Trouble Finds Ava
1052 Words
The following week should have been ordinary.
It wasn't.
Ava quickly learned that working for Ethan Blackwood meant ordinary days didn't exist.
Every morning brought a new challenge.
Every afternoon brought another impossible deadline.
And somehow, despite his demanding nature, she was beginning to enjoy the job.
More importantly, she was beginning to understand Ethan.
The man everyone described as cold wasn't always cold.
The man everyone feared wasn't always intimidating.
Sometimes she caught glimpses of someone else.
Someone thoughtful.
Someone protective.
Someone lonely.
And that realization was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Especially when she found herself thinking about him long after work ended.
Thursday morning started like every other day.
Ava arrived early.
Coffee in hand.
Ready to tackle her schedule.
The executive floor was unusually quiet.
Almost too quiet.
She frowned as she approached her desk.
Something felt wrong.
Several employees glanced in her direction.
Then quickly looked away.
Whispers followed.
The uneasy feeling in her stomach grew.
Sophie appeared from nowhere.
Looking concerned.
"Ava."
"What's going on?"
Sophie hesitated.
"There's a problem."
Ava's heart immediately dropped.
"What kind of problem?"
Before Sophie could answer, Ethan's office door opened.
His expression was unreadable.
"Inside."
The single word sent a chill down her spine.
Something was definitely wrong.
The moment Ava entered the office, she knew this wasn't a normal meeting.
The atmosphere felt tense.
Heavy.
On Ethan's desk sat several documents.
Beside him stood the head of Human Resources.
And another man she recognized from the Legal Department.
Fear crawled up her spine.
"Ethan?"
His jaw tightened.
"A confidential client file is missing."
Ava blinked.
"What?"
"The Reynolds account."
She frowned.
"I worked on that yesterday."
"Exactly."
The room fell silent.
The implication hit her instantly.
They thought she took it.
Her eyes widened.
"No."
Nobody spoke.
The silence felt like an accusation.
"I didn't take anything."
The legal representative opened a folder.
"According to security records, you were the last employee to access the file."
Ava's stomach twisted.
Of course she was.
Ethan had specifically assigned it to her.
"I returned it."
The HR manager exchanged a look with the lawyer.
Neither seemed convinced.
Ava couldn't believe this was happening.
Her first week.
Her dream job.
And now she was being treated like a criminal.
"I would never steal company documents."
Her voice shook slightly.
Not from guilt.
From hurt.
The lawyer cleared his throat.
"Until the file is located, we have to investigate all possibilities."
Ava looked directly at Ethan.
He hadn't said much.
Had barely spoken at all.
His expression remained impossible to read.
For some reason, that hurt most of all.
Did he believe she'd done it?
After everything?
After the conversations they'd shared?
After the trust she thought they were building?
"Ethan."
His eyes met hers.
For the first time since entering the room, she saw conflict there.
Just for a second.
Then it vanished.
"We have procedures to follow."
The formal answer felt like a punch to the chest.
Ava lowered her gaze.
Of course.
He was her boss.
Not her friend.
Not her ally.
Certainly not someone who would choose her over company policy.
An hour later, the entire office knew.
Whispers followed her everywhere.
People stopped talking when she walked past.
Some employees openly stared.
Others avoided eye contact entirely.
Humiliation burned through her.
She had worked too hard for this.
Too hard to have her reputation destroyed.
By lunchtime, she could barely concentrate.
Every email looked blurry.
Every task felt impossible.
Then Sophie appeared at her desk.
Holding two cups of coffee.
"Ignore them."
Ava laughed bitterly.
"That's difficult."
"They don't know you."
Ava stared at her computer screen.
"No. But they think they do."
Sophie sat beside her.
"For what it's worth, I don't believe you took anything."
Ava smiled weakly.
"Thanks."
"Neither does Ethan."
That got her attention.
Ava looked up.
"What makes you say that?"
Sophie lowered her voice.
"Because if Ethan thought you were guilty..."
She paused.
"You wouldn't still be here."
Ava swallowed.
The words stayed with her long after Sophie left.
Meanwhile, inside his office, Ethan stood by the window.
Watching the city below.
Thinking.
Something about this situation bothered him.
A lot.
The evidence pointed toward Ava.
Yet his instincts refused to accept it.
She wasn't careless.
She wasn't dishonest.
And she certainly wasn't stupid enough to steal from the company during her first week.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Vanessa entered.
A satisfied smile already on her face.
"I heard about your assistant."
Ethan immediately stiffened.
Vanessa noticed.
Interesting.
"You hired the wrong girl."
Ethan turned slowly.
His expression turning cold.
"Dangerous assumption."
Vanessa shrugged.
"The evidence speaks for itself."
"No."
His voice was sharp.
"The evidence says someone wants it to look like she did it."
For the first time, Vanessa's smile faltered.
Only briefly.
But Ethan saw it.
And suddenly...
A very dangerous suspicion began forming in his mind.
Ava had barely stepped into her apartment when her phone vibrated.
Exhausted, she tossed her handbag onto the couch and glanced at the screen.
Unknown Number.
A frown crossed her face.
The sender had attached a photo.
Nothing else.
No message.
No explanation.
Just a photo.
Curiosity got the better of her.
She opened it.
The moment the image loaded, all the color drained from her face.Her heart stopped.
The missing file.
The Reynolds account.
The same file everyone believed she had stolen.
Ava zoomed in on the image.
Her hands began to shake.
Because the file wasn't in her possession.
It wasn't even inside her office.
It was sitting inside a desk drawer.
A very familiar desk drawer.
A desk Ava had seen earlier that day.
A desk belonging to—
Vanessa Montgomery.
Ava's breath caught.
"No..."
Her mind raced.
This couldn't be real.
Could it?
Then another message arrived.
This time it was text.
If you want to keep your job, stop asking questions.
Ava stared at the words.
Terrified.
Confused.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown Number.
Again.
Her hands trembled as she answered.
"Hello?"
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then a woman's voice whispered:
"You're getting too close to him."
The line went dead.
Ava slowly lowered the phone.
Her heart hammering violently against her chest.
Because she knew exactly who the voice belonged to.
Vanessa.
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