Chapter 29
Though they were together in the cabin, Ava knew his mind was far away. Her head was rested on his arms, as she drew circles on his chest. His eyes were closed, but he wasn’t asleep, probably thinking about Valerie. Was he really regretting? He had only agreed to date her after he got a job in her father’s company. She bit her tongue.
“Babe?”
“Hm?” He replied absentmindedly.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
“The necklace Valerie wore, I like it. Could you get it for me?” His eyes opened at the mention of Valerie.
Ivan thought for a while before replying. “Sure”
“Really? It’s quite expensive. About a hundred thousand dollars” she added, watching carefully for his reaction. Sure enough, his eyes widened as he assumed a sitting position.
His face turned ugly.
“But, I believe if Valerie can afford it, you can too. She said, feeding fire sticks to his already wild imagination, and secretly smiled as his face clouded over completely.
************
Shrill cries and scream, as she struggled, haunted her.
“No. Please no. No!” She screamed to life. She sat up covered in sweat despite being in a cool room, looking around.
The curtains were drawn, so she could not guess what time it was.
Where was she? She made to stand, but the door knob turned and opened. She was immediately filled with fear. She picked a vase, raising it, waiting for the intruder.
“It’s me” Jared quickly announced, before she released the item in the air.
“Boss?” she returned the ceramic to it’s original place. He had, in his hands, a tray of food. The image didn’t look right at all.
“How do you feel now?”
“A little better” though she knew she was going to be quite defensive in the coming days.
“You should eat something” he placed the tray on the table. It felt weird for him to hold a tray in his hand. And he was serving her. She doubted he had ever done that for anyone. Her mind went back to what her friends said. She shook her head. Certainly, that was impossible.
Then she noticed something else. The bloodied dress was gone. The stench of blood was gone too, replaced my the pleasant smell of a bathing soap.
“Did you, perhaps, change my clothes?” Jared paused. Her heart thumped, desperately wishing he would say no.
“Yes” her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as her eyes widened.
“You bathed me too?” She asked incredulously, he nodded again. Valerie looked like she was on the verge of explosion.
“I swear, I closed my eyes” She squeezed her eyes shut, constantly reminding herself that this was her boss, she should not lash out. Why did he do it himself when he could comfortably call a female worker to do it? He was a VIP, wasn’t he?
“Eat” she opened her eyes as the sweet aroma of the rich Mexican dishes wafted her nose.
“Boss, you should not be doing this. I’m your employee, remember? I am supposed to serve you, not the other way round. When people see this, they would definitely misunderstand, and we-”
“I like you!” He blurted out. The large room went dead silent. Jared hated himself for losing his cool. He never imagined he would confess to her this way.
“Wh… what!” She was still dazed. So, her friends were right. He really liked her. Oh, God!! How could this be true. He was spoken for! She felt like an idiot for not knowing all this while.
“It started when I met you at the mall. Do you remember?”
Of course, she remembered.
“But you have a fiancée” she pointed out.
“I don’t love her”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you will marry her”
“Then, if I break off my engagement, will you-”
“No” she replied without thinking twice. He was really going to break off his engagement?
Jared’s lips set into a thin line. He wasn’t going to push her, at least for now.
“I have a meeting now. Eat your food and don’t go out”
“What!” She was actually going to be confined in here, and not explore the ship?
“If you insist on going out, I will have someone follow you” Valerie bit her lips.
She took a hard bite of an enchilada, glaring at the closed door.
The room was a huge one and had an amazing seascape. It was probably the largest on the ship. There was a king-sized bed, covered by a white duvet. The lamp next to the bed gave the room a soft golden glow. She pulled the curtains aside. Everywhere was bright. It was morning already. She listened to the melodious sound of the sea waves. But these weren’t enough. She changed her dress and exited the room. Tried to his words, not long after, she felt someone following her. He tried to be discreet about it, but she knew.
She suddenly stopped and walked towards him.
He wore a black suit, and had an earpiece on. One could tell that behind that fabric was a lot of muscles. He looked like the typical trained bodyguard.
“Can you, please, stop following me?” She sneered gratingly.
He was found out already, there was no use hiding anymore.
“It’s the boss’s command. He ordered me to protect you” she scoffed.
“More like spy on me” she knew he would not listen to her anyway, so she stomped off.
She walked towards the restaurant, the bodyguard following closely.
She watched, yearningly, as people crowded the pool.
“Valerie?” She rolled her eyes at the sound of the voice.
“What now?”
He was angered at how irritated she looked.
“Did you sleep well?” He had no idea what had happened. The mention of it had her balling her hand into a fist.
“I had the best sleep ever” she gave a tight smile, and continued to watch the pool. He licked his lips.
“Did you find another job?”
“How is that any of your business? We already broke up, so you are in no position to ask me questions”
“You know you shouldn’t do disgusting things for money, right?” Valerie’s brows creased. She turned to face him, crossing her arms.
“And where on earth is that coming from?”
He chuckled.
“There no need getting worked up over-”
“Oh, am I?” She heaved. “I shouldn’t be here trading words with you” she turned to go. He had completely ruined her mood, which wasn’t the best in the first place.
“Wait” he held her hand. Ava walked right into the scene.
The bodyguard sprung into action and yanked his hand off, going to stand before her. He was way taller than Ivan.
“What should I do with him, ma’am”
“Leave him. Let’s go”
Ivan let out a harsh bark of laughter.
“So, you now have a bodyguard? You are doing this just to spite me, right?” Valerie ignored him, walking away as he ranted on.
************
Jane was hopping mad as she sat alone in the vast living room. It was one of her parents’ numerous properties. The servants were nowhere in sight. They had all scurried away from the line of fire. Their young mistress’s wrath was not to be taken lightly.
Her hand shook with fury, and she gripped the phone tightly, staring at the pictures with so much hate, as her eyes reddened.
“Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!” She picked the glass she was previously drinking from, and threw it at the wall. It shattered into pieces. She overturned a nearby table. Her anger at that moment, knew no bounds, as she breathed heavily.
She knew about the event in Mexico. She had ordered the best dress, thinking that Jared was going to take her with him. She was so mad when she received the news that he left without her, however, her friend who attended the event sent her a picture the night before, but she had gone to sleep.
She received a call from her this morning, telling her to check her message. She opened the message, and what she saw stung her eyes. It was the picture of Jared and his secretary, in proximity. Anyone who didn’t know would think they were an item.
She picked her keys and dashed out of the house. She reached Xavier’s apartment in no time, and she aggressively punched in the floor number. She rang the doorbell impatiently. She barged in as soon as the door opened.
“I want you to kill her. I want her dead by tomorrow” she grabbed his collar, a crazed look in her eyes. “This is your new mission. She must die!”