PRICE OF REDEMPTION

Chapter 1

The sound of high heels tapping on the marble floor was ringing in the empty and clinical lobby, every step was confident and determined. Ava did not pay much attention to the richness of the interior; she was too practical to be impressed by the upper class. Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead but her mind was still with the text message she had received in the morning.

Her mother's health was not very good.

She took a breath, holding herself together. There was no time for weakness. Her job demanded that she remain calm and that she not let any emotion get in the way of her professionalism no matter what was going on inside her. She got to the elevator and her fingers paused for a moment before pushing the button that went to the top floor.

This meeting could change everything.

The doors closed slowly and quietly behind her, leaving her alone in the shiny metal cage. She felt dwarfed in here, but she did not want anyone to know this. This was the chance she had been waiting for. The opportunity to work with Blackwood Enterprises could help her advance her career and give her family the financial stability they require. And yet, the name Blackwood carried a weight she couldn't quite shake. She'd heard stories-rumors of the man who sat at the top, hidden from the public eye, his empire casting a shadow over every competitor.

But stories were just that, stories. People said many things about those they jealous especially billionaires. Ava tried to take a deep breath, to calm herself down as the nerves crawled up her spine like a cold hand.

The elevator decelerated and stopped smoothly at the top floor. The doors parted and the room that was revealed could only be described as opulent – modern and simple with large windows that showcased the view of New York City. She felt her heart racing and assumed a more upright position, leaning forward.

Waiting was not an option. Not today.

A man was standing by the window, a man of large presence, his outline clear and distinct against the city light. He didn't look around as she neared him, but his silhouette was unmistakable. She sensed it in the atmosphere, how it grew dense as if there was an electricity, a tension, a threat.

She stood a few steps away from him, gripping her bag tightly. They didn't even say hello or introduce themselves. Just silence. And then his voice was low, controlled, but with a razor-sharp edge.

"Miss Monroe."

Just the sound of her name, coming from him, made her feel a knot in her stomach. It was not fear that I felt but something akin to it, a realization of the dominance he possessed, the command he had even when he did not raise his voice. She forced herself to respond, her voice steady but softer than she'd intended.

"Mr. Blackwood. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

Damon Blackwood didn't move. He stood still with his eyes focused outside the window, his hands idly resting in the pockets of his perfectly tailored tuxedo. Ava turned her eyes towards the back of his head, looking for some sign, some indication of the man who would determine her destiny. The stories hadn't done him justice. The cold businessman, the ruthless shark. He was all of those things, she realized, but there was something else. Something darker.

"You come highly recommended," he said finally, turning just enough for her to see the sharpness in his blue eyes. "But recommendations aren't enough. That is why I do not waste my time on the mediocre."

His words were bitter but Ava did not turn around, she would not let him dominate her, make her feel like he was making her feel. He was teasing her, she understood. This was part of the game. She tilted her head up, looking straight into his eyes as much as she could muster.

"I do not like wasting time as well, Mr. Blackwood."

And then, for a second, there was a look of something like surprise in his eyes. But it was as fleeting as the light, and he was back to that impassive face that suited him so well. He gazed into her eyes and she felt that he was looking right into her soul, that he was undressing her and she had no clue. They stared at each other for a while, a rather uncomfortable one, but Ava did not flinch. She couldn't. This wasn't just about her job. It was about survival-for her, for her mother. She needed this.

Damon moved away from the window, his actions sluggish and measured. He approached her like a predator, standing close enough that she could feel the heat coming off from him but maintaining professionalism.

"You're not what I expected," he said, sounding more thoughtful than harsh. He gazed at her but it was not a lecherous look. He could have been looking for something different in her, something which has nothing to do with her resume, her reputation.

She glanced into his eyes once more and then stared into them. "And what did you expect?"

A small, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained cold. "Someone I could intimidate."

Ava however suppressed the cold feeling that went through her when he said that she did not let her facial expression show it. Damon Blackwood was a man who enjoyed manipulation, who made people go through the ropes to see if they would crack. But she wouldn't break. Not today.

