private corner of the bar where they usually sat.
A bartender walked up to them, “The usual?” Zayn nodded in response. “Coming right up” He returns with a bottle of scotch and two glasses.
“Thank you” Zayn said as he placed it on the table and left.
“Hey, handsome” A tall sexy girl appeared before them.
Chase offered her a flirty smile “Hey gorgeous” He grabbed her waist and pulled her to his lap.
“I have missed you,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him. He grabbed her hair and yanked it backward, planting a kiss on her lips.
From across the bar, a woman with chestnut hair scanned the crowd until her eyes landed on Zayn. She smiled, making her way through the crowd.
“Zayn” she called out.
Zayn's expression soured as she approached him. They used to have a thing going but he was done with her.
Like every other woman he had been with, he had told her from the get-go that there were no strings attached, but she wouldn't get off his back.
He sighed inwardly “What's up Lola?” He asked, forcing a half-smile.
"Thought you could use some company," she sat on the arm of his chair, placing her hand over his shoulder.
Zayn poured some scotch into his glass, shifting his gaze from Lola’s face. He was sick of her clinginess. His eyes scanned the bar and it fell on a girl on the dance floor, lost in the music.
Blue and red lights cast a glow on her. His eyes lit up as they scanned her body. He was starstruck.
Suddenly, everything was in slow motion. Her hands swirled in the air, her waist and long black hair moving to the rhythm of the music. She was absolutely stunning and her face was new, a fresh catch.
Lola noticed the shift in his focus and turned to see what had caught his eye. Annoyance flashed across her face as she watched him stare at another girl.
Chase, on the other hand, was focused on the girl on his lap. He whispered something in her ears and she giggled. “You're so naughty, Chase”
“Zayn” Lola called, desperately trying to get his attention.
“Hmmn?” He replied half-heartedly. He took tiny sips of his drink, his gaze remaining steadfast on the girl as his lips lingered on the rim of his glass.
“Babe, look at me. I'm talking to you” He completely ignored her.
Chase turned to his brother, wondering what had him so distracted. He followed his brother’s gaze to the girl.
Zayn watched her as she took the girl she had been dancing with by the hand and pulled her to a table, both of them laughing and panting heavily as they fell on the chair.
Her soft laughter intrigued him.
The two girls grabbed the remaining vodka sitting in their glasses and chugged it down.
“You should go talk to her” Chase's voice broke his gaze.
“Are you kidding me?” Lola barked, clearly upset at the disregard for her presence. “You are such a jerk, Zayn West.” She rose to her feet and stormed away.
“Wouldn't be the first time hearing that” Zayn said snidely to her as she stormed away. She turned to him, giving him the middle finger.
Chase and his company chuckled as Zayn laughed, standing to his feet. With his glass in his hand, he slipped through the crowd, walking over to his mystery girl.
“Hey, beautiful,” He said, flashing her a cocky grin.
She lifted her face and their eyes met. The light fell on his face, accentuating his features. He was wearing a black Armani button-down shirt that hugged his well-toned body and black Tom Ford tailored trousers, paired with black Saint Laurent shoes.
His hair was messy in a sexy way and his pink lips glowed under the light. He was artfully gorgeous and his cocky grin told her that he knew how good-looking he was.
“You are so hot,” The other girl next to his mystery girl blurted out, grinning at him. He smiled at her, returning the compliment but his attention was not on her.
“And you are gorgeous”
She smiled “Well thank you” She stretched her right hand to him “I’m Darcy”
He shook her hands “Pleasure meeting you”.
He dropped the glass in his hand on the table, offering himself a seat beside his mystery girl. The unique scent of her perfume caught his nose. It was intoxicating, with a hint of Jasmine.
“Zayn,” He said, stretching his hand to her.
She looked at his hands, then up at his face, displeased at his cockiness “What do you think you're doing, Mr entitled? You must think you're God's gift to women.
“Ava” Darcy muttered to her.
Taken aback, Zayn redrew his hands slowly “Excuse me?”
“You clearly have no clue how to approach a woman. If you did you would know that it's bad manners to sit without asking”
Zayn froze, trying to keep his bubbling anger afloat. “Pardon my manners” He forced an apology “Do you mind if I buy you a drink?
“I don't mind,” Darcy interjected too cheerfully and eagerly, trying to ease the tension.
