Chapter Nineteen

It was a long flight for the both of them, and the first thing Ava did was fall onto her bed and sleep till the next morning.

"Knock knock," Daniel's voice imitated a knock from the other side of the door.

"Come in," she answered.

"Won't you at least tell me how your holiday went? You have been asleep since yesterday. Are you sure you are ok?" he asked worriedly.

"No, it's fine. I had a great time. I was just very tired. Sitting your ass down in the same position for a long time is tiring, that's why."

"Come, let's have breakfast. It's pancakes and bacon. Bella made it," he said, and she frowned in confusion.

"Bella? The redhead girl that came here the day I left?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, that Bella. She's staying here with us," he said as he scratched his head lightly.

"Bella is a story you have to tell me about. How, when, and what happened," she asked with hands on her waist despite her seated position.

He sighed before he started explaining, and she put up her hands, crossing them over her chest.

"She was my coursemate. We graduated from the same school. It was a little tough for her because her elder brother had been shot and her younger brother became a drug dealer," he said as he remembered the day. She used her food as an entertainment snack, a substitute for popcorn.

"She was going to give up, but I motivated her to continue. We finished, and she traveled to Australia," he paused but then continued. "She told me she met with her brother. But he was into illegal business, and she disowned him. We were still in touch, so last year she came back to Colorado, and well, things started blooming, so we started dating. But she betrayed me," he said as pain flashed in his eyes.

"I caught her with a man in her room. It was actually a misunderstanding. He was actually forcing himself on her. That was when you came back to Colorado. I forgot about her and then she appeared in my office one week ago. She told me she was pregnant with my baby, and she explained what really happened that night. I feel guilty because I should have listened to her. I didn't give her the chance to explain. Long story short, we're dating now," he concluded, and then she had already finished her breakfast.

"You talk too much," she said as she gulped down her milk. "She's a good cook. I'd love to learn from her. Speaking of which, where is she?'' she asked Daniel.

"She left for work a while ago. And she said to tell you 'welcome' and 'thank you,'" he said before he left the room.

She shifted herself to the middle of the bed with her phone in her hands as she looked at the picture of her and Noah.

It was as if he knew what her thoughts were as her phone lit up with his name on the ID caller.

NOAH <3

"Hey, how was your night?"

"It was fine. You?"

"I can't get a good night's sleep without you around," he said, and she blushed.

"Stop it."

"Do you wanna grab lunch today?"

"Yeah, sure, sounds great."

"I'll be waiting," he said before he hung up the call.

***

"You should have told us you were coming. We would have picked you up from the airport. You were without a bodyguard for a week. Anybody could've hurt you," she said as he walked to his room. "How could you sleep in a hotel when you have a house filled with unused rooms?"

"Ava's love is protecting him. Nothing can happen to him," Chloe backed him up.

"Haha, very funny. You guys should let me rest. I barely had any sleep in the hotel."

"Why didn't you come home then? Have you eaten since you left? You need to eat and get some rest. By the way, how is Ava?" she asked as she pestered him with many questions.

"Where is Grandad?" he asked while he unpacked his luggage.

"He is in his room." Then Noah brought out matching clothes for the baby and the mom and handed them over to Natalie.

"Oh my God, this is so nice. Thank you so much," she said before she dropped a kiss on his cheek.

She left the room to join Chloe in the parlor, and Noah settled on the bed.

"You came back without even telling me?" his grandfather's voice resonated in the room, which made Noah sit up from his bed.

"I am just tired. You know you would have been the first person I visited," Noah defended.

"Join me on a little walk," he said while he proceeded forward.

"So, how did it go with Ava? You guys have definitely made up because I can see your face. You have the face of a happy man," he remarked, and Noah chuckled.

"I won't lie to you. I am happy, really, but I'm also sad."

"And why is that, Son?" his grandfather asked with concern.

"It's about Ava...I feel guilty," he said, and he stopped when they got to the balcony.

"Tell me what is wrong, my son. Doesn't she like you anymore?" he asked as he placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Father." He paused, and he leaned on the wall.

"Dad, Ava cannot conceive a child anymore," he said as he ran his hands through his hair, and his grandfather stayed in silence for a moment.

"Now, tell me, if you were to marry Ava, is it to your disadvantage that she can't conceive? In a sense, will you be happy that she's your wife? And are you fine with the fact that she can't conceive a child?"

