Chapter 4: Forty-Eight Hours
1038 Words
Ava stared at her phone long after the call ended.
The screen had gone dark.
But Ethan’s words remained.
“The bank reduced your deadline today.”
How did he know?
The question haunted her for the rest of the evening.
The meeting with the bank manager had happened only hours ago.
Very few people knew about it.
Yet Ethan had somehow found out almost immediately.
It should have frightened her.
Instead, it made her curious.
And curiosity was dangerous.
Especially where Ethan Blackwood was concerned.
The following morning, Ava arrived at the hotel before sunrise.
She hoped work would distract her.
It didn’t.
Every unpaid invoice reminded her of the contract.
Every maintenance request reminded her of the contract.
Every worried glance from an employee reminded her of the contract.
By noon, she was exhausted.
Not physically.
Mentally.
She was tired of making impossible decisions.
Tired of pretending everything was under control.
Tired of carrying the weight of the hotel alone.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”
Lily stepped inside.
“Some guests are asking for refunds.”
Ava sighed.
“Why?”
“The hot water stopped working again.”
The boiler.
Of course.
The boiler.
The same boiler that needed replacing.
The same boiler she couldn’t afford to replace.
“I’ll speak to them.”
Lily nodded.
Then hesitated.
“Ava?”
“Yeah?”
“Are we going to be okay?”
The question hit harder than Ava expected.
Because Lily wasn’t asking as an employee.
She was asking as someone who genuinely cared.
Someone who had stayed despite the uncertainty.
Someone who trusted her.
And Ava didn’t know how to answer.
So she smiled.
The same fake smile she’d been using for months.
“We’ll figure something out.”
Lily seemed unconvinced.
But she nodded anyway.
By evening, Ava was sitting alone in her office.
Again.
The contract lay open in front of her.
Again.
She hated that she’d memorized every page.
Every condition.
Every clause.
Every detail.
One year.
Public appearances.
No discussing private contract terms.
No interference in each other’s careers.
No children.
No real expectations.
It was all so cold.
So businesslike.
Like Ethan had reduced marriage to a corporate transaction.
A knock sounded.
Before she could answer, the door opened.
Ava looked up.
Then froze.
Ethan Blackwood stood in the doorway.
As calm as ever.
As though he hadn’t turned her entire life upside down.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was nearby.”
Ava laughed.
“No, you weren’t.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
It vanished almost immediately.
“You should stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Appearing out of nowhere.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
His expression suggested he absolutely would not.
Without asking permission, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Ava narrowed her eyes.
“Do billionaires always ignore personal boundaries?”
“Only when necessary.”
“You’re impossible.”
“So I’ve been told.”
For some reason, that answer almost made her smile.
Almost.
Ethan’s gaze dropped to the contract.
“You’ve read it.”
“Several times.”
“And?”
Ava leaned back in her chair.
“And I think you’re insane.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s fair.”
The fact that he didn’t argue irritated her.
She wanted him to defend himself.
To explain.
To justify this ridiculous arrangement.
Instead, he stood there looking annoyingly composed.
“Why me?”
The question escaped before she could stop it.
This time, Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze held hers.
Steady.
Intense.
Uncomfortable.
Finally, he said:
“Because I trust you.”
Ava blinked.
Of all the answers she’d expected…
That wasn’t one of them.
“You don’t even know me.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Gone too quickly to identify.
“Maybe not.”
The response made no sense.
And yet somehow it felt important.
Silence settled between them.
For the first time since meeting him, Ava noticed how tired he looked.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
As though carrying something heavy.
Something invisible.
It was gone a second later.
The cold billionaire mask slipped back into place.
But she’d seen it.
And now she couldn’t unsee it.
“I need an answer.”
His voice broke the silence.
Ava looked down.
The contract sat between them.
Waiting.
Just like always.
“I haven’t decided.”
“You have.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re trying to convince yourself not to accept.”
The statement's accuracy irritated her.
Because he wasn’t entirely wrong.
For two days, she’d searched for reasons to refuse.
Yet every path led back to the same problem.
The hotel.
The debt.
The deadline.
The people depend on her.
Ethan took a step closer.
Not threatening.
Not aggressive.
Just closer.
“The question isn’t whether you need the money.”
Ava’s heart tightened.
“The question is what you’re willing to sacrifice to save everything.”
The words landed like a punch.
Because that was exactly the question.
And she still didn’t know the answer.
After a long silence, Ethan reached into his jacket pocket.
He placed a business card on the desk.
Then turned toward the door.
“What’s that?”
“My private number.”
Ava stared.
“You already have mine.”
“Yes.”
“Which is still creepy.”
Another faint smile.
“There are worse things than being remembered, Miss Bennett.”
Before she could ask what that meant, he opened the door.
Then paused.
Without looking back, he said:
“You have twenty-four hours.”
And walked away.
Leaving Ava alone once more.
Alone with the contract.
Alone with the impossible decision.
Her gaze drifted to the business card.
Then to the contract.
Then back again.
For a long moment, she sat perfectly still.
Finally, she reached for her phone.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As though the movement might change her future.
Her finger hovered over Ethan’s number.
Then she pressed call.
The line rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
A click sounded.
And Ethan’s voice filled her ear.
“I was wondering how long it would take.”
- Writer
