Chapter 6 Chapter 6: The Company Too
Ava Duval
I woke up to the smell of coffee and the sight of Damian standing over me with a tray.
He smiled deeply when he saw I was awake, and I felt my stomach twist into knots because I knew how fake it was.
"Good morning..." He whispered sweetly as he handed the cup to me. "You can sleep in today. I've taken care of everything. The kids are already in school, and I've made breakfast for you."
He set down a massive tray piled with food, and I forced a laugh to pretend like I was excited. "Babe! This is so huge! Am I supposed to finish all these?"
His smile widened. "Yes, you're going to eat everything because the nutritionist recommended them."
His brow furrowed as if he just remembered something. "By the way, I tried to clear your hospital bills, but they said it was already paid for. I didn't know you had that amount…"
"No, no..." I cut in. "The owner of the hospital cleared them. He was the one who found me."
My eyes dimmed at the memory. Not just the car crash, but the dream I had last night.
It wasn't Damian I had seen in my dreams, but him... The stranger who saved me... the dream was so vivid that I could feel his broad shoulders and remember his scent. I shoved the thought aside.
"Whoever he is, I owe him my life."
Damian's voice pulled me back. "Your life?" He blinked. "If you died, I would be dead too." He sounded wistful. "My life would be bleak without you. That's why you are my life."
I forced a blush. I covered my face with the blanket and giggled just the way he would have expected me to. "Stop it. It's too early for this."
"Nothing is too early for you, babe. I'm sorry for being the reason your eyes lost their shine..."
"It's okay, baby." I squeezed his hands to my cheeks. "Let's put the past behind us."
He kissed my forehead and left for his study. When the door closed behind us, I set the tray aside and huffed, staring at the ceiling.
Put the past behind us? What a joke!
Later that afternoon, I showered and went to the kitchen to make some of his favourite dishes.
I had to play the doting wife for now until I came up with a better plan to save myself and my position at the company.
My mind wasn't on the so-called inheritance because it still felt like a dream to believe that all those things were attached to my name.
The children were still at school too, which was good because I didn't have to look at the painted faces and pretend I didn't know they were faking it.
When everything was plated, I carried the tray toward his study. I was about to knock when I heard his voice through the half-open door.
He was on the phone, grinning from ear to ear as if he had gotten the best news.
"She believes every single word, baby." He chuckled. "She thinks we're fighting. That you ran away after abandoning the kids."
I stopped, and my hand hovered over the door.
"Also, do you know we've just hit the biggest jackpot in history?" He paused, listening to Serena's shrill voice on the other end.
"I confirmed my suspicions last night. She's the biological daughter of Marcus Vance, Arthur Vance's granddaughter. The inheritance is massive, baby. I have verified the documents from reliable sources!"
He laughed again. "Do you know how much she can bring us now if we keep up this charade? I thought having her sign those papers and kicking her out of the company was the only way out, but I'll revise the clause. I'll make sure her inheritance comes straight to me once she signs over Blackwood Tech. At this rate, she trusts me completely. She'll say yes in a heartbeat."
I stood there. I already knew all of this. I had the files on my phone. But hearing him say it... in that smug, satisfied tone, made my blood run cold instead of hot.
He shuffled papers. "How is our child doing? I hope he isn't giving you trouble. I sent all the maids over. You aren't to lift a finger. No, baby…Ava will take care of the children, so you have a safe pregnancy journey. You know how troublesome they get. I don't want you stressed. Ava will do all that, okay? I'll make sure she doesn't hurt them. Don't worry your pretty little head about anything."
I turned on my heels to return the tray to the kitchen... It was a good thing that my phone was always by my side and always on record since I came back. Now, I got more undeniable proof.
He wanted my inheritance. He wanted our company. He wanted me to raise his mistress's children while she birthed another one.
All this while standing back and watching her toy with my life when I was giving birth five years ago, and taking my kidney... And he believed I would trust him.
Trust.
I grabbed Damian's car keys from the hook and drove out of the estate with only one purpose in mind... To secure my place in Blackwood Tech first.
On my way to the company, I made a call to one of the men I could trust, Mark Hollis. One of our earliest shareholders who believed in my ideas when I proposed them, while Damian had been against it and was all playing safe.
"Mr. Hollis," I said, my voice steady. "This is Ava Duval. I need you to gather the shareholders, the ones you trust, and meet me at Blackwood Tech in forty minutes."
"Is everything okay, Ava?" He sounded worried. "I'll be on my way. Will Damian be coming over?"
My heart skipped a beat. "No. This meeting is about him, so he wouldn't be included. There are things you need to see and know."
There was a pause on his end before he finally responded. "I'll be there."
The receptionist's face went pale the minute I stepped into the company.
"Mrs. Ava... I didn't know you were coming. I would have alerted the CEO."
"Alerted the CEO?" My brows pulled together. "I am also the CEO. Damian and I both own this company. What are you saying?"
She gulped, fidgeting. "Well, since you haven't been here in months... We, uhmm... The CEO said you were recovering from your, eh, mental stuff. He took over. He showed us signed papers that you handed over some of your rights."
What? Damian was throwing lies around the company that I was mentally unstable?
Thinking about it now, I remembered signing some papers for him a few months back, but I didn't think too much about it because I trusted him with my life. How pathetic.
Instead, I smiled. "Thank you. I'll speak to him about it, personally."
I walked past her toward the elevator. But I didn't go to Damian's office. I went to the private conference room, and everyone was already there.
I closed the door and slid a folder I had prepared on my way here across the table.
They all looked at me silently before reaching out and reading the documents I had on him.
His fraud, embezzlement, and more of the dirty things he did with the company's name. This was a start, and the only way to let them believe that I was the best fit for the CEO position…
Jane picked up a page. Her eyes widened. "This is... extensive." She looked up. "But... Why? Are both of you having issues at home?"
"Yes, and no," I answered the best I could.
"I just found out this recently, after I realized that he had been cheating on me and using the company's funds to fund the woman's lifestyle. Which is why I had to dig deeper..."
Mark closed the folder with his mouth pressed into a thin line. "We'll need to verify everything."
"No problem. I trust your judgement."
I didn't go home, but drove to a cafe across town while I messaged one of the good lawyers I knew. Because I was going to flip the script on Damian before he saw me coming.
My phone buzzed soon enough with a confirmation, and I was about to stand up and leave when the bell rang, and a familiar figure stepped inside the cafe.
