Orion's POV

The silence hung thick in the air as Ava stood up, her movements slow and deliberate. She reached for her handbag, her fingers curling around it with a casual grace that set me on edge. Her face was unreadable, a mask of calm that I knew was hiding a storm.

My jaw clenched, bracing myself for whatever fury she was about to unleash, but she didn’t say a word. Instead, she took a step forward, her eyes never meeting mine.

As she brushed past Chloe and me, I caught the faintest hint of a smirk—cold, knowing, and somehow victorious. It was as if she had seen everything, knew everything, and found it all amusingly beneath her. That dry smile cut deeper than any words could. It was like she was telling me, ‘I’m not surprised.’

Chloe shifted beside me, her eyes darting from Ava to me, confusion and annoyance playing across her face. She opened her mouth, ready to say something, maybe to confront Ava, but I silenced her with a look. This wasn’t a moment for questions.

Even though I didn't fully understand what had just happened, I knew one thing: Ava had gotten under my skin, and she knew it. She’d played the entire scene as though she were the one in control.

I followed her, my steps measured, determined not to show any sign of the turmoil she’d caused. “Ava,” I called, my voice barely above a whisper, laced with an edge of warning. She paused but didn’t turn to face me, her back straight, shoulders relaxed, as if I were nothing more than an inconvenient shadow she had to tolerate.

“What?” she asked, her tone neutral, almost bored.

“You really think you can just walk out after that little scene at the bar? You're not gonna thank me?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady. But I couldn’t shake the bitterness that coated my words. The memory of her laughter with Connor, the casual way she leaned on him, danced mockingly through my mind.

Ava turned then, her eyes meeting mine with a detached indifference that twisted the knife in deeper. “Is there something you want to say, Orion?” she asked, tilting her head slightly, her expression one of mild curiosity.

For a second, I faltered, caught off guard by her audacity. This wasn’t the Ava I’d once known, the one I’d managed to abandon at the altar, the one I tricked and pulled as I pleased. This Ava looked at me like I was a stranger, someone insignificant. And it infuriated me.

“You seem awfully amused,” I said, taking a step closer, lowering my voice. “I saw you with him, laughing, like nothing ever happened.”

Her gaze didn’t waver. “Maybe because nothing did,” she replied, her tone icy, each word laced with defiance. “Connor seems like a breath of fresh air. Something you wouldn’t understand.”

I scoffed, trying to mask the sting her words had left. “You don’t get to parade around with him and then act like you’re the one with the moral high ground.”

A flicker of anger crossed her face, but she swallowed it down, her expression shifting back to that maddening calm. “Parade?” she repeated softly, her voice almost a whisper, like she was savoring the word. “That’s rich, coming from someone who has his mistress in bed every other night.”

I felt my fists clench involuntarily, a familiar anger rising. “Chloe knows where she stands. She doesn’t play games.”

Ava gave a small, humorless laugh, shaking her head. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? Control. You think you own people, Orion. You think everyone is just… a piece on your chessboard.”

I stepped closer, the air between us crackling with tension. “Careful, Ava,” I warned, my voice low. “You don’t want to push me.”

But she just looked at me, her gaze piercing through every shield I’d tried to put up. “Push you?” she repeated, a faint smirk tugging at her lips again. “Orion, if I really wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t need to push. I’d only have to walk away.”

With that, she turned, and I could feel the walls closing in, the empty echo of her words lingering in the air. I wanted to reach out, to grab her, to say something that would shatter her composure. But she walked down the hall and into her room without a backward glance, leaving me standing there, a sense of powerlessness twisting in my chest—a feeling I hadn’t known before her.

Chloe’s silence stretched as Ava disappeared into her room, the tension between us thickening with each second that passed.

“Well, that was cute,” Chloe said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she took a step closer. “You’ve really let her walk all over you, haven’t you, baby?”

I didn’t respond immediately, the weight of Ava’s words still pressing on my chest.

“Do you even see it?” she spat, the venom clear in her voice. “She thinks she’s got the upper hand. She’s walking around, as though she owns the place.”

Her words hit harder than I expected, and I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of guilt. Chloe was right. Ava is beginning to get on my last nerve.

“I know what I’m doing,” I muttered, but my voice lacked conviction. “And watch your tone when you speak to me.”

Chloe’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “Oh, do you now? Because it sure doesn’t look that way. You’re letting her think she’s in charge of everything.”

She walked around me, her pace slow and deliberate, like she was sizing me up, almost daring me to challenge her. Her hand brushed against my arm as she passed by, sending a surge of irritation through me.

Chloe had always known how to manipulate a situation to her advantage, and she was doing it now. But I couldn’t deny the point she was making—Ava had gotten to me.

“I’ve been patient with you,” Chloe continued, her voice low, intimate even, as if she was confiding in me. “But now it’s time we set things into motion. You can’t keep letting her think she’s in control. She needs to know her place. And I already have a plan.”

I turned to face her, the intensity in my eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and caution. “What are you talking about?”

Her lips curled into a sly grin, her gaze darkening. “I already told you about my plans. It's time to get them in motion.”

Chloe’s eyes locked with mine, and I saw something dangerous flicker in them—something far darker than I was used to. “That’s the only way she’ll back off and leave you alone. She needs to realize she’s not untouchable. She needs to know that no one walks away from you, not without consequences,” she whispered.

“Why do you care so much about this anyway?” I asked, my tone sharper now. “What’s in it for you?”

Chloe’s smile softened, but it was no less dangerous. She took a step closer to me, her fingers brushing lightly over my chest. “Because, Orion, I’m the one who’s been here all along. I’m the one who’s stood by you, who’s never wavered. And if you think I’m going to let some woman your father forced on you come in and take what’s mine, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Her words hit hard, but they were true. Chloe had been here. She had stuck around, playing her part, waiting for me to make her the priority. But Ava… Ava practically forced herself into my life.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the rush of conflicting emotions swirling inside me. Ava had crossed a line tonight, but so had I. My mind was still reeling from the moments I’d spent with her, from the way her touch had sparked something deep inside me, something I couldn’t control. I hated myself for it.

I turned to Chloe, meeting her gaze with a hardened resolve. “Do whatever you have to do, Chloe,” I said, my voice tight with a mix of anger and frustration. “Get her out of my life for good.”

Her lips curved into a wicked smile. “Consider it done,” she purred, her eyes dark with satisfaction. “Just leave it to me.”