Wide-eyed and disoriented, unable to process everything that just happened right before her eyes, Ava blinked at the pair of striking green eyes above her. For a moment, everything in the room faded and all she could see was the man holding her in place.
"Are you okay, Ava?" He asked her with concern, pulling her away from her hazed thoughts.
He knows my name...
"I -- yes," she stammered as her hands instinctively gripped his forearms. The fabric of his tailored suit was smooth under her fingers, but feeling the strength beneath them made her feel weird in a way she couldn't quite explain. She swallowed hard and tried to steady her breath.
His lips quirked into a faint smile, and he gently helped her straighten up. "Good," he murmured.
As he released her, Ava took a step back to regain her footing. Her gaze shifted past him, landing on two other men standing just a few feet away. The striking resemblance between the three men was something else.
Each of them shared the same sharp jawline, chiseled features, and piercing eyes, although, the shades of green seemed to differ slightly. It didn't take a genius to see they were related somehow.
One of the other men that stood behind the man that helped her, slightly older in his facial features, raised a brow. "Are you planning on introducing yourself, Liam, or are you going to keep staring at her like an idiot?" He said dryly, but there was amusement in his eyes.
"Liam," Ava echoed under her breath as her eyes drifted back to the man in front of her. The name felt oddly familiar, but before she could piece it together, Liam turned to the older man, scowling mockingly.
"Relax, Jordan," he drawled before looking back at Ava. His smile softened, "Liam Moore," he said simply, extending his hand to her.
Ava stared at his hand, not knowing how to feel. She was about to place her hand on his and probably introduce herself as well to the man that saved her, but then she remembered he already knew her name. Ava hesitated with her hand hovering inches from his. "How... do you know my name?" She asked softly.
Liam's smile didn't falter. "It's hard not to..." His eyes flickered to the Lanes behind her. "You've been making quite the scenes this night and everyone had been screaming Ava all night," he said smoothly with a teasing, yet kind tone.
Ava's face flushed and she bit the inside of her cheek in embarrassment.
Jordan snorted behind him. "You didn't have to bring that up, Liam. Two minutes in and you're already embarrassing her." He stepped forward, offering Ava a slightly more formal nod. "Jordan Moore. This idiot's older brother. And over there..." he gestured to the third man, who was watching them nonchalantly "... is Dustin. Eldest brother. Don't mind his brooding. He does that a lot."
Dustin raised an eyebrow at Jordan's comment but he didn't make any attempt to refute it. His eyes, a darker shade of green, that was locked on Ava made her shift uncomfortably.
Turning to Liam, "Moore," Ava tasted the name. Something clicked. Her eyes widened slightly as realization dawned. "Wait, the Moores? As in... Moore Enterprises?"
Jordan grinned. "That's the one. You've heard of us, then?"
Ava let out a shaky breath. Of course, she'd heard of them. Everyone had. The Moores were practically royalty in the business world, untouchable, wealthy beyond imagination, and notoriously private. Why were they meddling?
Dustin's eyes shifted to the Lanes. "You... You just tried to assault her, in front of an audience, no less. Do you know you can serve a year's jail time?" He glared at Claudia whose face was now filled with dread.
Claudia opened her mouth to speak, but she had nothing to say. She took an instinctive step backwards. "I didn't --she --it wasn't--" she stammered.
"You're lucky I stopped her fall. Otherwise, this would be a very different conversation," Liam sneered.
With a frown, "Are you trying to make an excuse for what you did?" Jordan asked. "That is so pathetic."
Patrick, recovering from his initial shock, squared his shoulders and stepped forward. "And who the hell are you to speak to us like that?" he barked, but when Ava turned back to them and he got a good look at the men that stood behind her, his bravery crumbled. He glanced at Claudia and his children for backup, but they all looked lost.
"What is this?" Liam growled, a little more infuriated by Patrick's tone. "Is this fool actually talking back to us?" His tone rose with each word.
"Liam," Dustin interjected smoothly, stepping in before his younger brother's anger escalated. He wasn't particularly excited with the way Patrick had spoken back to them, but he hated attention on them, and Liam had successfully put them in the light. He exhaled quietly.
They had been watching Ava for a while. First, at the party where she had been verbally ripped apart by her so-called family, and now, outside the halls, it was also the same with her claimed adoptive parents.
He couldn't deny how entertaining everything had been. It seemed like everyone was out to bully Ava, but the little girl who looked so fragile, soft-spoken, and timid ended up bullying everyone. He found it intriguing.
"That's no way to handle peasants like these," Dustin continued. With a lazy snap of his fingers, a group of men walked from behind them. Their huge size seemed to darken the air around them, and they all bowed the moment they stood close to the Moores.
Dustin barely spared them a glance before shifting his attention back to Ava who stared at the people in front of her with no emotions in her eyes. He could already read her thoughts just from staring at her. She wanted them gone. He turned to the men with a small, satisfied smile. "Escort them out of the mansion," he finally gave his orders.
Without hesitation, the men bowed once more before advancing toward the Lanes. Patrick, Claudia, Emily, and Simon, looked around as they tried to process Dustin's words, and the actions of the men.
"What -- what is this?!" Patrick sputtered, and his voice cracked from his sudden panick.
Emily clung tightly to Claudia's hand as one of the men took her arm. "Mom! Dad! What are they doing?! Stop them!" Emily screeched.
Frozen with fear, Claudia's lips trembled as the reality of the situation dawned on her. "You can't do this!" she shrieked desperately. "You can't just throw us out! We have rights! We were personally invited by a Whitlock!" She clutched at the invitation she pulled from her pocket, and waved it frantically like a shield. "Look! Look at our invitation!"
At Claudia's words, Ava let out a short laugh. She kept wondering why they were here. Sasha must've invited them to humiliate her. "You actually thought that piece of paper would protect you?" she asked.
Patrick's eyes darted between Ava and the imposing men. "You -- this is a mistake! The Whitlocks want us here!" he blustered.
"I don't want you here, Patrick," Ava said distastefully. "You keep forgetting I'm a Whitlock."