Ava stared at her phone like it had personally offended her.
Unknown number.
Again.
"You forgot to say goodbye properly."
She read the message for the fifth time, her brows furrowed.
"How did he even get my number?" she muttered.
Her first instinct was to ignore it.
Block it.
Delete it.
Move on.
That was her usual pattern.
Simple.
Safe.
But her fingers didn't move.
Instead, she found herself staring at the screen longer than necessary.
Annoying.
Very very annoying.
Across town, Ethan leaned back in his chair, his phone resting in his hand.
He wasn't smiling.
But there was a certain calmness in his eyes.
He wasn't guessing.
He knew she had seen the message.
And he knew she was thinking about it.
Ava dropped her phone on the bed and stood up abruptly.
"I'm not doing this," she said to herself.
She walked to the mirror, staring at her reflection.
"You don't know him. You don't need him."
Her voice was firm.
Convincing.
Or at least… she tried to make it sound that way.
Her phone buzzed again.
She froze.
Slowly… she turned back.
"No way."
Another message.
"Or do you always ignore people who help you?"
Her eyes narrowed.
This man had confidence.
Too much of it.
She grabbed her phone quickly.
Before she could stop herself—
She replied.
"How did you get my number?"
The moment she sent it, she regretted it.
"Ah! Why did I reply?" she groaned, covering her face.
Now it looked like she was interested.
Which she wasn't.
At all.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately.
"So you do reply."
Ava rolled her eyes.
"Answer the question."
A few seconds passed.
Then—
"I have my ways."
She scoffed.
"Rubbish."
"Delete my number."
She hit send quickly this time, feeling slightly victorious.
Yes.
That should end it.
Ethan looked at the message and shook his head slightly.
Stubborn.
Exactly as he thought.
"You can block me if you want."
His reply came in.
Ava read it.
Then frowned.
That wasn't the response she expected.
Most men would:
Beg
Apologize
Try harder
But him?
He sounded… unbothered.
That unsettled her more than anything.
"I will."
She typed.
But she didn't block him.
Instead, she dropped the phone beside her and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Why didn't she block him?
She didn't know.
And that irritated her.
The next day…
Ava stepped into the office, her expression neutral as always.
Work was her escape.
No emotions.
No distractions.
No confusion.
Just structure.
Just control.
"Good morning," her colleague greeted.
She nodded slightly. "Morning."
As she walked to her desk, she placed her bag down and sat.
Finally.
Peace.
No strange men.
No annoying messages.
No
"Miss Ava?"
She looked up.
Her boss stood in front of her.
"Yes, sir?"
"There's a new client coming in today. I need you to assist with the meeting."
She nodded. "Alright."
"Conference room. 11 a.m."
11:02 a.m.
Ava pushed the conference room door open, a file in her hand.
"I'm sorry I'm a bit—"
She stopped.
Her words died instantly.
Her heart skipped.
Just once.
Standing there…
Calm as ever.
Dressed in a perfectly fitted suit.
Looking like he belonged exactly where he was
Was him.
Ethan
Their eyes met.
And this time…
He smiled.