Her Sweet Revenge (Sequel; His Sweet Victim)

3 years later...

I wipe my hands on my dress pants for the thousandth time this, as I look out my wide office windows. It has the perfect view of New York City, just a few blocks away from the Empire State building. I had chosen this exact location because of this view.

The inter-com on my desk crackles, before my secretary Sandra's voice shouts through the speaker. "Mr. Bradford, your 6 o'clock is here."

"Thank you Sandra, send her up, " I say and press the lock button under my desk, which unlocks the deadbolt to my office door. Seconds later, the door bangs open.

"Hello darling, so wonder to see you again."

I slap on a fake smile. "Mother, you look lovely as always, you haven't aged a day." I walk around my desk to give her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

She slaps my shoulder playfully. "Oh, Ashton, you always know how to keep me young. However, I'm not here for pleasantries, unfortunately. I'm actually here for business, " she says and takes a seat in front of my desk. She removes her satin gloves daintily, and I hold back the urge to chuckle. My brother and I had always claimed she was a germaphobe, but she argued that she was too proper for such a 'disease', as she called it.

"Oh? That is surprising. What can I do for you, mother?" I lean back against my desk next to her. Whenever my mother has business, it usually means she needs money.

She purses her lips and looks down to rummage through her purse. I notice then, that she has a very bland looking purse, compared to the high-end, designer bags she has carried before. This one looks like something bought at Wal-Mart.

"Read this, " she says, and handed me a thin, folded paper. I raise a brow at her, but she just pushes the paper towards me again. My eyes quickly scan the paper, before it finally registers.

"You're completely broke. Are you serious? What happened to the 50, 000$ I gave you last month?" I narrow my eyes at her and slam the paper down on my desk.

"It's not just me, Ashton, it's your father's company. The investors he handed it over to, since you and your brother refused to run it, have now driven it into the ground, and they are refusing to stand by it. They are filing for bankruptcy."

"Which means you will be completely broke, right?" I scoff and walk away from her to pace the room. I walk back over to the window and look out at the view again. It is the only thing that can calm me.

"Look, I'm not asking you for money, alright? I need a favor, a business favor." I stop and look back at her.

"What exactly is that? Coming from you, even if it's in the manor of business, can't be good."

She rolls her eyes at me, not even pretending to be offended or hurt by my insult. That is how our relationship has become, ever since the day that changed my life.

The day I lost the last little bit of light and purpose in my life.

Ava.

A pair of bright green eyes flash before me. I shake my head to try and vanish them, but their beauty lingers in my mind.

"Are you listening to me?" my mother snaps.

"What do you want from me, mother?" I ask and narrow me eyes at her again.

"I want to make a proposition to you, in order to save your father's company." She stops and takes a deep breath, which only means she is building to deliver bad news. "There is a business partner, who is interested in your father's company, and believes he can really rise in from the ground up, and on legal terms this time, with a better name and reputation."

"That's great, so why do you need me? He seems like the perfect fit, give the company over to him, turn on the charm, and work a deal with him where you still make a percentage of the company, to keep funding your lavished lifestyle." I toss my hand up as a silent good-bye and walk back over to the window. I can see in the reflection, that she isn't moving.

There is more to this.

"Ashton, please, sit down, " she asks, and gestures to my office chair in front of her. I glower, but do as she asks. I flop into my chair and keep my eyes narrowed at her, but she remains calm and confident, like always.

"Like always, you know me too well. I have already tried to make a deal with him, and there is only one way he is going to continue to keep our name on the company at all, which is something I know your father would have wanted at the very least."

"Again, I fail to see what this has to do with me, and why you made me cancel all my meetings todays, so we could meet over this. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to marry his daughter, so our families will be connected, and we keep the family name on the company, our sharing's and stocks."

I hear what she says, but can't register it. I blink at her a couple times, before it finally hits me, and so does the rage.

"Are you out of your mind? What in the world makes you think I would ever agree to that? I don't care if the family name is on the company, or if we keep anything that should do with that dirty company, and the money it has made. I want nothing to do with my father's company, I thought I had made that very clear." I rose to my feet and slammed my hands down on the desk.

She hadn't flinched, and kept her composure.

"You will do this, because you know your father did whatever he could to put a roof over our heads, give you the best education the country had to offer, and the best childhood any kid could ask for. Regardless of how or where he got the money from, he did everything for us, because he loved us. Don't you ever forget that."

