Ava didn't change out of her work clothes when she got home.She dropped her bag near the couch, kicked off her shoes, and opened her laptop at the tiny dining table that doubled as her desk. The Richardson file stared back at her like a ticking clock. She was tired but time waits for nobody, she rubbed her temples once, inhaled, and started typing
If only she could finish half of this tonight, she could restructure the projections tomorrow before diving into the new assignment Mr. Hale had thrown at her.
She typed away, no breaks, no distractions and definitely no room to fail. Her screen glowed as time continued to move forward but she went on without care. Few moments later, her phone buzzed on the table. She peeped at the screen to see Liam's message notification pop up on her screen.
Liam: I'm outside.
Her fingers paused over the keyboard.
She hadn't told him to come. What could be be looking for by this hour? Before she could respond, another message appeared.
Liam: Open the door. I brought food.
She exhaled slowly and stood, she can't avoid him forever_ she thought. When she opened the door, he was there holding a plastic bag that smelled like fried chicken and chips, two bottles of beer hooked between his fingers.
"You look like you haven't blinked in hours," he said, stepping inside.
"I haven't." She sighed softly
He set the food down and glanced at her laptop. "What are you working on that's trying to kill you?"
She shut the door and leaned against it for a second before walking back to the table.
"Richardson portfolio and another assignment Hale dumped on me this morning."
Liam's jaw tightened slightly. "Again?"
She nodded.
"He knows I'm not done with this one yet..."
"And he still added more?" He questioned me mid-sentence, irritation written all over his face.
She gave him a tired look. "You know how he is."
Liam's expression darkened, but he kept his voice calm. "Show me."
"You don't have to—"
"Show me." This time his voice came out higher and louder than the first, like he trying to control his temper
She turned the laptop toward him.
He pulled a chair closer, leaning in beside her. Their shoulders brushed as he scanned the numbers.
"You've been restructuring the asset allocations wrong," he said gently.
Her head snapped toward him. "What?" She asked shocked, while trying to see what he meant and where the mistake was
"Not wrong-wrong. Just… inefficient. Look."He corrected when he noticed the worried look on her face.He reached for the mouse, and just like that, they fell into rhythm.He adjusted formulas. She reorganized data. He recalculated projections while she typed notes.Hours slipped by unnoticed.At one point, his phone lit up on the table.
"Claire"
Ava didn't see, as she was busy typing notes
Liam did but the screen glowed for a few seconds before he flipped it face down.
He kept working, he needed to focus... it buzzed again and he ignored it.
"You're quiet," Ava murmured, eyes still on the screen.
"Just thinking," he said easily.
She didn't press.
By midnight, they had made significant progress.
She leaned back in her chair, exhausted but relieved. "Thank you so much Liam, you're a lifesaver"
He studied her face.
"You're burning yourself out."
"I don't have a choice." She stated
"You always have a choice." He argued not liking the way she's been treated at work
She shook her head softly. "Not when bills exist."
He didn't argue.
They both knew.
He stayed another hour before finally standing. "Get at least two hours of sleep."
She nodded, though she had no intention of doing that, but she was not going to tell him that. She knew she fnshe did he would want to stay behind to keep helping her and she didn't want to stress him out...he had helped enough.
After he left, she worked until nearly three in the morning. She could only get few hours of sleep before she could get ready for work. She arrived late to the office, with dark circles under beneath her eyes.
Vanessa noticed her walking in late immediately
"Well, well," Vanessa drawled from across the cubicles. "Nice of you to join us, You couldn't be more early" she said sarcastically
Ava ignored her and sat down, immediately opening the Richardson file to double-check everything before submission.
Her heart pounded as she reviewed the numbers for errors, It looked fine, solid and accurate. "Thank you Liam", she whispered to herself, just then her phone buzzed with a reminder — HR submission.
Her stomach dropped. She had a document that she ought to have submitted to HR on her way to the office. She quickly grabbed the required document from her drawer and hurried down the hallway, leaving her laptop open and unattended.
Vanessa watched her disappear, wondering why she was in such a haste, she peeped across from her cubicle desk to that of Avas' and noticed the she forgot to logout.
A slow devilish smile spread across her face.She stood up casually, glancing around. Most people were focused on their screens notice what she was doing She stepped toward Ava's desk.
Just for a second, just long enough her, a few clicks and few minor adjustments, nothing dramatic just something enough to destroy credibility.
Then she returned to her seat as if nothing had happened.
"Let's she how you like this Ava?" She said to herself
"Since you think you're smarter let's see you wiggle your way out of this one" she giggled devilishly
Few moments later Ava walking back in, as soon as she got to her side, she heard her name before she could settle down.
"Ava."
Mr. Hale's assistant stood by her desk when she returned.
"The board is ready."
Her pulse spiked.
Already?
"I'll.. I'll be right there" she stuttered
She quickly grabbed her laptop and walked toward the conference room, unaware of what Vanessa had done
The room was full of board members. She took a deep breath and gave herself a pep talk for encouragement
Mr. Hale was fitted along with the Richardson client himself.
She inhaled and began her presentation started strong, clear and confiden. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until—
"Excuse me," the client interrupted.
She paused.
"These projections don't align with the prior quarter's liquidity reports."
Her stomach dropped,then she glanced at the numbers, they were wrong... not slightly off. Wrong. Her breath caught in her throat
"That's not—" she stopped herself, forcing composure. "I apologize. There must be an error in the file I brought."
At that moment Vanessa leaned forward with false concern. "Oh no… Ava, you were working so hard on that. Maybe you missed something?"
Ava met her eyes briefly and she noticed there was something there written all over Vanessa's face_Satisfaction.
The client's face hardened. "This is highly unprofessional."
"I assure you—" Ava began.
Mr. Hale's voice cut in, sharp. "Enough."
Silence filled the room.
"You had one job Ava," he said coldly.
Heat crawled up her neck, with frustration and anger building up inside of her, but she tried to compress it
"I worked on this all night—" she tried to explain
"And yet it's still wrong," he snapped.
The client stood up from his seat. "We will revisit this discussion when your team is better prepared." Saying that he left angrily
The door closed, the room felt suffocating. Vanessa smirking enjoying every minute of Ava's suffering
Mr. Hale turned on her fully now. "Do you understand how much this cost us?"
"Yes, sir—" Ava replied
"Do you? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're in over your head."
Her hands trembled slightly.
"I need time to correct it." She pleaded
"You'll have until tomorrow morning."
Tomorrow morning?
"That's impossible," she whispered.
"Then perhaps this position is." He snapped back
The threat hung heavy in the air, Vanessa looked down, hiding her smirk.
"Yes sir I'll get it done, I'm sorry for the inconvenience" she apologized and left
Ava returned to her desk in a haze, confused. She opened the file,the numbers were altered, subtly, deliberately. Her stomach twisted, she had an idea who it could have been, but she had no proof and no one would believe her.
So there was one thing she did, the only thing she could. She fixed it.
Again, the office emptied, lights dimmed, voices disappeared.She stayed behind to work overtime again Midnight came and went, her head throbbed, her vision blurred.
At some point, she rested her head on her folded arms just for a second.
The next morning, she stumbled into the conference room again.
This time, the presentation was flawless.
Every number precise,every projection aligned.
The client nodded slowly. "Much better." He said satisfactorily
Mr. Hale gave her a tight look but said nothing.Victory didn't feel like victory.
It felt like survival.
By evening, her body was running on fumes.
She packed her bag slowly.
The hallway swayed slightly as she walked.
She told herself she just needed water. Air.
Food. And a little bit of rest. The lobby felt too bright, thhe elevator ride felt too long.
As she stepped outside, the world tilted.
Her hearing muffled, her vision narrowed.
She tried to steady herself against the wall.
It didn't work.The ground rushed up to meet her.
"Beep"... "beep".... "beep"
Soft murmurs could be heard, a weight in her arm as Ava's eyes fluttered open.
White ceiling, Sterile scent, her hand twitched and there was an IV attached to it just then a nurse appeared at her side almost immediately.
"Oh, good. You're awake."
Ava blinked slowly. "Where…"
"You fainted outside your office building. Severe exhaustion and dehydration."
Her throat felt dry. "How did I get here?"
The nurse smiled faintly. "A man brought you."
Her brows furrowed. "A man?"
"Yes. Tall. Very… intense."
Another nurse chimed in from across the room. "Handsome too."
The first nurse laughed quietly. "He carried you in like it was nothing. Refused to leave until we admitted you properly."
Ava's heart thudded.
"Did he… say who he was?"
"No. But he paid your bills upfront."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"Everything. Private room. Tests. Deposit. All of it."
Confusion flooded her.
"I don't—"
"Is he your boyfriend?" the second nurse asked curiously.
"No."
They exchanged a look.
"Well," the first nurse said gently, "whoever he is, he was very concerned."
A knock sounded at the door.
Liam stepped in.
Relief washed over his face when he saw her awake. "Ava."
He crossed the room quickly. "Are you okay?"
She tried to sit up. "I'm fine."
"You collapsed." he said worry written all over his face
"I'm fine," she repeated softly.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This job is going to kill you."
"I need it."
His jaw tightened again, at that moment his phone buzzed in his pocket. He brought it out and glanced at the screen.
"Claire" he silenced it immediately.
Ava noticed the movement this time.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Yeah. Just work."
She studied him for a second but didn't push, she was glad he was there, he sat beside her bed. They conversed for a while, then he decided to check with the doctor to get the full report of what's wrong with her
Outside the room, his phone buzzed again.
And again.
His expression shifted — not annoyance.
Conflict.
Because Claire had already questioned how much time he spent with Ava, because she had already asked why he always dropped everything when Ava needed him, because he didn't have a clean answer.
Inside the hospital room, he looked at Ava through the opening— pale, exhausted, still trying to be strong.
And he knew this wasn't simple anymore.
Meanwhile somewhere in the city—
There's a man who knew exactly which hospital room she was in.