Once was never enough

Chapter five

Ava didn’t know how she’d managed to get through the campaign meeting with Jaxon that morning without combusting.

Maybe it was practice. Years of learning how to compartmentalize—how to keep her voice even when her world was burning.

She’d worn her favorite black blazer, heels that made her feel like she could step on God himself, and a lipstick called “Redemption.” She told herself she was fine.

Jaxon, of course, looked infuriatingly unfazed. Crisp in a navy suit, the top button was undone, his dark gaze unreadable as ever. Only when he’d glanced at her, looked—had there been a flicker. A pause. Like he was remembering. Or regretting it.

She didn’t care which.

After the meeting, she returned to her apartment and locked the door behind her. But she hadn’t taken a breath until she’d kicked off her heels and poured herself a glass of wine.

Her phone ranged

Unknown number.

She didn’t answer.

A minute later, it buzzed again—this time a message.

Still so beautiful when you’re pretending not to be scared. 😘

Her skin turned cold.

Ava stared at the screen, heart thudding. She read it again. And again. The words felt sticky. Wrong. Like they’d been whispered too close to her ear.

She grabbed her phone and called Lily. Voicemail.

Next call: Ethan.

He picked up on the second ring.

“Ava? You okay?”

It wasn’t until she heard his voice that she realized she was trembling.

“Not really.”

“What happened? Tell me.”

She did. The message. The unknown number. The sense that someone—something was inching closer, day by day.

“Send me a screenshot,” Ethan said. “I’ll ask a guy I know in cybercrime to help.

Ava nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “Thank you.”

“Always.”

There was silence.

“Are you alone?”

“No. Lily’s here.” She hesitated. “Just not right now.”

“I’ll check in again tonight. If you hear anything else weird, call me. No hesitation.”

She resolved to use the backup, even if this part of her hated that she needed it.

When they hung up, she forwarded the note to him and took it out of her inbox.

It didn’t work.

Ava didn’t sleep that night.

She tried, tossed and turned, replaying the message in her head, second-guessing every shadow in her apartment. At one point, she got up to double-check the locks. Then check them again.

Lily returned home after midnight.

In the dark, her younger sister removed her boots and whispered, “Sorry.” “Did I wake you?”

“No, I wasn’t sleeping.”

Lily frowned, coming closer. “ Why, are you okay?”

Ava debated lying. She didn’t want to add to Lily’s already mounting anxiety. However, it also didn’t feel right to hide it.

“I got a message. From an unknown number. Creepy as hell.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “What? Let me see.”

“I deleted it. I sent it to Ethan first.”

Lily sat beside her and pulled the throw blanket over their laps. “Do you think it’s someone from your work?”

“No. Although I’ve experienced stalker-like feelings in the past, this one is different. Persistent. Personal.”

“Jaxon?”

Ava snapped her head around. “What?”

“I mean… he’s clearly still into you.”

“He’s not a stalker, Lily.”

Lily raised her hands. “I didn’t say he is a stalker. Just… maybe this entire reappearing thing isn’t a coincidence as it seems.”

Ava shook her head. “Jaxon’s got his own life. His secrets. And he made it clear two years ago that I wasn’t part of it.”

Lily just looked at her but didn’t argue.

Eventually, they both slept off on the couch, wrapped in silence, the light flickering from the TV screen, Ava’s phone held tightly in her palm.

The next morning brought another text.

This time, it wasn’t threatening. But it was… personal.

You don’t lock your bedroom window like you used to. Still, dream with your mouth open. Cute.

Ava’s blood ran cold.

She backed away from her phone like it was burning her. Her mouth was dry. Her legs were unsteady.

This wasn’t random. This person, whatever they were, knew her. Knew details. This wasn’t someone who’d just seen her on the street. This was someone who’d been close once.

Or still was.

She didn’t think. She just dialed.

“Adrian Cole,” came the voice on the other end.

Ava froze. “I… I thought I was calling Jaxon.”

“You were. I answer sometimes. Want me to get him?”

“No. Wait. Adrian—can I ask you something?”

A pause.

“Sure.”

“How well do you know him? Jaxon.”

Another pause, longer this time. “Pretty damn well. Why?”

“Would he ever… I don’t know. Hire someone to keep tabs on someone?”

“You mean like surveillance?”

She hesitated. “Yes.”

“Not unless someone was a threat. But you’re not asking theoretically, are you?”

“No.”

“You okay, Ava?”

“No.”

“I’m coming over.”

“What? No—Adrian—”

“Text me the address.”

He hung up.

Ava looked at the phone in her hand, shocked.

After an hour, Adrian was knocking on her door.

He didn’t look like a bodyguard. More like a GQ model with a quiet, lethal vibe.

As he entered, he looked around the room, assessing the place.

He sat down and said, “Tell me everything.”

Ava told him everything. The first message. The second. The fact that someone had been watching her. Possibly inside.

He didn’t flinch. Just nodded once and pulled out his phone.

“I’m going to install a few security upgrades. Alarms. External cams. And I’m bringing in someone to sweep this place for bugs.”

“Bugs?” she echoed.

“You’d be surprised how easy it is to plant a mic these days.”

“I hate this,” she whispered.

Adrian’s voice softened. “I know.”

Then, after a beat, “Jaxon would hate this too.”

