Chapter 3-
1229 Words
Sparks and Scandals The next morning, Ava woke to a flood of notifications lighting up her phone. Her name—her face—plastered across every gossip blog.“Billionaire Adrian Blackwood Steps Out With Mystery Woman.”“Is the Fallen Carter Heiress His New Flame?”Her stomach twisted. The photos from the gala were everywhere: Adrian’s arm around her waist, his gaze fixed on her like she was the only person in the room. To the world, they didn’t look like a CEO and a new employee. They looked like lovers.She threw on a coat and stormed into Blackwood Tower, clutching her phone like a weapon. Daphne barely looked up from her desk. “He’s expecting you.”Of course he was.Ava pushed open his office door without knocking. Adrian was there, perfectly calm, sipping coffee as though her life hadn’t just imploded online.“You knew this would happen!” she snapped.He didn’t look surprised. “Good morning to you, too, Miss Carter.”She slammed her phone onto his desk, screen flashing with the headlines. “This wasn’t part of the deal!”His gaze flicked over the photos, then back to her. “Actually, it was inevitable. The public needed a distraction — and now they have one.”“A distraction?” she repeated incredulously. “You turned me into your scandal!”Adrian leaned back in his chair, utterly unbothered. “Better they whisper about our fake relationship than dig into your father’s case or my board’s secrets. We both benefit.”“Benefit?” She let out a bitter laugh. “I’m being dragged all over the internet! Do you know what that’s like?”He stood, slow and deliberate. “You think I care what the internet says about me?”“I think you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. He moved closer until she could feel his breath against her skin. “Careful, Ava. You’re in my office because I let you be here.”“Then fire me,” she challenged.He paused — too long. “No.”Her pulse stuttered. “Why not?”He looked at her like she was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “Because you’re useful. And because…” His voice softened just enough to make her heart skip. “…you interest me.”Ava froze. “Don’t.”“Don’t what?”“Don’t play games with me.”He smiled faintly. “Who says I’m playing?”The tension in the air was unbearable — charged, magnetic, wrong. She wanted to move, to breathe, but she couldn’t. Adrian reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The touch was brief, almost innocent — but it burned.A knock shattered the silence.“Mr. Blackwood,” Daphne said briskly through the door. “The board’s here for the pre-meeting.”He stepped back instantly, his mask snapping into place. “We’ll continue this later.”Ava grabbed her phone and left without another word, her cheeks burning.Hours later, she sat in her small cubicle, trying to bury herself in work. But her inbox was full of press inquiries, and the phone was ringing nonstop. Every call, every email, another reminder that she was now his rumor.Then an internal message popped up on her screen. From: Adrian Blackwood. Subject: Lunch.Her fingers hesitated over the keyboard. She should refuse. She should.Instead, she found herself walking into the private restaurant on the 40th floor. It was empty — except for him.“I didn’t realize this was a command performance,” she said coolly.“It’s not,” Adrian replied, setting down his tablet. “You need to eat. You haven’t all morning.”Her stomach betrayed her with a quiet growl. She glared at him. “You’ve been checking up on me?”“I check on all my employees.”“Right,” she said dryly, sliding into the seat across from him. “You invite all of them to lunch, too?”He didn’t answer. He just studied her — the kind of look that made her want to squirm and lean closer all at once.“Tell me something,” he said suddenly. “Why did you really come to me, Ava?”She blinked. “I told you. I needed work.”“No.” His tone was soft but certain. “You needed redemption. You thought fixing my mess might erase your father’s.”Her throat tightened. “You don’t know anything about my father.”“I know he was framed,” Adrian said quietly.Ava froze. “What did you just say?”He leaned forward, voice low. “I said, I know he didn’t do it. But someone wanted him to take the fall. Someone powerful.”Her hands went cold. “How do you know that?”Adrian didn’t answer immediately. “Because the same people are trying to destroy me now.”Shock coursed through her. “You’re saying the scandals are connected?”“I’m saying your father wasn’t the villain. And the man who set him up—” He paused, eyes darkening. “—might be sitting on my board of directors.”The room tilted slightly as her mind raced. “Then why haven’t you told anyone?”“Because without proof, I’d lose everything. That’s why I hired you,”“You didn’t hire me,” she said bitterly. “You trapped me.”Adrian’s gaze softened, for once unguarded. “I did what I had to. You think I enjoy this? You think I like using you?”Her heart thudded painfully. “Then stop.”He stood, shoving a hand through his hair — the first truly human gesture she’d seen from him. “It’s not that simple. Once this story breaks, there’s no turning back. And if you’re in it with me, you could get hurt.”“I’ve already been hurt,” she whispered.He met her eyes. “Then let me protect you.”For a moment, everything else disappeared — the headlines, the lies, the storm outside. There was only him — a man too dangerous to trust, and yet the only one who made her feel seen.She should walk away. She should run.Instead, she whispered, “What exactly are we protecting, Adrian?”He hesitated — then said quietly, “Something worth more than either of us.”The door opened suddenly. Daphne’s voice broke the spell. “Sir, the board is waiting.”Adrian straightened. “Tell them I’ll be right there.”As Ava turned to leave, he caught her wrist. His voice was a low promise.“Tonight. Midnight. My office.”Her breath caught. “Why?”“Because the truth doesn’t wait for daylight.”That night, as the city glittered below, Ava stood in front of Blackwood Tower’s glass doors once more — the same place her story had begun.This time, she wasn’t the ruined heiress begging for a chance.She was walking into a secret that could burn empires.And when the elevator doors slid shut, she didn’t notice the shadow watching her from across the street — a man on his phone, murmuring into the darkness:“She took the bait. Both of them did.”
- Writer
