<span style="font-size:24px"><strong> Long-awaited Solitude</strong>


    His husky voice murmured in my ear, "How long do you n on avoiding me?”


    "I''m not..." I tried to defend myself, but as soon as the words left my lips, I felt I had misspoken.


    We were already so familiar with each other, both physically and emotionally. Any intimacy between us was a tempting lure.


    “Thank you for saving my Ava,” I said, hoping to shift our awkwardness.


    “Not just your Ava,” he replied, his eyes gleaming affectionately. "Ava has a good heart. It''s you who''s a little heartless.”


    "I''m not a five-year-old child. I can''t bother you!" I reluctantly said. After all, I hadn''t ovee the hurdle of him being with Harmony.


    "Nonsense!" As stood up, feigning anger. He moved the chair next to him and pulled me into his arms, settling us both on the beach chair.


    It had been a long time since we were this close, and it left me feeling uneasy. My heart pounded against my chest.


    As, his handsome face serious, gazed at me. "Chloe, I know you''ve been through a lot.”


    Tears welled up in my eyes involuntarily.


    “Especially with Ava, I know. It''s my fault for neglecting you both. It was my responsibility.” As gently patted my shoulder, sending tingles through my body.


    We both understood each other without words.


    ording to Ava, she followed the car because she was attached to him. Otherwise, those viins wouldn''t have found an opportunity to snatch her from our doorstep.


    Even though a week had passed since the incident, just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.


    "I neglected the feelings of the child. I thought that by distancing myself from you, I could lessen the harm to you and your daughter. But it turns out to be the opposite."


    He tightened his arm around me. “I know you love me. That''s why I wanted to minimize the chances of someone using you two against me. This time, they used Ava to test us.”


    Hearing As''s words, I was taken aback. I looked at him with eyes filled with panic. "What do we do?"


    He smirked. "What do we do? We face it head-on. Instead of hiding and letting them exploit our weaknesses, it''s better to be open and honest.”This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    “There''s more to this situation than meets the eye. I had met the man who kidnapped Ava in the hospital on the day I had my cast removed. He was one of the kidnappers, and he had As''s expression grew somber. "He escaped with that doctorst time. That doctor was their aplice.”


    I quickly asked, "Do you know them?”


    "Yes. They''re an illegal organization from Jitador. Their members are elusive, and they have secret agents in various countries.”


    As''s expression was grave. "I came into contact with them during the investigation of the ne crash. They''re linked to my parents’ deaths.”


    "You mean, the ne crash was confirmed to be orchestrated?” My mind raced with thoughts of


    Grayson''s investigation. I didn''t know if I should tell As.


    "Yes, we found leads to them among the casualties. And I suspect that the death of Rory, who was with my father, was faked!"


    “What are you saying?" I was shocked, my mouth agape. Mr. Louis''s assistant was an imposter?”