In Love With My Rival

CHAPTER THREE: don’t go

            “What do you think of Zeus?”

            The cold voice of Ava’s father echoed through the silent dining room of their mansion. Ava had received a message from her mother that his father wanted her over for a family dinner. Their mansion was a boring huge place. It was very spacious, the ceilings were high and enormous chandeliers hang from it. The paintings hang on the wall were too big and so were their family pictures. There were a lot of figurines displayed on every corner shelves of their huge living room. Her mother was fond of collecting things. The staircase was just too wide.

            There were times before when she thought they were a Royal Family and she was the Princess every time she climbed up and down the stairs. The exterior, especially on the front lawn was a huge fountain, a beautifully landscaped pathway, and a flower garden. The property was bought by her father after her parents got married. It also had a sports area and swimming pool at the back. Yes, she grew up with their maids, chefs, housekeepers, gardeners,s and security guards in that property. She wished she had a sister or a brother.

             Anyway, she didn’t know how important the dinner was until her father asked that. She didn’t get why getting a man for her was also his business.  

            “He’s okay.” She answered casually after taking a sip from her red wine. She sliced through the steak on her plate with force. She was annoyed. She didn’t like the fact that her father would set her up with some random businessman he knew. Zeus Martins was a young bachelor, two years older than her. He was the owner of Martins Group of Companies, a huge metal corporation in Brooklyn. The guy was tall, blue-eyed, and blonde. Not exactly her type. Their first date didn’t end up well. Zeus was talkative and Ava didn’t like men who liked to talk so much. So, she asked him to just drive her home. The excuse she fed him was that she wasn’t feeling well and he bought it. Of course, he should grant her request to make an impression. By the time she was home that night, she was more than happy. She was elated that she had finally escaped from the guy.

            “Okay.” It wasn’t a question from Adam O’Kelly, but rather a statement. “What do you mean ‘okay’?”

            For the fifth time, Ava held her champagne glass again and took a sip from her wine. She exhaled and smiled at her Dad. “He’s fine and charming.” She kept nodding and she didn’t know why. He was not charming at all, she thought. She couldn’t just spit it out though. Her father would be disappointed if she would say that Zeus Martins was a big-mouthed businessman. Anyway, she was already mad about the fact that her father would also control her personal romantic relationship. She didn’t want him to also choose a man for him. She knew what she wanted, what she needed, and what she liked in a man.  She knew when she would want to be settled. With whom, though?

            “That’s great. He’ll be here this Saturday. You should have dinner with him. I’ll let him know in advance.” Adam put his fork and knife down and drank on his wine.

            “Mom and I will be going shopping this Saturday. Right, Mom?” Ava turned to her mother, eyes silently pleading her to agree, though they didn’t have any plans on Saturday at all. Julia O’Kelly turned to her daughter, confused. She stared into her daughter’s eyes and finally got the silent plea. She smiled before she faced her husband. “Yes, we will go shopping this Saturday. Just arrange their date some other time.” Ava would prefer to have no more next time, especially with Zeus Martins.

            Julia O’Kelly was a woman in her mid-fifties. With that age, she didn’t even look that old. Being rich made her look younger than her age. She was married to her husband for twenty-nine years now. She owned the second-largest shares of Lauren Foods, Inc. owned 25% next to Ava’s 26%. What Ava got from her mother were just the height and their personality. They were both tough on the outside, but they were sensitive on the inside. If it was Adam who could make Ava bend on her knees, it was Julia who could make Adam swallow his pride.

            Adam looked at his wife, studying her if she was telling the truth. He knew she would support her daughter no matter what. The women were allies. He couldn’t argue with her. “Fine.”

Dinner was short and Ava was way more than eager to get out of the mansion and just be somewhere alone. It was Saturday, a week after Mason’s grandmother was brought to the hospital. She couldn’t deny that Mason was right when he said she would be very busy without him. It was a tough week for Ava without her personal assistant. She had paid Mason a visit in the hospital and was happy about the news that her grandmother was getting better. She offered to pay for the hospital bills. Even if Mason kept telling her that he could shoulder the expenses, Ava was too hard-headed. Having no choice, Mason had promised her he would report to the office on Monday.

            After kissing her mother’s cheeks and bidding goodbye, Ava drove out of the mansion. She didn’t even bother telling her goodbye to her father. He was in his study right after their dinner and didn’t say anything else. It was always like that and Ava had gotten used to it. After every dinner, the maids would clear up the table and Julia would lead Ava out of the mansion. It was just the two of them who really got along with each other.

            Ava couldn’t figure out where she was really off to as she drove along the streets of NYC. The night was a bit chilly, but she still had her blue Convertible open, letting the cool wind caress her face. She loved it. She loved the night. When she saw the park, she didn’t have to figure out where was going anymore. Parking her convertible, she went to take a walk. She saw couples sitting on the benches, hugging, and kissing. They made her feel so hopeless romantic. Nevertheless, she rolled her eyes, acting so bitter about love, and just continued strolling in Central Park. However, she silently regretted that she was wearing a spaghetti strap floral dress. She was feeling a bit cold. Well, winter was coming.

In her journey of self-love, as she kept walking in the park, she couldn’t help but wonder how it felt like to have someone she could call a boyfriend or her man on her side. Would it feel great? The men her father had set her up with for blind dates were not her type at all. Among those more than ten guys, she didn’t like anyone. There was a Max, Connor, Riley, Alex… she couldn’t remember the others. What was she looking for? Why so picky?

In her mind, Ava thought it wasn’t being picky at all or keeping up with her standards. It was all about being careful and sure. If ever she would get married, her husband must be the man she would love deeper and deeper each day. Haste could lead to regrets and she wouldn’t want that. Yes, she had a stable source of income, more than stable but it wasn’t just all about the stability. It was the person who she was going to spend the rest of her life with that mattered the most.

            “Why are you thinking about it again?” She muttered, asking no one in particular.

The walk had led her to the bridge on the pond. She stayed at the side and just watched the water under her. It looked so clear and still. She touched her cheeks and cursed herself for feeling flustered just by the thought of romance and marriage. She was young. She needed not to hurry. Besides, it would be the men who would come and fall in line for her. She had everything a guy wanted to have and feel. She should feel confident about herself.

            “If it’ll come, it’ll come.”

Talking to herself made her feel good even if she looked stupid. She suddenly two swans connecting their beaks, forming a heart at the side of the pond. Ava was very quick to take her cellphone from the pocket of the shorts she was wearing under her dress and hurriedly opened the camera. Turning her back to the swans, she smiled widely at her front camera and took a selfie. Just in time, the swans broke apart. Grinning like a child, she went to her Photos and viewed the photo she just took. She was thankful for the lights on the bridge because they gave the picture just a perfect illumination. Her face on the picture was glowing. She looked really happy. She kept grinning, struggling to contain her happiness, not because she looked beautiful in the picture, but because the scene was just too perfect.

“Beautiful.” She whispered. Her thumb and index finger zoomed in the picture and it was when she saw something. Her head shot up, eyes moved to her left, searching for what she just saw in the picture. But, the man was already walking away from her and she could see just his back and retreating figure.