Chapter 9: Unanswered Questions

Damian watched her go, his jaw tightening as Ava disappeared into the night. She hadn't even looked at him. Not once. As if whatever had passed between them at the gala was already discarded, shoved into a box labeled 'irrelevant.'

And yet, the tension still hummed in his chest, coiling tight like a wire ready to snap. His fingers twitched at his sides, restless, as if trying to grasp something just out of reach. Every instinct told him something was wrong, something had shifted between them, and he hated not knowing why. Something had happened. Something he hadn't seen, but had felt. He had spent years learning how to read people—subtle shifts in body language, the weight of an unspoken word, the silence that spoke louder than anything else. And Ava? She had been screaming without making a sound.

She was avoiding him. Purposefully. That much was clear. But why?

Damian exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair as he stepped outside. The night air was crisp, but it did nothing to clear the storm in his mind. He had only been a few steps behind her when he saw the car pull up. The sleek black vehicle came to a smooth halt, and before he could get a better look, the passenger door swung open.

A man stepped out, casually leaning against the car as if he had all the time in the world. He was tall, golden-haired, and wore confidence like a second skin. Even in the dim light, Damian recognized him instantly. Liam-something. Damian didn't catch the last name.

A goddamn model. Damian had seen his face before—on billboards, in glossy magazines, in ads that played between sports highlights. The kind of guy people noticed, the kind of guy who didn't just blend into the background.

Damian's brows pulled together as he watched the exchange unfold. Ava barely hesitated before walking straight to him. No walls, no hesitation. As if this was familiar. Routine. The model grinned, opening the car door for her like they had done this a hundred times before.

The sight struck something deep in his chest. He didn't know why. He shouldn't care. But the ease between them, the way Ava—Ava—allowed someone that close, that effortlessly, made his stomach twist in a way he wasn't ready to acknowledge.

Who the hell was he to her? How did someone like him fit into Ava's world? Damian had spent enough time analyzing people to know when a connection was more than casual. There was something there—something familiar, unguarded. And that unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

Damian wasn't prone to jealousy. It was an emotion he had long since trained himself to ignore. But this? This wasn't jealousy. It was confusion. Because Ava wasn't the kind of woman who let people in easily. And yet, here she was, sliding into the car without a second glance back, without even acknowledging his presence.

The engine revved to life, and just before the car pulled away, the model cast a glance in Damian's direction. A smirk—small, almost imperceptible, but there. Then, they were gone.

Damian stood in place, his fingers flexing at his sides.

Avoidance. Secrecy. Ava had always been guarded, but this was different. She had kept things from him before—dodging personal questions, changing subjects when emotions crept too close—but this? This was deliberate. This was shutting him out entirely. Whatever had happened tonight, it wasn't just about Saira. It wasn't just about the past.

And now, there was another unanswered question burning at the back of his mind.

Who the hell was Liam to Ava?