We glared at each other for a few minutes, before I let out a slow breath and stepped back.

"I'm sorry mother, I don't agree to this, and I never will. Try your luck with Charles." I tried to wave her off again, but she stood and went through her purse again. She put another paper down on the table. I recognized it instantly, it was a paper I had seen many times for many situations.

A contract.

"What the hell is this?" I sneered.

"The contract, agreeing that you and her will attempt a relationship. If she, for whatever reason, decides that it doesn't work out, then the deal is off and you have disappointed me yet again."

"And what if I decide it isn't going to work out?" I raised a brow.

"That doesn't matter, this is a deal from her father, who has also promised a hefty contribution towards your company."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "So, he's bribing me. Why does this man seem so eager to marry off his daughter? I thought we were long passed arranged marriages at this day and age."

"He wants her to become someone, since she seems set on wasting her life away, and her father's fortune. He hopes she will one day take over his company, so he wants her to try and help him run your father's company for the time being. He believes, if she is paired off with a sophisticated and responsible man, such as yourself, who also already knows the ins and outs of the entire company, that you can teach her how to be responsible and run a proper business–"

"And, also teach her everything she needs to know about father's company, and how to run it, " I finished for her. She was too predictable.

"She is a lovely girl, very attractive and only two years younger than you."

The same age as Ava.

She would be 21-years-old now, and I could only imagine just how much her beauty has grown. The thought of that just clawed at the gaping hole in my chest, where my heart once sat.

There has been a hole there since the day I realized I had lost Ava again. This time, it seemed permanent. It has been three years since I last saw her, and no matter how much I had searched for her, I eventually ran out of hope and finances. My Uncles, Lucien Bradford, is still behind bars and probably will be for a very long time, so there was no one for me to work with anymore.

I had to find another form of income, and that was when I decided to go back to school, and take a year course in business and engineering.

Now, I am the CEO of a major insurance company, in the heart of New York City.

"Can you agree to at least meet her? I guarantee you, you are going to love her. She's beautiful, fun, lively–"

"Alright, if will get you to leave, " I cut her off and let out a frustrated breath. My mother beamed at me and clapped her hands. "That doesn't mean I am agreeing to marry her, but yes I will at least meet her. Just, leave the details of when and where to meet her with Sandra, and I'll call you after."

I turned and unlocked the door for her. I was glad to see her put her gloves back on and grab the papers before she slipped out the door. A few minutes later, Sandra knocked on the door and walked in to give me papers. It was the details of meeting the daughter. Her name is Amber, which isn't an unattractive name, but still wasn't enough to get my hopes up.

I thanked Sandra and bid her farewell, and turned back to the large view of the city. The sun is setting slowly, giving the skyline a bright orange and pink glow that lit up my room in a dark red. I took a few deeps breaths, before I turned back to my desk and gathered my things. I told Sandra she was done for the night and walked over to the elevator.

When I arrived home, I tossed everything in my hands on the counter and went over to my master bathroom immediately. I needed a long, hot shower after that meeting with my mother, and what I was expecting for the night to come. After my shower, I picked up the detailed paper again as I walked over to my bedroom to pick out an outfit.

It said to meet her at a French restaurant downtown for 8 o'clock and wear something nice. There was a number there as well, I assumed hers. I tossed the paper after I got the key details, and didn't bother to look at it again after I was ready. I already knew where the place was and the time, that was all I wanted. Even if she offered me her number later, I didn't want it. This was just a meeting to make my mother satisfied, before I ripped that contract up in front of her, and banned her from my building. I would put a restraining order on her if I had too.

I took a deep breath and faced the front doors of the restaurant. I walked in and asked the waitress at the front for a woman named Amber. She seemed to know who I was right away, and grabbed a menu to lead me off. I was brought to the back of the place, where the lights were dimmed a little more, and not many people were sitting. There was a pretty redhead seated at a table at the very far end, exactly where I was led.

"Hello, you must be Ashton, " she said, and a sly smile slid across her face. I got a bad feeling instantly. She held her hand out to me, and I grudgingly kissed the back of it, before I sat down. "My, you are just as handsome as you mother said you were."

I offered her a tight smile, just as the waitress returned with her pad and pen. I breathed a sigh of relief and picked up my menu.

"Just a bottle of your most expensive wine please, " Amber spoke up. I caught her just as she winked at the waitress, and she scurried off. "Gives us a chance to look and see what we want, " she said and smiled at me. There was something sleazy about her smile that I was not attracted to in the slightest.

