Chapter 21
Ava replayed the recorded footage of her press conference for the seventh time. Sipping her chai tea, she observed her television appearance with a critical eye, frowning at the choice of clothes she wore, how her hair was dressed, and the large swell of her swollen breasts. No one would take her resignation seriously now. They were so large that they knocked the lectern twice.
For three weeks, Ava had been working happily as an editor for The Advocate when Frank Boulder rang one day, insisting a press conference was needed urgently. The media had heard about her shock resignation and wanted answers. Now. Besides, Frank hoped the public appearance would appease the panicked stockholders threatening to pull.
Ava let Frank stew for a few days as she considered his plea. She didn’t want to go back to Sydney after leaving everything behind. Especially Elias. His face was a constant fog in her memory. But her office was hounded by unsolicited press calls every day, even when she’d kept her new job out of the media. To clear the waters and Frank’s conscience, Ava drove down to the city, conducted the press conference, and was back before lunch. There was no time for socialising. In and Out.
Ava turned off the small screen on her desk and ran her hand across her round belly. The baby was growing faster than she could ever anticipate. The swollen feet, painful breasts, night sickness, and fatigue were all worth it. In five months’ time, she would have her own living and breathing version of Elias to love.
“Miss Wolfe.” Her receptionist Sherry’s voice sounded from the intercom in front of her. “There’s a call for you on line one.”
Ava pressed a button on the device. “Who is it?”
“His name is Mike Cordon from The Coastal Times.”
Ava let out a groan. The man was a thorn in her side, constantly hounding for information about her baby’s father. “Take a message, Sherry. I’m too busy to take calls.”
“Okay.” She clicked off and returned a few moments later. “I’m sorry, Ava. Mike’s extremely persistent. He won’t hang up until he talks to you. Do you want me to put him onto someone else?”
She sighed. “No, put him through.” When her phone started ringing, she waited a few beats before answering. “Ava Wolfe speaking.”
“Ava,” Mike said, “I get the sneaking suspicion that you’re avoiding my calls.”
“How many times do I have to tell you to bugger off? I should be asking how you found out where I worked. I never disclosed my new employer.”
Mike chuckled into the phone. “I’m a journalist, Ava. It’s my job to investigate. Besides, I rely on my network of sources to siphon information to me.”
“Did the same source try to sell you my park photographs?”
“No, I wasn’t aware they existed until it was printed Sydney wide. It seems you have a leak in your pool.”
“What do you want, Mike?” Ava demanded, growing increasingly frustrated. She had reports to write, numbers to crunch, and phone calls to make before six o’clock. She didn’t have time to listen to his allegations.
“Who’s the father of your baby?”
“I’m surprised your sources didn’t tell you. You seem to know everything else.”
“Okay, I’ll be the first to admit they don’t know everything. But you do. Why did Elias Dorne resign from Blue Tail after practically saving the company? I don’t trust what I’ve read in the papers.”
“They print the truth, Mike. It was Elias’s decision to leave.”
“Surely he told you why.”
“No comment.”
“Come on, Ava. We’ve been through a lot together. Give me something.” When his plea was met with silence, he added. “Your resignation stunned the business world. Why did you quit so soon after Mr. Dorne?”
“Didn’t you watch my press conference?” Ava asked. “I discussed my reasonings there. I will not talk about this further. Mr. Cordon, I have work to do. Please leave your questions with my secretary and I will send the answers to you shortly.”
“Miss Wolfe, you’re a hard woman to crack, but I’ll get my answers one day,” Mike said. “Good luck with your pregnancy.”
When she heard the dull phone tone in her ear, Ava let out a breath of relief. She replaced the receiver back in its cradle and drained her glass of water sitting nearby. Her hands trembled. Mike’s determination to find out the truth of her baby’s father shook her more than she realised. She had turned her back on everyone to ensure Elias and their child would remain safe from public prejudice. One day she might reveal everything in a TV interview or magazine article, but right now, Ava had sacrificed her life for the ones she loved.
She packed up her purse and exited her office, striding passed Sherry on the way out. “I’m going to lunch. I’ll be back in an hour.”
The brunette smiled back. “I’ll hold your calls, Ava.”
“If it’s urgent, I have my mobile.” She took the lift down to the ground floor and stepped into the warm afternoon. Merton was a little town two hours outside of Sydney. The township had a population of thirty thousand people and it was the perfect size for Ava to live undisturbed.
