Chapter 43

Mikhail.

The sound of Ava's slurred words sounded over the phone, and I immediately stopped my car. I had just left home after another sleepless night filled with nightmares. I was finally tired of tossing and turning in bed and had decided to shower and head to the office. I was on my way when she called.

My heart skipped a beat when she called me Jayden, and I clenched my fist against the steering wheel. Anger fueled my veins at the sound of another man's name coming from her lips.

She was clearly drunk. Her incomplete sentences and giggles between words made it evident. When she asked me to come pick her up, I reversed and headed to the club without waiting for anything else she had to say.

A feeling of uncertainty washed over me as I wondered why she was drunk. Who had she been drinking with? What the hell was she thinking? Wasn't she supposed to be working? Instead, she was consuming alcohol. Had something bad happened that led her to neglect her responsibilities and drink? A thousand questions ran through my mind.

A wave of fear rushed through me as I sped down the road towards the club, thankful that Zach hadn't come over to get me ready for work. I couldn't deal with him when Ava needed me so desperately. Thankfully, the roads were clear, and soon I pulled up in front of the club and got out of the car.

I glanced around, searching for any sign of potential trouble, but found none. Instead, I saw Ava sitting on a chair, a look of shock on her face as she stared at me with widened eyes.

She had been expecting Jayden, no doubt, and anger boiled in my veins at the thought of any other man being with her.

She hadn't realized she had called me instead, and now, upon seeing me here, she quickly glanced at her phone before realization dawned on her. She stood up, glaring at me.

I stopped in my tracks, not because of the anger on her face, but because of how she looked. She was wearing a blood-red dress that hugged her body perfectly. The neckline plunged down to her belly, revealing her cleavage and pale skin. The dress was so short that it felt just inches away from her butt.

Her pale, smooth legs extended into a pair of sandals that made her appear taller. Whoever had done her makeup had chosen the right colors, making her look different and extraordinarily beautiful. Her blood-red lipstick matched the color of her dress and was smudged over her cheeks.

She could pass as a model or a celebrity with how stunning she looked. I heard her growl at me, and I finally snapped out of my trance and walked towards her.

"Why the hell are you drunk?" I asked, frowning and glaring at her when she took a step back.

"Go away. I didn't mean to call you," she said through hiccups, reaching for her phone again. "I'll call Jayden. You can leave," she slurred, but before she could dial, I snatched the phone from her hand.

There was no way I was letting her call that asshole when I was already here. It angered me that she could call him for help, but I couldn't. Besides, I didn't trust him around her. I didn't trust anyone around her except myself.

"What the fuck? Why the hell am I thinking this way?" I thought, shaking off the intrusive thoughts, but I snapped back to the present when Ava tried to reach for her phone again.

"Give it back," she said, reaching towards me.

"No. You aren't calling anyone. You're coming with me," I said, pulling her against me and shoving the phone into my pocket.

She struggled against my grip and tried to pull away. "Let me go, you jerk!" she said, hitting my shoulders as if trying to hurt me, but I barely felt anything as she glared at me. I found it cute.

I chuckled. "Okay," I said, releasing her, and she almost stumbled to the floor, letting out a yelp before I caught her in my arms. She clung to me, burying her face in my chest, and I laughed.

"Should I leave you now?" I asked, looking down at her with amusement.

"No," she whispered.

"What did you say?" I asked playfully, and she peered up at me, her hazel eyes glowing under the rising sun.

"No," she repeated, and I chuckled loudly, finding amusement in the way she tried to hide that she needed my help now.

"Come on, let's get out of here," I said, leading her to my car. She groaned, obviously in pain from her feet.

I opened the car and gently placed her in the driver's seat, carefully tucking her legs in. She looked up at me, and for a second, I was certain something flashed in her eyes before I shut the door.

I walked briskly to the driver's seat, buckled my seatbelt, and started the ignition.

"Wear your seatbelt before you fall over," I said, turning to her.

But Ava's eyes were already closed, and a soft sigh escaped her lips as she adjusted in the seat and went still.

A smile danced over my lips, and I unbuckled my seatbelt, leaning over to buckle hers. My face hovered just inches above hers. Her long lashes rested on her round, blushing cheeks. I shifted my gaze to her lips.

Her soft, red lips called out to me, and I drew closer. Our lips were almost touching when her soft exhale grazed my nose.

Just a little closer, and I could feel her lips on mine, just like a few days ago when I had kissed her.

I pulled away abruptly, buckling the seatbelt. My hand grazed her chest so softly that it sent sparks to my lower region before settling against my own chair, and I let out a fearful breath.

"What the hell was I thinking? Why am I behaving so awkwardly around her?" I questioned myself.

I glanced at Ava once more, seeing her squirm uncomfortably under the seatbelt. As she slept, she looked so peaceful, like an angel. I finally looked away, not wanting to feel like a creep who stared at innocent girls while they slept. I drove away from the club and headed back to my estate.

I turned off the AC when I heard her shiver and decided to focus on something other than Ava sleeping in my car.

