One Night Mistake, Two-Year Contract

Falling Apart

Ava’s POV

I stood outside the bank with my phone; still buzzing in my bag like an angry bee that wouldn’t die.

My legs felt heavy as I pushed through the glass doors. The air conditioning hit me cold and sharp, making the sweat on my neck feel even stickier. I kept my head down, hair falling loose from the knot I had twisted too many times today. A few strands stuck to my damp cheeks.

The bank manager’s office was at the end of a long hallway. I walked like I was heading to my own funeral, each step echoing too loud. My palms were sweaty. I wiped them on my skirt before knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

I stepped inside. Mr. Davian looked up from his desk, his face already tight and uncomfortable. He didn’t even try to smile.

“Miss Mariani,” he said, gesturing to the chair. “Please sit.”

I sat down slowly, clutching the strap of my bag like it could anchor me. I pressed my knees together tightly under the desk. The soreness from last night was still there, a constant reminder I couldn’t escape.

“I came about the loan application,” I said, my voice coming out smaller than I wanted. “For my brother’s treatment. You said you needed more documents but….”

Mr. Davian sighed and slid a paper across the desk toward me.

“The application has been denied.”

The words landed like a punch. I stared at the paper, my fingers instantly went numb as I picked it up.

“But… I need it for my brother’s treatment,” I whispered. “He hasn’t spoken in four years. The therapy program… they said it could help him. I sent everything you asked for. I even attached extra medical reports.”

Mr. Davian shifted in his seat, looking anywhere but at my face.

“I’m sorry, Miss Mariani. Given the recent… publicity, we cannot approve it at this time. The bank has a reputation to protect.”

Publicity.

The word made my stomach turn. I knew exactly what he meant, it was those photos. My face plastered everywhere like some cheap scandal.

I swallowed hard.

“I have only one thousand eight hundred dollars left,” I said quietly. “The medical debt is already two hundred and fifty thousand. If I don’t get this loan…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. My voice cracked halfway through.

Mr. Davian gave me a pitying look that made me want to scream.

“I wish I could help. But right now, with everything that’s circulating online… it’s too risky for the bank.”

I nodded slowly, even though my head felt like it was underwater. I stood up on shaky legs, the denial letter still crumpled in my fist.

The walk back through the bank lobby felt endless. Every person I passed seemed to stare a second too long. Or maybe I was imagining it, I couldn’t tell anymore.

By the time I reached the office building, my eyes were burning again. I blinked hard and kept walking.

The moment I stepped onto the executive floor, the whispers hit me like a wave.

They were louder and meaner now.

I kept my eyes on the floor and walked straight to my desk, but I could still feel them watching. Someone had printed one of the gossip articles and pinned it on the notice board near the coffee station. My face was right there in full color, pulling Adrian by his shirt.

My hands trembled as I walked over and ripped it down. The paper tore loudly. A few people turned to look. One girl smirked behind her hand.

I crumpled the paper into a tight ball and threw it in the trash. I sat down at my desk and tried to focus on my computer screen. The numbers started looking blurry and made my chest tighten.

Just breathe Ava.

My phone on my desk started ringing. I ignored it, then it buzzed again. Unknown number, it rang again immediately.

I answered without thinking.

“Hello?”

“Ava Mariani?” a woman’s voice asked, sounding too sweet. “This is Linda from Daily Gossip. Do you have any comment on your relationship with Adrian Vale? Was it love at first sight or just a one-night—”

I hung up fast. My hands started shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone.

Another call came in right after, then another. I switched it to silent, but the screen kept lighting up. Message after message.

I pressed my forehead against my desk for a second, trying to pull myself together. My tight hair knot was coming loose again. I reached up and twisted it harder, ignoring the pain on my scalp.

You can do this, you’ve survived worse. Just hold it together for Xavier.

The debt numbers kept spinning in my head; Two hundred and fifty thousand. One thousand eight hundred left in my account. Rent due next week, hospital payment due in ten days.

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.

Sarah walked past my desk carrying files. She slowed down and leaned in slightly.

“Rough day, huh?” she whispered, not even trying to hide her curiosity. “Everyone’s talking about you and the boss. Is it true you guys—”

“I need to finish these reports,” I cut her off, my voice flat.

She shrugged and walked away, but not before exchanging a look with the girl at the next desk.

I kept typing even though the words on the screen didn’t make sense anymore. My fingers kept missing keys. I deleted the same line three times.

The whispers around me grew.

Someone laughed. Another person said something about “sleeping her way to the top.”

I stood up suddenly, my chair scraping loudly. I grabbed my bag and walked toward the bathroom again, but I didn’t make it.

My phone lit up with a new notification on the screen.

Loan Application Officially Denied;Bank Cites “Moral Risk” Due to Recent Scandal

I stopped in the middle of the hallway. My knees felt weak. The phone slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor.

I bent down to pick it up, but my vision blurred. I stayed crouched there for a second, breathing hard through my mouth, one hand pressed against the cold wall for support.

How much worse could this get?

I had no idea that the worst was still coming.