My Forced Husband Is A Billionaire

Chapter 15

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains themes of s****l abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

Ava's POV

The smile still lingered on my face as I stepped into the office, the warmth from my time with Liam refusing to fade away.

I tried to focus on the day's duties—emails, reports, the never-ending list of meetings—but my thoughts kept drifting back to the way he’d held me last night, the way he’d looked at me this morning.

I shook my head, trying to snap myself out of it.

Come on, Ava. Work first, emotions later.

I reached my desk, setting my things down, and took a deep breath. I got to work, arranging files and schedules, leaving emails for later.

I was just about to start on my emails when I heard my boss’s voice.

“Ava! In my office, now!”

I turned my head towards his office door, my stomach sinking.

Mr. Winston was standing in the doorway, glaring at me–a stark contrast to his usual pervy look.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and got up from my desk.

I entered his office, the door closing softly behind me, and I turned to face him.

“Is there a problem, sir?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

He was standing behind his desk, his face red with anger, his fists clenched.

My mind raced with questions. What is going on? Did I do something wrong?

“You missed the deadline for the quarterly report,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing at me.

My brow furrowed. “I... I sent that report yesterday, sir. It should be in your email.”

He took a step towards me, and I instinctively took a step back. My back hit the door, and I swallowed hard. He was too close, his eyes boring into mine, his breath hot against my face.

“Are you calling me a liar, Ava?” he growled, his voice low.

“N-no, sir,” I stammered, my heart pounding in my chest. My eyes flickered to the door, hoping someone might walk in, but I knew better. It was lunch time and everyone must have left already.

His hands reached out, grabbing my arm, and I winced as his grip tightened. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong, and the fear I’d felt in my nightmare came rushing back.

"It seems little w****s like you are only good at one thing. Why don't we explore that?" He whispered, running his lips along my earlobe.

A knot formed in my stomach, my eyes filling with tears as I tried to push him away. But I couldn't, not with my petite frame against his towering height.

"P-please s-stop Mr Winston. Please let me go." I cried, helplessness washing over me.

He continued, planting sloppy kisses along my neck, his hands groping my body. Touching parts nobody should touch.

"I know you want this Ava. So be a good girl and enjoy it."

My eyes welled up with tears, my pulse spiking harder as I realized my predicament.

"Help me! Please help me!" I exclaimed, praying for a miracle.

He laughed and continued his actions, not willing to stop. My fighting useless.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, the door burst open, banging loudly against the wall.

“Ava!” Liam’s voice cut through the room like a knife, making Mr Winston quickly detach his lips from me.

My shoulders relaxed as I realized liam was here, his eyes blazing with fury as he took in the scene.

Mr. Winston’s hand jerked away from my arm, and I saw the flicker of fear in his eyes as he turned to face Liam.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Liam demanded, his voice low, dangerous.

I'd never heard him sound so angry.

Mr. Winston puffed out his chest. “This is a private matter between myself and my employee—”

“No,” Liam interrupted, taking a step closer. His fists were clenched at his sides, his jaw tight. “It stopped being private the moment you laid a hand on her.”

Before I could even register what was happening, Liam’s fist shot out, connecting with Mr. Winston’s jaw.

The sound of the impact echoed through the room, and Mr. Winston stumbled back, falling against his desk. I stood there, frozen, my heart pounding in my ears.

“Liam!” I gasped, my voice barely more than a whisper.

He didn’t look at me, his eyes fixed on Mr. Winston, who was struggling to get back to his feet.

“You’ll regret this,” Mr. Winston spat, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He reached into his desk drawer, his hand coming back with a gun.

Everything seemed to slow down in that moment. I saw the gun, saw Mr. Winston raise it, saw Liam step in front of me, his body blocking mine.

“You will regret hurting my woman,” Liam said, his voice filled with a cold fury I’d never heard before.

My heart skipped a beat, the words echoing in my mind—my woman. Even in the midst of my fear, even with the gun pointed at us, I felt my cheeks heat up.

Before Mr. Winston could fire, Liam lunged forward, grabbing his wrist and twisting it. The gun fell to the floor, and Liam kicked it away, his eyes never leaving Mr. Winston’s. He punched him again, the sound of cracking filling the room.

“If you ever so much as look at my Ava the wrong way again,” Liam said, his voice low, deadly, “I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”

Mr. Winston’s eyes were wide with fear, and I saw the fight drain out of him. He nodded quickly, his gaze darting to me, and then back to Liam.

“Do you understand?” Liam demanded, his voice like ice.

“Yes,” Mr. Winston stammered, his voice trembling.

Liam let go of him, and Mr. Winston slumped back against his desk, holding his punched cheek. Liam turned to me, his expression softening as he took a step towards me.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice gentle now.

I nodded, my throat tight. I was shaken, my heart still racing, but with Liam standing in front of me, I felt safe. He reached out, his fingers brushing against my cheek, and I leaned into his touch, my eyes closing for a moment.

“Come on,” he said softly, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. “Let’s get out of here.”

He led me out of the office, his arm never leaving my shoulders, and I could feel the eyes of my coworkers on us as we walked through the office.

They were here. Didn't they hear me scream? Or was it a regular occurrence? I felt bile rise up to my throat, disgust taking over.

I'm never coming back here again. Good job be damned.

I kept my head down, my cheeks still flushed, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was getting out of there, away from Mr. Winston, with my Liam.

*

We ended up in a small park a few blocks away, the late morning sun filtering through the trees, the air fresh and cool. Liam led me to a bench, and we sat down, his arm still around me. I took a deep breath, leaning against his chest.

“Thank you,” I whispered, looking up at him. “For... for everything.”

He looked at me, his eyes soft, a small smile tugging at his lips. “You don’t have to thank me, Ava. I’ll always protect you.”

My heart skipped a beat at his words, and I felt that warmth again, spreading through my chest, making it hard to breathe. I looked away, trying to hide the blush that I knew was spreading across my cheeks.

“I... I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

He reached out, his fingers tilting my chin up so I was looking at him. His eyes were intense, filled with something I couldn’t quite place, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

“You’ll never have to find out,” he said, his voice soft.

I swallowed hard, my eyes locked on his. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my pulse quickening. There was something between us, something unspoken, something I wasn’t ready to admit, even to myself.

But as I looked at him, at the way he was looking at me, I knew one thing for sure—I was falling for him.