“Actually, I do mind,” Ava dismissed. “I can buy my own drink. Thank you”
He let out a soft chuckle, lips parting in amusement and surprise “I just want to buy you a drink, you don't have to be all feisty”
“After buying me a drink, what next, huh?. You take me to your bed?”
“Woah!, Slow down tiger”
Ava grabbed her bag “Let's leave Darcy”
“Ava!” Darcy protested.
Ava stood up quickly, gazing at Darcy to follow suit “Come on”
“Nice meeting you,” Darcy remarked politely as she stood up as well.
“Darcy, let's go” Ava grabbed her hand and they dashed out.
Zayn sat there stunned, shamefaced. “Unbelievable” This rejection was a first for him.
Chase walked up to him “That went well” He teased, sarcasm etched in his words “I guess there's someone the Zayn effect has no effect on.
Zayn clenched his jaw. He grabbed his glass and gulped down every last bit of the alcohol, munching angrily on the ice. “Who the hell does she think she is?”
Chase couldn't hold back his laughter. He patted Zayn’s shoulder “Let's go, man”
*************************************
With Darcy's arm knotted into hers, Ava pushed the door open. They staggered in. Darcy landed on the couch, throwing her legs in the air.
“You are so wasted,” Ava said, sitting on the couch. She placed Darcy's leg on her lap and took off her heels.
Darcy and Ava only had each other. They were extremely unlucky with their parents. Their father, Henry, was a chronic drinker who had an affair with Darcy's mom when he was married to Ava's mom.
By the time Ava's mom found out about his affair, Darcy was already 14. Ava's mom was fed up so she left Henry, leaving Ava with him. Darcy and her mom moved in and not too long after, during one of his drunken sprees, Henry beat Darcy's mom to her death.
At the ages of 17 and 15, they both had to deal with living without their parents. They were both all they had and they protected each other fiercely.
“That guy was sooooo hot.” Darcy mumbled, “Why were you so rude to him?”
“He’s obviously a player, Darcy”
Darcy arched her eyebrows “And how do you know that? You only knew him for like what …..ten minutes?”
“Those perfectly chiselled jawline, sexy hair, luxury outfit, and Rolex watch on his wrist, that's how. Rich cocky guys like him use their looks to lure innocent-looking girls. I'm not about to join his victim list”
“He's not Mark, Ava”
Ava stiffened, memories of a bitter past racing back. She has not dated anyone else since Mark.
“I understand your desire to keep rich guys at arm's length, but condemning every rich guy because of an ex is crazy”
“I know… I just,” Ava paused. “His cockiness just irked me. For all we know he could be another Mark”
“Or not” She sat up, folding her legs beneath her. “And in all honesty, his cockiness is justified. I mean, look at the guy. He looks like an artist’s greatest muse”
Ava chuckled, rolling her eyes.
“And so what if all he wants is sex” Darcy continued “It's a win-win. You get a taste of that hotness and make money off of him”
“I can't believe you” Ava blurted out with a laugh “You're crazy.”
Darcy has always been like that, audacious and free-spirited, while Ava was more reserved.
Darcy heaved a sigh, falling back on the couch “When will I ever get to fly in a private jet and go on lavish vacations in the Hamptons?”
“Probably never” Ava laughed, standing from the couch.
“You just lost your chance. We’ll probably never see him again”
CHAPTER THREE: The Girl At The Bar
The phone on the table buzzed loudly. A pregnant woman in her 30s picks up. She was Zayn's secretary
“Good morning” Brenda smiled “You've reached West Winery, how may I help you? Alright. I'll inform him right away.”
It's been four days since Zayn had that encounter with his mystery girl, Ava. Every time he went to the bar his eyes subconsciously searched for her, but she never came back.
A heavily pregnant Brenda rose from her seat and walked over to Zayn's office. She knocks on his door and then opens it.
“HR called. My replacement is here” she said with one leg inside his office and the other out “I bet she's pretty” She teased with a beam, raising her brows at him.
Zayn chuckled, getting her hint “Really?”
Brenda has been Zayn's secretary for four years. She knew of Zayn's sexcapades all too well but in their four years of working together, nothing ever happened between them. Their relationship was based on an innocent friendship. She was efficient and cheerful.
Zayn hated to see her go but she was due in four months.
