Ava's POV
The morning after the reunion, I felt hurt.
Not physically.
I laid here for a while, staring at the ceiling as I replayed everything that played out last night.
I remembered Nathaniel's face.
His eyes were calm.
The way he looked at me like I was just another stranger he'd barely remembered.
I could still hear Vanessa laughing.
That cruel sound that hadn't changed in ten years.
She stood beside him every chance she got, holding his arm, whispering something in his ear... it was all her plan. She wanted to get a reaction from me, and I thank God I didn't give her that.
Another thing I did right last night.
"God," I whispered, "why did I even go?"
I already knew the answer.
Because I wanted to prove something, maybe to them, but mostly to myself.
That I wasn't the same Ava they broke.
That I could walk into that hall, look them all in the eye, and not feel like a loser.
And yet I felt the same way I did in high-school.
No one had to humiliate me this time.
Nathaniel didn't need to say a single word to me, that was more humiliation than anything.
I got out of bed and walked over to the kitchen, still in my robe.
I made a cup of coffee as I tried to convince myself I was over whatever happened last night, that it didn't bother me.
But it wasn't.
Every thought only reminded me of him, the sound of his voice when he greeted others, his smile when Vanessa spoke to him.
The way he always made sure he wasn't looking at me.
My phone buzzed.
A few work messages.
A reminder for the upcoming meeting with the staff.
I opened my laptop as I tried to look for a distraction.
Video meetings, emails, calls from the Seattle team.
I spoke, smiled, reviewed reports, nodded at presentations.
But my mind wasn't there.
Every time I got lost in thought, I still saw her, that teenage girl I once was.
The one who used to follow Nathaniel around like s he was her whole life.
My heart dropped.
I tried to push the thought aside
But the harder I tried, the harder it became not to remember what we were before all this.
I remembered something during the board meeting, when one of my IT assistants was saying something I didn't quite get.
It was when we were six, the schoolyard.
It still felt like it was just yesterday. I remembered falling to my knees, my glasses flying off, and then I heard it. "Four eyes!" someone shouted. "Crybaby Ava!"
And then he was there.
Nathaniel Hart, tall legs, messy hair, and that serious look even as a child. He didn't say much, he never did.
But he stood in front of me, facing them until they all left.
Then he picked up my glasses, wiped the dirt, and said, "You should stop crying. Crying will make them feel like they've won."
I nodded.
He gave me a small hug before walking away.
That was the first time someone defended me.
The first time someone saw me and that person was Him, Nathaniel Hart.
"Miss. collins!" I heard Kingsley call out from the screen. "Are you alright ma ? You seemed distracted.
"Oh I'm so sorry...I've had a lot to do today. Let's do this meeting again later instead... I'd tell you the perfect time."
"Alright ma" He responded and with that he ended the call.
I hated how much of a distracted Nathaniel was, we weren't even speaking and he still found a way into my thoughts.
All that had to end now, I had work to do.
**************
I was trying to arrange my luggage in the apartment, and that was when I saw the bracelet. Another cruel sign that I was far from moving on.
It was the bracelet I wore ten years ago hidden away in my luggage. I still carried it around. It was still my favourite even after the last time I wore it. Prom night.
Even after how awkwardly Nathaniel acted in high-school, I still believe he cared, but that night, everything shattered.
I still remembered the humiliation I felt after that confession,the whispers.
And through it all, I remembered his exact words.
"I feel nothing for you! I'm only with you now because your parents asked me to look after you so you don't embarrass yourself. And now I see why!"
The way he looked away and said nothing after that.
The way he turned his back when I tried to hold him.
That night, I learned how cruel he could be.
**********
A soft sound from my laptop pulled me back to the present.
I shut the screen. "Get it together, Ava."
It was almost evening when I realized I hadn't eaten anything all day.
I took my purse and left the apartment.
I didn't know where I was going.
I just drove.
Somehow, without intending to, I ended up near the old neighborhood.
And before I could think about it, I drove into a small parking lot and found myself standing in front of a café.
Café Marelle.
The smell hit me first.
It was the same scent I remembered from childhood, when Nathaniel used to sit in the corner section to study with Vanessa.
And just so I would see him, I'd pretend to be reading at a table not too far from them.
I was such a loser
I almost smiled.
Almost.
The section was still there, near the window. Empty now. I sat down and ordered tea.
For a long time, I just sat there, staring at the street outside, holding the cup of tea in my hand.
People moved on.
Cars passed.
The world didn't care about what had happened to a seventeen-year-old girl ten years ago.
So why couldn't I?
I exhaled slowly.
Maybe it wasn't about Nathaniel anymore.
Maybe it was about me, about how much I allowed him to occupy my life.
I'd built a company from scratch.
I'd done it all without anyone's help.
And yet, one look from him last night had me worked up like I was still that girl crying behind the school building.
"Never again," I murmured. "I'm not that girl anymore."
The words felt strange, like something I needed to keep repeating until I believed it.
By the time I left the café, it was almost dark.
As I drove back to my apartment, I saw myself in the rearview mirror.
I was tired, but there was something else there, a kind of determination I hadn't felt in years.
When I got home, I went straight to the balcony.
"This time," I whispered, "I'm not that girl anymore."
For a moment, I believed it.
Until my phone buzzed
I turned and picked it up from the table.
There was a message from my father's secretary
I frowned, opening it.
**"Good evening, Miss collins. Just a reminder about the meeting scheduled with the chairman. The Chairman has requested that you come prepared with your presentation materials. Please bring your best presentation outfit. Details will follow tomorrow."**
I blinked, reading it again.
Best presentation outfit?
That wasn't how my father usually operated.
He didn't ask, he commanded.
He didn't give hints, he gave orders.
Something about this was too strange.
Was this about the investors he mentioned to my mother in the garden?
The ones I'd overheard them discussing before I left the mansion?
I paced slowly, rereading the message.
"Bring your best presentation outfit," it said again.
That didn't sound like a normal business meeting.
And since when did my father care about how I dressed for one?
I put the phone down, as I tried to understand what it meant.
Something about it just didn't feel right.
I walked back to the balcony again, as I tried to make sense of it all
Maybe it was just business.
Maybe it was nothing.
But deep down I had learned not to trust Richard collins.
I could feel it.
Something was coming.
Something that had Richard collins written all over it.
I didn't know how.
I didn't know why.
But as I stood there, the words from the message echoed in my mind again and again.....
Bring your best presentation outfit.
I frowned, my heart beginning to beat a little faster.
What kind of meeting required that?