"Is that why you agreed to meet me?" she asked, her voice cool, matching his calm intensity. "To see if you could intimidate me?"

He hesitated for a response and for a brief moment, she felt she went too far with him. But then he gave a slight nod, a gesture that wasn't quite approval but something close enough to it.

"Maybe," he replied, his voice emotionless. "Or maybe I was curious."

Curious. That wasn't a word she'd expected from him. It suggested something more-something deeper. She sensed that something had changed, the atmosphere in the room was different. It was not only business anymore; it was not a simple interview between a CEO and a candidate. It was something else, something that was not said, something that was felt but not expressed.

Ava forced herself to remain calm and composed, as Damon walked back to the window and stood facing away from her again. His voice, when he spoke next, was low, almost too quiet.

"Let's see if you can handle what's coming, Miss Monroe."

"Let's see if you can take what is coming, Miss Monroe." She did not answer immediately, her head reeling at the implication of his statement. Handle what's coming. A threat, maybe, or a dare. She couldn't be sure. The only thing she was sure of was that whatever was in store for her, she had to confront it squarely.

"I'm ready, Mr. Blackwood," she said, her tone clear and strong, though she felt like a whirlpool of emotions was raging within her.

Still, Damon said nothing to her, and that was all she needed from him. From this, she learned that this was only the beginning and that whatever else would befall her would be even far worse than what she had thought.

Chapter 2:

The weight of the door as it clicked shut behind her felt final, as if it sealed her fate. Ava's pulse quickened, but she kept her face neutral, her breaths measured. The high-ceilinged hallway stretched out before her, empty but echoing with the silent tension she carried from the meeting. Each step she took felt heavier than the last, the imprint of Damon Blackwood's words clinging to her mind.

There was something about him, something she couldn't shake. A magnetism, sure, but more than that. A warning.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for her phone, needing to reconnect with the world outside Blackwood Enterprises, needing to escape the suffocating power that seemed to press down on her with every moment spent in his presence. But when her screen lit up, she was met with the same message that had gnawed at her since that morning.

Her mother's health was deteriorating fast. Ava bit her lip, forcing herself to stay composed.

She couldn't lose focus now. There were too many lives depending on her, too many things riding on this opportunity. Her mother. Her future. She could not afford to be weak, not when all they had was on the precipice of being taken away from them. She put the phone down and strode through the building with determination, but the feeling of exposure that had come over her during the meeting stayed with her like a physical sensation of cold.

He was toying with her, trying to find out how much of her he could get. Damon Blackwood wasn't a man who gave anything freely. She had felt it in every glance, every pause before he spoke. The question wasn't if he would challenge her; it was when.

From his office, Damon watched as Ava disappeared into the distance, his hands tightening around the edge of his desk. She was different. That much was evident the first time she came through the door. She had not cowered from him, had not let his prowess intimidate her as most of the ladies would do.

He hadn't expected that.

For a brief moment, he felt like admiring her. But admiration was something he could not afford, not now, not when everything was on the line. The empire he had constructed over the years was not as strong as people might think from the outside. And Lucas Hawthorne's moves in the shadows had only made things worse. A frown settled on Damon's face as he turned back to the window.

Ava Monroe.

The name murmured in his head, a nagging sound he could not dismiss. She had one of the most powerful drives and was one of those people who had an indomitable spirit. She failed to realize that it was going to be way more difficult than she had ever thought. No idea the kind of storm waiting for her, just on the horizon.

But she would soon come to know that.

Returning to her apartment, Ava dropped on the couch and for the first time that day, she felt the exhaustion creeping into her bones. The tightness that had been in her back during the meeting with Damon Blackwood started to dissipate, but it was replaced by a void. She massaged her temples, attempting to get rid of the thoughts that filled her head with him – with his icy stare.

She had not thought he would be like that – so passionate. His public image made him out to be a cold-hearted man, yes, but in real life, he was much more. His physicality was oppressive, and controlling, and yet there had been times, however fleeting, that she had felt something else. A glint of something sinister, something shattered.