“Don’t miss me too much”
He laughed softly. “I'll try not to. I'll ask my driver to drop you off”
“Don't bother the poor guy. My husband’s on his way to pick me up”
“Okay. Have a safe delivery, Brenda”
“You bet I will,” She said with a cheerful smile, closing the door.
Some minutes later a woman walked up to Zayn's office and she knocked.
“Come in” He replied firmly from inside. He sat behind a mahogany table, eyes fixated on the papers on his table. The woman who walked in was wearing a black gown with black stiletto heels.
“Good morning, Sir”
“You must be my new secretary,” he said, his gaze still fixed on the papers on his table.
“Yes sir” she replied confidently, her eyes scanning the portrait of a man and a woman on the wall and a shelf at the corner, displaying a collection of wines.
His nose cut a whim of that Jasmine scent from the girl at the bar the other night. ‘That Scent’ He thought. He could never forget that scent.
Slowly, his gaze lifted from the paper on his table to her face. His eyes brightened, his lips curling into a grin.
Ava’s bright brown eyes widened in horror as she saw him. She recognized him instantly. She blinked to be sure she wasn't seeing things.
He couldn't believe it was the same girl at the bar and she couldn’t believe it was the same player from the bar.
“What are you doing here?” She questioned.
He chuckled, amused at her cluelessness “This is my office”
“What?” She stuttered “You…you're Zayn West?”
He nodded, “In flesh and blood,” he said with an amused snare playing around his lips. He enjoyed the anxiety on her face.
“Ava” Her name rolled out of his lips with a melody “I still remember your name” The delight to see her again was visible in his eyes “We meet again”
She cursed herself internally. ‘What have I done? How is this happening to me?
“I'm…” she began in a calm tone “I'm really sorry about that night. I was… I didn't mean…”
He cut her off “It's okay. I’m not going to hold what happened that night against you. I'm not that petty”
‘Ohhh but he wanted to be.’ He thought to himself coyly.
She counted her words “So…we're…good?”
He beamed, stood up from his seat, and walked up to her. He extended his right hand to her “Welcome to the team, Ava”
Just like that? I get the job? No hard feelings? Does he just forgive me? No, this is too easy. She thought suspiciously as she lifted her hands cautiously and slowly and shook him.
It was now six pm and office hours were over. Ava strolled out of West Winery, slightly dreading her first day. She replayed the whole scenario of today in her head.
Zayn who was now her boss was so overtly nice and charming that she couldn’t let her guard down all day. His smiles were too easy and too coy for her to read them at face value. Although she was on her toes all day, she made sure to do all her tasks efficiently in order to ensure that he would have no cause to fire her or scrutinise her.
“Ava!” The excited yell of Darcy jolted her back to reality.
Darcy was standing at the entrance, waiting for her. She ran towards her and hugged her tightly “I can't believe this” she released her. “The guy from the bar; he's ‘the’ Zayn West”
Ava smiled lightly, “Glad someone had a good first day,” she said as she hailed a cab. They got one and they both entered the cab.
Darcy had applied for the Sommelier position at West Winery and this was her first time applying. She was selected because she had the education, experience, and certification.
Unlike Ava, Darcy got the chance to receive formal education in a wine education institution and also received a certification from the International Sommelier Guild.
Ava didn't have that opportunity because she couldn't cover the expenses for her education alongside Darcy's. Even though she couldn't reach her dreams yet, she was happy her sister could.
For three years, Ava had been applying for the position of Sommelier at West Winery but she was always rejected for not meeting the requirements.
So this year she decided to apply for the secretary position and prove how hardworking and capable she was to the West brothers, then maybe she'll get a chance.
She never imagined that she'd run into Zayn West in such an unpleasant way. She was worried she had already blown her chances.
How could I not have recognized Zayn West at the bar the other day? He was on the cover of every Goddamned gossip magazine. She thought to herself.
“I'm guessing you were shocked out of your wits,” Darcy said.
“You think?”
Darcy chuckled “Did he recognize you?”
“Of course he did. At a glance. And he had this devilish smirk all day that I wanted to wipe off so badly.”
“What did he say?” she asked, trying to hide her laugh.
“He said it was okay, but I feel a little uneasy,”
“You don't have to” Darcy began, “I mean, who would have thought he'd turn out to be Zayn West, our new boss.”