I remembered that was the first thing I had fallen for, when I first met Ava. She had the cutest smile, that the more I glimpsed, the more beauty I saw. The way it made her eyes light up, and small dimples appear on her cheeks.

Amber looked down at her menu, giving me the chance to close my eyes for a few seconds and remember. Even after all these years, I still remembered everything about her.

"What looks good to you?" Her high-pitched voice broke through my thoughts. I had no idea, so I looked at the first thing on the menu and picked that. She smiled and waved the waitress back over for us to order. It was simple small talk after that, though I barely held interest in the conversation at all. I just want the night to end.

"Hey, you up for a little adventure after this?" she asked, her dark brown eyes sparkling. "There's a carnival in town this weekend, and it's not far from here. Want to go? I haven't gone to one in years."

Just the idea of a carnival, was enough to get me thinking about Ava again. I cursed myself silently. I wasn't sure why I was thinking about her so much today. It has been three years, and I had thought about her from time to time since then, but not as much as now. Maybe it was the idea of moving on, for the first time since her.

I had slept with a few girls, but it was never more than one night, and I never felt anything. No matter how hard I might have tried. I compared every girl I had met to Ava, and they never measured up, so, I never bothered.

"So, what do you say?" Amber nudged me.

"Oh, yeah, sure." I was just going to let her drag me around, anyway. There was no point in trying to enjoy it, I already knew I wasn't going to. Amber jumped excitedly, and we quickly finished our meal to head off.

As I had predicted, I wasn't fazed by the bright flashing, neon lights that I had loved so much before, and had brought me good memories with Ava.

Amber grasped my hand and pulled me through everything, stopping everywhere, like she had never been to a fair or carnival before. I let her pull me along to a few rides, even though some of them I hated, it was helping the night pass quicker.

Eventually, she stopped and said she was hungry. "I'll go get us a hot dog or something, " I said and rushed off before she could protest. I ran over to the closest hotdog cart and stood in the long line. I needed a breath of fresh air from her, she was almost suffocating me. She was too clingy and feely and it made me uncomfortable. I barely knew her.

You barely knew Ava.

The small voice itched at the back of my head, and I tried to will it away. I shook my head and looked around to focus on something else.

That was when I saw her.

Everything around me stilled, and all I could see was the petite woman standing a few feet away from me, in line at the food cart next to mine. She looked so different, her once long brown hair cut into a short, spiky bob, and her body and face more mature than when I had last saw her.

But when she turned her head slightly, there was no mistaking those eyes.

Those beautiful, bright green eyes.

I found you.

Without thinking, I started moving forward towards her, my heart threatening to leap out of my chest as I neared her. I was a couple feet away now, but she still hasn't seen me. I wanted to call out her name, my breath hitched in my throat at the sight of the smile I missed so damn much.

But the sound of a tiny giggle rang in my ear, and made me stop dead in my tracks. I looked down at the tiny human at her feet, the one she was tending too. She turned her head to wipe something off the side of her cheek, and my blood ran cold.

I got a full glimpse of a beautiful little girl, with dark brown hair – and bright blue eyes.

My heart stopped.

She is the spitting image of Ava!

Not only that – she has the exact same eyes as me.

And looked no older than three-years-old.

My stomach turned, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I couldn't take my eyes off the little girl who clung to Ava's leg.

It was her, it was definitely her. I would know that smile and those eyes anywhere.

So, who was the child? She had to be Ava's daughter, there was no doubt, she was the spitting image of her.

And her eyes.

They looked so much like mine, maybe a shade or two a darker blue.

I wanted to approach her, but my feet wouldn't allow me. I was glued to the spot, my mouth dry as the Sahara Desert, all the moisture in my body was sweating out my hands and forehead.

God, she still looks so beautiful.

I watched as she is handed a caramel covered apple, and leans down again to hand it to the little girl. She thanks the person behind the counter with a sweet, breathtaking smile, and turns towards me. I still can't move, her eyes roam over the crowd.

And land on me.

That sweet smile is wiped off her face, and is replaced with a frightened look.

Frightened? Why does she look so scared?

My feet moved on their own, and I started walking towards her.

