Chapter Text
The townhouse was quiet.
Ava curled up on the armchair, oversized sweater slipping off one shoulder as she sipped tea and reread The Song of Achilles . The soft morning light painted golden streaks across the floorboards, and her bare feet rested on the edge of the ottoman, a blanket pooling in her lap.
Alex sat at the kitchen island, black coffee in hand, already halfway through a business proposal even though it was supposed to be their day off . He hadn’t said much, but that was normal. His quiet presence had never felt heavy to her…Until it suddenly did.
She felt the shift like a drop in barometric pressure.
His hand froze over his laptop’s trackpad, eyes narrowing, mouth setting in that dangerous, unreadable line. The kind that made boardrooms tremble and grown men reconsider contracts.
“Alex?” she asked, voice soft. “What is it?”
He didn’t answer.
Just clicked once—twice—and then slammed the laptop shut, his grip on the edge of the counter tight enough to whiten his knuckles.
“Alex,” she said again, rising to her feet, her book forgotten. “Talk to me.”
His gaze flicked up. Sharp. Cold.
“There’s a journalist,” he said. “Digging into your past.”
The words hit like cold water.
“My past?” Her voice caught.
“Your parents. The accident. He’s sourcing police records, trying to tie it to me through proximity.” His jaw clenched. “He thinks he can write a human interest exposé on the tragic girl who ended up with the devil.”
Ava’s heart pounded. Not just from the threat but from the glint in Alex’s eyes. The one that said he was already planning how to end this in three moves or less.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ve already started. NDAs, asset freezes, media intimidation. I know how to make him disappear.”
She exhaled sharply. “No.”
That stopped him. He looked up, slow and lethal. “No?”
“You don’t get to decide that alone,” she said, stepping closer. “You don’t get to rip the truth from the world just because you’re afraid it’ll hurt me.”
“I’m not afraid.” His voice dropped into that deadly calm. “I’m prepared .”
“But you’re not listening,” she snapped and then softened. “Alex. I’ve spent my whole life being talked over. Erased. Hidden. If you bury this, you’re doing the same thing they did.”
His shoulders tensed, the silence thick.
She moved in front of him, cupping his face, gently but firmly. “You love me. So trust me. Don’t protect me from the truth. Face it with me.”
His eyes closed, lashes brushing her palms. “You think I don’t trust you?” he murmured. “You’re the only person I trust.”
“Then prove it,” she whispered. “Let me in.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then slowly and reluctantly, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed.
“Let me do this for you. For my sake,” he said.
She caught a glimpse of the name before he hit call.
Christian Harper.
Of course.
******************************************
Christian Harper walked into the townhouse like he owned the airspace.
“Well, well,” he said, glancing around the sun-drenched living room. “Is this the part where I tell you both how much I charge for weekend emergencies?”
He looked every inch the modern devil - black tailored coat, smug grin, phone in hand, and Stella Alonso on his arm, looking like she belonged on the cover of Forbes and Vogue simultaneously.
Stella shot Ava a look over Christian’s shoulder - part sympathy, part amusement. “Sorry. He was bored and threatened to track your IP if you didn’t call.”
Ava laughed weakly. “I believe you.”
Alex didn’t smile. “This isn’t a social call.”
Christian’s grin widened. “Obviously. I got the file. You’ve got a real problem, Volkov. And for once, it’s not you - it’s this journalist. Ambitious, sharp, and backed by someone with money. He’s not just curious. He’s got a source .”
Ava stiffened. “Who?”
Christian’s eyes flicked to her, then back to Alex. “Don’t know yet. But I’m guessing it’s not random.”
“I want him gone,” Alex said.
Christian arched a brow. “You called me, remember? That means you want this clean .” He glanced at Ava. “And I assume your better half doesn’t want a scandal smothered in blood money and bad press.”
Ava nodded. “I want control of the story.”
Stella crossed her arms. “Then we flip the narrative. Leak it first. Tell the truth before someone else does.”
Christian smirked. “Exactly what I was going to suggest. Damn, I love it when she’s ruthless.”
Stella rolled her eyes but smiled. “That’s why you keep me around.”
Alex looked at Ava - his walls still high, but crumbling. “Are you sure?”
“I am,” she said softly. “We do this together.”
He nodded once.
Christian nodded. “Perfect. I’ll start digging for the source. Stella’s already pulled the reporter’s metadata. You two work on your version of the truth.”
A pause.
Then Christian added, half-smirking:
“Try not to kill anyone before I get back.”
TBC-