CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Ava was really scared; she didn't know what to do. Her mind was racing really hard. Then the voice spoke up again, this time talking to the other person in the room. He stood up and said, "Get rid of her."

That was when Ava thought, "Is she going to die without knowing how her future kids are going to look like? Is she going to die without meeting her true love?" Her thoughts were rushing in, and she felt helpless.

Just as the boss went outside, leaving Ava alone with the other guy. But before he could do anything, somebody came from behind and snapped his neck, making him drop dead.

Ava was shocked and wondered who had saved her life. She couldn't see the person's face. The mysterious rescuer quickly untied her and slowly took her out of the room.

As they made their way through the crowded area, Ava noticed that the boys were tripping over each other, most of them dressed in black and smoking. The figure held her close, and they slowly managed to escape.

Once they were outside, Ava saw that it was already dark. The figure quickly moved, throwing objects to distract anyone who might follow them. Ava realized that he was using sleeping gas or tear gas to create a diversion.

Meanwhile, the boys returned to the room where Ava was supposed to be killed. They found the dead body of the person who was supposed to kill her and immediately raised an alert, searching for whoever had sneaked in.

Julian, the boss, was furious. "What do you mean she escaped? How did this happen?" he demanded.

Back in the car, Ava turned to the figure and asked, "Who are you?" The figure smiled and replied, "Calm down, it's me, Ethan." Ava's eyes widened in shock as she looked at his face, realizing it was truly him.

Ethan smiled again and said, "Don't worry, you don't need to pay me back." Ava was confused.

Ethan's thoughts flashed back to when he discovered the recorder. As someone involved in crime, he knew how to detect hidden devices. He had found the recorder and smiled to himself, knowing he had to take action.

He had offered to take Ava home, knowing she would investigate him. When she refused, he decided to follow her, watching from a distance as someone stalked her.

Ethan's initial plan was to simply watch Ava from a distance, knowing she was a capable detective who could handle herself. He wasn't too concerned, assuming she would be fine with people around.

However, when Ava got into a taxi, Ethan followed, curious about where she was headed. It wasn't until the taxi took her to a secluded area that Ethan realized she was in danger.

He quickly came up with a plan to rescue her, sneaking into the location and finding her just in time.

Ava looked at him still shocked "How did you manage to find me?" she asked.

Ethan shrugged. "I happened to see you enter the taxi when I was leaving the station. I was heading the same direction.then i decided to follow you.that's when I saw you were being kidnapped."

Ava's eyes widened, feeling a surge of gratitude towards Ethan. "What if you hadn't come? I would have died."

The feeling she had for Ethan grew stronger. "Where's your house? Let me take you home," ethan offered.

Ava smiled. "It's not far from here."

When they arrived at her house, Ava said, "Come in. I'm really grateful you saved me."

Ava smiled, inviting him in.

Ava entered Ethan's house, noticing it was well-kept, but she didn't see Kira. Instead, she met Dinner.Ava wondered where Kira was, especially since it was already late. She decided to call Kira but realized her phone was missing.

Ava looked at Ethan, who was staring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Ava asked.

Ethan smiled. "You look cute when you're troubled. Are you troubled?"

Ava shook her head, teasingly saying, "Have you forgotten I'm your superior? How dare you tell me I look cute?"

Ethan raised his hands. "Okay, okay, fine. I'm sorry."

Ava asked, "Can I use your phone? I want to call my friend."

Ethan handed her his phone. Ava called Kira, who answered after two rings.

"Hello"

Ava explained, "Kira, what happened? Where are you? I came home and didn't see you."

Kira replied, "I'm so sorry. I had to rush to the hospital. I heard my dad had an accident. I was calling you, but you weren't picking up."

Ava offered to come to the hospital, but Kira insisted she stay home, citing concerns about the Shadow Killer. They agreed Ava would visit the next day instead.

Kira ended the call, and Ava returned the phone to Ethan.

Ethan collected his phone and said, "Okay, I'll be on my way now." As he turned to leave, Ava called out, "Please stay with me. I don't want to be alone."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're scared the Shadow Killer will attack you?"

Ava hesitated. "I don't know... I don't know."

Ethan chuckled. "Oh gosh, a detective being scared? A detective is not supposed to be scared."

Ava looked at him defensively. "What do you mean? We're human beings, right? We're human beings. Besides, I was kidnapped because of the Shadow Killer case. I don't want to be kidnapped again. I don't know if they'll come after me."

Ethan smiled. "Fine, I'll stay with you. But on one condition."

Ava agreed, "Anything."

Ethan said, "On the condition that you don't act too serious at work and try to be more lively."

Ava frowned. "I don't understand what you mean. You mean I'm overly serious?"

Ethan nodded. "Yes, you're always so serious. I know you're working on serious cases, but the seriousness is just too much."

Ava said, "Okay, fine, I'll try not to be too serious. Just please stay with me, okay?"

Ethan smiled. "But I need to take a shower. I'm all sweaty and I didn't bring any clothes."

Ava replied, "Don't worry, you can wear my clothes."

Ethan laughed. "What? You think I should wear your clothes?"

Ava clarified, "No, I have big polo shirts that you can wear. They're unisex, so it's fine."

Ethan nodded and headed to the room to take a bath. Ava served dinner, and as they sat down to eat, they both said, "I have something to tell you" at the same time.

They both choked on their food and said, "You go first!" simultaneously.

Ava gestured for Ethan to go first, but he insisted, "No, you go first."

Ava smiled and said, "I think you should go first."

Ethan cleared his throat and spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "I don't think there's any need to tell you.

" go ahead, tell me, it's not like I'm going to kill you."Ava encouraged him to continue.

Ethan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I like you."

The room fell silent for a moment before Ethan opened his eyes and saw Ava staring at him.

"I know, I know, I know," Ethan said, "You're my superior, and we have to keep our personal and work lives separate. But we're not kids; we're adults with hearts. I just... I don't know."

Ava asked, "How long have you felt this way?"

Ethan thought for a moment before responding, "It was the first time I saw you. You were so good at what you do, hardworking... you're not like the other girls I've met."

Ethan continued, "I just wanted to let you know. I know you may not feel the same way, but at least I've freed my mind. Nothing is going to bother me again."

He reached for a glass of water and took a sip, his eyes locked on Ava's.

Ethan added, "So, whenever you catch me staring at you, you'll know why."