Chapter Twenty–Two
Ava’s POV
43 Points>
I could feel the exhaustion creeping up on me, pressing down on my shoulders, down to my back, but I had no time to indulge in it. The mess with the clients had spiraled out of control, and I had to fix it before it was too late. The last thing we needed was to lose a valuable deal over something that should have never happened, something so minor.
The first client I called was understanding. Annoyed but willing to accept my assurance that the issue would be resolved immediately. The second, however, was an entirely different story.
“Miss Ava, I don’t care about your excuses,” he snapped, his voice sharp and filled with irritation. “This is highly unprofessional! Do you think we have time for these kinds of amateur mistakes? If this is how you handle business, then I see no reason to continue working with you.”
I swallowed back my frustration, forcing my tone to remain calm and measured. “I sincerely apologize for the mix–up and I completely understand your frustration. However, I assure you that we take full responsibility, and I’m personally making sure everything is corrected immediately. Please allow us a moment to resolve this.”
“There is no patience left to give,” he snapped. “If you can’t handle something this simple, why should we trust you with anything bigger?”
There was a pause, then heavy sigh crackled through the speaker. “You have thirty
minutes.”
The call disconnected before I could respond. I exhaled, pressing my fingers against my temple, my eyes shut.
“How bad was it?” Elson’s voice pulled me back, his brows furrowed with worry as he stare at me from his desk. Sarah was beside the printer, a pile of A4 paper in her arms, her face just as anxious.
“Bad,” I admitted. “Mr. Shawn is livid, and I can’t blame him. We need to fix this now.”
“We’re on it,” Sarah said immediately, dropping the pile and turning to her laptop in a
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lightning speed. For some reason, I felt bad for her even if it was a silly mistake from her end, however, no one was above mistake. It could happen to anyone, even me.
Elson rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know why they’re blowing this out of
proportion. It’s not even that bad. It’s not so bad that it can’t be rectified at once if
they’d just stop being jerks.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” I said, already typing out an urgent email to the affected
clients. “There is nothing as a little mistake. What matters is making it right.” I knew
Elson was right. It was just a mix–up that could be rectified by just resending their
original file to them but things like that could escalate if not done with calmness and
humility.
The next half–hour was less chaotic but still distressing, filled with calls, emails, and
back–and–forth messages. I closed my eyes, fighting the overwhelming weight of
frustration, fatigue, and the persistent ache spreading through my body even while seated. The logical part of me knew I should stop, step back, and let Elson or Sarah
handle the rest. But I couldn’t. This was my responsibility, and the fact that one client remained stubbornly difficult made it hard to leave the entire task to them. Mr. Shawn refused to calm down, demanding further reassurances that we were capable of handling his work. By now, I was utterly irritated but couldn’t show it for the sake of
my team.
One slight mistake that could have been rectified instantly turned into a complex
issue that demanded our sweat.
The room suddenly felt hot. My head throbbed, my vision blurred at the edges, and my body burned as if it were on fire. I clenched my fists, willing myself to push through just a little longer. But even my clothes felt uncomfortable against my skin. Deciding to take a quick shower before continuing my work, I pushed up from the chair. However, as soon as I stood, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me, and my knees buckled.
“Ava!”
Strong hands caught me before I could hit the floor. Elson’s voice was sharp with alarm as he steadied me, his grip firm but careful.
“You need to sit down,” he said, his tone demanding no argument.
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“Ava, stop!” He practically growled, guiding me toward the door. “You’re burning yourself out. You need to rest. I and Sarah will handle the rest.”
Sarah who was already standing with her hands fisted in front of her, nodded anxiously, her face twisted with guilt.
+8 Points >
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell them that I was fine and about to go in myself, that there was still too much work to do, but my body betrayed me. My legs felt like lead,
and my head pounded mercilessly. I couldn’t tell if this was just pregnancy or my
health.
With no choice left, I allowed him to guide me up the short flight of steps to my apartment. His hand was firm against my back, a steadying presence I didn’t realize I
needed until that moment.
When we finally reached my room, I turned to him with the little energy I had left.” Thank you, Elson, I appreciate it, but you can go now. I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he brushing past me and into the room as if he owned the
space.
I sighed, too tired to talk. “I just need to lie down. You can go.”
He ignored me, moving with quiet efficiency. He reached for the blanket at the foot of the bed, shaking it out before turning back to me. “Lie down.”
“Elson…”
“Lie, down, Ava” He said, his voice a little bit harsh now.
With a sigh of defeat, I lowered myself onto the bed, resisting the urge to moan at the relieve I felt when my back hit the softness of my bed. I watched him move around my room with an ease that surprised me, as if he had been here before.
He disappeared for a moment and returned with a glass of water, holding it out to me.
“Drink.”
I took the glass from him, the cool liquid soothing my dry throat. He sat on the edge
of the bed, his expression hard as he scanned the room.
“Where’s your medicine?” he asked.
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I gestured weakly toward the bedside drawer. He found it instantly, shaking out the correct dosage before handing it to me.
I swallowed the pills, the cool water soothing the dryness in my throat. Elson took the
empty glass from my hands and as soon as he set it down, he reached for the
blanket, gently tucking it around me. His touch was careful, almost hesitant, but there
was something incredibly tender about the way he did it.
By now, my skin was damp with sweat, despite the chill in the air. My body couldn’t
decide whether it was too hot or too cold. I shifted slightly, but the movement made
my already aching body protest. It was like no position was comfortable enough.
Suddenly, to my unexpectedness, Elson’s fingers brushed against my forehead as he
reached up to push a strand of hair away from my face. I sucked in a sharp breath at the unexpected and simple gesture, my heart stuttering in response to the shock, and
for the first time since he entered the room, the first time we’ve know each other, I
really looked at him.
His face was closer, too close than I realized, his eyes dark and narrowed as they
studied mine. A strange silence settled between us, heavy with something
uncomfortable yet familiar – something I had chosen to ignore.
I knew what was about to happen before it did.
Elson leaned in, his gaze flickering to my lips for just a fraction of a second. My heart
slammed against my ribs, panic and something else combating within me.
No.
I turned my head to the side at the last second, staring at the wall instead, and my
pulse hammering in my ears.
Elson froze and silence stretched between us for a moment, thick and heavy. And
then, as if waking from a daze, he pulled back abruptly, clearing his throat.
“You should rest,” he said, his voice strained.
Without another word, he stood and turned on his heel, heading for the door. It wasn’t until I heard the door softly click shut, followed by the sound of his retreating footsteps did I turned my head.
I exhaled shakily, my heart beating wildly against my chest, my gaze fixed on the
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ceiling as my thoughts twirled.
What just happened?
The oddluna
Who expected this from Elson?
