Liam Blackwell had built his life around control.
Control over conversations.
Control over emotions.
Control over people.
That was why this whole thing with Ava irritated him more than it should.
Because for the first time in years, his mind refused to obey him.
He stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, staring at the busy streets below while Clara spoke about schedules behind him.
“Your lunch meeting with the investors was moved to one thirty,” she said, scrolling through her tablet. “And the board wants the revised reports before tomorrow morning.”
Liam barely heard her.
Instead, he remembered tears.
Ava sitting on the elevator floor.
Her voice shaking in his office.
“You use someone to get what you want, and then you toss them aside.”
His jaw tightened.
That was not what happened.
At least that was what he kept telling himself.
Sleeping with her had complicated things. He knew that immediately the next morning. And complications destroyed judgment. His father had spent years drilling that lesson into his head.
Feelings were distractions.
Distractions created weakness.
Weakness cost people everything.
So Liam had done what he always did when something threatened his control.
He cut it off.
But somehow, instead of solving the problem, it only made it worse.
“Sir?”
Clara’s voice pulled him back.
“What?”
“You’ve been staring out that window for ten minutes.”
Liam finally turned around. “Is there a point to this observation?”
“Yes,” she replied dryly. “You’re distracted.”
“I’m busy.”
“No. You’re distracted. There’s a difference.”
Clara had worked for him long enough to say things other employees wouldn’t dare to.
Liam walked back toward his desk. “If you came here to analyze me, you can leave.”
“Fine,” she said casually. “But whatever happened between you and Ava Harris is affecting both of you.”
His eyes lifted sharply.
Clara sighed. “See? That reaction alone proves my point.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Right,” she said, unconvinced. “And I’m secretly the Queen of England.”
Liam ignored that.
Instead, he reached for the reports on his desk. “Where’s Ava?”
Clara blinked once. “Avoiding you.”
Something about the answer irritated him instantly.
“She skipped the executive meeting this morning.”
“She sent her assistant.”
“She was required there.”
“Well,” Clara said carefully, “she’s been avoiding this floor all week.”
Liam leaned back slowly.
Avoiding him.
For some reason, that bothered him more than it should have.
He had made the right decision. Distance was necessary.
Then why did it feel wrong?
---
Ava hated that she still checked her phone sometimes.
Not because she expected a text from Liam.
But because some stupid part of her hoped for one.
She sat at her desk trying to review employee files, but her attention kept drifting.
Around her, the HR department buzzed with conversations and keyboard clicks, yet she felt disconnected from all of it.
“Ava?”
She looked up to see Jenna standing beside her desk holding coffee.
“You look exhausted,” Jenna said.
“Thanks. That’s comforting.”
“I’m serious. Are you sleeping at all?”
Ava forced a small smile. “I’m fine.”
The lie came naturally now.
Everybody accepted “I’m fine” because it was easier than hearing the truth.
Jenna sat on the edge of the desk. “Did something happen with Blackwell?”
Ava nearly choked on air.
“What?”
“Oh please,” Jenna lowered her voice. “Everybody noticed he brought you to that gala.”
Heat rushed into Ava’s face instantly.
“That meant nothing.”
The words tasted bitter.
Jenna studied her carefully before nodding slowly. “Sure.”
After she left, Ava dropped her face into her hands for a moment.
She was tired of pretending she wasn’t affected.
Because she was.
God, she was.
What hurt the most was not even the fact that Liam walked away.
It was the way he made her feel safe before doing it.
That was the dangerous part.
For one stupid night, she stopped carrying everything alone.
For one stupid night, she allowed herself to lean on somebody.
And he reminded her exactly why she never should.
Her phone buzzed suddenly.
A message from Clara.
Mr. Blackwell wants hard copies of the revised reports.
Ava stared at the message blankly.
Of course he did.
He could have printed them himself.
This was intentional.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
For a second, she considered refusing.
Then reality settled in. Liam Blackwell was still her boss.
And she needed this job. So she printed the reports, gathered the papers, and headed upstairs.
The elevator ride felt endless.
By the time the doors opened, anxiety already sat heavily in her chest.
She hated that he still affected her this much.
His office door was slightly open. Ava knocked anyway.
“Come in.”
His voice was calm as always.
She stepped inside carefully.
Liam looked unfairly good today. Dark suit. Rolled sleeves. Sharp jaw. Cold eyes.
The kind of man women ruined themselves over.
The kind she promised herself never to need again.
“I brought the reports,” she said professionally.
He watched her cross the room.
Not casually.
Not politely.
Intensely.
And somehow that annoyed her even more.
She placed the documents on his desk quickly. “Anything else?”
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
Straight to the point.
Ava folded her arms. “I’ve been working.”
“You missed two meetings.”
“You survived.”
Something almost looked like amusement in his eyes before disappearing.
“I don’t like being ignored.”
That irritated her immediately.
“You don’t get to act offended,” she snapped quietly. “Not after what you did.”
The room became still.
Liam’s expression hardened slightly. “We already discussed that.”
“No. You dismissed it. That’s different.”
“Ava—”
“No.” She shook her head. “You don’t get to confuse me again.”
His jaw tightened.
For the first time since she met him, Liam actually looked frustrated.
“You think this is simple for me?”
A humorless laugh escaped her. “Oh, poor billionaire CEO. Must be hard.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You think I wanted this distraction?”
There it was again.
Distraction.
Like she was some inconvenience that accidentally happened to him.
Ava swallowed the hurt quickly before it could show.
“That’s the problem with men like you,” she said quietly. “You make women feel special and then act shocked when they have emotions afterward.”
Something shifted in his face then.
Not anger.
Something heavier.
But she was too hurt to care.
“I’m done having this conversation.”
She turned toward the door.
Then his voice stopped her.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
Silence.
Ava closed her eyes briefly.
Damn him.
Damn him for sounding honest.
She turned slowly. “Don’t.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You don’t get to say things like that after treating me like a mistake.”
For once, Liam had no quick response.
And somehow, that hurt more.
Because it meant he knew.
Ava shook her head slowly. “You don’t even realize what you do to people.”
Then she walked out before he could answer.
---
Rain started falling before evening.
By the time Ava got home, the weather had turned cold and gloomy.
Noah sat on the living room rug surrounded by crayons and papers while cartoons played softly in the background.
The moment she entered, he looked up immediately.
“You’re sad again.”
He went straight to the point.
Always.
Ava breathes deeply and soft while removing her heels. “Hi to you too.”
“You were happier last week.”
His innocent honesty nearly broke her.
Children noticed changes adults tried hiding.
Ava walked over and kissed his forehead gently. “I’m okay.”
Noah gave her a doubtful look. “Did somebody hurt your feelings?”
The question hit too close.
Before she could answer, the doorbell rang.
Both of them looked toward the door.
Ava frowned slightly.
She wasn’t expecting anyone.
Amanda wasn’t due until tomorrow.
The bell rang again.
Impatient this time.
A strange feeling settled in her stomach as she walked toward the door.
Then she opened it.
And froze.
Liam stood outside her apartment in the rain.
His hair slightly wet.
His tie loosened.
His expression unreadable.
But what shocked her most was this:
For the first time since she met him—
Liam Blackwell looked nervous.
