The Cost Of Being Seen
1514 Words
The rest of the day passed in uncomfortable silence.
At least for Ava.
No matter how hard she tried to focus on work, her thoughts kept drifting back to Ethan's office.
To Vanessa.
To the announcement.
To the look on Ethan's face when Vanessa publicly declared their engagement.
It hadn't been the reaction of a man in love.
And that realization unsettled her more than it should have.
Much more.
By seven o'clock, most employees had left.
Only a few departments remained occupied as preparations for the gala continued.
Ava sat across from Ethan in one of the executive conference rooms.
Several event planners surrounded the table.
Everyone looked exhausted.
Everyone except Ethan.
The man somehow managed to remain intimidating twenty-four hours a day.
Ava was beginning to suspect it was a superpower.
"Miss Williams."
Her attention snapped back.
Ethan was looking at her.
"Sorry."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"You drifted off."
One of the planners laughed.
"Poor girl has probably worked three jobs today."
Ava smiled weakly.
"Feels like it."
"Four," Ethan corrected.
The room laughed.
Ava stared at him.
Had he just made a joke?
The CEO of Sterling Insurance Group?
The world was truly ending.
By the time the meeting finally ended, the rain had returned.
Not as violent as the night before.
But steady enough to make travel difficult.
Ava stood near the entrance of the building trying to order a ride.
No luck.
Again.
Apparently the universe hated her.
A familiar voice sounded behind her.
"Still here?"
She turned.
Ethan.
Of course.
The man appeared whenever her transportation failed.
"Trying to get home."
"And?"
"No drivers."
Ethan glanced outside.
Then back at her.
"I'll take you."
Ava immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you're my boss."
"And?"
"People will talk."
Ethan's gaze held hers.
His expression unreadable.
"They already do."
Ava hated how true that was.
A few moments later, she found herself sitting inside his car anyway.
The city lights blurred past the windows.
Soft music played through the speakers.
For once, neither seemed in a hurry to fill the silence.
It wasn't awkward.
Just... comfortable.
Dangerously comfortable.
Ava looked out the window.
Trying very hard not to notice how good Ethan smelled.
Or how attractive he looked in a black dress shirt.
Or how unfair life was.
"You've been quiet."
His voice broke through her thoughts.
Ava sighed.
"Long day."
"That's not it."
Of course he'd notice.
She glanced toward him.
"What makes you think something's wrong?"
"You bite the inside of your cheek when you're worried."
Ava froze.
The observation caught her completely off guard.
"You noticed that?"
Ethan immediately realized his mistake.
Because yes.
He had noticed.
Far more than he should have.
Far more than was appropriate.
The realization hung between them.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Neither spoke.
Suddenly—
A bright flash exploded outside the car.
Ava jumped.
"What was that?"
Another flash followed.
Then another.
Ethan's expression darkened instantly.
"Damn it."
Ava turned toward the window.
Several photographers stood near a traffic light.
Cameras raised.
Pointed directly at them.
Her stomach dropped.
"No."
The flashes continued.
Rapid.
Relentless.
Photograph after photograph.
Capturing everything.
Her sitting beside Ethan.
Them talking.
Them looking at each other.
The perfect scandal.
The traffic finally moved.
Ethan accelerated immediately.
Leaving the photographers behind.
But the damage had already been done.
The ride became noticeably quieter.
Ava stared at her hands.
A terrible feeling settling inside her chest.
"They'll post those."
Ethan nodded.
"Probably."
"My God."
She buried her face in her hands.
"This is a disaster."
"It isn't."
She looked up.
"Ethan, your fiancée already hates me."
His jaw tightened.
"Vanessa doesn't control my life."
The words came out sharper than intended.
Ava blinked.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
But before she could think about it further, they arrived at her apartment building.
Neither moved immediately.
Neither seemed eager to end the conversation.
Again.
A dangerous pattern.
Ava finally reached for the door handle.
"Thank you for the ride."
Ethan nodded.
"Get some sleep."
She smiled softly.
"You too."
Their eyes met.
And lingered.
Just a second too long.
Then Ava stepped out of the car.
Walking toward her building without looking back.
Because if she did...
She wasn't sure she'd be able to leave.
The next morning, Ava's phone exploded with notifications.
Messages.
Calls.
Texts.
Emails.
Dozens of them.
Confused, she opened her social media.
And nearly dropped her phone.
There it was.
Everywhere.
A photograph.
A crystal-clear photograph.
Of her sitting in Ethan Blackwood's car.
