Chapter 7 - ANDREW STRIKES BACK
By morning, Andrew had begun his counterattack.
The first article appeared online at 8:17 a.m.
CITY SURGEON’S ENGAGEMENT IN CRISIS AFTER BILLIONAIRE’S GALA SNUB.
The second appeared forty minutes later.
INSIDERS QUESTION CARTER EXECUTIVE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH BOSS.
By ten, a photograph of Ethan and me leaving the gala had spread across social media.
The angle made it look intimate.
His hand was near my back.
My face was turned toward him.
Andrew’s publicist issued a statement before noon.
Dr. Andrew Vaughn was reportedly devastated by private betrayal during what should have been an evening dedicated to sick children.
I read the sentence three times.
Then I threw the phone onto the sofa.
Ethan stood by the window.
“This is what he does.”
“Yes.”
“He’s making himself the victim.”
“Yes.”
“And me the cheating fiancée.”
“Yes.”
“And you the billionaire who stole me.”
“Yes.”
I turned toward him.
“Could you stop saying yes?”
He almost smiled.
“Probably.”
I pressed both hands against my face.
“This is going to get worse.”
“Probably.”
I glared at him.
“That was another yes.”
“I’m trying.”
Despite everything, a laugh escaped me.
Then my phone buzzed with an email.
My work account.
Human Resources.
I opened it.
My stomach dropped.
Anonymous reports alleged that I had manipulated access to confidential foundation information and created an undisclosed romantic conflict involving Ethan.
“Oh my God.”
Ethan took one look.
“No.”
“What?”
“You’re not being investigated.”
“It says I am.”
“No.”
He reached for his phone.
I caught his wrist.
“Don’t.”
“Ava.”
“If you shut this down because you own the company, Andrew will say that proves everything.”
Ethan stared at me.
“He wants you suspended.”
“Then let HR investigate.”
“You did nothing.”
“Then they’ll find nothing.”
He looked furious.
I continued.
“If you protect me by ignoring policy, he wins.”
For a long moment, Ethan said nothing.
Then he nodded.
“Fine.”
“You’ll cooperate?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll disclose what you told me about your feelings.”
Pain crossed his face.
“If they ask.”
“They will.”
“I know.”
Neither of us spoke for several seconds.
Our feelings had existed safely while unspoken.
Now Andrew had turned them into evidence.
That afternoon, I voluntarily stepped away from my position while the internal investigation proceeded.
The decision devastated me more than I expected.
Work had been the one part of my life Andrew had never completely owned.
Carter Global was where I was competent.
Useful.
Respected.
It was where I had remembered who I was.
Now even that had been contaminated.
Mara found me packing files into a box.
“You know this is temporary.”
“I know.”
“You’ll be cleared.”
“I know.”
She leaned against my desk.
“So why do you look like someone died?”
I stopped packing.
“Because I built this.”
“What?”
“My life here.”
I looked around the office.
“I started as a scheduling coordinator.”
“I worked nights.”
“I learned three software systems nobody else wanted to touch.”
“I moved into executive operations.”
“I earned every promotion.”
My eyes filled.
“And now people downstairs think I slept my way into this office.”
Mara’s expression hardened.
“People downstairs don’t know anything.”
“They think they do.”
“That’s different.”
I closed the box.
As we prepared to leave, my old desk phone rang.
Everyone had been instructed not to transfer outside calls.
I frowned.
Then I answered.
“Executive office.”
Silence.
My stomach tightened.
“Hello?”
Andrew’s voice came quietly through the receiver.
“You always were smarter than you looked.”
I froze.
The protection order prohibited contact.
“How did you get this number?”
“You think Carter can hide you forever?”
I reached for my mobile phone to record.
Andrew continued.
“I saw the articles.”
“You look beautiful in that photograph.”
I said nothing.
“You always smiled differently around him.”
My hand shook.
“You think he loves you?”
I looked toward the hall.
Mara was returning.
Andrew laughed.
“Men like Carter don’t love employees.”
“They acquire them.”
I found the record button.
“Andrew, stop contacting me.”
His voice changed.
“You destroyed my award.”
“You did that yourself.”
Silence.
Then he whispered.
“You’re going to regret saying that.”
The line disconnected.
Mara entered.
She saw my face.
“What happened?”
I handed her the phone.
Before she could speak, the elevator opened.
A delivery man stepped out carrying a long white box.
“For Ava Monroe.”
Every instinct in me screamed.
Mara moved between us.
“Who sent it?”
The man checked the label.
“Dr. Andrew Vaughn.”
Inside were twelve white roses.
And one black one.
Beneath them lay my apartment key.
May you like
Taped to the key was a note.
YOU FORGOT SOMETHING.
