Chapter Five
900 Words
Hunted
Ava stared at the tablet. The words blurred into a jagged mess of ink. She blinked, hoping the headline would shift, but it remained fixed in bold, unforgiving letters. RUNAWAY BRIDE SUSPECTED OF STEALING MILLIONS.
The accusation sat there, cruel and entirely false. Her hands began to shake, the tremor traveling up her arms until her entire frame felt brittle.
"I did not do this," she said, her voice sounding small and fragile in the vast dining room.
"I know," Matteo replied.
There was no hesitation in his tone. No doubt. Ava looked up, startled. "How?"
Matteo handed the tablet back to his security chief. He settled back into his chair, the picture of composure. "People who steal millions do not run away from money. You left everything behind. Your apartment, your belongings, your status, your future. That is not the behavior of a criminal. That is the behavior of a person desperate to survive."
Ava stared at him. The logic was searingly simple, and yet, it was the first time anyone had looked at the situation without seeing a paycheck or a scandal.
"What am I supposed to do?" The question slipped out before she could check it. She was asking him. Not the guards, not the legal system, but the man who occupied the shadows.
Matteo folded his hands on the table. "First, stop panicking."
"Easy for you to say," she bit back.
"It is." He was utterly unbothered. "I have had more experience with crises than you."
The security chief cleared his throat, pulling a second tablet from his jacket. "Boss, the situation is escalating."
Matteo’s expression darkened. "Explain."
The guard slid the device across the wood. Photographs flickered across the screen. Police cruisers, news crews, and restless crowds swarmed outside her apartment building. Similar scenes played out at the Grand Imperial Hotel and her place of employment.
"They are hunting her," the guard said, his voice grim.
Ava felt a wave of nausea. Ethan was winning. He was controlling the narrative, turning the public into a mob. By the time she tried to speak, the truth would be buried under a mountain of lies.
"Who released the story first?" Matteo asked.
"Blackwood Media," the guard replied.
Matteo’s gaze turned unreadable, a flicker of something ancient and dangerous crossing his features. Ava realized then that he was not surprised. He had expected this.
"What are you not telling me?" she asked.
Matteo sighed, the sound echoing in the silent room. "Ethan is moving too quickly. Innocent people do not launch a coordinated media assault within hours of a disappearance."
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. "You think he planned this."
"Did he not?" Matteo countered.
The realization hit her with the force of a physical blow. The article, the charges, the speed of it all—it was a trap, baited and set long before she walked down the aisle.
"What if..." She hesitated, her pulse thundering in her ears. "What if they were planning something worse? I overheard them, Matteo. Ethan and his father. They said they would keep me around just long enough to avoid suspicion."
The guard cursed under his breath. Matteo leaned forward, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.
"Interesting," Matteo whispered.
Ava felt a shiver run down her spine. To her, this was a nightmare. To him, it was a tactical puzzle to be dismantled. He stood, his movement fluid and precise.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Working," he replied, adjusting his cuffs.
"Working on what?"
A faint, predatory smile touched his lips. "A problem."
The security chief shifted, his expression turning to one of genuine concern. "Boss, are you sure?"
Matteo turned, and for the first time, Ava saw the side of him that people whispered about in the dark. His face was a mask of absolute, chilling authority.
"No one frames people under my roof."
The statement vibrated through the room. It was not a promise of kindness; it was a declaration of war. Ava felt a strange, terrifying sense of security. Someone was standing in her corner, not because he loved her, but because his pride would not allow Ethan to win.
Matteo walked toward the door, then stopped. "Stay here, Ava."
"I am not a prisoner," she countered.
"No," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "But my enemies are predictable. Ethan is not. If he is willing to dismantle your life this quickly, I need to know what his next move is."
Ava realized then that he wasn't worried about his own safety. He was calculating the risk for her. Before she could process that, a guard near the doorway pressed a hand to his earpiece, his face going deathly pale.
"Boss," the guard said, his voice taut. "Security reports a breach."
Ava’s stomach turned to lead. "What kind of breach?"
The guard swallowed, his eyes darting toward Ava before returning to Matteo. "Someone was caught trying to scale the perimeter."
The room went tomb silent.
"Who?" Matteo asked, his voice a lethal whisper.
The guard looked directly at Ava. "It is Ethan Blackwood."
Ava froze. Her heart slammed against her ribs like a trapped bird. Not here. Not already. But the grim set of the guard's jaw told her the truth. Ethan had not gone to the police. He had not trusted the lawyers. He had come to finish the job himself.
- Writer
