Chapter Twenty-One

Ava lay on the floor and stared into nothingness. She'd tried to call him all night, but it kept going to voicemail. She'd stayed like that all night while Daniel and Bella were out.

Noah's words kept on echoing in her head. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't cry anymore because all the tears she'd had left in her body had already flowed and dried up. She heard the door click open, and the couple giggled and kissed as they walked in.

Their eyes fell on me, and Bella covered her mouth in shock.

Immediately, she rushed down to where I was lying and brushed her hands through my hair before lifting me up and hugging me. Then, Daniel came forward.

"What is wrong, Ava? You look pale, and your lips are dry," she asked with much concern in her voice. But Ava stayed quiet and stared lifelessly.

"Ava, are you okay?" Daniel asked as he bent down to where they were.

"Did Noah say or do anything?" Bella asked, and Ava just laughed.

"Do you know what he said? He said he will never get over me. He said he can't get me out of his mind." She paused, and a fresh batch of tears flowed down her face again. It was like droplets of rain in a drought, and her eyes were swollen.

"He said he hates the fact that he loves me as he pointed a gun to my head." She mimed a gun with two of her fingers. "He said he hates the fact that he cannot hate me. And that he'll love me for eternity. Forever." She paused and smiled sadly. "He said he'll never forget the memories we made in Paris. He said I wasn't the innocent Ava he met as a child. He said I was a slut." She laughed softly, but then it turned into a sob as she started to speak again.

"But it was a misunderstanding. He had a gun. A sniper was trained on his chest. I only did it to save you both. I didn't sleep with him. He held me at gunpoint, and I saved Noah's life. He didn't let me explain. He didn't let me speak. He just left. I know he didn't eat. He probably went to a bar," she said as her tears flowed like water. "My heart hurts so much. It has been bruised badly. I never signed up for this. I should have just stayed at the modeling agency. Then all of this wouldn't have happened. He would have found someone else. Things would be different. I miss Mom," she lamented, and Daniel joined them in the hug.

"I'll book a flight for you. You need some time alone with Mom. Away from here. It will do you some good," he suggested as he broke apart from the hug.

"Have you had anything to eat?" Bella asked her as they sat on the couch and Daniel retreated to the kitchen.

"I don't have the appetite for food," she said without a hint of emotion in her tone. And she laid her head on Bella's shoulders.

"You remind me so much of Lulu," she said as she ran her hands through Ava's hair. "He was just like you. Sweet and nice. He would always lay on the cold floor after he had a fight with his girlfriend. I'd comfort him till daybreak. But now he's grown up. He won't even listen to me. And we grew apart. But he's still my younger brother."

***

He held his head, in pain from the hangover from last night. She had been in his dream.

He brought out a thousand-dollar bill and placed it in the stripper's bra before he stood up to leave.

The poor girl probably wouldn't be able to stand properly when she woke up because he'd released all his tension and pain on her. He'd gone for three hours straight without a break.

He checked his phone and saw several missed calls from Nathalie, two from Pedro, and one from Ava.

He grabbed his shirt off the floor and left the room. He settled his bills and left for the mansion.

He walked into the house like a zombie. Nathalie, who was always running after him, did not follow him and left him alone. It was obvious that they knew what was going on.

He stepped into the shower and washed off. When he entered the room and finished changing, he heard a light knock on the door and Nathalie came in.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a soft voice.

"You're the pregnant one, you're the one who's supposed to be asked that question," he said as he redirected the question to her.

"I love you, little bro," she said with her arms wide open, and he had no choice but to hug her back because he really needed it in this moment.

"I still love her, Nat. Why do I still love her after what she did to me? I should hate her, but I can't seem to do it. Why?" he asked, utterly confused.

"Because you love her. That's just how true love works," she said as she caressed his head.

"How can I love her? She betrayed me. Do you even know what she did?" he asked her as he pushed away from her hug.

"I don't think I want to know what she did. You should always listen to the other side of the story. It might be a misunderstanding," she said as she patted his back. "When you're done, Pedro has information for you in the office. He said it was important," she said as she put her hair up in a ponytail.

"Chloe will get you something to eat, okay?"

After he'd rested and eaten his food, he went to his office.

