Chapter 95

Chapter 95
Ava’s POV

My right hand shook as it hovered over the door. My heart was beating hard, and I was doing my best to convince myself that I could do this. There was absolutely no need for me to be scared. This needed to be done. Finally drawing in enough strength and courage, I knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Her voice rang from inside.

I twisted the doorknob and walked into Aunt Clara’s bedroom. Her room was really large—larger than mine and Dale’s. It was well-furnished, and I liked the décor.

She was seated on her bed with her back to me, facing the wall on the other side of the room. Seated like this, she looked small. I could tell that it was the trauma of what had happened yesterday that was stressing her. Even without seeing her face, I could tell that she was tired.

“Good morning, Aunt. It’s me, Ava,” I said, officially making my presence known.

“Oh, Ava.” She coughed and turned around to look at me.

Seeing her face, I saw the full extent of the pain and stress on her. It was taking a toll on her, and I suddenly felt so guilty that I was about to do this. But it was necessary. It would help solve a lot of trouble and prevent problems in the future, giving her more peace of mind in the long run.

“Good morning, Aunt. How was your night?” I asked, hoping she had at least gotten a few hours of sleep.

I hadn’t slept a wink last night, and I was sure it was obvious from my eyes.

“Judging from your looks, I can say my night was just as terrible as yours,” she said and let out a tired chuckle.

A sad smile lined my lips. It was amazing that we could afford to smile through this.

“So why are you here?” she asked, quickly diving straight to the point.

I sucked in a breath, knowing there was no turning back at this point. “I’ve come to humbly tell you that I won’t be able to take up Dale’s position at Montry Heights. Hell, I don’t even know half the things he knows, and I’d do terribly bad at the job.”

I hung my head in shame, knowing that I was hurting her with my words.

A moment of silence passed, and then she burst out laughing. It wasn’t a sad kind of laughter, not one born from grief—it was a hilarious, genuine kind of laughter. My head shot up, and I stared at her in shock, not believing that she was laughing over this.

“You’re very funny, Ava.” Her laughter died down, and her countenance turned serious. “Who told you that you wouldn’t be good enough for this position?”

“No one, but I’m not oblivious to the truth. I know myself well enough to know that I can’t do that. I’d only end up ruining things in the company. I’ve never handled anything like this, and I’m doomed to fail being thrown into such a position so soon,” I explained.

“Hmm.” She sighed and got up from the bed. She walked over to me and gently guided me to her dresser mirror at the adjacent side of the bed.

She was a bit shorter than me as she stood behind me, but she still managed to exude that confident and maternal presence. Her hands rested on my shoulders as she peered at our reflection in the mirror.

“Ava, no one ever started out perfect in anything. All the great people that you see were given a chance. Most of them were scared, and they made mistakes along the way, but their decision not to give up kept them going. You’re going to take this position. You’re going to take the job, and I’m very confident that you’ll do a great job.”

“I’ll be with you every step of the way to guide you in this. Most importantly, it’s a very sensitive position, and I’d appreciate it if I have someone I can trust in that position. Do I have your word that you’re taking this position?” She locked her gaze with mine through the mirror.

After a long, tense moment of silence, I let out a sigh. “Yes, Aunt. I’ll do it.”

Her face immediately lit up at my agreement. She looked relieved, and while I was happy that she seemed more relaxed, my heart was beating hard in fear. There was so much I didn’t know, so much I couldn’t handle. I was bound to fail at a lot of things, and I had no idea how to deal with all the criticism that would come with that. Most importantly, I didn’t know how to handle things with Dale. He was going to hate me for this—but didn’t he already hate me? I wondered to myself.

“I promise you, you’ll be glad you agreed to this,” she said, patting me on the shoulder before stepping away.

“I trust you, Aunt,” I replied with a small smile.

“Great! So, I want you to go get dressed. We’re going to visit Justin at the hospital today,” she said.

At the mention of visiting Justin, I cast aside my worries, now concerned about his health. I was partly responsible for what had happened to him, and I needed to make it up to him. Hopefully, I’d get to properly apologize to him today.

“That’s a great idea. I’ll go and get dressed right now,” I said, and with a small bow of my head, I walked out of her room and headed to mine.

Suddenly, I had a sense of purpose. I realized that sitting and crying all day wasn’t going to solve a thing. Only action would.

As I walked down the hall, the air around me felt lighter, though my heart was still heavy. Maybe Aunt Clara was right, maybe no one started out perfect. Maybe I could actually learn to do this. For the first time since everything went wrong, I felt a spark of determination light up inside me. It wasn’t confidence yet, but it was something close.