Orion’s POV

The afternoon hung heavy in the air as the conversation with Damien and his friend dragged on. I found myself almost forgetting the chaos that had surrounded my life recently, but just for a moment. It was good to laugh again, good to be surrounded by people who were easy to talk to, even if they didn’t know the whole story. We hung out for hours, the conversation drifting from one topic to another, the type of mindless banter that felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

But as the sun began to sink into the horizon, reality knocked at my door once again. It had been a while since I’d seen or heard from Ava, and I was beginning to miss her.

We’d spent the morning in silence, and now it was time to return. The driver was already waiting, and I reluctantly said my goodbyes. We promised to be in touch, though I had a gnawing feeling that the night might not go as smoothly as it seemed.

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, the hum of the engine barely noticeable against my thoughts. I dialed Ava’s number, twice, but there was no answer. My mind began to wander to the conversation I had earlier—so many thoughts cluttering my head. The lingering image of the man I had seen earlier in the day flashed through my mind. Where had he gone? Why is he here?

Arriving at the hotel, I stepped out of the car and moved through the lobby, my footsteps echoing in the near-empty hall. The elevator ride up felt slower than usual, each floor ticked off one by one. I reached our room but stopped dead in my tracks. The door was locked. Ava wasn’t inside.

A small part of me considered heading down to the receptionist to get the door unlocked, but then something stopped me. Maybe it was the lingering feeling that something wasn’t right, that something was about to happen.

Minutes passed, but it felt like hours. My frustration grew until the sound of a soft voice broke through the silence. "Can I help you, miss?"

My ears perked up, curiosity getting the best of me as I peered around the corner. A man was closing in on a woman, one who could barely stand, her steps swaying like she was intoxicated. Was she drunk? My breath hitched when I realized who it was. Ava.

As I started walking towards her, the strange man darted towards the other corner and disappeared from sight. I rushed to Ava, instinctively grabbing her waist, pulling her toward me.

She reeked of alcohol, and the sensation of her body against mine felt all wrong. Why had she gotten this drunk? Something was off, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. She clung to me, her lips crashing into mine in a messy, desperate kiss that left me breathless.

But I couldn’t stop myself. My mind screamed, What if I wasn’t here? What if that shady man had taken advantage of her? Even though Ava was usually strong-willed, this felt different. This wasn’t like her at all.

Just as I started to pull away, she did first, mumbling an apology before stumbling toward our hotel room.

She moved with a sense of purpose, as if she was fighting the effects of whatever had been done to her. And then, before I knew it, her legs were wrapped around mine as we got into the room, her body flush against mine as everything else melted away.

There was no stopping it. No rational thought. The frantic need that had been building inside me all these weeks took over, and we both spiraled into something that felt like the only real thing in the world. She was mine, and everything else seemed so far away.

Morning arrived with an onslaught. Both mine and Ava’s phone kept ringing, a persistent buzz that woke me from a restless sleep. I quietly untangled myself from her, covering her with the blanket before moving toward the bathroom to figure out what was happening. Something didn’t sit right with me. Not with the phone calls, not with the urgency of the situation.

I picked up my phone first, my assistant’s frantic voice cutting through the air. "Sir, it’s... it’s your wife. She’s all over the headlines. We need you here. We have to act fast."

I could feel the blood drain from my face. What the hell had happened?

My anger flared as I listened to my assistant talk about Ava’s supposed scandal, his voice trembling as he explained the details. "Set up a team to track every source connected to this. I’m flying in this morning."

A rush of determination flooded me. This wouldn’t stand. Ava didn’t deserve this, not after everything she had been through. I made a promise to myself: I would fix this, no matter what it takes.

I looked at Ava’s sleeping form, her phone lying next to her. I carefully switched it off and locked it away in the drawer, hoping she wouldn’t find it just yet.

The flight to New York was tense, my mind consumed with the events of the night and the threats closing in. When I arrived, I went straight to the company. My assistant had already set up a task force, but the work was overwhelming. We tracked every lead, every piece of footage, trying to get ahead of the storm. But no matter how many pictures and videos we took down, new ones kept popping up.

I knew that Ava must be wondering where I was, why I left without a word. But I couldn’t afford to think about that. I needed to fix this. I called Damien, knowing he would help.

"Can you check on my wife? Make sure she’s safe?" I asked urgently.

An hour later, he called back, and his voice sent a chill down my spine. "She’s already checked out. A man by the name of Mason Brown checked her out."

What the hell? When did Mason get there, and why was he involved? The rage that had been simmering inside me erupted, but I forced myself to stay calm.

And just when I thought things were a little bit under control, one of the team members working drew my attention to a new update.

My mother.

Her statement—her interview—was live, and it was a disaster.

Hurriedly, I picked up my phone and dialed her number.

“Why would you do this, Mother?” I shouted into the phone, my anger rising like an inferno. “Why would you want to ruin Ava’s life like this? I warned you to stop meddling!”

Her voice was cold, calculating. “Because she’s not good enough for you. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Everything I said about her was the truth.”

I felt my blood boil. “I warned you. I told you not to mess with my wife. And now look at this. Don’t blame me when I drag you to the mud, Mrs Pricilla.”

With a final, bitter breath, I hung up the phone, throwing it across the room. I couldn’t believe it.

Minutes turned to hours, but still, no progress. The pictures and videos kept coming, and I feared that Ava might have seen them by now. I called her phone again with my assistant’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Desperation clawed at my chest.

I couldn't stop myself from replaying the thoughts over and over in my mind. Here I am, distant, not by her side, yet he Mason is, claiming to be the hero again.

What would Ava think? What if she believes I've betrayed her? The guilt gnawed at me as I picked up the new phone I requested for, my fingers trembling as I searched for Rose's number. I needed to make things right, at least on the surface.

"Rose," I said, my voice cold with purpose. "Put everything on hold. All work-related activities—pause them. I need all hands on deck to fix this."

She hesitated. "What about the clients?"

"Get to them. Now. Also schedule a meeting with the board. We need everybody on this."

I heard her voice falter. "I hope she doesn’t hurt herself."

Her words were a sharp sting. I slammed my fist onto the desk, trying to stifle the anger boiling inside me. "She won't," I growled, more to myself than to her.

We worked tirelessly throughout the night, the weight of the situation growing heavier with each passing minute. As dawn broke, I had drafted a statement—a careful, controlled piece of damage control.

I sent it to Rose and scheduled the release. But just as I feared, the statement was leaked before we could even release it. It had been twisted and used to fuel the fire of the scandal, turning everything into a circus.

I couldn't run from this anymore. The time had come to make a choice. I muttered, almost to myself, "It's time I do what I should have done from the beginning."

I dialed Ava’s number again—my heart pounding in my chest. "It’s time for my wife and I to make a public statement."