16 The injustice
All eyes turned to Ava. Each face in the room was filled with questions, doubts swirling silently,
“Is he telling the truth?” Dylan asked.
Ava’s lips curled into a cold sneer. “You trust him over your wife?” She had already anticipated his reaction, and it only deepened her bitterness.
“This is not what I mean,” he retorted. “I’m just trying to figure out what the hell happened here.”
Ava tilted her head slightly, crossing her arms tightly against her chest, her posture defiant. “Oh, really? And w
you believe me if I say he spiked my drink? That he tried to take advantage of me?” There was a cold fury behind her calm tone. “If you don’t believe me, you can send the wine for testing,” Ava said, nodding to her wine glass on the table. “No, no!” Mr. Moore blurted out. “Mr. Brooke, you have to believe me! I didn’t spike her drink! She might have mixed something in it herself! She is setting me up!”
Sensing her carefully laid plans teetering on the edge of exposure, Gianna panicked. “Ava, are you sure you haven’t misunderstood something?” she asked, inching closer to the table, “Why would Mr. Moore spike your drink? Calm down first. Don’t blame anyone just like that.” Her voice dripped with false sincerity as she extended her hand toward Ava.
Ava recoiled, pulling her hand back with a jerk.
Gianna stumbled back as if she was pushed forcefully. She flailed dramatically, her arms sweeping across the table. The glass tipped over in the process, crashing onto the surface with a sharp clink as the wine spilled across the table and cascaded down to the floor. The corners of her lips hooked into a sneaky smile.
Mr. Moore exhaled a small, furtive sigh of relief. With the wine gone, the damning evidence was erased. No one could prove he had tried to drug her.
“I’m sorry,” Gianna said in a pitiful tone. She turned to Dylan; her face filled with exaggerated remorse. “It was an accident, Dylan. I didn’t mean to spill the drink.” “Don’t worry, Gianna. I still have proof.” Ava declared, a confident smile playing on her lips as she held up her phone. She had secretly recorded Mr. Moore’s confession.
With a swift motion, she pressed play, and the room filled with the unmistakable voice of Mr. Moore admitting that he had spiked her drink.
- The injustice
“No, no… I–I don’t know anything. She is framing me.” Mr. Moore denied frantically, his face draining of color.
“You’re still lying” Dylan growled. Without hesitation, he lunged forward and landed a punch squarely on Mr. Moore’s face, sending him sprawling to the floor with a dull thud.
He glared down at him and commanded, “From now on, declare Moore Group our enemy. If anyone does business with them, consider them our enemy too. I want to see the Moore Group destroyed.”
“Got it, sir,” Justin replied, nodding sharply.
Ava, overwhelmed and weary from the drama, felt a wave of fatigue washed over her. “You know what? Do whatever you want. I’m leaving.” She stuffed her belongings in her bag and walked out.
Dylan rushed after Ava, urgency propelling him forward, but before he could reach her, Mr. Moore’s hand shot out and clamped around his leg, halting his progress. “You can’t do this, Mr. Brooks,” he pleaded desperately. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. It wasn’t me. I never intended to harm your wife, but-”
Sensing he was going to expose her, Gianna interrupted, “We heard the recording. You confessed to spiking her drink. What’s the point of lying now?”
“You!” Mr. Moore’s face twisted in anger and fear. “Let me explain. This entire thing was
set up…”
Dylan, unable to tolerate any more of his excuses, delivered a swift kick that sent Mr. Moore sprawling away. “I don’t need your explanations. You dared to lay hands on my wife. You’ll face the consequences. Break his hands.”
With that fierce command hanging in the air, Dylan stormed out, intending to find Ava. He caught sight of her swaying slightly, using the wall for support. Concern shot through him, and he quickened his pace.
“Ava!”
Ava didn’t know why the sudden dizziness hit her. Maybe she had been too tense and anxious while fighting with that crazy man. Now her body was giving up. Her vision swirled, and before she could react, everything went dark as she collapsed.
Dylan took her in his arms securely in time, stopping her from falling. Ava was limp, her eyes shut tight. Panic shot through him, his heart sinking.
“Ava, no…don’t die. Open your eyes. No matter how hard he shook her or called her
<
16 The injustice
name, she remained unresponsive. “Shit!” He lifted her in his arms and carried her out.
As Gianna stepped out of the private room, she noticed Dylan rushing out with Ava in his arms. A surge of rage coursed through her, and she clenched her fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.
“Ava, you bitch!” she muttered under her breath.
Gianna seethed with frustration at the fact that her plan was completely ruined. It was a great chance to make Dylan hate Ava even more, but the incident seemed to have brought them together. Her heart raced with anger and envy.
“No.” She gritted her teeth. “Dylan is mine. I won’t let Ava take him away from me.”
An hour later…
Dylan sat at Ava’s bedside, his grip on her hand firm and unwavering, as if letting go might cause her to slip away entirely. He watched her face intently, restlessly waiting for her to wake up.
The soft creak of the door drew his attention, and he turned to see Justin entering.
“Did
you
teach him a lesson?” Dylan asked, his tone low and cold. The resentment still
burned hot in his eyes.
“Yes, I did.” Justin nodded curtly. “But he revealed something disturbing.”
“What did he say?” Dylan hissed through his clenched teeth.
“He said Miss Gianna wanted him to drug Ava madam,” Justin said, his voice dropping
further.
“What?” Dylan scowled at him in disbelief.
“She met him at the restaurant half an hour before the meeting. She gave him the drug.” Justin produced a small plastic packet, the remnants of white powder still visible inside.
Dylan’s expression darkened, but he said nothing.
“She was the one who called you to inform you something was wrong with Ava,” Justin recounted. “Her behavior is suspicious.“@
Dylan remained silent, lost in thought, weighing his next move.
Justin studied him, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. “Shall I send the packet for testing?”
16 The injustice
“But…”
“And don’t let Ava know about it,” Dylan warned, his voice low but resolute.
Justin nodded reluctantly.
“Go to the office. I’ll go see the doctor.” With that, Dylan walked out, Justin following
behind.
As soon as they left, Ava slowly opened her eyes. “Dylan, you care about her so much that you refuse to take action against her after knowing everything” Tears began to pool in her eyes as a wave of hurt washed over her. She felt a fiery mix of anger and sorrow bubbling within her, igniting the injustice of the situation.
