Chapter 4: House Rules.
812 Words
Chapter 4: House Rules
Ava woke up feeling strangely comfortable.
For a few seconds, she remained lying on the soft mattress, staring at the ceiling while trying to remember where she was.
Then everything came rushing back.
The attack.
Ethan Blackwood.
The mansion.
The arguments.
She sat upright immediately.
"Right," she muttered. "The arrogant billionaire."
Throwing the blankets aside, she climbed out of bed and walked toward the enormous windows.
The sight outside made her pause.
The mansion grounds stretched for what seemed like miles, covered with perfectly maintained gardens, fountains, and security guards patrolling the property.
Security guards.
Everywhere.
Ava frowned.
Who needed this much security?
Unless...
Her thoughts drifted back to the attack from the previous night.
The guns.
The bodyguards.
The way those men had been willing to kill Ethan.
Something about the whole situation felt wrong.
Very wrong.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
A maid entered carrying a tray of breakfast.
"Good morning, Miss Carter."
Ava smiled politely.
"Good morning."
The maid placed the tray on a table.
"Mr. Blackwood requested that you join him for breakfast once you're ready."
Ava nearly laughed.
"Requested?"
The maid hesitated.
"Well... instructed."
"That sounds more like him."
The maid quickly hid a smile.
An hour later, after showering and changing into clean clothes provided by the staff, Ava followed one of the servants downstairs.
The dining room was larger than most restaurants she had seen.
A long table stretched across the room.
At the far end sat Ethan.
He was already dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, reading documents while drinking coffee.
Ava immediately felt annoyed.
How could someone look so serious before nine in the morning?
Without waiting for permission, she pulled out a chair and sat down.
Ethan glanced up briefly.
"You're late."
Ava looked around.
"There are only two people here."
"You're still late."
She grabbed a piece of toast.
"And you're still annoying."
The servant standing nearby nearly dropped a plate.
Ethan simply returned to his documents.
For several minutes, silence filled the room.
Ava ate while studying him.
The man barely touched his food.
Instead, he spent most of the time reading reports and answering emails.
Finally, curiosity got the better of her.
"Do you ever stop working?"
"No."
"Do you have hobbies?"
"No."
"Friends?"
"No."
Ava stared.
"That's actually kind of sad."
Ethan slowly lowered the document.
"It's too early for this conversation."
Ava smiled smugly.
At least she had managed to irritate him.
A few minutes later, Ethan placed the papers aside.
His expression became serious.
"We found the attacker who escaped."
The smile disappeared from Ava's face.
"What happened?"
"He disappeared before my men could reach him."
A chill ran through her.
"So he's still out there?"
"Yes."
Suddenly breakfast didn't seem so enjoyable anymore.
Ethan noticed the concern on her face.
"Which is why you'll remain here for now."
Ava immediately shook her head.
"No."
Ethan sighed.
Not again.
"I need to go home."
"No."
"My grandfather is alone."
"We'll make sure he's safe."
Ava narrowed her eyes.
"What does that mean?"
"It means security will be placed around him."
She nearly choked on her juice.
"Security?"
"Yes."
"You can't just assign bodyguards to people."
"I already have."
Ava stared at him.
The scary thing was that he wasn't joking.
"Do you always control everything?"
"Usually."
"That's unhealthy."
Ethan looked entirely unconcerned.
"It's effective."
Before Ava could argue further, a man entered the dining room.
He looked to be in his late twenties and wore an expensive suit.
Unlike Ethan, however, he was smiling.
"Good morning, boss."
Then his attention shifted to Ava.
His smile widened.
"So this is the famous girl."
Ava frowned.
"Famous?"
Ethan's expression darkened instantly.
"Lucas."
"Right. Sorry."
Lucas raised both hands.
Ava looked between them.
"What is happening?"
"Nothing," Ethan replied.
Which immediately convinced her that something was definitely happening.
Lucas pulled out a chair.
"I'm Lucas Hayes."
"Ava."
"It's nice to finally meet the woman who—"
"Ethan."
Lucas stopped talking.
The warning in Ethan's voice was impossible to miss.
Ava looked suspiciously between them.
"You know, for someone who claims not to like me, you sure spend a lot of time making sure I stay alive."
The room fell silent.
Lucas looked interested.
The servants suddenly found their work fascinating.
Ethan stared at her.
Then, very calmly, he said:
"Don't mistake responsibility for affection."
Ava rolled her eyes.
"There he is. The arrogant stranger."
For the first time, Lucas laughed.
Actually laughed.
And to everyone's surprise, Ava did too.
Ethan looked at both of them as if they were causing him physical pain.
Unfortunately for him, this was only the beginning.
Because Ava Carter had no intention of making his life easy.
And Ethan Blackwood was about to discover that protecting her might be far more difficult than fighting his enemies.
- Writer
