CHAPTERFIVE
1371 Words
CHAPTER FIVE: THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY HE HIRED HER.
Ava stayed awake all night.
She sat at the edge of her bed, staring into the darkness while Noah slept beside her.
Danial Carter was alive.
For years, Ava thought her father was dead, or that he’d walked away on purpose
Now she knew better.
Someone had taken a recent photo of him.
Someone had been looking for him.
Adrian.
Her boss.
Noah’s father.
The man she had once known as Ethan.
By morning, Ava had decided.
She wanted answers.
Adrian was already at his desk when she got there.
She didn’t knock.
The door hit the wall hard..
Adrian looked up.
“Ava.”
“Where is my father?”
His expression became unreadable.
“Good morning to you too.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
Don’t act like you don’t know.”
Adrian leaned back.
“Ava—”
“Where is Daniel Carter?”
His face went hard.
Saying her dad’s full name proved it.
He knew.
“You’ve been looking into him.”
Silence.
“For how long?”
“Ava.”
“For how long?”
Adrian stood up.
“Sit down.”
“No.”
“Ava.”
“I am not your employee right now.”
His expression changed..
She continued.
“You came into my life four years ago.”
He stayed quiet.
“You disappeared.”
His jaw tightened.
“And four years later, I ended up as your assistant.”
“Ava—”
“Was it planned?”
The silence was loud.
Ava felt her heart breaking before he even answered.
“You hired me because of my father.”
“At first.”
She laughed bitterly.
“At first.”
“My reasons changed.”
“But they existed.”
“Yes.”
Ava stared at him.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The strange interview.
The way Human Resources had seemed surprised when she was hired.
Adrian’s reaction when he saw her.
The questions about Noah.
“You used me.”
“No.”
“You investigated me.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted information about my father.”
“Yes.”
“Then you used me.”
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“My feelings for you were never part of the plan.”
Ava’s eyes filled with tears.
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
His silence said it all.
Ava shook her head.
“I thought leaving was the worst.”
“Ava—”
“But you lied again.”
“I didn’t know about our son.”
“That’s not it.
Her voice broke.
“You knew who I was the whole time.”
Adrian stepped towards her.
She moved back.
“Don’t.”
He stopped.
“I never meant to hurt you.”
Ava laughed through her tears.
“You should have thought about that before making me part of your revenge.”
His eyes narrowed.
“My revenge?”
“My father.”
Adrian went silent.
Ava’s heart dropped.
“What did he do?”
For the first time, something dark entered Adrian’s face.
“Fourteen years ago, my mother died.”
Your father was blamed for it.”
“Our family lost everything.”
“And you think my dad did it?”
“I don’t think.”
Adrian’s voice turned cold.
“I know Daniel Carter was involved.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
With anger in his eyes”.
“You don’t know what your father did.”
“And neither do you.”
The words hung between them.
Ava saw something dangerous in Adrian.
Not anger at her.
Grief.
Fourteen years of it.
She suddenly understood that revenge wasn’t simply something he wanted.
It was his whole life”.
But seeing that didn’t mean she could forgive it.
Ava looked at him.
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
“You should have trusted me with the truth.”
“I know.”
“You should have stayed away from me if all you wanted was information.”
That one hit him.
Ava saw it.
But she didn’t stop.
“Maybe Ethan was kinder.”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“Ethan was a lie.”
“No.”
Her voice softened.
“That is the problem.”
She wiped her tears.
“I don’t know what was.”
Ava resigned that afternoon.
She typed the letter herself.
No lawyers.
No dramatic speech.
Just one page.
She printed it.
Walked into Adrian’s office.
And placed it on his desk.
He looked at the document.
Then at her.
“You’re leaving.”
“Yes.”
“You need this job.”
Ava’s face flushed.
The truth hurts.
But she refused to let him use it.
“I’ll find another.”
“Ava.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“I can’t work for someone who sees me as part of an investigation.”
“You’re not just that.”
“Maybe not anymore.”
Her voice broke slightly.
“But that’s how you started.”
Adrian looked away.
She had won that argument because there was no argument.
It was the truth.
Ava walked toward the door.
“You can see Noah.”
Adrian looked up.
She paused.
“I’m not going to take what happened between us out on him.”
His expression softened.
“But don’t confuse being his father with having access to my life.”
“Ava.”
She looked back.
“For the first time in your life, Mr. Vale, you’re going to have to learn that you can’t control everything.”
Then she walked out.
That evening, Noah asked why Adrian wasn’t coming for dinner.
Ava struggled to answer.
“He’s busy.”
Noah frowned.
“He’s always busy.”
Ava smiled sadly.
“Yes.”
“Will he come tomorrow?”
She looked at her son.
“He loves spending time with you.”
Noah seemed satisfied with that answer.
But Ava wasn’t.
She hated how quickly Noah had grown attached.
She hated that Adrian had become part of their lives.
She hated that some stupid part of her still remembered the man from Christmas.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
Ava hesitated before answering.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then a voice.
Weak.
Older.
“Ava.”
Her entire body froze.
She knew that voice.
She hadn’t heard it in years.
“Dad?”
A shaky breath came from the other side.
“Ava, listen to me carefully.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Where are you?”
“You can’t tell anyone I’m calling.”
“Dad, what happened?”
“Ava.”
His voice became urgent.
“Do not trust Adrian Vale.”
Her heart stopped.
“What?”
“He thinks he knows what happened to his mother.”
“Dad, Andrian believes you killed her.”
“No I did not.”
Ava held the phone harder..
“What are you saying?”
“I tried to protect—”
The line suddenly cut.
“Dad?”
Nothing.
“Dad!”
Ava called back.
The number was disconnected.
Her hands began shaking.
Then she noticed something through her apartment window.
A black car.
Parked across the street.
Its engine was running.
Ava stepped closer to the curtains.
The moment she moved, the driver’s door opened.
A man stepped out.
He looked directly toward her apartment.
Ava stumbled backward.
Her heart raced.
She checked the locks.
Locked.
She looked toward Noah.
Sleeping peacefully on the couch.
Her father was alive.
Someone was watching her.
And Adrian had warned her that Noah was in danger.
For the first time since leaving Vale Corporation, Ava understood something terrifying.
Whatever had started fourteen years ago wasn’t over.
Her phone vibrated.
Another unknown message.
A photograph appeared.
Ava opened it.
Her breath stopped.
It was a picture of Noah sleeping.
Taken seconds ago.
Inside her apartment.
Underneath was one sentence.
YOUR DAD SHOULD HAVE STAYED OUT OF SIGHT.
Ava screamed.
Noah woke up crying.
And from outside, the black car slowly pulled away.
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