Ava, was that really you?

"Boss, are you serious?!"

"How? Do you plan to elope?"

Zachary asked in succession. He was shocked by the news. In fact, this was the first time his boss acted impulsively.

"Well, if that's what it takes," Zen who was sitting behind answered calmly liked it was an easy option.

Once again, Zachary was dumbstruck by his boss's response. But, when he wanted to speak again, he saw the warning in his boss's eyes. Immediately, he made an action of zipping his lips, knowing that if he insisted to ask, there would come a day, he wouldn't be allowed to rest at all.

"Zach, stop by the roadside," Zen spoke after a prolonged silence. Zachary wondered why he was asked to do so, but he did it anyway. He drove slowly before coming to a full stop. He looked behind and saw that his boss was holding a phone in his hand. From the shape and color, he recognized the phone as the one accidentally switched to Miss Camellia's phone. Despite tonight's failure of recruiting her, the phone had returned to its original owner.

Meanwhile, Zen was restless. No matter the failure tonight, he needed to be in contact with Ava. He urgently needed to see him. At this time, he really thought that Ava's condition to meet up when she said yes was the stupidest thing he had ever agreed on.

If he broke that promise many years ago, they definitely would've met.

Tonight, if she refused to meet tomorrow, he will go to the Willow Residence.

Now that Zen thought about it, it really weird for Ava to make such a condition. Thirteen years ago when he asked, she told him that it was for his own good. She didn't want to distract him from his family problem.

Then, when the problem was actually settled, she told him that she wanted to help her uncle Cain in the company, and, she was afraid that if she met him, she would get distracted.

Actually Zen had made several visits to the Willow Household in the past, but Ava would always be away from home. Meeting, conference. You named it, she had used all as excuses. Nevertheless, Zen accepted them with regret. Regret that the timing wasn't on their sides.

At one point, Zen was really angry at her for she didn't tell him about the death of Willow Sr. and when he asked for the reason, she explained that she was hurt by the memory. Again, he accepted it.

Zen, who had long realized that he was in love with her, decided to never question her decisions again and did everything she wanted and said. Including not seeing her virtually or physically.

It was painful, but because of love, he attended to her demand. And that's probably why his parents were against him to be with her.

Last night, Zen impulsively told his parents that he wanted to marry Ava and clearly the news brought them frustration.

When they ask him for reason, he was speechless and took a long time to answer and when he finally did, it was just to avoid more questions to be thrown at him.

He said he loved her. Period.

Yes, he did love her, but he wouldn't be so fast to marry her when she was still acting mysteriously. His common sense was still intact.

Moreover, Ava never once said she loved him. Strangely, he was never bothered by it, for he thought he could make her fall in love with him. Plus, the exchange of their text messages hinted that she too like him.

So, why did he want to marry her all of a sudden?

Because he was afraid of himself. Afraid of the changed that came to him uninvited.

Last night, he actually spent the time thinking of another woman. At first, it wasn't alarming but the more he interacted with her, the more he forgot about Ava.

...and guilt hit him mercilessly.

Camellia.

He was interested in her.

The guilt, asked the hell, how much it urged him to kill himself.

"Boss. Boss! Boss!!"

Zen was startled. He looked up and saw Zachary was looking at him in confusion. Then, he realized he was drowned in his thought for quite an amount of time.

"Get out!" he instructed without spending another look at his assistant. Zachary scratched his head in consternation. He only called for his boss, why did it cost him to leave the car? He wanted to stay, the outside was too cold.

"It's cold, boss," Zachary prepped his pitiful look. Sadly, Zen didn't spare him another look. Instead, he took the initiative to throw a blanket right to his face to stop him from complaining. Zachary looked at the blanket in his hand and sighed as he left the car to freeze outside.

Zen straightened his leg and stared at his phone. There was something that caught his eyes. Ava actually called his number a few hours ago. When he looked at the time, it was before he called Camellia to inform her to come to Cameron Restaurant.

A smirk loomed on his face. Camellia must have been so angry at him that she had made a recording of her conversation with Ava to annoy him.

Zen pushed the play button with a smile on his face. He was excited to know the content of the recording as well as to listen to Ava's voice. She rarely talked to him because she preferred to chat as the mean of communication. Weird but when it came to Ava, Zen thought that it was acceptable.

The recording started with Camellia's voice. It sounded polite and full of respect. Zen nodded as he was satisfied with the start. He was actually worried that she would say something that would cause Ava to misunderstand him. It turned out, his worry was for naught.

But, the conversation that followed was something he would never anticipate, neither did he believed that it was really happening. He even suspected that he was having a hearing problem.

Ava's comeback was rude! and when she asked who Charlie was, he felt hurt.

He had mentioned the name to her and they even joked about it. Now, she was asking who Charlie was?

Ava, was that really you?

Zen couldn't spare another thought as he proceeded to dial Ava's number. He called three times before it was answered.

"Ava, this is Zen. Let's meet tomorrow. I have an urgent matter to talk to you," he gently spoke like the way he usually did.

Even though, he began to have doubt but maybe, just maybe, Ava was having a bad day, that's why her reply was harsh.

Zen wanted to talk more, thinking that Ava rarely responded when in a phone call.

"I'll-" I'll meet you at the residence - was what Zen wanted to say, but her voice beat him to it.

"Zen," she sounded weak.

All these while, Zen thought of a thousand ways to talk with her, yet, at this particular moment, he was rendered speechless unable to speak a word. He was confused as to why, that after many phone calls, she chose today to finally speak.

"Zen, did you hear the recording? Listen, I was just afraid that she did something to your phone. Moreover, we have promised not to let others mess with our phones. This is the only thing that connected us. That's why-" her pitiful voice trembled a little. She sounded like she was about to cry.

Was she always this weak? The question awakened Zen from his confusion.

The Ava he knew was never this weak. To him, she was the embodiment of pride and confidence. The closest to compare was Camellia. Yes, the grown-up Ava should be like her.

Huh, why did he thought of Camellia? Zen was truly troubled but persisted to remove her from his mind.

Even so, that had sprouted the seed of doubt that he had about Ava.

"What recording? Am I supposed to listen to one?" Zen pretended not to know. Besides, he didn't want to rise her suspicion of his changing heart.

"Oh, so she lied. Hmm," Ava weakened voice went to a hundred-degree change. Now, she sounded cheerful.

"Who? Oh, the woman that mistaken my phone as hers? Don't worry, I've got my phone back. I tried to get it back yesterday but it was inconvenient for her," Zen made the effort to explain.

"Btw, you finally respond," this, he really meant it. No matter how he felt right now, knowing that it was Ava on the other side, he couldn't help but admit to the fact that he missed her.

"I'm sorry," Ava replied.

"It's okay. As long as I hear you now. So, can we meet tomorrow? I'm afraid I need to return to my country soon," Zen tried to embed sadness in his voice. Let her worry a little.

"What? So soon. You said you'll stay for longer,"

Zen frowned at her answer. He indeed said so but with the premise that he would reunite with her.

"Ava, if we meet tomorrow, I might stay for longer," Zen spoke persuasively, hinting that he might not stay if she refused to meet him.

"Why can't you stay?" Hearing her asked, Zen suddenly felt tired. He had been asking the question for a long time already but Ava was adamant to play the game to stay ambiguous.

"I'll meet you tomorrow at Willow Residence. If I don't see you, I will return to my country and maybe will never come back," Zen finally used his last trick. Who knew what would be her next excuse if he remained the way he always was.

"No, don't. I'll meet you but not tomorrow. Two weeks, on Tuesday, there'll be a celebration at the Willow Residence to introduce Ivy as the new members of BOD. That time, let's meet up. Please?"

Zen pulled the phone away, preventing her to hear the heavy sigh out of his lips. Again, she made an excuse to postpone their meeting but at least she proposed new date.

Zen was deliberating. Maybe, during that time, he could persuade Camellia to be his partner. Thinking about it, he decided to agree with Ava's arrangement.

"Sure, whatever you say," he said before he added, "I'm sleepy, let's speak again tomorrow," he wished her goodnight.

Unexpectedly, he heard her sigh, probably she had more to talk about but Zen once again wished her goodbye before he ended the call.

After, he tossed the phone into his briefcase and called Zachary to drive him home. He was in a bad mood because with the phone call, he wasn't sure of his feeling toward Ava anymore.

Can someone change in one night? Because he really thought that he had changed.

Zachary who was about to enter the driving seat felt the eerie aura coming from the back seat. He peeked from the front mirror and saw his boss's frowning face with his eyes closed.

The face of a handsome prince was now giving the aura of a grim reaper. Who did he want to kill? Zachary played around with the current incident in his mind. If only he knew that Zen wished he could kill himself, Zachary would for sure report the horrifying fact to Mr. and Mrs. Easton.

Because, for the first time ever, their most outstanding son was actually in a crisis.

Zachary knew that a work crisis was never an issue for his boss. Therefore, his worry must be about something else. His best guess was that Zen was facing the trial of love!