"Ashton?" She breathed my name, her voice coming out in a silky whisper, her blood red lips parted slightly. I like that color of lipstick on her, it made her look all the more tempting, paired with her white, strapless summer dress, that hugged her body in all the right places, and flowed out just above her knees, leaving much to the imagination.

I shook my head and stopped, the sound of my name on her lips after so long sent my heart into a frenzy. I want to reach out to her, feel her skin against mine, kiss her until I passed out. Air? What the hell was air? Who the hell needed it, when the only thing I ever needed to live is right in front of me, just as perfect looking as the day she left.

My legs finally regained movement, and I walked towards her. Before I could get a foot closer, she picked up the little girl and dashed off the other way.

"Ava, wait!" I called after her, but she weaved through the crowd like smoke, and was gone. I tried to run after her, but there are too many people, and even with my 6-foot frame, I can't see her over the sea of bobbing heads.

I continued to try and push my way through, until I eventually landed myself in the parking lot. I was glad to avoid the area where I had left Amber, though I have a feeling she wasn't there anymore, and was wandering around looking for me. My eyes scanned the entire lot, until by some miracle, I spot her tiny frame as she rushes over to her car.

She takes her keys out of her pocket and opens the door for the little girl, to buckle her into her car-seat. I rush after her, and I already know she senses my presence. I see her back tense when I stop just a few feet away. She finishes buckling in the girl, and turns those killer green eyes on me.

"What are you doing here?" she asks. Just the sound of her voice, and my heart is pounding in my chest. I missed her voice so much, I never realized how much it killed a part of me inside.

"I should be asking you that, " I manage to utter out. I'm still getting over the fact that she is here, right in front of me. I have dreamt of this day for years, I never thought it would come true.

"I don't have time to explain this, I need to get my daughter home to bed." She stops suddenly, as if realizing what she just said.

She is her daughter!

Ava turns back towards her car, like she is making another break for it. I won't allow her this time. I move faster than her, and I pin her lightly against the car next to us, thanking the gods that it doesn't have a car alarm.

"A-Ashton, my daughter is in the car!" she cries, and gestures to the wide-eyed girl, staring at us through the window.

"You look beautiful, " I whisper in her ear. I feel her shudder underneath me, and it makes my body feel all kinds of things it hasn't felt in a while.

"I can't do this right now, please let me go." Her voice is trembling, and I'm afraid I hurt or scared her. I let go of her hands and take a step back, but not enough for her to get by.

"I'm not going anywhere, my sweet Ava. I've been looking for you for three years, and I find you out of the blue like this? What makes you think I'm letting you go so easily?" I stare directly into her eyes, wanting her to know how serious I am. That I have longed for her touch for so long, I wasn't going to give her up without a fight.

She gazes right back up at me, her emerald green eyes holding so many emotions, I wasn't sure which one to focus on. Anger, sadness, regret, joy, confusion.

"Please, Ashton, I need to go." She manages to muster up enough strength to push me away a little and get around to her car. Just before she closes it, I put my hand between and stop it, giving her one last pleading look.

"I'm not giving up, Ava. I'll see you soon, " I whisper to her through the crack. She bites her lip, in the nervous way I always liked. She goes to close the door again.

"Wait!" I call out to her. She rolls down her window and gives me a questioning look. "What is her name?" I ask, and look to the little girl, now sound asleep in the back. Ava glances at her, and her eyes soften momentarily, before she looks back at me with hard determination.

Determination to keep me out. But why?

"Emily, " she says, so softly, the wind almost carried it away. She closes her door, and backs up as quickly as she can. Before her car disappears completely, I snap a picture of her license plate, and make plans to call up an old friend.

***

I walk into the small coffee shop in downtown Manhattan, and order two black coffees. It has been a week since I last saw Ava, and a week since I met Amber. It was quite the shit show, after I had eventually found her at the carnival, and explained that I ran into a work colleague, and we got talking some business. She bought the whole thing, which was all I cared about.

Apparently, though, that wasn't enough to put in a bad word for me with her father, and have her cancel the whole arranged marriage crap. My mother was in my office the next morning, gushing about how great of a time Amber said she had, and how attracted she is to me.

I had to suppress the urge to shudder when she had said that. I'm not the least bit attracted to her. That isn't due to a certain green-eyed beauty. Even if I hadn't miraculously found Ava, I still would not be attracted to her.

Once I have my order of coffees, I seek out the farthest table in the shop, where the least number of people are huddled around. Not moments after I have sat down, the bell for the front door rings, and a familiar face walks in, a wide grin on his lips.