Looking at him.
Smiling.
The headline beneath it made her blood run cold.
CEO ETHAN BLACKWOOD SPOTTED WITH MYSTERY WOMAN DAYS AFTER FIANCÉE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Ava's heart stopped.
Because beneath the article were thousands of comments.
Speculation.
Rumors.
Accusations.
And worst of all—
A new post had just appeared.
Uploaded by Vanessa Montgomery herself.
A glamorous photo of her and Ethan.
Along with a caption that made Ava's stomach drop.
Ava had never been the center of attention before.
And after the last twelve hours, she never wanted to be again.
The article had spread overnight.
Social media was flooded with speculation.
Employees from Sterling Insurance were sharing screenshots.
Anonymous accounts were inventing stories.
Some claimed she was Ethan's secret girlfriend.
Others accused her of trying to steal another woman's fiancé.
By the time she arrived at work, her anxiety was through the roof.
The moment the elevator doors opened, she knew things had gotten worse.
Conversations stopped.
People stared.
Whispers followed her through the executive floor.
Ava lowered her head and walked toward her desk.
Then she stopped.
Her heart dropped.
Someone had vandalized her workspace.
Coffee had been poured across her desk.
Several documents were ruined.
A framed photo from her graduation had been knocked onto the floor.
The glass shattered.
Ava stared in disbelief.
"What the hell?"
A few employees pretended not to notice.
Others looked away guiltily.
Nobody said a word.
Then Ava noticed something sitting on her keyboard.
A folded piece of paper.
Her hands trembled slightly as she picked it up.
Slowly, she unfolded it.
Four words stared back at her.
Stay away from Ethan Blackwood.
A chill raced down her spine.
The note slipped from her fingers.
"What happened?"
Sophie's shocked voice broke through the silence.
She rushed toward the desk.
"Oh my God."
Ava couldn't speak.
Her throat had gone dry.
Sophie picked up the note.
Her expression darkened immediately.
"Who did this?"
Ava shook her head.
"I don't know."
But she had a feeling.
A very strong feeling.
And they were both thinking the same name.
Vanessa.
Less than five minutes later, Ethan stepped off the elevator.
The executive floor instantly fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The atmosphere felt tense.
Dangerous.
Ethan frowned.
Something was wrong.
Then he saw Ava's desk.
The shattered frame.
The ruined documents.
The note.
The look on her face.
And suddenly the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
His expression hardened.
Dangerously.
"Who did this?"
Nobody answered.
Ethan's gaze swept across the floor.
Employee after employee looked away.
Ava had never seen him this angry.
Not even when dealing with his father.
Not even during the missing file investigation.
This was different.
Personal.
Very personal.
"I'll ask again."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Who did this?"
Still no answer.
The silence only made him angrier.
Without warning, Ethan picked up the note.
His jaw tightened.
Then tightened some more.
Ava could practically feel the fury radiating from him.
Finally, he looked at her.
"Inside."
The word wasn't a request.
It was an order.
Ava followed him into his office.
The moment the door closed, Ethan turned toward her.
"Are you okay?"
The question surprised her.
Not because he asked.
Because of how he asked.
The concern in his voice was genuine.
Raw.
Ava swallowed.
"I've had better mornings."
Something flickered in his eyes.
Guilt.
Anger.
Protectiveness.
A combination she couldn't quite understand.
"This shouldn't have happened."
"No kidding."
For the first time all morning, a tiny smile appeared on Ethan's face.
Only briefly.
Then it disappeared.
A knock interrupted them.
Neither looked away immediately.
Then the door opened.
Vanessa walked in.
Elegant as always.
Beautiful as always.
And completely unaware of the storm she was walking into.
"Ethan—"
She stopped.
Noticing Ava.
Noticing the tension.
Noticing Ethan's expression.
For the first time since meeting him, Vanessa looked uncertain.
"Ethan?"
His gaze turned ice cold.
Ava had never seen anything like it.
The warmth.
The humor.
The attraction.
Gone.
Completely gone.
"Did you threaten my employee?"
The question hit the room like a bomb.
Vanessa froze.
Ava froze.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
"What?"
Ethan held up the note.
The one found on Ava's desk.
"This."
Vanessa stared at it.
Then looked back at Ethan.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Almost insulted.
"You think I did that?"
"I asked a question."
The tension became unbearable.
Ava suddenly wished she were somewhere else.
Anywhere else.
Because one thing was becoming painfully clear.
A war was beginning.
And she was standing directly in the middle of it.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD