NOT MARRIED YET

Nick drove back to the mansion and as soon as he saw his boss chatting with Reid in the garden under the street light, he became anxious.

He stopped the car and got out of it.

Zac’s body was leaning on one of his cars as he listened to Reid’s report about the new task he gave to him. Reid was facing him while his back was facing Nick.

And as soon as Zac saw Nick approaching them, his brows furrowed deeply. He slowly stood straight while he took a glance behind Nick but couldn't find another person at his back.


It didn't take long before Reid noticed that his boss wasn't paying attention to what he was saying again. He followed his line of gaze and tilted his head to also see Nick coming toward them.



“Where isn't she with you?” a deep voice came out huskily the second Nick got to them.



Nick stared at the big man that towered above the two of them. His tall figure made it seem like they were short as he was much taller than them.


As always, his body was wrapped in an immaculate gray business suit and his raven locks were cut in the right part, accentuating his extremely handsome face.


“She had left before I arrived in her office, boss,” Nick answered naturally, trying his best not to show his nervousness on his face.



As expected, Zac’s brows even furrowed deeper in confusion as he fixed his cold glare directly into Nick’s eyes.



“I clearly remember that you left here an hour before her closing time, Nick. How come you missed her?” his nostrils flared while his jaw ticked.



Subconsciously, Nick took a step back while his hands clenched at his back. He thought in his mind that ‘Ava had successfully landed him in a hot soup’



It never crossed his mind that Zac would remember the time he'd left the house.



“Perhaps she left the office earlier to do some other things, boss,” He said, his tongue peeking out to lick his lips.



Zac’s eyes grew even darker as he produced his cell phone from his pants trousers and strode a bit away from them to place a call through Ava.



Lowering his head, Nick instinctively let out a sigh of relief while Ried’s expression became worse, knowing that all this drama was because of Ava.



“Her number is not fucking going through!” Zac suddenly yelled out, almost startling the two other men.



They both shared among themselves before returning their attention to the enraged man who continued to press the phone and place it over his ear continuously, impatiently waiting for it to get connected.



“She’s got him so bad,” Nick muttered but enough for Reid to hear him loud and clear.



Reid humphed, “I hate to see him like this. Zac is no longer the person he used to be,”



Nick looked at his face and sighed, not affirming or debunking his statement. He knew Reid was right with his words but who were they to counsel the boss?



Moreover, love isn't something that can be stopped. Nick could see that Zac genuinely loved Ava. He just wished for them to last for a very long time.



While Zac hadn't stopped redialing Ava’s number, Ava was busy delighting in the moment with her buddies.



Freya and Caleb had finally announced their relationship and Ava had shouted in a thrill, jumping on Freya and telling her she knew they would become one someday.



Hazel seconded and also shared a few congratulatory words and since then they've been drinking, and conversing from one topic to the other.



It was really a happy time for them as they were meeting again after a long time.



Meanwhile, Ava kept stealing glances at her smartphone from time to time as if expecting a call from somebody.



“Waiting for Zac’s call?” Hazel interrupted her mind and she quickly wore a smile before shifting her gaze toward Hazel’s face who was sitting across her in the living room.



“Not really,” she said while sipping from her can of beer.



“Didn’t you tell him you're hanging out with your friends tonight?” Freya quizzed, looking at Ava beside her.




Ava shook her head and answered, “No,”




“Then you should phone him yourself and tell him you're with us or he doesn't like you to hang out with us anymore?” Caleb also probed, his eyebrows lifting under his eyeglasses.



“No, Caleb. That's not true. It's just that we haven't talked to each other since yesterday. He's upset with me because I didn't come home,” Ava explained and she wondered why her cheeks bloomed violently after her last words.



“Awww… You live as a couple now, don't you?” Freya asked sheepishly, amusement dancing across her eyes.



“Not as a couple, Freya,” Ava quickly corrected.



Freya nudged her arm, eyeing her suspiciously, “You really like the sound of that, don't you, Ava?”



Hazel smacked her lips before speaking up, “You really shouldn't live like that just yet, Ava,”



Both Ava and Freya looked at her face directly.



“I understand that you're both head over heels for each other but I'll let you know that it's not advisable you live as a couple yet, Ava,” Hazel counseled, her eyes holding warmth.



Ava was silent for a few seconds before she opened her mouth again, “Is there anything wrong with us living together?”



Nodding, Hazel rose to her feet and rounded the tea table in the middle and came to crouch right in front of Ava, saying, “Being available for a man all the time isn't a good idea, Ava. He’ll lose interest in you as time goes on. You won't appear to be radiant and shiny as you used to be when you lived under the same roof,”



“The respect will most definitely reduce and he won't speak of you as highly as before again simply because he wakes up with you every single day,”



Freya hummed, staring into the void and nodding her head slowly.