"Ashton Bradford, as I live and breathe, " he said and comes in for a hug. "How have yeah been, mate? I was quite surprised to hear you had called, I almost called my assistant a liar."

"You know me, Lucas, I'm all over the map now a day, I don't have much time for anything."

He gives me a curious look.

"You aren't still looking for her, are you?" he asks quietly.

I just smile in response, and rolls his eyes. "Ashton, what have I told you? You need to give up this wild chase, it's been three years. She's an adult now and probably out on her own, and if she wanted to find you, she would have. I'm sorry, it hurts to hear, but–"

"I found her, Lucas."

His eyes bulge out of his face and his mouth drops to the table.

"Y-you found her? You mean, you actually found her? Without my help, or anyone's help?"

I scoffed at how little faith he has in me.

"I didn't need anyone's help. Honest, mate, it was like it was fate that I met her. She was just standing there, like she appeared right in front of me. I couldn't believe it myself, until I saw who she was with, " I trail off slowly.

Lucas leans in, as if to silently urge me to continue.

"She had a child with her, her daughter."

Lucas does a double take and blinks rapidly at me. He went to open his mouth, then shuts it again.

"You can't be serious?" he whispers loudly. "Are you sure it was her daughter? And not like a friend's kid she was babysitting or something?"

I nod. "She said right to me, that it was her daughter. I don't think she had meant for me to know, because she looked like she regretted it the moment she told me. I asked what her name is, just before she left. She named her Emily, " I say, and I can hear the soft tone of admiration in my voice. She chose a perfect name, it matched the little girl well.

Lucas gives me another curious and cautious look.

"Why do you look all sappy and shit right now? I thought you would be upset, she has a kid with someone else. It's not like she is your daughter."

I just stare at him, and try to keep a good poker face. But knowing Lucas, he sees right through it. It's not long, until he narrows his eyes at me, and then widens them.

"She is your daughter, isn't she? You, and Ava – had sex that night before, and then – mate! Why did you never tell me this? I'm your best friend, we're supposed to tell each other shit like this, " he cries and punches me in the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, it was a pretty hard time, all I can remember caring about was the fact that she was gone, and I needed to get her back. I didn't even remember that I didn't use condom until now, I hadn't even thought about it."

"So, then wait. How do you know she's your daughter then?" Lucas asks.

"Because she looks no older then 3-years-old, and has almost the exact same eyes as me. It makes perfect sense, if I can find out when her birthday is, I can know for sure."

"Why don't you just ask Ava yourself? Would she not know?"

I frown, and remember the exchange between Ava and I in the parking lot. "That's easier said than done. Anyway, that sort of has to do with why I called you here."

"I had a feeling you needed something, " he says and lifts a brow. "I'm assuming you need my connections and tech, am I, right?"

I nod. "As smart as always, Lucas."

"I'm not a part of the CIA due to pure luck."

I roll my eyes at him. He's always finding a way to boast about his new job. I'm proud of him, but I get it already.

"What is it you need?" he asks.

I take out my phone and flip to the picture, before sliding it across the table to him.

"I need you to take this license plate, and find out everything you can about the owner."

He nods and sends the picture to himself. He doesn't need to ask who the license plate belongs too. The foot of our conversation has covered that.

"I'll get right on it, and call you if I find anything useful, " he says and bids me farewell. I finish my coffee and think the day over. It has felt like everything that has been hovering above me, my dark cloud of negativity, has finally released all its pent up crap, and has rained down the good shit.

For once, in what has been 3 years, I felt a genuine smile tug at my lips, at the thought of the secret family I always longed for, and never knew I already had.

Whatever it takes, I will get her back.

I barely slept all night. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Ava. I opened my eyes, and I thought of Ava. I play on my phone to distract me, and I search up Ava. It was an endless, sleepless cycle, until my alarm clock had rung early in the morning, waking me for yet another dull work day.

I expect a visit from my mother, I wouldn't be surprised if she is already there waiting for me. I kept checking my phone the entire drive to my office, thankful for a personal driver to chauffer me around, waiting to receive any message from Lucas. I hoped Ava would reach out to me, but I knew there was no way for her to contact me, unless she really did her research, through something told me she isn't interested.

Yet.

I don't know what is making her push me away so much, if it has been the distance in years, or a decision she made a long time ago, when she found out she was pregnant.