"I'm ok if she's ok with it," he said as he looked out over the balcony.

"And does she blame you? Does she say you are responsible for it?"

"No, she doesn't blame me at all for it. She's ok with it," he said as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Then why do you worry if she's fine with it? C'mon, let's go have a drink," he said.

"Go ahead. I'll join you later. I have to make a quick call, but I'll be back soon," he said as he brought out his phone.

"Send her my greetings," he requested before he gave him his privacy.

After he spoke to Ava, he rejoined his grandfather for a quick drink before he left for the office.

Pedro and his managers gave him a warm welcome and showed him to a properly arranged room. Despite the fact he was in the Mafia, he didn't treat his employees like shit if they didn't cross the line.

"How was your trip?" Pedro asked the moment they got into the office. "We found out a lot while you were gone, and your cousin contacted us. We shared with him some information we had about the culprit," he continued.

"I really want to find him soon. Nobody is safe with him around us," Noah said as he leaned into his chair. "There is someone I also need you to get information about," he added.

"Who?" Pedro was surprised by the request. "Is he a threat to you?"

"No, I just need information on him and his business. Louis. I'll send you a picture and try to find out his middle name," Noah said as he unconsciously rubbed his knuckles.

"I hope it's not something serious," Pedro asked him again, concerned.

"No, it's not really important." He didn't want to tell his bodyguard that he was jealous of his girlfriend's friend and the closeness had with Ava.

***

Ava sat on the couch in the living room with her phone in her hands as she stared at the last picture they took in the valley. Ocean Eyes by Billie Elish played.

"Can't stop starin' at those ocean eyes.

You really know how to make me cry,

when you gimme those ocean eyes..."

But her song was cut short when she heard the doorbell ring.

She stopped the music and went to attend to the door. Her gut kept telling her to not open the door, but she ignored it and went ahead to open the door.

She opened it. But she saw no one. Something was odd. Wrong. It was too quiet. She came out of the door and went outside to check, but there was no sign of anyone.

Suddenly, her heart started to beat fast, and she ran back inside the house. But she was greeted by four huge men in black suits. She tried to run back outside, but one of them immediately rushed to stand by the door.

"Where are you going, my dear?" a baritone voice with a thick Italian accent asked, and she turned around to find the owner of the voice.

He just smiled when she saw him. "Take a seat. Let's take it easy a little. This will be very fast," he said as he pointed at the empty space in front of him.

"I don't want to sit down with you, and who the fuck do you think you are?" she asked him, already annoyed, but her heart was racing faster than the speed of sound.

"Don't make my men force you to sit. I'm already losing my patience, sweetheart," he said as he hit his hands on the wooden table, which made Ava flinch unexpectedly. Yet she still stood still. She saw as he gestured to two men, but before they could come closer, she abruptly sat down on the chair.

"Good, I like obedient ladies. Don't you agree, Fransisco?" he said as he looked up at the men that stood at the left.

"She's such a beautiful darling. Her lips will look the best around your shaft," the Francisco man said with a sly smile. Ava glared disgustingly at him.

Then she felt a gun on her head, but she didn't show her fear and kept a straight face.

"Where is the document Noah has been hiding. I know you know where I can find it," he said as he cleaned up the silver shotgun in his hands.

"Why should I fucking give you information about it?" she asked in a low tone.

"Because if you don't do it, I'll kill you, sweetheart," he said, and she heard the gun click at her ear. She swallowed hard.

"Well, at least I know I'll take it to my grave because apart from him, I'm the only one that knows about it. Feel free to pull the trigger," she said with a shaky smile.

Her heart skipped a beat as he clicked the gun, but she was lucky. The slot he shot was empty.

"Let's try this again. Where are the documents?" he asked again. He had already lost his cool.

"I fucking told you already! Not a single word is coming out of my mouth. I'll take it to my grave, so you and your puny little guards can leave my house. I'm surprised the security even let you in," she said before she stood up from the chair. But one of the men kicked out her legs, and she fell back on the chair.

"Boss is still talking to you. You don't have the right to get up. Respect yourself, young lady," he said as he pointed the gun at her forehead.

"If Noah hears about this, he is going to skin every one of you alive!"

"Noah, you say?" he asked. Then he bought out his phone and showed her. Her eyes widened in fear, and she placed her hands on her mouth.