"I heard you have news for me," Noah announced as he got to the secretary's office, where Pedro normally hung out. He liked the secretary, but he wouldn't make a move because he didn't want to put her in danger.

"Yes, let's go to your office," he said before waving goodbye to the girl. She blushed.

"If you like Annie so much, why don't you just tell her that you like her instead of constantly flirting?" he started when they got inside.

"I don't want to put her life in danger because I'm still your bodyguard. I'll make my move, but not now. I need to settle down first. I want to know I'll be safe."

"Well, tell her to wait for you. Otherwise, your girlfriend will get fucked by another man," he said, indirectly referring to his own situation.

"I'm sorry, man. Things will be fine," he said as he patted on his shoulders.

"So, what is it? You wanted to tell me something, so what's the problem?" he asked before he settled in his chair.

"The fingerprints led us to the brother of Raymond Edmund, the man that died in the shootout that year. We are trying to find out more about his family," he said, and Noah straightened in his chair.

"Could he be here for revenge?"

Noah still remembered that night like it was yesterday. It was 7 pm in Italy after a board meeting. He was pissed off because of Raymond.

They were all waiting outside when one of the board members was shot in the leg, and all hell broke loose.

Pedro hid Noah behind the car as they kept on shooting at them. Raymond had sensitive ears, so he tried to leave the area, but it was a mistake. A stray bullet bounced back into his head, and he died on the spot. He was the only one that didn't make it alive.

Nobody came for him. No parents or siblings claimed his body, so the company buried him.

"Now he has a family? Where was this so-called family when he died? Why is he prosecuting us? And why now? We have nothing on him," Noah said to himself as he looked outside the window.

****

Ava packed her bag as she prepared for her flight the next day.

"Hey, Ava, let's go for a walk," Bella said as she opened the door to her room. "It'll make you feel better and will also be good for me and my baby," she said as she rubbed the little baby bump that barely showed.

"Or we could go out for a drink. At that bar nearby," she suggested again.

"Yeah, sure. Let me grab my coat," she said before grabbing her purse and wool jacket.

She breathed in the cool breeze of the evening, and Bella kept taking pictures of herself and sending them to Daniel.

"He wants a picture with you too," she said, and she was forced to smile for the camera. "Stop being a spoilsport. I'll name my child after you," she said, and a smile formed on Ava's face.

"Good. I like it when you smile, and you look amazing. Let's make this a girls' night, okay? We'll turn off our phones and forget our current situation," she said as she put forth her pinkie, and they made a promise.

They entered the bar, and the music was turned up to the max. They both headed up to the counter, and she ordered her favorite Cherry Tequila while Bella got a normal apple juice because of her baby.

"Hey," a male voice called to her as she danced in the middle of the room away from Bella.

"Hi," she said as she turned to look at the owner of the voice. He was the same height as Noah, and she stopped somewhere on his chest.

"Why is a pretty girl dancing alone in the middle of this crowd?" he said, flashing her his teeth.

"Care to join me?" she asked as she turned around and gave him her back.

His hands grabbed her waist, and he moved closer to her. She danced with him, but her eyes caught Noah's at the far end of the bar. He drank his whiskey as he stared at her, watching her every move. They were both under the influence of alcohol.

"What is your name?" she asked him.

"Cain," he said as he placed his lips on her neck. She bit her tongue purposefully and saw Noah stand up from his stool.

"Let me grab you a drink," Cain said as he left her side. This gave Noah the opportunity to approach her.

He gulped down the drink in his glass and disposed of it.

He came closer to her and kissed her. He knew it was his illusion. Both of them were not in the right state of mind. They were both drunk.

Her head was playing mind games with her as she felt Cain grab her from the back. Noah kept kissing her face, but she opened her eyes to find nobody there.

She looked at the cup she was holding and saw white powder in the crystal glass.

Immediately, she left the dance floor and went to meet Bella.

"What did you put in my drink?" she asked with her hands on her waist.

Bella winked at her. "Aren't you having a great time?" she asked with a smile.

"I am, but aren't you supposed to be a doctor? This is drug abuse," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's ectasy. Only lasts a short time. Plus, it is a sex partner in a drink," she said, and they kept drinking till midnight. Daniel picked them up, but something was awfully wrong.