“Do you mean men don't appreciate their women once they become husband and wife?” Caleb asked, confused.



“Ninety percent of men out there lose affection towards their wives once they come together as one, especially after being together for so long,” Hazel lectured, eyes serious.



“Their love wouldn't be as fresh as it was from the beginning and the wife would start wondering where she'd gone wrong meanwhile, men are just so greedy.


That woman that used to make his heart skip then will become disgusting in his eyes and that's because they had lived their whole life together,”


“This is why most women love their husbands to be always away from home for work for weeks or even months. Trust me, they will always become new and attractive to one another as if they were just newly wedded after meeting again for a long time,”



Ava, Freya and Caleb paid utmost attention to Hazel tutoring. Ava especially, one would think she was writing a difficult exam at that moment with how serious her expression was.



“Don’t get me wrong, Ava. I'm not saying Zac is one of those men and I hope his love for you will never change but staying separately would never lessen your love for each other, instead you're both going to earn more respect for each other,”


*******


Ava Taylor found a suitable space to park her car in the parking lot and got down from it thereafter.



She made a spin toward the passenger seat and brought out a lunch bag. She smiled while clutching the bag in her hold before looking up at the forty-something floors that towered in the sky.


After locking her car, she soon found herself in the exquisite reception of the company with flamboyant interior designs that nearly convinced her that she was perhaps in a mansion and not a company.



While looking around every single thing in the space, she calculated her stepping toward the front desk which had ‘Zachary Group’ inscribed boldly behind it.


There sat a lady who looked a bit older than Ava behind the desk, keeping a friendly smile on her face all the time, she asked, “Hi, Miss. How may I help you?”


Ava pursed her lips and bowed her head a little in greeting, “I’m here to see Zac…huh, I mean Mr. Gonzalez,” she smiled gently when talking.



Meanwhile, the receptionist's smile seemed to be fading away bit by bit as she scrutinized Ava from head to toe little by little.



She thought in her mind ‘who does Ava think she is to be looking for Zachary Gonzalez? What relationship could they possibly share?’



Even with how rich and elegant Ava appears, the receptionist thinks that she still doesn't fit in Zachary’s class as she looks more like a college girl.



“Why are you looking for Mr. Gonzalez, Miss? And do you have any appointment with him today?” The receptionist asked politely.



Ava shook her head ‘no’ “I don't have any appointment with him but can you please let him know that Ava is here?”



The receptionist stared at her for a few seconds before she nodded her head and grabbed the landline phone on her desk and spoke into it, “Miss Ava is here to see Mr. Gonzalez. Is he available to meet her?”



However, the call disconnected from the other end of the phone which got the receptionist wondering why Zac’s secretary had suddenly cut the call.



Maybe he was busy with the boss himself and he couldn't talk much on the phone.



With this thought, the receptionist looked over at Ava and told her straightforwardly, “Mr. Gonzalez is very busy at the moment and cannot meet you, Miss,”



“Miss Taylor!”



The voice cut through the air and Ava looked in the direction of the source of the voice and saw Blake scampering toward her.



“Hi, Miss Taylor. It's so good to have you here,” Blake greeted jovially, lowering his head.



Ava smiled, “I’ve always told you to quit being formal with me, Mr. Wright,”



Blake only smiled politely, he wouldn't dare address his boss’s woman informally.



He suddenly let out a gasp and turned to the receptionist, “Why didn't you offer her a seat? Do you want to lose your job?” he glared coldly at the receptionist who had become speechless with how Blake addressed Ava just now.



“No, no, it's fine, Mr. Wright. I just got here not quite long ago,” Ava butts in, smiling.



Blake shook his head at the receptionist and thought in his mind that, if only the receptionist knew who Ava was then she wouldn't remain seated.



At the same time, he didn't blame her because she just started working here a few weeks ago. So she wasn't familiar with Ava, just yet.



“Mr. Gonzalez is currently in a meeting now, Miss. But the meeting will be over soon. So, please come with me and wait for him in his office,” Blake invited, standing aside for Ava to lead the way.



Ava chuckled and rolled her eyes, “This is my first time in this place, how do I find my way?”



“I’ll be right behind you, Miss Taylor. Don't worry,” Blake replied courteously and then ushered Ava to start walking with his hands.



Agape, the receptionist watched them until they disappeared into the elevator. She really wished to know who Ava was but sadly, there was no one there to help her with her curiosity.



Or was she Zac’s sister? After all, it's noted that Zac isn't married yet.