My mind swirled with so many questions; why didn't she tell me? Was that the reason she up and left? Couldn't she have at least called on a disposable phone, and let me know I had a daughter? Was that not something the father, the other half of the creation, should know, or have the option to be a part of the child's life?

I hate thinking about it, because instead of making me sad and motivating me to get her back, it made me angry. To this day, it's extremely hard to be mad at Ava for any reason, but when it comes to the subject of having raised our daughter, and keeping the secret from me for so long, I felt myself more emotionally sensitive and vulnerable than I have been, since the day she left without a trace.

Like she had never existed.

I had no physical memory of her, just whatever was in my head, and what I was able to hold onto throughout the years; which is pretty much everything about her. Every single minute of every day we had spent together, I remember it all. Like it was yesterday.

My office door in view, I try to clear my mind and get in business mode, before I smile at my assistant and pick up my mail and calls for the day. I quickly turn around before she can say anything else, and walk into my office.

I am not surprised to see my mother, sitting pretty on my sofa, wearing her usual white, silk gloves and designer hand bag. She smile tightly at me, and I already know what she is going to say.

I left Amber alone at the fair, and she knows it.

I want to humor her anyway, and maybe find out just how she found out herself.

"What are you doing here, mother? We don't have an appointment today, and I have a rather full schedule, " I say and toss my coat onto the chair opposite of her, and taking a seat behind my desk, as far away from her as possible.

"I think you know exactly why I am here, so start talking, " she says, her tone sharp and eyes narrowed into slits. If I was a child, I would think that the very pits of hell were about to swallow me live from the ground I stood on. Now, that look has no effect on me, and I am able to keep a perfect poker face.

"I honestly have no idea why you would be here, I have nothing to talk about with you, like usual." I try and keep my usual dry, sarcastic humor with her, but she keeps her eyes narrowed on mine, not budging the slightest. "Can you please just tell me what you're going on about, so I can get on with my day?" I ask, and she finally cracks and rolls her eyes.

"I know that you ditched Amber at the fair, and I want to know where you went, and who you were with?" she asks.

"What are you talking about? If you are implying I was anything short of a gentleman that night, I suggest you give her father a call. We had a great chat last night, and he says his daughter has nothing but great things to say about our time together, that I had kept her entertained and happy throughout the night. I'm sure he can vouch for me." I turn and flip open my laptop to try and signal to her that I am done with this conversation, but she doesn't move from the couch.

"Oh, please, I know all about the fake story she fed her father. I'm not sure why she would do that, but I have a very wild guess. Either way, I know what really happened and how furious she was after you told her to wait alone, then never came back. I know you were with someone. Who was it?" she continues to press.

"Like I said, mother, I had a great night and so did Amber. I'm not sure why you're the only one who isn't happy, when you're the one who pushed for this so much, " I say and raise a brow at her. She huffs, but has been rendered speechless.

"This isn't over, Ashton. You are hiding something, and I am going to find out what. You are not going to ruin this for me, for our family." She turns on her heel and storms out of my office, slamming the door dramatically behind her. I briefly see the surprise on my assistant's face when she sees my mother, before I'm staring at the dark wood door.

I let out a frustrated breath and dig for my phone in my pocket. I almost jump when I see I have a text from Lucas, telling me to message him back my office address. I quickly respond and tell my assistant that he is coming, and to just let him through the door as soon as he arrives, no clearance needed.

When he arrives, I rush him into my office and demand to know everything he has dug up.

"Alright, I wasn't able to find a whole lot, because it turns out that car isn't hers, it's a company car. It's licensed under the name Sinful Temptations, and I tried to look up the name, but I'll spare you the details of my search. Anyway, it didn't give me her name or address, if she is maybe using a fake name."

"So, you're saying we have nothing?" I grumble.

Lucas shakes his head. "Patience, my friend. Just for you, I called a friend who is a whiz when it comes to finding missing persons and asked for a favor. I gave him Ava's name and rough description based on what you told me, and all the information I was able to find on her parents and their companies." He reaches into his pocket and tosses a few folded papers at me.

I reach over eagerly and snatch the papers, earning a small chuckle from Lucas. I scan the papers with wide eyes, and feel my heart speed up with every word. His friend was able to find the address of the company her car was registered too, and her parents address now. There is a chance she is still living at home, especially with a daughter. Her parents would want both of them close, in case another kidnapping happened.

"What are you going to do with that?" Lucas asks.

