Chapter 53
Chapter 53
The office lights dimmed as another workday crawled to its end. Around the room, Avery's colleagues packed their belongings, ready to escape into the evening.
Susan appeared at Avery's desk, concern etched across her face. "Hey, time to call it a night," she said, giving Avery's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "The client's happy with the delivery. Whatever's left can wait until tomorrow."
Avery didn't look up, her fingers flying across the keyboard with determined precision. The blue glow of her monitor cast shadows across her face.
"Almost done," she replied, not breaking her rhythm. "I prefer finishing everything same-day. Leave it for tomorrow, and I'll just find ways to procrastinate."
"Girl, your work ethic is something else," Susan's friend chimed in with an admiring smile.
The remaining colleagues couldn't help joining the chorus of praise.
"When I was the new hire, I was out the door the second the clock hit five."
"Avery, your design skills are already exceptional. Dial back the perfectionism a bit—you're making the rest of us look bad."
"You're definitely more dedicated than Jason ever was!"
A hint of a smile tugged at Avery's lips as she shook her head. "We're all working hard in our own ways. You guys go ahead—I'll lock up after I finish."
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow it is."
Soon enough, the office emptied, leaving Avery alone with her thoughts and the soft hum of electronics. When she finally completed her work, she stretched her arms overhead, feeling the satisfying pull in her tired muscles. The office building seemed eerily quiet as she made her way out.
The cool evening breeze kissed her face as she stepped outside, bringing with it a wave of exhaustion she'd been fighting all day.
"God, I need a hot shower," she muttered, heading toward the parking lot.
That's when she saw him—a familiar silhouette standing directly in her path.
"Ms. Vaughn. Long day?" Jason stood there, cradling a bouquet of crimson roses, his smile dripping with manufactured sincerity as he approached her step by step.
Avery's brows knitted together. Jason had been fired for stealing design concepts. His sudden appearance couldn't be innocent—especially not with that theatrical setup.
"What do you want?" she asked, stopping in her tracks. Every instinct told her to be on guard.
"I was hoping you'd join me for dinner," Jason replied, his voice honey-sweet and entirely false. "Avery, I know I've made mistakes, but my feelings for you have always been real. That hasn't changed."
In her peripheral vision, Avery caught movement—the reflection in a car's side mirror revealed Chloe lurking between vehicles, phone raised to capture whatever scene was about to unfold.
"Feelings?" A cold smile played on Avery's lips. "I thought I made myself clear the last time—stay away from me."
Jason ignored her warning, continuing his rehearsed performance.
"Yes, I love you!" he declared, eyes shining with the desperation of a D-list actor. "Even with our... unpleasantness, I believe love conquers all."
Avery could practically hear Chloe's camera clicking away as Jason poured his heart out for their hidden audience.
"If you'd just give us a chance, I'd treat you like royalty," he promised.
Avery let out a sharp laugh. "Sorry, but I'd rather be the executioner than the princess. At least they get to carry a blade."
The pieces clicked together in her mind. Jason and Chloe must have planned this ambush together. Whatever game they were playing, it wouldn't end well.
Despite her obvious rejection, Jason persisted, clinging to his script.
"Avery, please, just give me a chance to prove my feelings are genuine!" He stepped closer, thrusting the flowers toward her. "At least take these."
She stepped back, maintaining distance. "Keep pushing, and you'll see exactly how uninterested I am."
Fear flickered across Jason's face, but remembering the humiliation of his firing seemed to steel his resolve. In one quick motion, he grabbed her wrist.
"I know what this is—you think you're too good for me!" His facade crumbled completely. "Sleep with me once. I can satisfy you just as well as Matteo could!"
The next moment, his eyes widened in shock as Avery executed a perfect shoulder throw, slamming him hard against the pavement.
"Shit!" Jason cried out. His body made brutal contact with the concrete, a tooth dislodging from his mouth along with a spray of blood.
Clutching his jaw, he writhed in pain. "You actually hit me?" Disbelief replaced the false affection in his eyes.
"Just helping you work out some kinks," Avery replied coolly, assessing him with a clinical gaze. "Remember, you asked for this. Now leave, before I decide to get serious."
"You—" Jason scrambled to his feet, practically crawling away from her. His retreat from the parking lot was nothing short of pathetic.
As he fled, his mind burned with humiliation. He would make Avery pay for this. Every single bit of it.
---
On her drive home, Avery connected to a secure line, dialing the encrypted number for Rome Intelligence Agency.
"Ms. Vaughn?" A surprised male voice answered.
"Sky, it's me." Avery's tone turned sharp and commanding—utterly different from her office persona.
"Ms. Vaughn, my leader! We thought you'd gone dark permanently." Sky's excitement was palpable through the connection. "Three years without contact—"
"Sky, we'll catch up later. I promise I'll visit headquarters soon," Avery cut in, her focus razor-sharp. "I need you to handle something for me first."
"Anything." Sky's voice immediately shifted to professional attention.
"I need intel on two individuals. I've sent their basic profiles to your secure inbox. Get me everything—especially any private communications between them."
"Consider it done," Sky replied without hesitation. "I'll send the files as soon as I have them."
"Perfect."
Avery ended the call and gazed out at the passing streetlights. Rome Intelligence Agency—the shadow organization with tendrils in every major intelligence operation worldwide. No one knew its true reach and capabilities.
And absolutely no one knew that Avery was the mastermind behind it all.
If Chloe and Jason were conspiring against her, she'd gather the evidence first, wait for them to expose their vulnerabilities, then take them down in one decisive strike.
---
When Avery finally reached her villa, something stopped her from immediately unlocking the door. The deadbolt showed microscopic signs of tampering—invisible to most, but glaring to her trained eye.
Her body tensed as she casually retrieved her keys, simultaneously palming the blade concealed in her purse. She unlocked the door with practiced nonchalance, pushing it open to reveal her darkened home.
The silence inside felt pregnant with danger, the shadows unnaturally still. Avery reached for the light switch with calculated calm.
As expected, a dark figure lunged from the blackness, blade slicing through the air where she had stood a split second before.
"Die!" growled a raspy male voice.
Avery had already pivoted away, her own knife meeting her attacker's with a metallic clang that echoed through the foyer.
"Who sent you?" she demanded, eyes narrowed to slits.
"Your old enemies, of course." The assassin's teeth gleamed in the dim light. Hatred radiated from him in waves. "When you deserted the Assassin's Guild, our leader swore to hunt you down!"
The Assassin's Guild. Avery processed this information instantly.
The man's lips curled into a triumphant smirk. "You hid well, but I found you first!" His grip tightened on his blade, greed and anticipation dancing in his eyes. "Even your corpse will fetch a handsome reward when I deliver you to our master!"