Boardroom Battles, Bedroom Secrets

The morning after the kiss was colder than usual, and not because of the weather.

Ava sat at the far end of the long, sleek conference table, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen of her laptop. She hadn't looked at Ethan once since the meeting began. And he hadn't spoken directly to her either.

The tension could cut through glass.

Ethan sat at the head of the table, looking every bit the powerful CEO he was supposed to be. Stoic. Controlled. Like his world hadn't tilted off its axis the night before.

But every time he spoke, Ava could feel his gaze flicker toward her—brief, heavy, and unreadable.

Victoria, of course, noticed.

She leaned in, her voice dripping with sugar and something sharper. "Rough night, Ava? You look a little... flushed."

Ava didn't flinch. "Maybe you're just seeing your reflection."

A few quiet chuckles echoed around the room, but Victoria's eyes narrowed.

Claudia entered moments later, dressed in soft cream silk and pearls that looked older than the building. She took a seat beside Ethan with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Let's make this quick," she said smoothly. "Ethan and I have a lunch appointment with an important guest."

Her hand slid a printed invitation toward him—floral, formal, and unmistakably matrimonial in tone.

"Another luncheon with the Wellingtons?" Ethan asked without emotion.

Claudia smiled. "Natalie's back from Paris. I thought it would be... nice for you two to reconnect."

Ava stiffened, her pen pausing mid-note.

"Mother," Ethan said, voice low with warning.

Claudia didn't miss a beat. "Sweetheart, I'm just looking out for your future. Ava is a phase. You need a legacy."

Ava blinked hard, hoping no one noticed the way her fingers tightened around her pen.

She told herself to stay still, stay quiet—but pain had a way of prying its way in.

Victoria smirked from across the table. Claudia had planted the seed. And now, everyone in the room could see Ava was just... temporary.

The meeting adjourned with polite murmurs and scattered papers.

But before Ava could escape, Claudia stepped into her path just outside the boardroom doors.

"You've always been polite, Miss Bennett," she said softly. "But polite doesn't mean permanent. My son is a powerful man. You were never supposed to fit into this world."

Ava lifted her chin. "Maybe it's not your world to control."

Claudia's eyes darkened, but she smiled. "Let's hope you remember that... when it breaks you."

And with that, she walked away, her heels echoing down the marble corridor like a closing verdict.

Ava didn't return to her desk.

Instead, she slipped into the design lounge, the only place in Cole Dynamics that still felt untouched by power plays and parental manipulation. The soft hum of creative workstations and the faint scent of coffee should've calmed her. But it didn't.

She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady the storm inside.

She shouldn't have let it happen—that kiss, that moment of weakness. And she definitely shouldn't have let Claudia Cole's words dig in like they had.

But before she could compose herself, the glass door opened.

Ethan.

He closed the distance in three long strides, his jaw tense, his eyes burning with questions.

"You're avoiding me," he said again.

"I'm working," she replied, turning away.

"You heard her, didn't you?" His voice was low.

She paused, then nodded. "Loud and clear."

"Ava—" He reached out, but she stepped back.

"Don't." Her voice cracked. "Don't act like you didn't let it happen."

His brows drew together. "Let what happen?"

"She talked about me like I was disposable. Like I was a stain on your perfect legacy," she said. "And you just sat there, Ethan. You didn't say a word."

Silence fell.

Because she was right.

"I didn't want to make a scene—"

"No," she interrupted, voice trembling. "You just didn't want to choose."

Ethan's face hardened. "That's not fair."

"Neither is this." She looked up at him. "You kissed me like I still mattered. Then let your mother speak like I was a mistake."

"Ava..."

"I won't survive being a mistake again."

He closed his eyes briefly, as if her words landed somewhere deeper than he'd expected.

"I'm trying to protect you," he said quietly.

"From what?" she asked. "From your family? From the truth? Or from your own damn heart?"

They stared at each other—two broken people with too much history and too little resolution.

And then she walked past him, leaving the scent of lavender and heartbreak behind

Ethan remained frozen in the center of the lounge, Ava's words ringing in his ears like a verdict.

He had faced boardrooms full of cutthroat executives and hostile takeovers with less fear than what churned inside him now.

She won't survive being a mistake again.

Neither would he.

A soft knock pulled him from the spiral.

Victoria leaned casually against the glass wall, arms folded, a smirk playing on her lips. "Tough morning, Ethan?"

He didn't answer.

She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You know, not everyone in this building thinks with their heart. Some of us think with strategy."

He turned sharply. "And what's your strategy this time?"

Victoria's eyes glinted with something dark. "To make sure you don't throw everything away… for someone who doesn't belong."

With a click of her heels, she walked off—leaving Ethan with silence, regrets, and a choice that could ruin them all.