Ava heaved a sigh “Of course I should have known, because I eat up every news that comes out about them”
Darcy let out a soft chuckle “I still can't get past the fact that Zayn West actually approached you and you turned him down”
“Is he a demi-god or something?”
“Duhhh,” she said as she made a sarcastic no-shit face.
“Everyone knows the West brothers are chronic players. They have absolutely no respect for women.”
“Well if you think about it, those women are the ones to blame. They're the ones hovering around them like bees. Who wouldn't want a taste of those dreamy bodies?”
Ava rolled her eyes “I know I don't”
“Oh please. At the bar that night and even today, you weren't fascinated by his charming looks? You could even pinpoint his features and what he had on. You've never wished he’d do nasty things to you?”
She scrunched her face and shook her head at her “You read way too many X-rated novels”
“Oh Zayn…..” Darcy teased, seductively running her hands through her body “Chase….”
Ava swiftly threw her hands over her mouth, giggling “You're crazy. Stop it”
They noticed the taxi driver staring at them from the rearview mirror with an unreadable expression on his face. They turned to each other, both bursting into laughter.
“You’re so lucky, Ava. You get to see Chase and Zayn up close every day while I'm stuck on the third floor, in the wine bar” she pouted, resting her head on Ava's shoulder. Ava smiled, patting her hair gently.
CHAPTER FOUR: The Stake
Chase raised an eyebrow, leaning forward from the couch “Wait who?!”
“The woman from the bar!” Zayn exclaimed.
Chase burst into laughter “You're joking right?!”
“Why the hell would I joke about this?”
“Your secretary?” Chase shook his head, amused “Some fucked up fate”
“Yeah, right” Zayn replied dryly.
“Wait, are you still mad she bruised your ego?” He asked, laughing loudly.
He scoffed “I know her type. She's just like the rest of them”
“Is that your bruised ego talking?”
“All women act tough in the beginning but they eventually end up giving in”
“She didn't seem that easy to me”
“Girls like her are the easiest. I can totally get in her pants if I want to”
“I don't think so,” Chase said amusedly..
Zayn smirked confidently, “I always get what I want.”
“Prove it then.”
“Prove what exactly?”
“That you can get her as easily as you say.”
With a full grin, Zayn replied smugly, “How?”
Chase sat up and shared the same grin Zayn had “Remember in senior high when you dared me to have sex with that nerdy girl? What was her name? Uhh_ Taylor? Tatiana? Whatever.”
“Yeah?” Zayn questioned “What’s your point?”
“Let's make a bet,” he glared at his brother with a mischievous smirk “But this time around we're going to spice things up a bit. You have to make her fall head over heels in love with you.”
Zayn scoffed “What?”
“Make her fall for you, then get in her pants”
“Come on Chase. I don't think…”
“Don't be a chicken. Don't you want to teach her a lesson?”
He leaned into his seat, hesitating for a moment “Fine, let's do it. What's the stake?" He asked, feeling intrigued.
Chase grinned, his competitive nature kicking in. "One million dollars”
Zayn chuckled.“That's wild, man”
“Winner takes it all”
"You're on." He said with a smirk, extending his hands to seal the deal.
*************************************
The next morning, Ava was determined to prove her worth. She made up her mind to keep her interaction with Zayn strict and professional.
She made her way to the elevator and Zayn was standing there.
“Good morning, sir” she greeted formally.
“Good morning, Ava”
The door of the elevator pinged open and they both stepped in. There was an awkward silence. He stood at the end and she stood close to the elevator door. She clutched the hand of her bag, her gaze fixed on the numbers above the door. She could feel his eyes on her.
“Have you had breakfast?” His voice cut through the silence.
“Not yet sir” she replied without facing him.
He came closer to her “I got you a sandwich”
She turned to face him “Sir?”
He extended the sandwich bag to her “I hope you like sandwiches”
She stared at it, surprised at his gesture.
“Are you going to accuse me again of trying to take you to my bed?” He teased, arching his brows.
“N…No” She stuttered, grabbing the sandwich bag “Thank you, sir.”
He chuckled with a nod “What's my schedule like?”
She tucked the sandwich bag in her handbag and brought out an Apple iPad from her bag, scrolling through it.