She shook her head. It didn't matter. She wasn't here to figure him out. She was here to save her family, to have a life here in a world that had always been beyond her dreams. Blackwood Enterprises was her best chance at achieving her future. She was very close to achieving her dream and couldn't risk losing it now.

Despite being so close to her dream, she could sense that she was about to enter into a trap.

Her phone rang on the coffee table and startled her from her daydreaming as she was deep in thought. It was Claire the only person that she had then turned to regardless of the outcome she was sure Claire would be there for her.

Ava paused for a second before responding. She still was not sure if she wanted to discuss the day but Claire was not going to let her off the hook that easily.

"Hi," Ava replied, attempting to sound calm.

"Ava, how did it go? You're killing me here!" Claire seemed happy during the phone call, but Ava sensed a hint of concern in her tone.

Ava exhaled deeply and settled into the softness of the couch cushions. "It was... intense. He's not what I expected."

"I'm sure he's not," Claire teased. "Well, did you at least try to make a good first impression?"

"I think so," Ava said, though she was not completely sure of it. "But he's... hard to read. There's more to him than the businessman everyone talks about. It's like he's testing me."

Claire's silence spoke volumes. Ava's barriers were always breached by her, even when Ava was unwilling to acknowledge them.

"Cautiously handle him, Ava," Claire whispered, offering a word of warning. "Men like Damon Blackwood-they don't play by the same rules. Just... keep your guard up, okay?"

Ava nodded, even though Claire couldn't see her. "I know. I know I'm not going to relax my guard, believe me."

But as the words came out of her mouth, Ava wasn't sure that she believed them herself. Damon had managed to get into her skin and this feeling was rather uncomfortable for her. She had to remain steadfast, she had to remain goal-oriented. Anything else would only distract her from the most important things.

Across town, Damon strode back and forth in his office, the neon lights of the city shining through the glass. He had spent his life mastering control-control over his business, his emotions, his world. But something about Ava Monroe made that control feel like it was slipping.

He couldn't afford distractions. Not now. Lucas Hawthorne was making moves, and every decision Damon made had to be calculated, precise. One wrong step, and everything he'd built would crumble. And yet, there was Ava, complicating his thoughts, her defiance lingering in his mind like a stubborn echo.

Damon stopped, staring out at the city he'd conquered. His jaw tightened. There was no room for vulnerability in his world. Whatever this was, whatever strange pull he felt toward her, he would bury it deep. He had to.

Because if he didn't, it wouldn't just be his empire at risk. It would be his heart.

Chapter 3

The sun rose and the curtains to the room parted a little to admit the first glimmer of dawn. Ava was at the kitchen counter; she had a coffee cup in her hands but she never tried to take a sip. She was sitting there with her mouth wide open and her eyes big and round staring out the window for a solution to all her problems. The small apartment that she considered her home seemed alien today; Damon Blackwood had taken root in her mind.

She'd barely slept. Each time she tried to get some rest, she saw him in the meeting, saw the burning look in his eyes, and heard the anger in his tone. It was as if he had come home with her, wrapping her in his darkness and holding her close. She despised the fact that he already had this sort of hold over her.

Ava placed the cup on the table and massaged her forehead, attempting to expel him from her thoughts. But the more she tried, the stronger his image became-the way his jaw clenched when she refused to back down, the brief look of something she couldn't quite name in his eyes.

She could not afford to be distracted, not now. There was too much at stake. Her mother was in the hospital, and the money she would earn from this job was the only thing that was keeping her afloat. Whatever tricks Damon Blackwood had in his sleeves, she had to expect them. However much he tried to make things hard for her, she would always find a way out of it.

Her phone rang on the side of the table and the sound brought her back to reality. She looked at the screen and hoped that there was a message from Claire but there wasn't. It was a message from Blackwood Enterprises – it was a notification about the meeting that she was supposed to attend and prepare for.

Great. Just what she needed-another reason to think about Damon.