My mind wandered to the dream I had that night. It was another memory from my past, and it was becoming difficult to sleep without them. I rubbed my tired eyes as I pulled into the estate. The security guard seemed surprised to see me return so soon after leaving.

I stopped the car at the entrance of my house and looked down at my shaky hands. They trembled too often these days. I clasped them together and turned to Ava.

All thoughts escaped my head as I watched the beautiful girl in my car. A pang of pain hit me that the only reason she would ever go on a date with me was because of my money.

While I knew she had no home, it still hurt that it seemed to confirm what my father had always said: "People will only respect and fear you when you have money. Money is power, and you can use it to get anyone."

I wondered why she needed money, and deep down, I wanted to know more about her. Not from Zach or any background information. I realized I wanted to talk to her, to listen to her trustingly tell me about herself.

I guess during our date, a date I knew was probably one-sided, I would ask her a lot about herself.

I sighed before getting out of the car and walking over to her side, with the fountain pouring behind me.

I opened her door, and she was still asleep, oblivious to everything around her and her surroundings. She would probably hate me for bringing her here, but she had no apartment to return to.

And I didn't know Jayden's address, which I was glad about because I had no other excuse than to bring her to my place.

I removed the seatbelt and gently picked her up in a bridal style, careful not to let her hit her head on the car, and carried her in my arms. She stirred before resting her head against my chest and sighing in relief.

I smiled and headed inside the house. The door opened, recognizing me, and I tossed my car keys onto the chairs before going up the stairs. I reached the hallway, and Zeus came running out of my room, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Hey, boy. Shh, she's sleeping," I said, and Zeus whined, happily wagging his tail around my leg as he moved around excitedly, trying to sniff Ava in my arms.

I managed to navigate his movements and reached the room. I carefully laid Ava on my bed, and she sighed in relief, sinking into its softness.

Zeus hopped on the bed and sniffed around Ava excitedly. He whined, looking up at me as if asking who she was, and I chuckled softly.

"She's a friend," I said, and he cocked his head at me before sniffing around her face again, his tail wagging excitedly.

He liked her.

I looked at Ava's feet and proceeded to remove her shoes. They were so small and delicate, and even though I had a fetish for red painted toenails and hers were plain, I loved them right away.

Ava shifted, and I quickly snatched my hands away from her feet, dropping the second shoe on the floor and stepping back. I pulled up the duvet and covered her so she wouldn't feel embarrassed about her cleavage around me.

"Zeus, get off. You'll wake her," I whispered to Zeus, who was moving all over her and sniffing her. He whined at me.

"Okay, but just stay still. She's very tired too," I said, and Zeus settled beside her, resting his head near her hand.

I sighed as a wave of tiredness washed over me. I made my way to the kitchen to get some water, leaving Ava and Zeus in my bed.

In the kitchen, I decided to grab some aspirin and water for Ava since she would likely have a terrible headache when she woke up. Then I made a sandwich, as it was the only thing I could do without cooking. I left the kitchen afterward.

I returned to my car to retrieve my phone and found Ava's purse, so I took it with me and headed back to the room.

Zeus perked up at my entrance before realizing it was me and settled back on the bed.

I placed the aspirin and bottle on the bedside table before grabbing my laptop and leaving the room.

I sat at the dining table downstairs and dialed Zach's number. He picked up on the second ring.

"I was just about to call you. Where are you now?" his voice came over the speakers.

"I'm back home. Ava got drunk and called me. She's here now, sleeping in my room. I'll work from home today. Send me the-" I started to say.

"Are you serious? She called you?" Zach interrupted.

"Yes."

There was a knowing silence, and I groaned.

"Fine. She called me. Now send me the reports and documents to fill out for the project. There will also be a meeting with the board of directors over a Zoom call. I'll send your schedule to your email," Zach said.

"Okay. That's fine. Have you found any more details about Jayden?" I asked, glancing at the stairs as if expecting Ava to come down from them.

"No, not yet. The only thing we've found so far is that he attended the same high school as Ava. Everything after that is a dead end," he said, and I frowned, feeling worried.

The idea of Ava staying with someone who had no information in the database didn't sit well with me, and I was concerned about how much she trusted him. Even though they attended the same high school, I couldn't help but feel angry that he had just barged into her life.

"Okay, keep looking," I said.

"Sure, boss," Zach responded before we ended the call. I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and let out a tired sigh.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy, and I dropped my laptop. A memory of a hammer smashing against my fingers jolted me, and all traces of sleep disappeared. I sat up again, opened my laptop, and checked my schedule from Zach. There was hardly any free time to do anything else. Today was going to be busy, I thought as I started working.

I sat there, typing on my laptop and reviewing the report, having a Zoom meeting and making calls to potential business partners for over six hours. At one point, I felt bored and tired of the business talks.

Part of me wanted to rush upstairs and watch Ava sleep, but the thought of her waking up to find me staring at her felt creepy, and I didn't want to push her away even more than I already had.

Finally, I pushed my laptop aside after the meeting was over, feeling a headache coming on, when I heard Ava scream from upstairs.