CHAPTER TWO: YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE
1126 Words
Ava didn’t make it three steps out of the VIP section before,
“Ava!”
Her manager’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
She froze.
Slowly turned.
And immediately wished she hadn’t.
Her manager was already storming toward her, face tight with anger, eyes flicking nervously toward table twelve.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he snapped under his breath. “Do you have any idea who that is?”
Ava swallowed.
“Yes, I”
“Then you should know better than to embarrass him like that!”
“I said it was an accident”
“I don’t care what it was,” he interrupted harshly. “You’re done for tonight. In fact”
“A problem?”
The voice was calm.
Too calm.
But it cut through everything.
Ava’s heart dropped.
No.
Slowly, both of them turned.
Nathaniel Hale stood a few steps away, his presence alone enough to silence the space around them.
Composed. Impeccable.
Untouchable.
Even with the faint stain that had once been there now gone, replaced by a fresh shirt like the incident had never happened.
Except it had.
And he hadn’t forgotten.
Her manager straightened immediately. “Mr. Hale, I sincerely apologize this was completely unprofessional. She’ll be dealt with”
“No.”
One word.
Quiet.
Final.
The manager blinked. “Sir?”
“I said no,” Nathaniel repeated, his gaze flicking briefly to Ava before returning to the manager. “She stays.”
Ava’s breath caught.
What?
Her manager looked confused. “But sir, she”
“Made a mistake,” Nathaniel finished smoothly. “Which I’ve decided… not to take personally.”
There was something in his tone that didn’t match his words.
Something sharp beneath the calm.
“But”
“Or,” Nathaniel added lightly, “would you prefer I reconsider?”
The implication hit instantly.
The manager stiffened. “No, sir. Of course not.”
“Good.”
Nathaniel’s attention shifted back to Ava.
And just like that
The air changed again.
Heavy.
Focused.
“Come with me.”
Her stomach twisted.
“I’m working”
“That wasn’t a request.”
Ava hesitated.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
Because the look he gave her after that
Calm.
Patient.
Dangerous.
told her everything she needed to know.
She didn’t have a choice.
Not really.
“Go,” her manager muttered quickly under his breath. “And don’t make things worse.”
Ava’s fingers curled slightly at her sides.
Then, silently
She followed him.
The private lounge upstairs was quiet.
Too quiet.
The door clicked shut behind them.
And the moment it did
Ava felt it.
The shift.
No more audience.
No more pretending.
Just him.
And her.
Nathaniel didn’t speak immediately.
He walked past her slowly, loosening his cufflinks with practiced ease, like this was just another normal moment.
Like she wasn’t standing there with her heart threatening to break out of her chest.
“Close the door properly.”
Her hand tightened slightly around the handle.
It was already closed.
But she turned it anyway.
Just to have something to do.
Anything.
When she turned back
He was watching her.
Of course he was.
“Still nervous,” he observed.
Ava forced her expression to remain neutral. “I don’t know what you want from me, sir.”
A pause.
Then
“Stop calling me that.”
Her breath hitched.
Too fast.
Too obvious.
“I don’t”
“Ava.”
The way he said her name
Slow.
Intentional.
made her chest tighten painfully.
“You remember my name,” he continued quietly. “But suddenly you don’t remember anything else?”
Her pulse spiked.
“I told you”
“You lied.”
The word landed between them like a weight.
Ava’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know that.”
Nathaniel’s gaze darkened slightly.
And then—
He moved.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
But controlled.
Each step deliberate as he closed the distance between them.
Ava instinctively stepped back.
Once.
Twice.
Until
Her back hit the wall.
Her breath caught.
He stopped just close enough.
Not touching.
But close enough that she could feel the tension radiating from him.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.
The words sent a chill through her.
“I work here,” she replied, forcing the words out.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Her throat went dry.
Of course it wasn’t.
Silence stretched.
Thick.
Heavy.
“You disappeared.”
The words were softer now.
But somehow more dangerous.
Ava’s chest tightened sharply.
Don’t react.
Don’t
“I think you have me confused with someone else,” she said again, even though it sounded weaker this time.
Nathaniel let out a quiet breath.
Not frustrated.
Not angry.
Just… certain.
“That’s what you’re going with?”
Her hands curled slightly at her sides.
“I don’t know what you expect from me.”
He studied her for a long moment.
Then
A faint, humorless smile touched his lips.
“I expected you to run.”
Her heart skipped.
“I almost did,” she admitted before she could stop herself.
The moment the words left her mouth
She regretted them.
Because his expression shifted.
Not much.
But enough.
“There it is,” he murmured.
Ava froze.
“You do remember.”
It wasn’t a question.
It was confirmation.
Silence fell again.
This time
She didn’t deny it.
Didn’t confirm it either.
But the damage was done.
Nathaniel straightened slightly, putting just enough distance between them to make it worse.
Because now
She could breathe.
But she didn’t feel safe.
Not even a little.
“We’re going to have a conversation,” he said calmly.
Ava’s stomach dropped.
“And you’re going to tell me the truth.”
Her lips parted slightly. “And if I don’t?”
A pause.
Then
His gaze locked onto hers, cold and steady.
“Then I’ll find it myself.”
A chill ran down her spine.
Because she believed him.
Every word.
Nathaniel turned away slightly, adjusting his cuff again like the conversation was already decided.
“You can go back to work,” he added casually.
Ava blinked.
That was it?
Just like that?
But as she turned toward the door
His voice stopped her again.
“Ava.”
She froze.
Slowly turned back.
His expression was calm.
Unreadable.
But his words weren’t.
“This time…”
A slight pause.
Deliberate.
“…don’t disappear.”
Her chest tightened.
And for a second
Just one second
The past pressed in too close.
Too real.
Too painful.
Then she looked away.
Opened the door.
And walked out.
But this time
She knew.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD