Chapter Twenty–One
Ava’s POV
Elson pulled the car seat back, giving me more space to stretch out. Exhaustion hit
me like a surging wave the moment I settled in. My body ached, my legs throbbed,
and my lower back burned as though I’d been carrying bricks for hours. Even my
vision blurred, swimming in and out of focus, and heat prickled at the back of my
neck despite the cool air inside the car.
The ride was silent but thick with unspoken questions. I could practically feel them
radiating from Elson like hot steam. But he didn’t say a word… yet. Instead, his fingers
tightened around the wheel ever so often, as if wrestling with a decision to ask or not.
Or maybe he was still fuming about Aiden. I would understand if that was the case
because even I was upset with the whole turn of events.
I turned my head toward the window, watching the city blur past. My thoughts were a
tangled mess, spiraling around one person.
Aiden.
Of all the people I could have encountered today, it had to be him.
Kyle and I never spoke about Aiden, but I knew for a fact they weren’t in contact, not
when we were married, not before I left. Kyle never brought him up, and I had long
since pushed him into the depths of forgotten memories. But meeting Aiden today
felt too convenient. Too calculated.
Had he planned this?
He said he hadn’t, but Aiden was a master manipulator. A snake. A man who always
had an agenda. I didn’t trust him, not for a second.
A shiver ran through me, and instinctively, I placed a protective hand over my
stomach.
I hoped to God I was wrong.
Because if I wasn’t, if Aiden truly had a hand in all this, if he had approached my
company with a plan in mind, then I had just stepped into something I might not be
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orbit, especially through Alden. Knowing the type of person he is, he might decide to get under Kyle’s skin by using me and my child.
But backing out wasn’t an option. Not when this wasn’t only a huge deal, but also an once–in–a–lifetime opportunity that hardly came by for small businesses like mine. And certainly not when my employees depended on me. If I walked away now, I would have to explain, and that wasn’t something I was ready to do.
I just hope to God I’m wrong this time that Aiden wouldn’t do something as childish using me to get under Kyle’s skin. And that this wouldn’t be a decision I would regret in the long run.
“Who is Aiden?”
Elson’s voice finally broke through the silence, sharp yet calculated.
I closed my eyes briefly. I knew this was coming. It has been practically oozing from him for minutes now.
I kept my gaze fixed out the window. “A friend,” I said, my voice neutral, not carrying
even an ounce of the discomfort I was feeling from the question.
Elson hummed softly, his fingers tapping the steering wheel. “A friend of your
ex–husband?”
A wave of tension ran through me. My fingers curled against my lap, but I forced
myself to keep my expression unreadable. I had been expecting this question since
he could tell how uncomfortable I was with Aiden, but that didn’t make answering it
any easier.
“No.” My voice was firm, clipped.
I didn’t look at him. I didn’t want to.
Elson was observant, too wise for his own good. And I wasn’t ready for the scrutiny. I
had never spoken about Kyle with anyone other than Phoenix, and even then, we had
let it slide under the rug the moment we moved here, buried and left untouched. My past was a wound I refused to reopen, though I wouldn’t be surprised if those close to me had already pieced things together on their own.
Thankfully, Elson didn’t push further. He let the answer settle between us, and the
rest of the drive slipped back into silence.
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Chapter
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By the time we reached my apartment–s***h–office, exhaustion had doubled. Even the simple motion of getting out of the car felt like a battle. My dress had loosened, the strap slipping off my shoulder, but I barely noticed.
Elson, however, did.
Without a word, he grabbed my bag, carrying it inside as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
The moment we stepped in, Sarah was waiting. Her light blue eyes darted between
us, brimming with curiosity.
“How did it go?” she asked eagerly.
Neither of us answered right away.
I was too focused on getting to the nearest chair, while Elson seemed more concerned with making me comfortable. He grabbed a soft pillow and placed it on
the chair before gently guiding me down onto it. I let out a slow exhale, sinking into
the cushion I had only been out for a few hours, but my body felt as if I had been
carrying the weight of an entire month. A dull ache pulsed in my back, and I resisted
the urge to press a hand to it.
Elson crouched beside me, his gaze scanning my face. “Are you okay?” His voice was
low, filled with concern.
He handed me a bottle of water, and I took it, nodding as I unscrewed the cap.
Phoenix would have a field day if she saw him crouching beside me like this, looking
all concerned and cute.
He didn’t look convinced though, but he turned to Sarah instead. “We got the deal.”
Sarah’s eyes widened before she let out a small squeal of excitement. “That’s
amazing!”
Her excitement, however, didn’t last. It dimmed just as quickly as it sparked, her
expression shifting into something else. Something more like nervousness.
She glanced between me and Elson, biting her lower lip. “There’s a slight problem,” she said hesitantly.
I didn’t react immediately, too drained to move. Instead, I raised an eyebrow at her,
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waiting for her to elaborate. But when I noticed the genuine worry flickering in her eyes, I forced myself upright, my exhaustion instantly forgotten.
“What is it?”
Sarah hesitated for only a second before she spoke. “There was a mix–up.”
My frown deepened. Elson straightened beside me.
“A mix–up?” I echoed.
She nodded, shifting uncomfortably. Her face turned a shade darker, her fingers
twisting the hem of her blouse.
“I… I accidentally swapped the marketing strategy documents between two clients, and now they’re both furious and demanding refunds.”
A sharp exhale left my lips.
Just great.
Of all the things that could have gone wrong today, this was the last thing I needed. But I wasn’t blaming her. Nobody is perfect; everyone makes mistakes.
Beside me, Elson muttered something under his breath, already reaching for his laptop. I rubbed my temples, willing my tired brain to switch into problem–solving
mode.
This wasn’t an unsolvable crisis, but it was still a mess, one that could spiral into something far worse if not handled immediately. And right now, I was too damn exhausted to deal with it. But I had no choice than to push away my exhaustion and
fix this.