"I'm going to whatever this place is to see if she works there, and if she doesn't, I'm not leaving until someone tells me where she is, " I say, and I can hear the raw determination in my tone, and feel it in my chest as I spoke the words.

Lucas nods his head slowly and shrugs. "Well, you have my number if you need my assistance again, " he says and stands to leave. He stops just before he gets to the door. "But don't wait too long to need my help again, I missed this." He smiles softly at me, and I get a small flashback of all the memories we share as kids.

"I as well, I'll see you soon, Lucas." I wave him good-bye and he takes his leave.

I slowly watch the clock tick by. If I didn't run a multimillion-dollar company, I would've rushed over to the address the moment Lucas had left, but I already skipped one day, I can't skip another. I do have meetings to attend, associates to meet with and deals to settle.

When my day is finally over, I don't even bother to pack up my things and grab my coat to run out. I tell my assistant she is good to leave and make sure she has a stable ride home, before I call my driver over and give him the address of what I hope is Ava's store.

I'm a little surprised when we start to drive towards Manhattan, when the address Lucas had given me for her parents was back in New York City. Though it isn't that far, for some reason my hopes sunk a little as we continued to drive further in. We stop outside what looks like a cake shop, and my driver and I share a confused look, before I get out.

I look up at the sign above the store. It reads Sinful Temptations in dark brown, written in an oval wood sign, with a lighter shade of brown background. It is the exact name of the company Lucas had given me, but it doesn't look like the idea of what I had, when he hinted at his search results of the name on google.

I cautiously open the door and it chimes as it hits small bell above the corner. I take two steps in, before someone calls out.

"I'll be with you in a minute!"

I recognize her sweet voice instantly, and a smile stretches across my face. I take a few seconds to look around the store, and I'm amazed at the eccentric cake designs and structures. I wonder if Ava is the one who created them, or if she is just a worker here. When she was younger, she was an artist, as much as she was a nerd for books and comics. I can see her creating beautiful designs, such as these cakes.

I stop and turn when I hear light footsteps approach the counter behind me, and like the first time I saw her again, my heart stops and my legs melt. She has a sweet smile on her face before she even sees me, but it drops the moment her eyes meet mine, and I miss it immediately.

Her green eyes widen and her lips part. Something in me stirs, and I have to remind myself where I am.

"How did you find me?" she asks quietly. Before I can even open my mouth, she scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Why am I even asking that, if you're still the same Ashton you were three years ago, you probably already know everything about me."

"You're not exactly wrong, but not entirely right. I only know about this place, and I don't even know if you work here or own the place, " I say and take a small step towards her. I'm relieved when she doesn't step back, but does cross her arm and shift her eyes away from mine.

"How did you find out about this place?"

"Your license plate on the car, it's registered to here. I just looked up the address." That isn't a lie, I wasn't exactly the person who looked it up, though.

I take another step towards her.

"What are you doing here?" she asks.

"Isn't it obvious?" I take another step towards her. I am now a step away from the counter she is trapped behind. I lean over and place my hands on the glass display of cupcakes. Ava bites her lip and tries to take a step back, but is stopped by the counter behind her.

"Ashton, it's been three years–"

"And I'm still fucking crazy about you, " I cut her off, not wanting to hear what she is going to say. "I've been looking for you since the day you disappeared."

She opens her mouth to say something, but quickly closes it, her lips trembling slightly.

"I know she's mine, " I say suddenly.

"W-what are you talking about?" she mutters, and moves to the side a little. The movement does not go unnoticed by me, and I tense to ready myself to jump over the counter in case she tries to run again.

"Emily, I know she is my daughter."

Ava starts to shake her head. "I can't do this right now, I can't talk about this, " she mumbles and turns to run into the back. I leap over the counter without a second thought and trap her, putting my arms on either side of the counters beside us. She gasps and jumps back.

"I'm not letting you run away again, Ava."

"I-wha–" she stutters, her eyes glossing over. I reach out to her just as she crumbles to the ground in tears. I catch her arm and hug her to my chest, instantly loving the feeling of her in my arms again, inhaling her scent and memorizing the curves of her back and neck as I bury my face in her hair.

She continues to cry into my chest, her small body trembling as her hands clutch my jacket. I try and hush her, running a soothing hand through her hair to calm her down.

"Everything is okay now, my sweet Ava. I'm here, and I'm never letting you go."