Damon sat down in his chair, tapping idly on the smooth surface of his desk. This meeting with Ava Monroe had left its mark on him, a mark he had never expected to have any hope of receiving. He just could not stop thinking about her and their conversation, searching for something that would make him understand the feelings he had for her.

It was not in him to be disoriented by anyone, let alone by someone like her. She was confident, sure, but she was also fragile. He could see it in the way her lips pulled into a thin line when she believed no one was observing her, the way her hands fidgeted when the stress in the room became unbearable. He was used to women who were beautiful, sophisticated, and well-mannered and there was something about her that was so real and unpolished.

And that made her dangerous.

He could not afford to be relaxed, not when the stakes were this high. Lucas Hawthorne had already started his play and Damon was aware that more was yet to come. All the choices he was going to make from this point forward would define the fate of his empire. There was no room for weakness.

But still, Ava lingered in his thoughts, a quiet disruption that unsettled his usually rigid control.

His phone rang on the desk and he picked it up, waiting for a message from Justin or an update on the Hawthorne case. But it was just a message from his assistant informing him about the meeting he had with Ava in the later part of the day. Damon's hand clenched the phone tightly as he read the words.

Another round with her. He could not decide whether he was eagerly awaiting it or was afraid of it.

Stepping into a large building that housed Blackwood Enterprises, Ava was not afraid, but her heartbeat quickened. The glass panels, the shiny marble floor – all the trappings of the corporate world were evident in this building. But beneath the glamour, she sensed the presence of something else.

Something darker.

As she walked through the lobby, she saw a couple of workers, who were also walking with determination and rarely looked at anyone directly. It was as if they were all in a large well-organized conspiracy, a well-greased and well-tuned mechanism. And she was the outsider.

The strap of the bag was clutched firmly in her hand as Ava headed for the elevator and she could feel her pulse racing. She had to blind herself to everything that was beyond her tasks and concentrate on the tasks upon her. Whatever transpired in this meeting, she could not afford to let Damon see that she was nervous. He fed on vulnerability, and she wouldn't allow him that pleasure.

The doors of the elevator opened with a ding sound and she entered it and pressed the button of the top floor. When the doors shut, her face was reflected on the metallic surface, she looked poised and collected, but her heart was pounding.

The ride seemed interminable, and as the floors rose higher, she went through the last time they were together in his office. There had been something about her that reminded him of an electrical spark that made everything between them a little seductive. And she could not even decide which of the two emotions dominated her.

The doors opened and Ava stepped out onto the executive floor; her high heels made a faint sound on the polished floor. She walked down the hallway, glancing at the modern art on the walls, and the furniture that was placed with such precision. Everything here was perfect-cold, controlled, and untouchable.

Just like Damon.

She reached the door of his office and for a while, she had her hand on the handle before twisting the handle and opening the door. The room was clean and dull as it was when she left; it had a large window with a beautiful view of the city. And there he was standing by the window with his back towards her.

For a moment she was enchanted by the sight of him. He remained standing like a statue, a man of great stature, his body dominating the room even when he was not speaking. It was as if there was a tension between them, a cord that could snap the moment she crossed the threshold of the room.

"Ava," Damon's voice was deep and calm, interrupting the silence. He didn't look at her and didn't even bother to turn around, but she could sense his gaze on her at the same time. "You're early."

"I prefer to be prepared," she replied, her voice steady, though her nerves were far from calm.

"Good," he said, finally turning to face her, his eyes sharp, assessing. "You'll need that."

The look in his eyes made her skin crawl, but she did not look away from him. She wasn't here to be intimidated. She was here to prove herself.

Damon's face was a blank mask, but there was a brief flash of something in his eyes, something that echoed her own confusion. For a second, they were two individuals who were in front of something that was beyond both of them.

But that moment did not last long and the animosity between them resumed immediately.

"We have a lot to talk about," Damon replied his tone as calm and composed as ever. "Shall we begin?"

Ava nodded, stepping further into the room, her pulse racing. She could not comprehend what was in store for her but she was sure of one thing; this was just the start.