Enemy Wears Designer Heels
1343 Words
Chapter four
Ava didn't sleep.
Not even for a minute.
She spent the entire night staring at her phone.
The photograph remained open on her screen.
The missing Reynolds file.
Inside Vanessa Montgomery's desk.
Every time she looked at it, her stomach twisted.
It was proof.
Proof that she hadn't stolen anything.
Proof that someone had set her up.
But it also created a terrifying new problem.
Vanessa Montgomery wasn't just anyone.
She was Ethan Blackwood's fiancée.
Rich.
Powerful.
Connected.
And judging by the anonymous warning, dangerous.
Ava sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her tired eyes.
She had two choices.
Show Ethan the photograph.
Or pretend she had never received it.
Neither option felt safe.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
The sound startled her.
Who would be visiting this early?
Frowning, she walked toward the door.
When she opened it, her breath caught.
Ethan Blackwood stood outside.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Ava simply stared.
He looked different.
Less polished.
Less controlled.
His tie was missing.
The top button of his shirt was undone.
Dark circles sat beneath his eyes.
As though he hadn't slept either.
"Ethan?"
His gaze swept across her face.
"You look terrible."
Ava blinked.
"Good morning to you too."
To her surprise, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"There she is."
"There who is?"
"The woman who argues with me."
Despite everything, Ava almost smiled.
Almost.
Then reality crashed back.
The file.
Vanessa.
The threat.
Her expression changed immediately.
Ethan noticed.
"What happened?"
Ava hesitated.
Every instinct told her not to get involved.
Not to drag herself into whatever war existed between Ethan and Vanessa.
But another part of her was tired.
Tired of being blamed.
Tired of being afraid.
"Ethan..."
His eyes darkened.
The way she said his name made something tighten inside his chest.
"What is it?"
Ava stepped aside.
"Come in."
A few minutes later, Ethan stood in her tiny living room.
The apartment felt absurdly small with him inside it.
Too intimate.
Too personal.
Ava's pulse refused to behave.
She handed him her phone.
Without a word.
Ethan frowned as he looked at the screen.
Then his expression changed.
The warmth disappeared.
The tension in the room became immediate.
Dangerous.
"Where did you get this?"
The coldness in his voice surprised her.
"It was sent to me last night."
"By who?"
"I don't know."
Ethan stared at the image again.
His jaw tightened.
Then tightened some more.
Ava had never seen anyone look so angry.
For several seconds, silence filled the room.
Finally, Ethan looked up.
"Did anyone else see this?"
"No."
"Good."
The answer came instantly.
Too instantly.
Ava crossed her arms.
"Good?"
His gaze met hers.
"If this photo gets out, it becomes more than office gossip."
A chill ran through her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone is trying to start a war."
Ava swallowed.
Because suddenly this felt much bigger than a missing file.
Much bigger than workplace drama.
And judging by the fury in Ethan's eyes—
He already knew exactly who was behind it.
Ethan left Ava's apartment an hour later.
But he took the photograph with him.
And the anger she'd seen in his eyes hadn't disappeared.
If anything, it had gotten worse.
The entire morning, Ava couldn't concentrate.
She arrived at the office feeling as though she were walking into a battlefield.
Every glance felt suspicious.
Every whisper sounded dangerous.
And somewhere in the middle of it all was Vanessa.
Beautiful.
Poised.
Smiling.
As if she hadn't threatened Ava the night before.
As if she hadn't possibly framed her.
The woman was terrifying.
By noon, Ethan hadn't left his office.
Not once.
The executive floor felt unusually tense.
Several department heads had been called into meetings.
Legal had been summoned twice.
Security personnel appeared on the floor more than usual.
Something was happening.
Something big.
And Ethan was at the center of it.
Ava was sorting through his afternoon schedule when his office door suddenly opened.
"Inside."
Her stomach instantly flipped.
That single word was becoming dangerous.
She grabbed her notebook and followed him.
The moment she entered, Ethan closed the door.
Not unusual.
Yet somehow it felt different today.
More private.
More intimate.
The room suddenly seemed smaller.
Ava noticed his tie was gone again.
His sleeves rolled up.
His jaw tense.
The man looked exhausted.
And annoyingly attractive.
"You wanted to see me?"
Ethan nodded.
Then tossed a folder onto the desk.
Ava recognized it immediately.
The Reynolds file.
Her eyes widened.
"You found it?"
"I did."
Relief flooded through her so fast she nearly sat down.
"Oh thank God."
Ethan watched her carefully.
Studied her.
The relief on her face was genuine.
Pure.
And it only confirmed what he'd already suspected.
She hadn't taken it.
Not for a second.
"You never doubted me?"
The question slipped out before Ava could stop herself.
Silence.
Ethan's gaze held hers.
Longer than necessary.
Then—
"No."
Ava froze.
The answer was simple.
Honest.
Unexpected.
Her chest tightened.
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
A shadow crossed his face.
"Because believing you and proving it are two different things."
The frustration in his voice surprised her.
For a moment he looked angry.
Not at her.
At the situation.
At himself.
And suddenly Ava understood.
He had been fighting for her.
Quietly.
Behind the scenes.
Without taking credit for it.
The realization warmed something inside her.
Dangerously.
A knock interrupted the moment.
Neither moved immediately.
Neither looked away.
Then another knock came.
More forceful this time.
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Vanessa entered.
And immediately stopped.
Her eyes moved from Ethan.
To Ava.
Then back to Ethan.
Ava felt the temperature in the room drop.
Vanessa smiled.
But it wasn't a happy smile.
It was the smile of someone who had just walked into something she didn't like.
"There you are."
Ethan's expression hardened.
"What do you need?"
Vanessa's smile faltered.
Most people wouldn't notice.
Ava did.
Apparently Vanessa wasn't used to that tone.
"I've been calling you."
"I've been busy."
"You've been avoiding me."
The accusation hung in the air.
Ethan said nothing.
Which somehow made things worse.
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Can we talk?"
"We are talking."
"No."
Her eyes flickered toward Ava.
"I mean privately."
Ava immediately stood.
"I can leave."
"No."
The answer came from Ethan.
Instantly.
Without hesitation.
The room went silent.
Even Ethan looked surprised he'd said it.
Vanessa definitely noticed.
Ava wished the floor would swallow her whole.
The atmosphere had become unbearable.
Vanessa slowly turned toward her.
That same beautiful smile returned.
The fake one.
The dangerous one.
"Of course."
Her voice was sweet.
Too sweet.
"I forgot you're practically part of every conversation these days."
Ava stiffened.
The insult was subtle.
But it was there.
Ethan's eyes darkened.
"Enough."
Vanessa looked at him.
Actually looked shocked.
As if nobody had ever spoken to her that way before.
"Excuse me?"
"I said enough."
The silence that followed was brutal.
For the first time since meeting Vanessa, Ava saw something crack.
The perfect image.
The calm exterior.
The control.
Vanessa was angry.
Really angry.
And somehow Ava knew one thing.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
Later that evening, a storm rolled over the city.
Rain hammered against the windows.
Thunder shook the building.
Most employees rushed home before the weather got worse.
Unfortunately for Ava, she wasn't most employees.
She still had work to finish.
By the time she finally looked up from her desk, the executive floor was almost empty.
Almost.
A familiar figure stood by the window inside Ethan's office.
Watching the rain.
Lost in thought.
Ava hesitated.
Then gathered her courage.
"You should go home."
Ethan turned.
One eyebrow rising.
"That's my line."
Despite herself, Ava laughed.
A real laugh.
The first one she'd had all day.
And for a brief moment—
The tension.
The drama.
The threats.
All of it disappeared.
Leaving only the two of them.
And neither seemed eager to look away.
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