Chapter 5 Chapter 5

ALEXANDER

Still couldn't get my mind off that woman. For the first time in my life, I was obsessing over a woman I couldn't even see clearly in my memories. The thought of marriage had always been a business consideration to me. Yet, here I was, entertaining the idea of binding myself to a complete stranger. Ridiculous.

Even as I drove to Isabella's house, that woman was all on my mind. Not that I would have attended this dinner at all had my sister not pleaded with me to make time for it.

Shortly after arriving and Isabella chattering about what not to be, she turned her head towards the door, beaming before bouncing away from me. This was when I noticed a young woman entering the hall.

"Ava! You made it."

Ava. Something about her captured my attention immediately. I couldn't tell what. Was it those intense dark, stunning eyes?

"Come, come!" After they'd hugged, Isabella took the woman by the hand, soon leading her in my direction. I noticed how she was making an effort not to look directly at me, which was one thing I found strange.suspicious.

"I don't think you two were properly introduced at the wedding," Isabella said as soon as they reached where I stood.

Our eyes met the second time, and now I was surer than ever of how quickly she looked away, before looking back at me.

"I... uh... yes," she smiled.

"Ava, this is my brother Alexander," then she Isabella faced me, "Alex, this is Ava, Blake's girlfriend. Isn't she just stunning?" Isabella beamed.

"I keep telling him he needs to find someone just like you," she told Ava, who barely smiled.

I extended my hand, noting how hers trembled slightly when she took it. Her skin was soft, familiar somehow.

"Pleasure," I said, studying her face. She was beautiful indeed.

"The pleasure's mine," she replied and withdrew her hand quickly.

A server passed with champagne, and Ava reached for a glass with perhaps too much enthusiasm. But before she could even take a sip, the glass slipped from her fingers and shattered at our feet.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," she stammered.

She bent to help clean up, but Isabella stopped her.

"Leave it dear, the cleaners will take care of it. These things happen." Isabella laughed, linking arms with Ava and leading her towards the dining room.

All drama aside, we all sat at the table for dinner. Ava took her seat with her boyfriend on the opposite side of the the table, directly across from me. Close enough for me to notice a mark on her neck.It was barely visible, but it was there, peeking above the neckline of the dress.

The kind of mark I remembered leaving on my mysterious visitor last night..

My glass froze halfway to my lips.

No, it couldn't have been.

I swear I was going to stop staring at her, not until she started to unconsciously touch her neck, right where that mark was.

"Alexander," Charles' voice cut my mind off.

"So glad you could join us tonight."

"Wouldn't miss it," I grunted dryly, suppressing the annoyance I felt when when Charles clasped my shoulder from behind before setting off to his own chair. Still didn't know what my sister saw in this man. Eight years in the business world taught me to trust my gut, and my gut was right about Charles Montgomery being nothing but trouble.

"We really must out some time to discuss some potential collaborations. Your experience in international markets could be invaluable to our expansion plans," Charles chimed in.

"I don't see how. Your domestic retail ventures hardly align with my international holdings," I said, finally twisting my fork in my plate for the first time.

"Surely there's room for discussion-"

I said nothing more, instead sending a glance at Ava, who was now studying her plate with unnecessary intensity

"No business talk at the dinner table. This is a family gathering," Isabella announced.

Right there. There was another mark on her collarbone, almost completely hidden by makeup. My mind immediately flashed back to last night when my teeth grazed that woman right there. I could still hear in my head how she gasped in the darkness.

"The wine's excellent," Blake said suddenly, "Don't you think so, Alexander?"

Now, what's this got to do with me?

"Indeed," I replied, not taking my eyes off Ava. And when I saw that she stared back at me, I added. "Though I find myself partial to whiskey these days"

"Excuse me for a bit," Ava suddenly announced, excusing herself from the table.

I watched her retreat, her steps just a touch too hurried to be casual.

I waited exactly two minutes before also standing up.

"Excuse me as well." I pulled out my phone and pretended to take a call while I followed in the same direction she'd just left to.

Following her wasn't exactly gentlemanly behavior, but I was past caring about propriety. The mystery has been driving me mad all day, and now that I had a suspect, I needed confirmation.

She left the room door slightly ajar. So I positioned myself in the adjacent hallway, phone pretentiously pressed to my ear, in case anyone passed by. From this angle, I saw her standing in front of the table staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Ava leaned close to the glass, fingers ghosting over her neck and those nail and bite marks. She then closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath.

"Dammit," she cursed.

Every cell in my body urged me to confront her right there. But I still waited. And when she came came out of that door, I deliberately stepped into her path so that she would bump into me.

Yes, that scent. It was the same.

She froze when she realized who she'd bumped into.

"I'm so sorry, I-"

"Where were you last night?" I asked icily, looking straight into those onyx eyes, watching color drain from her face so quickly I thought she might faint.

Just then, my phone buzzed and I had break the tension to stare down at the screen.

It was a message from my assistant.

"We've found the woman from last night, sir," the text read and I locked my eyes with Ava's again.