“By 11 am you have a meeting with the CEO of Griffin and Georgia. By noon you're meeting with Chef Ian and Darcy to approve the food and wine pairing menu for the wine-tasting event.”
“Any response from Lim Vine?”
“Not yet sir. Also, you asked me to remind you to put a call across to the CFO regarding the redecorating of the wine bar on the third floor.”
He looked at her, observing her for a while as she blabbed on, her responses distant and measured. He advanced slowly towards her. She looked up from the iPad to face him.
She moved backward, bumping against the elevator’s cabin. Her grip faltered, almost dropping the iPad. He placed one hand on the wall just above her head and the other hand at the side of the wall where her waist was, enclosing her in a small space.
“What are you doing?” She asked in a strained whisper.
“Are you a robot?” He said, breathing down on her.
“Sir?”
“You should hear yourself right now. You sound like a programmed faulty robot”
With a straight face, she furrowed her brows “Real funny sir”
He chuckled warmly, moving away from her “You don't have to call me Sir you know. Call me Zayn”
She cleared her throat, adjusting her blouse “I'm going to have to stick with addressing you as Sir. It's more comfortable that way.”
He nodded slowly, offering her a small smile “Whatever you're comfortable with”
The elevator pinged open and they both stepped out. Zayn looked at his watch “We leave in an hour” He said as he walked towards his office, with Ava behind him.
“Yes sir,” Ava said, taking her seat just a few centimetres away from Zayn's office. A glass door demarcated them, so they could see each other from where they sat.
He stepped into his office and immediately Chase’s secretary walked in with a document in her hand.
“Good morning” She was wearing sunglasses, which Zayn found unusual.
He took his seat “Good morning, Aubrey. Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors? Is that a new trend?”
As she came closer, he noticed the bruises on the side of her left eye. Although she had tried to hide the marks on her face with some makeup, Zayn could see traces of it.
“Aubrey, are you okay?” He observed her face thoroughly with worry in his eyes.
“Of course,” she said, faking a laugh. “I just had a bad fall yesterday.” She dropped the document on his table. “Chase asked you to sign this.”
As she walked out he noticed her uneven movement. This can't be what he was thinking.
He picked up his phone and called Chase. “Meet me in the parking lot” He hung up.
A few minutes later, Chase appeared in the parking lot.
“What's up?” He asked as he approached Zayn “Why did you ask me to meet here?”
“Aubrey” He began, his voice serious “Did you do that to her?”
Chase kept mute as he stared at him boldly. No expression on his face.
“Did you?” He asked coldly, trying to keep his composure.
“I lost my temper, okay!” Chase admitted “She kept comparing me to some other guy when we were in bed”
“For fuck sake, Chase!” He snapped, rage engulfing him “When are you going to stop?. You almost fucking killed a girl the last time!” He pushed his hair back, pacing “You swore this was never going to happen again”
“Lower your voice, Zayn,” He said in a cold hushed tone “Someone might hear you”
“What if Aubrey decides to press assault charges against you, huh?” He said in a suppressed voice. “She is your bloody secretary, God damn it! Do you know what will happen if anyone finds out about this?”
“I already took care of it. I paid her off. Besides, she knows better than to tell anyone about this”
He scoffed, “Like you always do, you threatened her.” He shook his head and bit his lips “I can't keep cleaning up your messes, Chase. The next time you hit a woman….you're on your own.”
CHAPTER FIVE: The Game of the Heart.
Ava knocked on Chase's door and walked in. “Sir”
“Yes Ava”
“Aubrey called. In the documents she sent earlier, there's an error. She asked me to show you the parts Sir, Chase wants you to alter”
“Alright,” He rummaged through the files on his table and grabbed the document.
She leaned in to show him the parts “Here” she pointed at a part and highlighted it with a highlighter.
He noticed the third button on her blouse was unbuttoned, his eyes catching a glimpse of her black bra. He looked away, but his eyes faltered back to her cleavage.
He swallowed a saliva, his eyes lingering on her cleavage. He adjusted his tie, his thoughts racing as he tried to maintain focus on what she was showing him.
“And this part”
He cleared his throat, muttering gently “Uh, Ava, your…um.”
She looked at him “My what?”
“Your blouse” He beckoned to her chest with the pen in his hand “It's unbuttoned”
Her eyes traced his pen to her blouse. She gasped softly, grabbing her blouse with both hands. Zayn chuckled, his hazel eyes glistening.
