15 The mess inside the private room.
At Dylan’s office…@
Dylan signed the documents and closed the file. “Let me know when Ava returns,” he said, handing the file back to Justin.
“Sure, sir.” Justin nodded as he took the file.
Meanwhile, Dylan’s phone rang on his desk. As he glanced at it, he noticed Gianna’s name on the screen. Reaching out, he picked up the phone and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Dylan! You should come to the restaurant,” Gianna’s somewhat panicked voice came out of the phone. “Something is not right here.”
“What is going on?” Dylan frowned, his body tensing.
“I… I don’t know how to explain it,” she stammered. “But you have to come to the restaurant right now. It’s about Ava.”
The mention of Ava made him even more tense. His grip on the phone tightened. The mere thought of her in trouble made his skin crawl with urgency.
“Come to the Trinity restaurant,” she said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
Beep
Before he could question her further, the line went dead. Dylan stared at the phone in his hand, his pulse racing. “Trinity restaurant,” he mumbled, his mind racing. “Isn’t it the restaurant where Ava is meeting Mr. Moore?” He raised his eyes at Justin, full of
questions.
“Yes,” Justin replied instantly, his features twisting as he recounted, “That’s the restaurant. And sir… Mr. Moore is known for his… unsavory reputation. His perversion for women is known to everyone. We shouldn’t have sent madam alone there.”
Dylan’s heart clenched. Mr. Moore’s reputation was no secret, and now Ava was there, alone, vulnerable. His fist slammed onto the desk, regretting his decision. He was furious with himself for not sending someone with her.
“Get the car ready.” Dylan sprang to his feet and hurried out of the office.
The car sped down the road speedily. Inside, Dylan sat rigid, his fingers gripping the seat as if that could somehow ease the knot tightening in his chest. His heart pounded louder in his ears with every passing second. His leg bounced restlessly, as he struggled
14
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15 The mess inside the private room.
to contain the mounting anxiety.
Dylan had never been so fidgety before. He wanted to get to Ava as quickly as possible. The horror of his nightmare, Ava lying in the blood pool, plagued his mind. Was that vision a warning for today? Was Ava going to get hurt?
He felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his chest. “Drive faster,” he demanded.
With a curt nod, Justin pressed harder on the gas, the car surging forward at an even greater speed.
When the car finally stopped, Dylan jumped out and dashed into the restaurant.
Gianna, who had been lingering by the entrance, rushed toward him with a fake look of concern plastered on her face. “Dylan…”
But he didn’t pay attention to her and strode straight toward the private room. His eyes were blazing, his body tense, as if his worst fear was about to come true.
Gianna trailed behind him, her lips curling into a sly grin. “This is it, she thought, her heart racing with twisted excitement.
Gianna believed Mr. Moore had done whatever he should do with Ava. The scene inside the private room would be enough to infuriate Dylan. Making a pitiful face, she hurried
after him.
“Please calm down, Dylan,” she urged, feigning distress. “What you see inside may upset you, but you have to stay composed.”
But Dylan wasn’t hearing any of it. His heart was in his throat, his mind racing with images of Ava in danger, of something terrible happening to her.
Inside the private room.
Ava sprayed the pepper spray directly into his face.
“Ahh!” he shrieked, stumbling back as his hands flew to his eyes, trying desperately to rub away the searing pain. “My eyes.” His cries echoed inside the room.
Ava gasped for air, coughing. However, her anger burned hotter than ever. Without hesitation, she grabbed the folder from the table and swung it at him.
“How dare you touch me!” she shouted, trembling with fury as she lashed out, hitting him again and again. The folder struck his head with sharp thwacks, one blow after another.
Mr. Moore, half–blinded and in agony, tried to shield himself, but the pain from his eyes and the force of her blows left him helpless. His body crumpled further to the ground.
<
- The mess inside the private room.
his limbs coiling defensively.
But Ava wasn’t done yet. She kicked him and whacked his head with the folder relentlessly. “You thought you could take advantage of me?!” she snarled, her voice. shaking. With each strike, she poured her fury into him. (?)
In the meantime, the door swung open with a sharp creak, and Ava’s hand, poised mid–air with the folder, froze as her gaze snapped to the figure rushing in.
Dylan’s steps faltered as he took in the chaotic scene before him. This was not at all what he had imagined. His eyes darted between Ava, standing fierce and defiant, and Mr. Moore, cowering and bloodied on the floor.
Behind him, Justin and Gianna followed in, their jaws dropping in sheer shock.
Ava’s anger intensified when she saw Dylan. With a contemptuous snort, she tossed the folder onto the table. “Welcome, Mr. Brookes. I’ve been waiting for you. Surely, you came to see how he bullied me, right?”
“Ava!” Dylan’s mouth twisted in annoyance. He had rushed here, panicked with concern for her. Shouldn’t she be running into his arms, finding comfort in his arms? After all, he was there to protect her. But she jabbed him with a sarcastic remark. Was it necessary?
He stepped toward her, but before he could reach her, Mr. Moore groaned, staggering to his feet. His eyes, still red and watery from the pepper spray, blinked rapidly as he pointed a trembling hand at Ava. “She is crazy almost killed me. Mr. Brookes, you need to take action against her. Call the cops!”
Dylan shot him a murderous glare “Dare to say that again,” he growled, “and I’ll rip your tongue out.”
The room fell into a stunned silence. Mr. Moore recoiled, his face paling at Dylan’s threat. He had expected Dylan to back him up, but this was something else entirely..
Ava, too, was caught off guard. A flicker of disbelief flashed across her face. ‘Is Dylan actually defending me?‘ she wondered to herself.
Mr. Moore rubbed his burning eyes, trying to focus, but the sight of Dylan’s furious expression made him shrink in fear.
“But Ava, why did you beat him?” Gianna asked, stepping toward her.
She glanced at Mr. Moore disdainfully, disappointed that he couldn’t handle the situation as planned. Seeing her initial plan fail, Gianna quickly shifted her strategy.
“You were here for a meeting. What could have happened that made you attack him like
thir?”
- The mess inside the private room.
“How do you know I was here for a meeting?” Ava narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Gianna faltered for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. “It’s quite obvious, isn’t. it? You wouldn’t be here secretly meeting with Mr. Moore, so it must be for business.”
Ava snorted, unconvinced by her explanation. She could see right through her facade.
“Are you hurt?” Dylan reached out to hold her arm and turned her toward him, his concern for her palpable. “Tell me everything–what happened here? What did he do to you?”
Mr. Moore, desperate to save himself from the wrath of Dylan, interrupted. “It’s all her fault!” His trembling hand shot out, pointing at Ava. “She seduced me first! When I refused to give in to her advances, she attacked me!”