The streets were lined with cars waiting for parking spots and school kids dashing in and out of the local milk bar. In any other circumstance, Ava would’ve thought Merton was idyllic, but the rent was dirt cheap and people tended to keep to themselves.
Ava rounded the corner and ran straight into Daisy. The two women stared at each other, stunned, clutching their handbags to their chests. Ava felt like a diminutive mouse in Daisy’s presence. The woman looked spectacular. Her wavy locks sashayed down her shoulders like spun gold and her enviable body was on display in skinny jeans and a peach top.
Her lush pink mouth forced a smile. “Ava, what a surprise to see you here.”
“I was going to say the same thing. What are you doing in Merton?”
“My jeweller is out this way. He’s the only one that does things how I like them.” Daisy’s gaze dropped to Ava’s stomach and something dark crossed her features. “Well, you’ve definitely popped.”
“Oh yes, I suppose I have.”
“How much longer do you have now?”
“Twenty-two weeks give or take. The baby’s growing very fast these days.”
Daisy shifted her weight to another heel, a worried crease forming between her brows. “Do you know what you’re having?”
“I find out in three weeks,” Ava said proudly.
Daisy put her hand out tentatively towards Ava’s belly. “Do you mind?”
“Go ahead.” It felt strange having her former lover’s fiancée stroke her pregnant stomach. Daisy remained tight-lipped as she bent over, her head close to Ava’s belly, waiting for the baby to move. “Has she kicked yet?”
“I get some fluttering but the baby won’t do real acrobatics for another few weeks.”
“It must feel weird to have something inside you moving around.” Daisy extracted her hand and stood up. “Pregnancy freaks me out a bit.”
“It’s no different than having your man inside you. You get used to it.”
Spots of colour reddened Daisy’s cheeks and she cleared her throat. “I haven’t seen you around Sydney for a while. Did you move to Merton?”
“I’ve been here for a month. Didn’t you see my press conference regarding my resignation?”
When Daisy shook her head, Ava thought it was strange for her not to see it, since she was the catalyst for Ava’s move out of the city.
“I’ve been busy planning my wedding. I don’t watch the news.” There’s the old Daisy.
Trying hard to remain civil, Ava said, “Planning a wedding is an exciting time. How is everything going?”
“Don’t you mean how Elias is doing?” The iciness in Daisy’s voice cut Ava to the core. She knew it was a waste of time trying to be friendly to this girl. The bridge between them had long been burned.
“I was his friend and employer. I’m just asking an innocent question.”
Her lips pouted. “He’s fine. Back to his old ways of working so hard that I hardly see him. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t want to be with me.”
“He’s a workaholic. It has nothing to do with you. Men like Elias are hard to tame out of their ways.” She forced a smile of her own. “It was nice seeing you, Daisy. I better get back to work. Good luck for the future.” Not waiting for a response, she turned and walked briskly back to the office, allowing tears of defeat to stream down her face.
~ ~ ~
Elias glanced around his boxed-filled unit and bit back a curse. Daisy’s shit was everywhere, spilling onto his countertops, the dining room table, the couch, and even the bathroom. He used to take pride in his white-carpeted and white-walled bachelor pad before Hurricane Daisy blasted in. He couldn’t walk into the kitchen without side-stepping clothes, shoes, and jackets lying all over the floor. His two-bedroom unit was too small to accommodate the extra stuff.
He heard Daisy humming in the bedroom, probably shoving her clothes into his walk-in wardrobe. Okay, so he agreed in letting her move in, but not so soon. His impending wedding was five months away and weighed heavily on his mind. Every time he thought of Ava or the baby, he was struck by bolts of guilt. How could he shut himself out when all he wanted to do was be a good father?
Daisy emerged from the bedroom, holding an empty box. She tossed it into the growing mound by the front door. “That’s should do it. All my clothes have found a new home.”
Elias grabbed a perspiring beer in the fridge and drained it. “That’s wonderful, Daisy.”
Sensing some hostility, she brushed past him to grab her own drink. “I saw Ava the other day,” she said, her eyes studying him over the rim of the glass.
“What?” Elias jerked to a stop, his heart fluttering at the sound of her name. “When did you see her?”
“I bumped into her in Merton when I picked up my earrings. She’s looking good, Elias. Her belly is getting bigger.”
“Daisy, don’t do this. Don’t start a fight,” Elias scolded. “I’m too tired to deal with your jealousy. Leave Ava alone.” He swung his arm around the unit. “You got what you always wanted. You got my life.”