“You don't have to feel embarrassed. I've seen bigger” He teased with a mischievous smirk.
Her eyes bulged wide at his comment, her cheeks flushing red.
“This is so embarrassing” she mumbled to herself as she quickly fumbled with the tiny buttons.
************************************
It was finally the weekend. This week had been far from stress-free and Ava and Darcy were really looking forward to a relaxing Saturday. Darcy and Ava were propped up on the couch, watching Stranger Things on Netflix and munching on some popcorn and coke.
Ava's phone rang. She looked at her phone, and Zayn West’s name popped on the screen.
She picked up, wondering why he was calling on a weekend “Hello Sir.”
“Ava, I’m afraid we have to meet a client by 12 pm”
“What? On a weekend?” She looked at the clock on the wall. It was 11:30 am “Can't it wait?”
“I’m afraid not. As my secretary, you have to be present”
Reluctantly, she answered “Yes sir”
“Oh and, Ava…wear a gown”
“Wear a gown?” she repeated to herself. Since when did he dictate to her what to wear?
This doesn't sound good, she thought. She knew all his schedule and there was no meeting scheduled for today, otherwise she would have known.
“Text me your address. I'll come pick you up”
“You don't have…” He hung up before she could finish “to”
“Who was that?” Darcy asked, pausing the movie.
“Arghh” Ava groaned, tilting her head backward “Zayn. We're meeting with a client”
“On a weekend?”
“Beats me,” she said as she texted Zayn her address.
“Well, I'm completing the series without you,” Darcy said to Ava who hurriedly strutted into her room.
After a while, Zayn's car pulled up in front of Ava's apartment. As Ava entered into his car, Darcy watched them from the window, a blissful smile on her face.
It took about 40 minutes from Ava's house to Luna Hotel where the meeting was to be held. Zayn and Ava stepped out of the elevator and walked over to a door that had room 566 written on it.
Ava looked around in surprise “Is this where we're meeting the client? In a luxury hotel suite?” She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
He smirked, pushing the door open “ Are you scared, Ava?” Purposely interrupting her intended response, he continued, “Calm your hackles down. The client wanted the meeting to be here.”
With a puzzled look on her face, she nodded. She felt reluctant to go in, but she didn't want to seem too prude and distrusting when all Zayn had done so far was to be polite. Plus she really needed the job.
As they stepped into the hotel suite, there he was, Cody Red in the flesh, sitting right in front of her.
Cody Red was her all-time favourite singer, her celebrity crush since day one. She loved his music.
Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief “Oh my god!” she squealed excitedly, gaping like a dumbstruck fan. Cody smiled at her with a guitar in his hand “Is this a dream? Am I dead?”
Zayn chuckled “No you're not.”
Her eyes lit up “So how the hell is Cody in front of me?”
“My man, Zayn, called in a favour,” Cody's charming voice said “He said he wanted to surprise someone”
She turned to Zayn with a stunned look on her face “You did this?” Her eyes brightened “But why? How did you even know I loved his music?”
“Lucky guess” He smirked, pretending that he hadn't stalked her Instagram page for hours just to know about her likes and dislikes.
He had seen an old post on her page where she said ‘Wish I could get a private performance from Cody Red’.
“This is too much,” She said, still not able to comprehend why he would do this for her “I..I don't even know what to say”
“Just enjoy it,” He said to her with a charming smile.
As Cody sang her one of his songs, Zayn watched Ava as she stared dreamily at Cody, singing along to the song he was playing like she had written it with him.
He had never really listened to Cody’s song, but seeing her so happy made him want to.
“Thank you for tonight,” Ava said with a grin as they walked out of the hotel “This means a lot to me.”
His lips formed into a smile “I'm glad I could make you smile”
“How did you manage to pull this off?” Her curious eyes asked.
“Cody and I went to the same college”
“No way!” She exclaimed, flashing that beautiful smile of hers. He saw the excitement in her eyes and it made him feel a certain kind of way that he couldn't explain.
“He used to be a dork with freckles all over his face in college”
She laughed loudly “I don't believe that”
He chuckled “I'm serious”
“Well, at least he's handsome now.”
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Posted Aug 6, 2024
A novel that explored the complexities of love within the luxurious yet high-pressure world of billionaires.
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