AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A
va woke up that morning with a heavy heart. Her mind was cluttered with doubts, questions, and fear.
I have to tell Dad about that meeting.It was all she could think about. Yesterday had stretched on longer than she wanted and all she craved for was to talk to her father and get the whole thing off her chest, but every time she had opened her mouth nothing came out.
When she got up and found her father in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table leaning over a newspaper with an empty stare, slowly rubbing his wedding ring as he always did when he thought of her mother. He looked up at her.
“I was hoping I’d see you before you left for work.”
“Me too,” Ava said handing him a cup of coffee. She took in a deep breath for courage. Now or never. “There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“About the meeting?”
Rubbing her hands together, she exhaled deeply. “...Yes...” She watched him take a sip from his coffee.
“Is something wrong?” he wondered.
“No… Yes… Kinda. I… well, it’s hard to say, Dad. Even harder because I am seriously considering doing it.”
Her father smiled innocently. “So? Are you gonna do it?” His voice had a youthful excitement to it.
“Wait. You already know about the offer?”
“Yes. It is a blessing, Ava.”
“Really?”
She was shocked. Almost speechless.
“Of course… who would not want to—”
“Marry Benjamin Radcliff?” “Accept a job at the Radcliff non-profit.” They both finished the sentence at the same time.
“Marriage?” “Non-profit?” They both blurted simultaneously again and exchanged confused looks.
A loud knock at the front door interrupted them. With a bit of relief, Ava rushed to the door to silently thank whoever just saved her from this awkward conversation. That is, until the door opened and nobody less than Benjamin Radcliff in real-life flesh and blood was standing in front of her.
He smiled at her as soon as he saw her. “May I come in?”
Ava stepped out and closed the door behind herself.
“What do you want?”
“To ask for your hand in marriage,” he joked. Neither his tone nor his words went down well with her.
“Do you think this is a joke?”
Benjamin stopped smiling. “I don’t know, Ava. You tell me. Is losing your home and a billion dollars a joke?”
Ava lowered her gaze. For the first time, she was confronted with Ben’s side of the whole situation.
“You wouldn’t be the only one losing a home. My father has lived here for forty years. I was raised here too.”
“I know. I saw you lurking in the gardens like a stalker when we were kids.”
Ava felt the heat of anger flush on her cheeks. This guy was truly unbearable.
“I pitied you. You should be grateful that somebody was willing to spend time with you when your lonely sad face roamed the property like an abandoned puppy.”
