Ava's Sinclair's POV
As Elise's car pulled into the driveway of her house, I was heaving seriously. Her house had covered walls, with the porch light, warm and glowing in the evening sun.
Elise shut the engine off and turned to me with seriousness in her eyes. "Come inside. We have to straighten this out before it gets any worse."
I nodded, wordless, clutching my bag with me. Then we stepped across the threshold of her front door, and just like that, the scent was back: sandalwood and vanilla, curling around me like a hug from Elise's candles. I let a breath out, hadn't even realized I'd been holding in.
"Alright," Elise said, jingling her keys on the kitchen counter as she shrugged off her blazer. "We need to talk, Ava, really talk. And no holding back."
"I know," I replied as I sank into her plush couch in the living room. "That's exactly why I want to call Nolan. He should know what is going on."
Elise had frozen mid-step, her face turned to me with that cutting glare of hers. "Absolutely not."
I blinked, completely shocked. "What is that suppose to mean? He is my boyfriend-Elise. He shouldn't be left in the dark about such a thing."
Elise strode over to me, crossing her arms over herself in a hug inward. "Listen to me, Ava. This very second you're not certain about anything other than you and me, so until we have something actual-you don't have to go off running to Nolan or telling him anything."
I scowled; my chest felt like it was welling, "Nolan wouldn't betray me; you know this. He loves-"
"Does he?" she cut me off, her tone icy but controlled. "Because love or not, this is bigger than him. Or you. This is Maximus Blackwell we're talking about, Ava. Billionaire, corporate giant, walking headline. The second Nolan knows, the risk of this getting out triples."
I gave her a withering look. "You really think Nolan would leak it to the press? You've got to be shitting me."
Elise softened slightly, sitting down beside me. "I'm not saying he'd do it intentionally. But people slip, Ava. They say the wrong thing to the wrong person, and suddenly your life is front-page news. Right now, the only people who need to know the truth are in this room."
That cut deep, but inside, I just couldn't let go. The Nolan I knew was caring, considerate, and trustworthy-but was I taking another risk as far as us were concerned?
I ran a hand through my hair; frustration bubbled to the surface. "So what am I supposed to do? Just act like everything's great when he phones or sends text messages? He's sure gonna be able to know something's up, Elise. I'm not such a great an actress."
Elise gave him a small, sympathetic smile. "Then tell him you are dealing with something personal and that you need space. He will understand. And if he doesn't, well." She didn't have to finish for me; then maybe he's not the guy you think he is.
I wanted to argue, to defend Nolan, but before I could-my phone buzzed on the coffee table. Both of us froze, our eyes on the screen.
"Who is it?" Elise asked; her voice was low and tight.
I reached for the phone-my stomach twisting as I saw the name flashing across the screen: Maximus Blackwell.
"It's him," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Elise leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Answer it. But put it on speaker."
I swiped to accept the call, my fingers shaking. "Hello?"
"Ava." The even tone of Maximus was laced with frustration Or was it concern?
I swallowed hard. "Maximus."
"I suppose you've heard the news," he said.
"Unless you haven't, in which case your little display at the coffee shop has probably by now filled in the details of what I specifically warned you would happen, Ava."
A hot flush rose to my face full of anger and embarrassment. "I didn't know the media showed up, Maximus. I was just trying to figure out what was happening-"
"And now you've just made yourself a target," he interrupted. "They'll be following you everywhere you go, investigating your life, your past, your relationships, you have no idea how much scrutiny you brought on yourself."
It was my voice, but before I could get a word in, Elise jumped in. Her voice was high: "Alright, let's pump the brakes here. Ava didn't ask for any of this, Mr. Blackwell, so perhaps you should just lay off blame and get on to the solutions."
There was silence on the other end of the line, and when Maximus spoke again, his voice was bolder. "And you are?"
"Her attorney," Elise said "Elise Turner."
"An attorney, interesting." Maximus repeated,
Elise bristled beside me, but before she could say anything , he continued. "Regardless, Ava, I'm sending a car to pick you up. It's time to come back to the mansion. We need to discuss how to handle this mess before it gets worse."
I scowled at the phone, my grip on it twisting in my stomach. The last thing I wanted was to go back to that huge, mansion that made my skin crawl. But before I could answer, Elise spoke up.
"If she goes, I go," she said flatly.
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before Maximus spoke up, his tone colder than it ever had been. "Fine. But do not expect me to roll out the red carpet for you, Ms. Turner."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Elise snarled back.
I closed my eyes, feeling weary"When will the car be here?"
"Thirty minutes," Maximus replied. "Be ready."
The line was dead by the time I got my confirmation out.
I set the phone down, blowing out a shaky breath. "Well, that was fun."
Elise stood, snatching up her bag. "You're not going alone. If he thinks he can intimidate you into playing along with whatever game he's running, he's got another thing coming."
I could force only a pale smile, so glad she had been my strongest
ally; it was this feeling that this might have been only the beginning, it was creepy.