Chapter Four: An unfamiliar kindness
1668 Words
Ava didn't know what scared her more.
The fact that she was sitting inside a stranger's car.
Or the fact that a small part of her felt safer than she had all night.
She sat quietly in the back seat, keeping a careful distance between herself and Damian.
The space between them felt deliberate. He wasn't trying to make conversation.
He wasn't even asking questions.
And somehow, that made her even more uneasy.
The city lights passed by the window, blurring into streaks of gold and white.
Ava kept her eyes outside.
Anywhere except him.
Her fingers tightened around the gift bag resting on her lap.
She hadn't even realized she brought it with her until now.
The brown paper looked slightly crumpled from the way she had been holding it earlier.
Three weeks of planning.
Three years of memories.
A gift meant for a man who had chosen someone else.
Her throat tightened.
She looked down at it again.
She had spent money she barely had putting that album together.
She had skipped buying things for herself because she wanted it to be perfect.
And now it was sitting beside her in the car of a man she had met less than an hour ago.
"You keep looking at it."
Damian's voice broke through the silence.
Ava immediately looked up. Those piercing grey eyes were already on her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then she turned back toward the window.
"It's nothing."
Damian didn't respond.
But she could feel his attention linger for a few seconds before he looked away.
The silence returned.
Ava didn't know what bothered her more.
That he seemed to know exactly when she was uncomfortable.
Or that he didn't seem interested in making her less uncomfortable.
Finally, the car slowed.
She looked outside.
A large hotel came into view.
Not just any hotel.
The kind of place where people probably spent more money on one night than she earned in months.
Her brows furrowed.
The car stopped at the entrance.
Ava looked at Damian.
"What are we doing here?"
"You're going to rest."
His answer was simple.
She stared at him.
Rest?
With him?
The thought immediately made her tense.
Ava had barely known this man for an hour, and now he had brought her to a hotel.
Her hand tightened around the door handle.
Damian noticed.
Something unreadable crossed his face.
"Separate rooms."
The words came before she could ask.
Ava blinked.
"What?"
"I had two rooms reserved."
She didn't know why, but the explanation caught her off guard.
The hotel staff approached as they stepped out of the car.
Damian walked ahead with the same calm confidence he had carried all night.
People moved around him differently.
Ava followed a few steps behind, still trying to understand what exactly was happening.
At the reception desk, Damian spoke quietly with the employee.
"Two rooms under Blackwood."
The receptionist immediately nodded.
"Of course, Mr. Blackwood."
Ava stood there silently.
Two rooms.
He really had arranged separate rooms.
Her thoughts became even more confused.
What exactly did this man want?
Because if he was trying to get something from her, he wasn't acting the way she expected.
A few minutes later, the receptionist handed them their key cards.
Damian turned toward her.
"Your room is on the seventh floor."
Ava took the card slowly.
"And yours?"
"The same floor."
She looked at him.
He seemed to understand the question she didn't ask.
"I won't be staying there."
That surprised her.
Before she could say anything, he continued.
"You should get some rest."
His voice softened slightly.
"Tonight has been a long night."
Ava looked at him carefully.
There was no hidden smile, not even attempt to get closer.
She nodded slowly.
"Goodnight, Miss Carter."
The way he said her name still bothered her.
He sounded like he had known it long before tonight.
Ava walked toward the elevator without looking back.
But even as the doors closed, one thought remained in her mind.
Who was Damian Blackwood... Of course she already knew that.
But why had he been looking for her?
***
Damian waited until the elevator doors disappeared before turning away.
The hotel bar was quieter than the ballroom had been.
He sat at the far end of the counter, a glass untouched in front of him.
His phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
A meeting reminder.
The investors had been waiting.
He answered.
"Cancel it."
A pause.
"Mr. Blackwood, the entire board is already assembled."
"I know."
"They've been waiting for over an hour."
Damian looked toward the elevator.
"I said cancel it."
The person on the other end hesitated.
"Is everything alright?"
His expression remained unreadable.
The call ended.
A few minutes passed before his bodyguard approached.
"Sir."
Damian looked up.
"The car's ready?"
Normally, the answer would have been yes.
He had no reason to stay.
