Ava hadn't expected her first week at Cole Dynamics to feel like walking a tightrope suspended over old wounds.
Every floor she stepped on, every face she passed, reminded her she was now in Ethan Cole's world—a world that no longer had room for her heart, just her résumé.
Still, she pressed on.
She needed this job.
She needed the paycheck.
She needed to protect her secret.
But nothing prepared her for the man waiting at her desk Thursday morning.
He wore an expensive gray suit, tie loose around his neck, a crooked grin dancing on his lips.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Ava Bennett. Still allergic to texts, I see?"
She froze. That voice.
"Drew?"
"Don't act like you didn't miss me."
Drew Bennett—her cousin. A walking, talking cocktail of trouble and charm. He'd once been her best friend, before life pulled them in different directions.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed, glancing around nervously.
"I work here. Well, not on this floor," he added, scanning the space with amused eyes. "Didn't know you were joining the Cole circus."
Ava blinked. "You work here? Since when?"
"Since last fall. R&D team. I try not to mention it at family dinners. Grandpa still thinks I'm freelancing in Bali."
Ava gave a small, incredulous laugh—her first in days. "Of course he does."
Drew's gaze softened. "You okay? You look like you haven't slept in a week."
"I haven't. And you being here isn't helping."
He leaned against her desk, lowering his voice. "Is this about him?"
Her silence was answer enough.
Drew's eyes narrowed. "He doesn't know, does he?"
"Keep your voice down!" she whispered.
He straightened, raising his hands. "Alright. Alright. I won't say a word. But if he hurts you again…"
"He won't," Ava said firmly. "Because I won't let him close enough to try."
Meanwhile, Ethan stood at the glass wall of his office, watching the city stretch beyond him.
Lauren entered with her tablet. "Afternoon reports are in. Also, the firm from Tokyo called again. Want me to reschedule?"
Ethan barely looked away. "No. Set it for next Tuesday. And make sure the legal team is looped in this time."
Lauren nodded, then hesitated. "Sir… something else."
He turned. "Yes?"
"There's a Drew Bennett on the R&D floor. He requested access to the 12th floor to visit Ms. Bennett. Said they're cousins."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Approve it," he said after a beat. "But monitor future visits."
Lauren blinked. "You want security to watch her cousin?"
"I want professionalism, Lauren. Nothing more."
But deep down, Ethan didn't believe that. Because the way Ava looked at Drew? Like someone familiar. Trusted. Someone who knew the parts of her Ethan no longer had access to.
It gnawed at him.
Like maybe Ava hadn't just moved on—maybe she'd built an entirely new life.
That evening, Ava stood in her apartment, watching Liam color on the floor with his favorite dinosaur book beside him. She ran her fingers through his curls, her thoughts still tangled in the day's chaos.
Drew. Ethan. The job. The tension.
And worst of all—the phone call she'd avoided all week.
Her phone vibrated again. Jasmine calling.
She picked it up on the third ring.
"I was beginning to think you were dead," Jasmine said. "Or worse—back with your ex."
Ava let out a breathy laugh. "I'm not dead. And definitely not back with Ethan."
"But you saw him?"
"I see him every day now."
A long pause.
"Girl. You're braver than I am. I'd have burned that building down just walking past it."
Ava smiled faintly, curling her legs underneath her. "He's colder than before. Sharper. Like he built an empire on revenge and espresso."
"Sounds hot and dangerous."
"It's both."
"But seriously… have you thought about telling him?"
Ava looked over at Liam. "Every day."
Later that night, in a sleek, candlelit lounge downtown, another scene played out—one that Ava didn't know was coming.
Victoria Hale leaned back on a velvet booth, swirling red wine in her glass. Across from her sat a man with dark eyes and an expression like ice.
"Well?" she asked.
He slid a file across the table. "She has a kid. Name's Liam. Five years old. No listed father."
Victoria's brows rose.
"Well, well."
"Want me to dig deeper?" the man asked.
She smiled slowly. "Oh, I think I'll handle the next move myself. Ethan deserves to know what kind of secrets his precious Ava's been keeping."
She sipped her wine with satisfaction.
"Let's see how long their little reunion lasts when the truth comes knocking."
The next morning, Ava arrived early to the office, hoping for a quiet hour before the chaos started.
But her heart dropped the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
Because Ethan was already there.
Waiting.
He didn't speak as she approached, just looked at her with those unreadable eyes.
"I didn't expect you this early," she said carefully.
He studied her. "Didn't expect your cousin worked here either."
"Drew and I lost touch. I didn't know until yesterday."
"You seemed… comfortable."
She crossed her arms. "Is that a problem, Mr. Cole?"
He didn't flinch at the formality.
"No. Just curious."
There was a beat of silence between them. Heavy. Loaded.
"You're different," he finally said.
"So are you."
His gaze darkened. "I'm not the same man you left behind."
"And I'm not the same girl you once knew."
Strangers with history.
That's what they were now.
And neither of them knew what the hell to do about it.
Ethan watched her walk away, her scent lingering like a memory he couldn't shake. Ava had always been fire and ice—burning him and freezing him in the same breath.
He leaned back against the office door, closing his eyes.
"Damn it, Ava," he muttered. "Why now?"
He thought he was done with the past. But she was back. And not just with secrets—she was back with a child.
His jaw tightened.
Was the boy his?
No. She would've told him. Right?
A knock at the door snapped him out of his spiral. It was Mason.
"You good, man? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Ethan chuckled bitterly. "I think I have."
Mason studied him, then sighed. "You want my advice?"
"No," Ethan said. "But you'll give it anyway."
"You either dig up the truth or let her go again. But don't stand in the middle. That's how you get burned."
Ethan stared at the city skyline beyond the glass, fists clenched at his sides.
Let her go?
He'd tried that once.
And it nearly broke him.