When Daisy slammed her glass down, Elias heard a crack, unsure if it was the glass or his granite countertop. “What do you see in her?” she asked through narrowed eyes. “Was it the red hair or her seniority? You know the reality is never like the fantasy. You would’ve seen her true colours eventually.”
Elias brushed his hand through his hair and turned his back, not wanting to look at her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m done discussing this, Daisy. We’ve had too many conversations about my ex-boss. Got it?” He walked towards the bedroom and heard Daisy marching after him down the hall.
“Don’t you walk away from me!” she shrieked.
Elias spun around and caught her wrists so fast she recoiled in fear. “When did you become so cold?” He loosened his grip on her and Daisy jerked away, cowering in the corner of the room. “What happened to you, Daisy? You’re not the same woman I grew up with. Fell in love with.” He sighed. “Look, I understand it’s been a testing time, but look where we are. We’re going to get married. Surely that would make you feel whole.”
A fire ignited behind her eyes and Daisy catapulted off the wall. “I lost a piece of my heart when you started fucking your boss!”
Elias’s blood ran ice cold before regaining his composure. Deny, deny, deny. “You’re yanking my chain, Daisy. Nothing happened between Ava and me.”
“Stop lying to me!” She ran to an open box and violently rummaged through it, tossing things over her shoulder. She pulled out an envelope and spewed its contents onto the bed. Piles of photographs covered the mattress, capturing Elias’s liaison with Ava at the shed and the park. He picked them up one by one as Daisy screamed at him.
“You broke me, Elias,” she cried. “You were supposed to remain faithful to me. That was all I asked! You defied and humiliated me by sleeping with that whore! I can’t imagine what you’ll be like when we’re married.”
Elias deserved every word Daisy threw at him because she was right. He’d deceived their relationship by ripping it apart, using his body to pleasure another woman.
But, as he studied the photographs, radiating with a combination of sickness and rage, he realised Daisy was also to blame. Her deceit would indelibly mark the end of their relationship. Enraged, he gathered a handful of photos and ripped them into shards, throwing them across the mattress. “Why did you accept my proposal if you knew about Ava?”
Daisy sat down on the edge of the bed, twisting her diamond engagement ring around her finger. “Do you think I’m stupid, Elias? Your proposal was nothing more than a distraction to what was happening at the office. You broke my heart going behind my back like that! You shattered it into a million pieces.”
“You had no right to follow me around like a stalker,” Elias shot back, trying his hardest to restrain the anger rolling inside him. “You betrayed my trust, Daisy. You and I are more similar than I thought.” He reached for her and she rebuffed him, shoving him away. “I had one indiscretion. Am I going to be punished for it for the rest of my life?”
“You mean the baby you put inside Ava?”
“What?” Elias glared at her, ignoring the cold chill sparking along his nape.
Her eyebrows cinched together. “I’m surprised you don’t deny it since you’ve been denying everything else.” She cocked her head to the side. “You wanna know how I found about your bastard child? I knew something was up for weeks leading up to the park. Ava’s face was seen less on TV and you were acting so strange and distant. I’d thought you were hooking up again. But when I followed you to the park and saw you stroke her belly, I knew in my heart that my fears had come true. You’re a cheater. Now, the whole country knows too!”
“I can’t believe I’m listening to this. You can berate me all you want, Daisy, but you acted just as badly.”
Daisy flew off the bed and shoved a trembling finger in Elias’s face. “Me? How am I the bad one here? Did I put my dick in another woman and act like it was okay? I feel like I’m losing control of this, Elias, and it scares me.”
Gritting his teeth, Elias crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m glad it frightens you because you don’t deserve my love, Daisy. I’m suffocating when I’m around you.” He marched to the wardrobe and yanked shirts and trousers off the hangers, tossing them onto the bed. Daisy watched on silently, her heated navy gaze glaring into him. The more clothes he buried into a bag, the more agitated she became. “Where are you going?”
“I’m out of here.” He heaved his backpack onto his shoulder and walked to the door. “I need time to think about us. I can’t be in the same room as you right now.”
“You’re going to her, aren’t you?” Derision dripped from her lips.
Unresponsive, Elias tore the bedroom door open and sauntered through the apartment. He growled with frustration when he ran into one of Daisy’s boxes, kicking it aside. He had no idea where he was going, but if he stayed another minute in this unit, he would do something he would regret.