No reason to remain in a city where he had already completed what he came for.
But he looked toward the elevator again.
He hadn't expected finding her to feel like this.
After all these years.
He had finally found Ava Carter.
And leaving without seeing her again felt impossible.
"Not yet."
His bodyguard studied him briefly but didn't question it.
Damian stood.
He already knew her room number.
A few minutes later, he stood outside her door.
He raised his hand.
Then knocked.
***
Ava sat on the edge of the hotel bed, staring at the gift bag beside her.
The room was bigger than her entire apartment.
A ridiculous thought crossed her mind.
At least tonight wasn't completely terrible.
She let out a quiet breath.
"Well..."
She looked around the room.
"At least this place is better than my apartment."
It was a weak attempt to make herself feel better, but it was all she had.
Her eyes returned to the gift bag.
She reached inside and touched the edge of the photo album.
All that time and effort wasted for Ethan.
A soft knock interrupted her thought, she froze.
Her heart immediately picked up.
Slowly, she stood.
Nobody should know she was here.
Except...
Damian.
She walked toward the door carefully. For a moment, she considered ignoring it.
Then the knock came again.
Ava took a breath and opened the door.
And when she saw who was standing outside...
She forgot every question she had in mind.
Damian Blackwood stood outside her door.
Ava's fingers tightened around the handle.
For a few seconds, she simply looked at him.
He was standing there in complete silence.
Ava’s gaze lingered on him, taking him in as if trying to piece together who he was from a single glance. Her eyes were sharp, guarded, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in them too.
She was beautiful in a quiet, unintentional way—dark lashes framing expressive eyes that seemed to hold more questions than she voiced, and a face that carried both exhaustion and resilience.
A few loose strands of hair had slipped free, brushing softly against her cheek, the rest falling in a slightly disheveled frame that only made her look more real, more human in the dim hallway light.
"Did you need something?"
Her voice came out more guarded than she intended.
Damian's eyes briefly moved over her face before returning to hers.
"I wanted to make sure you were settled."
Ava frowned.
"I am."
He gave a slight nod.
"Good."
The simplicity of his response confused her.
She had expected him to say something else.
Anything.
But Damian Blackwood didn't seem like a man who wasted words.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You came all the way here just to check that?"
"Yes."
The answer was immediate.
Ava looked at him carefully.
There was something unsettling about how calm he was.
Most people would have tried to explain themselves after appearing outside someone's hotel room.
Damian simply stood there as if he had no reason to prove anything.
Her gaze dropped briefly before returning to him.
"I still don't understand why you helped me."
His expression remained unchanged.
"You needed somewhere safe to go."
"And you decided that should be your responsibility?"
"No."
The answer surprised her.
"What was it then?"
Damian glanced at the room behind her.
"You should rest."
She followed his gaze before looking back at him.
"I can take care of myself."
"I know."
There was no argument in his voice.
No attempt to challenge her.
Just a simple acknowledgement.
That somehow made her less prepared than if he had disagreed.
Damian stepped back.
"Goodnight, Ava."
She watched him turn away.
The fact that he was leaving without demanding anything from her only confused her more.
"Damian."
He stopped.
For a moment, she considered asking the question that had been bothering her since the beginning.
Why her?
Why had he been searching for her?
But the words stayed in her throat.
She wasn't ready for whatever answer he might give.
"Never mind."
Damian looked at her briefly.
Then he gave a small nod and walked away.
Ava closed the door slowly.
She stood there for several seconds, trying to understand the man who had entered her life as sud
denly as everything else had fallen apart.
She walked back to the bed and sat down beside the gift bag.
The photo album was still inside. A reminder of the future she thought she had. A future that disappeared in one night.
Outside her room, Damian continued down the hallway.
His bodyguard was waiting near the elevator.
"Sir."
Damian stopped.
"Are we leaving?"
He looked back toward Ava's door.
For years, finding her had been something he had prepared himself for.
He had imagined the moment countless times.
But standing outside her room, he realized the hardest part was not finding her.
It was knowing that she had no idea who he really was to her.
"Yes."
The elevator doors opened.
Damian stepped inside, his expression unreadable.
The answers would come.
But not tonight.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD