Rivals By Day Lovers At Night

chapter 5

Jonathan stared at the screen, there was obviously a mix-up, he was surprised and curious as to who might have given her encouragement. He could respond, offer his congratulations, however, he couldn’t afford to let personal feelings complicate business.

Instead, he placed his phone down,

He changed his mind and typed a response to her.

“I think you might have the wrong person. I didn’t send any messages earlier.”

The three dots of Ava typing appeared almost immediately.

“The text was an error, it was directed to someone else. Sorry.”

If it wasn’t him, then who? his mind raced, someone else was texting Ava, and the idea unsettled him in ways he couldn’t quite explain.

Jonathan wasn’t so sure, but he decided to let it go. He wasn’t ready to confront the idea of someone else in her life, not with their complicated relationship

He sent another message.

“When can we meet up? We need to talk.”

“I’m not sure. I'm busy right now, how about this weekend. Does that work?”

At least she was willing to see him.

“Saturday night. My place?” he replied,

“Okay. Saturday it is,” Ava confirmed.

.

"Mr. Moreau, we’ve got a problem," Isabelle said as she walked into Lucien’s office.

Lucien glanced up from the paperwork on his desk. "Spare me the suspense, Isabelle. What is it?"

She placed a folder in front of him. "It’s about Ava’s project. The Greene Corporation knows about it, and Jonathan Greene’s team is keeping a close watch.”

Lucien scanned the pages quickly, "And what exactly are they planning to do about it?"

"There’s concern they might fast-track counterclaims on similar patents," Isabelle explained. "If they move quickly, it could delay us for months."

Lucien slammed the folder shut, "Damn it, Ava," he muttered under his breath. "I told her to keep this project under control. Now she’s given Jonathan Greene the perfect opening."

"Sir, she’s been making progress," Isabelle offered.

Lucien’s eyes snapped up. "Progress? Progress doesn’t mean a thing if it gives the Greenes an advantage. Ava’s stubbornness is going to cost us everything if she’s not careful."

He stood and walked to the window,"What’s the status of our patents?"

"They’re still being processed, but the Greene Corporation has the resources to speed up their claims. If they act first, we’ll be playing catch-up."

Lucien turned back to face her, his jaw set. "Then we’ll move faster. Double the budget for the legal team, hire more people if needed. Ramp up production immediately, and make sure no more information leaks out. This company won’t be outmaneuvered by anyone - especially not Jonathan Greene."

"Should we loop Ava in on this? She’s the one driving the project - she might need to know what’s happening."

"No. Ava doesn’t need to know about this setback, and I’m not giving her another reason to push back. I’ll handle Jonathan Greene myself."

As Isabelle left, Lucien poured himself a drink, "If Jonathan Greene wants to challenge me, he’d better be ready. This fight is just getting started." he said to himself.

Ava had just gotten off a call with Isabelle, who had revealed the truth about the Greene Corporation's surveillance of her project.

By the time Saturday night arrived, Ava was furious, she drove to Jonathan’s penthouse, anger brewing just beneath her composed exterior.

Jonathan opened the door with a smile, but the moment he saw her face,

"Ava…" he began, but the words barely left his mouth before her palm connected sharply with his cheek.

"How dare you!" she spat, her voice trembling with anger.

Jonathan stumbled back slightly, stunned by the slap, "Ava, what…"

"Don’t you dare play dumb, Jonathan!" she cut him off, stepping into the apartment and slamming the door behind her, "You’ve been spying on my project! You knew exactly what I was working on, and you didn’t think to tell me? Or were you too busy plotting how to sabotage it?"

Jonathan rubbed his cheek, his jaw tightening. "It’s not what you think. I wasn’t spying on you…"

"Oh, really?" Ava scoffed, crossing her arms. "Then what would you call having your team keep tabs on my work? Monitoring my progress? Do you even realize what you’ve done? Or were you hoping I’d fail so your precious family could swoop in and pick up the pieces?"

Jonathan sighed, stepping closer but keeping his voice calm. "Ava, I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I was trying to protect my company—"

"Protect your company?" Ava’s laugh was bitter. "Is that your excuse for lying to me? For using me?"

"I wasn’t using you," Jonathan said firmly, his voice rising slightly. "Yes, my team knew about your project, but I wasn’t trying to sabotage you. I wanted to make sure things didn’t spiral out of control for either of us. Don’t you see? This feud between our families - it’s always been a ticking time bomb.”

"I don’t know if I can believe you, Jonathan. Not anymore."

She turned and walked toward the door, leaving Jonathan standing there, his heart sinking as the sound of the door closing echoed through the room.

“Ava, I never wanted to hurt you. I know I messed up, but I want to fix this. Please, let’s talk.”

He sent her a text, which she never responded to.