"No. I don’t think the whole Trillium is involved." Matthew frowned as he finished his vegetable salad. He eyed her. "Do you believe him?"
"Of course not. For all I know this is another trap. Trillium cannot be trusted. Jude is a part of Trillium. There is no way I would trust him."
"Then... why are you planning to work for them again? You can’t — You are not really thinking of destroying them from the inside, right?"
Ava didn’t answer. She focused on her vegetables instead. "Trillium... messed with my family Matthew. I have to know the truth." She knew there would be risks. And she knew Matthew would never allow her to work with Trillium.
"Of course, I will be using another face," Ava said.
"What?"
"I can’t go back as Ava."
"That is still too risky."
"I know. But I need to do it. I need to find out the truth, Matthew. I am so tired of being used. I am so tired of being played. I know something else is happening here. Something else is going on. And I want to— "
"I can help you."
Ava pursed her lips. "Of course. I know you can."
"Then? You don’t have to go back— "
"But I have to do this. I need to do this." She emphasized the word ’need’.
"You have me."
"I know."
"And I can help you."
"I know that too." Ava leaned forward. She held his hand that was resting on the counter. "But I need to do this... alone. I have to."
He squinted his eyes, then his face turned expressionless. "Why?"
Ava shook her head. She sighed. "I feel like... I mean... I think someone wanted me here."
"You think— "
"I can’t trust anyone else. Matthew. Even Samuel cannot be trusted. And I don’t want to live that way." The sad thing about evil people is they always tend to think that other people are out to get them. Sadly, Ava was exactly the type that would think that way.
Everything was slowly unraveling in front of her. And she can’t let it go.
"So, you want me to — "
"I want you to pretend that... Ava is in critical condition." Ava said. "People already think that something happened to me. Isn’t it good to let them continue thinking that way?"
"So, you will work with Jude?"
"Yes."
"But you just said you can’t trust him."
"Jude is ambitious. I don’t trust him, but I trust his ambition." Ava smiled. "The Caro Family — all of them work for Trillium. I don’t think he will settle for just being a small head in this area. I think he would want more. Greed is a very... powerful thing."
"What if Trillium would hurt you?"
"You will be there." She pursed her lips as she looked for the assurance in Matthew’s eyes. "Right?"
"Ava look..."
"Matthew, you have to understand. They killed my mother and then they tried to cover it up by framing my brother. I worked for them, thinking they were my only escape. I... killed people. Dozens of people. And I am not going to blame them for that. However, I need to find out why they recruited me in the first place. And I need to find out who did this to my brother."
Matthew opened his mouth but closed it without saying anything. Then he leaned back and stared at her.
"I am doing my best to stay logical," he said. "My wolf... wants to come out and stop you."
Impressed at his honest words, Ava gave him an assuring smile. "I can’t move forward... without knowing the past and having at least a semblance of closure."
"You have a life with me. A future with me."
"I know."
"And I understand." Matthew snorted. "But my wolf doesn’t."
"Once the world knows that we are mates... it will be chaotic," Ava said. "So, I am tying up loose ends. I need to finish my business here. Then... we can go and face your family."
Matthew said nothing.
He must have known.
He must have felt it.
On the outside, Ava looked fine. She was fierce and strong. But deep inside, everything that had been happening was slowly weighing her down. It was a burden that needed to be lifted.
"Then I will help you," Matthew said.
In response, Ava squeezed his hand. "Thank you."
"You don’t have to thank me," Matthew said. "What I need to hear is the promise that you will be safe."
"I will be safe."
"I will coordinate with Baba and the Shaman to give you as many talismans as possible. Just tell me what you need."
"Of course you will," Ava smirked.
"Then about Jude."
"Hm? What about him?"
"Are you going to work closely with him?"
Ava nodded.
"Don’t you hate him?"
"Hate... requires emotion. I don’t feel any emotion towards him. What I have is... indifference."
"But he doesn’t know that."
"No, he doesn’t."
"Then let’s go."
"Go where?"
"To see him." Matthew got up.
"Uh... why?" Ava just saw Jude. So, why are they seeing him again?
"I need to talk to him."
"Oh. Now?"
"Yes. Now." Matthew said.
Ava nodded.
The two of them went back to their room before Ava teleported them back towards Jude’s room.
.....
Jude almost dropped his glass of wine when Matthew and Ava suddenly appeared next to his bed.
"Fuck!" he hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?" He looked at Ava and then at Matthew. Jude has been mulling over the fact that Ava could actually teleport herself to a secure location like this. And he wasn’t done analyzing why she could do that.
Now, she suddenly arrived in his room with someone else!
And that someone else was someone that Jude hated!
"No. Let me change the question." Jude said. "What the hell is that Lycan doing here?"
"From the way that you asked that question, anyone couldn’t help but assume that Ava is welcomed here and I am not."
"That is not an assumption. It’s a fact." Jude stood in front of Matthew. "So, why the hell are you here? Your Majesty?"
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