She didn’t reply.

He looked at her then. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

Ava crossed her arms. “What would I even say?”

“That someone’s stalking you. That you’re scared. That maybe he should’ve never let you go.”

Her walls snapped back up. “He made his choice.”

Adrian didn’t argue. He just studied her in that quiet, calculating way.

“For what it’s worth, I think you were more of a choice than he let on.

Ava decided to go to the gallery and clear her head a little

She pushed the gallery door open and saw Jaxon.

She froze.

He was standing in front of a large abstract piece, his hands in his pockets, he wore a navy suit that hugged his frame like it had been stitched directly to him.

He hadn’t seen her yet. Or maybe he had and was just pretending not to.

She turned to leave—but the floor creaked.

Jaxon looked over his shoulder.

Their eyes met.

Ava’s breath caught, her body stuck in place as memories slammed into her.

He took a step towards her.

Then another.

“Ava.”

His voice was rough

He looked around. The gallery was almost empty, with just a few guests sipping wine and pretending to understand what painting they were looking at.

“You are avoiding me,” he said, something dangerously close to a smirk on his lips.

“You are not that important.”

“You’re important to me.”

She blinked. “What?”

He moved closer to her.

She felt the heat from his body without him touching her.

“Ava, you’ve been on my mind for a very long time.”

“Too bad, I got over you.”

The lie sat bitter on her tongue.

He didn’t challenge it. Just looked at her with eyes that burned.

“You never said why you left without a word,” he said softly.

Ava’s jaw tensed. “And you never asked why I left without a word.”

Their silence held weight, like a fuse burning too close to the powder.

Then Jaxon leaned in. “I want to talk.”

“I don’t.”

“Too bad.”

She hadn’t meant to go to his office.

She told herself not to follow him, but somehow, her feet carried her toward the one place she swore she wouldn’t go again.

Black Industries towered over the street like it owned the city. Sleek and cold and untouchable—like Jaxon himself.

She didn’t need to check in because she was with the CEO. She followed Jaxon to his elevator. He ushered her into his office when the elevator opened.

He walked around the desk slowly, every step deliberate. “I heard about the messages. Adrian briefed me.”

Ava’s chest tightened. “I’m handling it.”

“You aren’t handling it alone.”

“I don’t need you to help.”

“You may not want my help, Ava. But you do need it.”

His voice was different now. Not the velvet heat from the gallery, but steel. Protective.

Infuriating.

“You don’t get to show up and decide to care now,” she said.

“I never stopped.”

She laughed bitterly. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Jaxon moved closer. “I made mistakes. But I didn’t stop thinking about you. Not for a second.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why am I here, Jaxon?”

He stepped even closer. “Because you’re not safe. I can’t just sit back and do nothing anymore.”

Before she could answer, the office door forcefully opened with a bang.

Sienna.

Blonde. Cold. Perfect.

And furious.

“What is she doing here?” she asked, her face red with anger.

Jaxon didn’t move. “We’re talking.”

“With her? Are you insane?”

“Sienna—”

“No, seriously, Jax,” she snapped. “You said you had nothing to do with her anymore.”

Sienna glared at Ava. “Still desperate for something that isn’t yours?”

“Still pretending you have something I want?”

Jaxon stepped between them. “That’s enough. Both of you.”

Ava’s voice was quiet. “I shouldn’t have come.”

“You’re not leaving,” Jaxon said.

“Yes,” she said, backing away, “I am leaving.”

Ava made it to the street. Her phone buzzed.

You shouldn’t have gone to him. I don’t like sharing. 😈

She froze.

And then looked up.

A man stood across the street, partially hidden beneath a hoodie. Still. Watching.

He wasn’t just anyone. He was him. The one who’d been leaving messages. The one who had been following her.

Watching her.

She ducked into a café, heart hammering.

Adrian met her within minutes, driving her home, checking the apartment personally. He scanned her bedroom, kitchen, even under the bed.

And that’s when he found it.

“Smoke detector’s been tampered with,” he muttered.

He unscrewed it carefully. Inside was a small USB drive.

Ava stared. “What the hell is that?”

Adrian didn’t answer. He just pulled out his phone and made a call.

The next day, Ava walked into work only to be told she was assigned to pitch directly to Black Industries. Again.

She wanted to scream.

When she arrived, Sienna glared daggers at the entire meeting. Jaxon, cool as ever, offered not one sign of the emotional undercurrent boiling beneath the surface.

After the meeting, just as she grabbed her tablet to leave, he said, “Ava. Stay.”

She did.

And that’s when he looked at her the way he had two years ago. Like she was a puzzle he couldn’t stop solving.

“I still care,” he said.

She swallowed hard. “Don’t say things if you don’t mean them.”

“I’ve never meant anything more, Ava.”

Then, just as she opened her mouth to reply, a knock interrupted them.

Adrian.

His face was pale, and his expression unreadable.

“Ava,” he said carefully. “We found something. On that USB.”

She felt cold all over. “What?”

“It’s filled with photos. Dozens. Some from inside your apartment.”

She staggered back. “What kind of photos?”

“A baby,” he said quietly. “A boy. Maybe two, maybe three years old.”

Jaxon’s breath caught. He turned sharply to her.

“Ava,” he said, voice low, raw.

Her heart stopped.

No....