The office door clicked shut behind her, but Ava's presence lingered like a storm cloud—taunting, electric.
Dominic stared at the empty space she left behind, her words still echoing in his head.
"I hope you'll take my words seriously, Mr. Vale."
Serious.
She wanted boundaries. Professionalism. Distance.
And yet, the memory of her soft smile while tasting his noodles, her eyes lighting up in that one rare moment of joy—that version of Ava kept slipping past his walls like light through cracks.
He let out a sharp breath, loosening his tie.
"This is getting interesting."
He didn't do complicated.
He didn't do boundaries either.
But now… he couldn't stop himself from wanting to test hers.
---
Ava's POV
Back at her desk, Ava tried to focus on her screen, the cursor blinking like a warning she couldn't ignore. Her hands hovered over the keyboard, but her mind had retreated—back to the way Dominic had looked at her. That unreadable gaze. That slow, almost lazy smile that had no right to affect her the way it did.
Why is he like this?
The moment she'd walked away from his office, she thought she'd feel relief. She didn't.
Instead, her heart pounded with the weight of unspoken things.
The soft ping of an incoming email broke her trance. She blinked and opened it.
Content: "You never said whether you wanted dinner again. Let's keep it professional… unless you get hungry."
She almost choked on air.
Was that supposed to be a joke?
Before she could respond—scratch that, she wasn't going to respond—a file dropped onto her desk from Lucy.
"From the legal team," Lucy said with a knowing smirk. "You really rattled the big boss."
Ava blinked. "What?"
Lucy shrugged. "After you left his office, he looked like someone just told him the stock market died. Then he called the head of legal and marketing both within ten minutes."
Ava frowned, biting her lip. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."
Lucy leaned closer, whispering, "If trouble looks like you, I don't think he minds."
Ava gave a weak laugh but didn't reply.
Because Lucy wasn't wrong.
And Ava didn't know if that scared her more… or thrilled her.
---
Later that Evening – Twilight Residence
Ava stood by the balcony, arms folded, watching the night sky dissolve into charcoal clouds. Distant thunder rumbled—faint but unmistakable.
The air felt charged. Like something was coming.
She turned just as the sliding door behind her opened.
Earlier She had told him that she wanted to have conversation with him but now seeing him coming she didn't know what to say.
Dominic stepped onto the balcony, holding two mugs. He said nothing, just handed her one. She hesitated before accepting it.
Chamomile. She blinked.
"You remember?" she asked, a little surprised.
He didn't answer right away. Just took a sip from his own mug and leaned against the railing beside her. "I remember everything about you."
Her breath caught in her throat.
He didn't look at her when he said it. But she could feel the truth laced in his voice.
She glanced away. "Mr Vale…"
He finally looked at her.
The silence stretched between them like a fragile thread.
"Thanku for what you did but you didn't have to go to such lengths and I meant what I said," Ava whispered. "I came here for peace, not—this."
His voice was softer than she'd expected. "And what exactly is this?"
She looked up at him. That same unreadable gaze. Only this time, it felt a little less dangerous… and a lot more human.
"I don't know," she said quietly.
The sky cracked open with a bolt of lightning, rain starting to fall.
Neither moved.
Dominic's voice broke the quiet again, low and sincere. "You don't have to run, Ava. Not from me."
She turned to him fully now, heart thundering louder than the sky. "And what if it's not you I'm running from?"
For a moment, he looked stunned.
Then something unreadable passed over his features.
He took a step closer.
Ava's breath hitched.
The rain pattered harder around them, but neither moved. Not even when thunder roared, or when their shoulders brushed under the stormlight.
Just a whisper between two people teetering on the edge of something inevitable.
The space between them shrank until there was nothing but air and heat.
Ava should have stepped away.
But she didn't.
Instead, she looked up—really looked—into the eyes of the man who'd so effortlessly disrupted the quiet world she'd built for herself.
Dominic Vale. Cold. Enigma. And now, the source of her most dangerous distraction.
His fingers twitched, like he was holding himself back.
"Ava…" he said her name slowly, like tasting it.
A thousand thoughts raced through her head, but none of them reached her lips.
Then the sharp ring of a phone broke the moment.
Dominic's jaw clenched. He didn't move.
The ringing continued.
Ava took the chance to step back, the connection severing like a string pulled too tight. She cleared her throat and turned her gaze to the storm outside.
"You should get that," she said quietly.
He didn't respond right away.
But then, without another word, he turned and disappeared inside.
Ava exhaled shakily.
What the hell was that?
Why didn't she took a step back.
You idiot ava what are you thinking.
Why was her heart still ththunderinWhy did she want him to turn araroundar