CHAPTER SEVEN: and the great pretender
1885 Words
“What are you doing here?”
It was Ava Lauren’s cold voice as she recognized the intruder. She stared at him, not even hiding a bit of her annoyance. She was not happy with her morning anymore and it has gotten worse upon seeing this guy.
“Good morning to you too, beautiful. I just stopped by here to give you these, my lovely lady.” Zeus Martins cockily smiled, handing the bouquet of red roses to Ava. They looked nicely wrapped in pink, but they were not her favorite.
“I’m not your lady.” Ava rolled her eyes after looking down at the flowers, walked past him, and to her office. She did not have time for that.
Mason felt awkward being left with Zeus Martins so he ran after his boss and hurried to open the door by swiping his card.
“Come on. Aren’t you being so rude? I was here thirty minutes ago just to give you this.”
That stopped Ava from entering her office when she was about to. Sighing, she turned around and met Zeus who was already walking towards her.
“Thanks.” She gave him a smile, not the real one but just a ‘respect smile’ as she took the flowers from him. She stared down at the red roses again and faked a smile as if she liked them. No, she did not.
“You look happy.”
She heard Zeus say. It almost made her scoff, but she held herself. Lifting her chin up, she looked at Zeus and told him, “You can go now.”
“Yes, I will go now. I have to meet a big investor.”
Yeah, whatever. I’m not asking.
Before Zeus could even step closer and lean in to kiss her cheek, Ava turned around and finally walked into her office.
Mason squinted his eyes at Zeus Martins who looked frustrated before fowling after his boss and shut the door closed. Inside, he saw Ava sitting on her chair and leaning her back against it. His eyes softened seeing his employer like that.
“Where is it?”
Mason asked when he couldn’t see the roses anywhere.
“Where’s what?” His boss replied without looking at him.
“The roses.”
“Under.”
This time, Ava Lauren pointed her finger to the ground. He needed not to ask any more questions. There was no asking where she had put those poor lovely roses. They were dumped in the trash bin under the desk.
“You’re a savage.”
Mason laughed, sitting on the chair in front of Ava’s desk.
Ava turned her head to Mason after hearing what Mason just said and then wickedly smiled. “Right, I am.” And then laughed. “I just don’t like him and I don’t get why he keeps coming after me even after I gave him multiple hints and even after being so rude and a b***h to him.”
“Are you sure?”
Ava frowned at Mason, confused. “What kind of question is that? Of course, I am. I really do not like him. He’s just not my type.”
“What man is your type?”
“A man like you.”
Ava suddenly said. She sounded so serious that Mason was caught off guard. He stared at her, uncomfortable in his seat. Ava was staring at him without even a hint of joking on her eyes. She looked so damn serious and that put Mason on the edge of his seat.
What the hell is she talking about?
Mason was confused and before he could even stop it, he felt his blood rising up to his face.
f**k.
He silently cursed.
Why am I feeling this way? I should do something.
That was what on his mind as he kept staring at Ava who had now a dreamy look on her face while staring at him.
Scary.
By now, he was starting to get more awkward.
“N-no.”
What? Why was he stuttering?
Clearing his throat, he finally brought up all his courage and told Ava carefully, “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I just look at you like you’re my older sister.”
Silence.
She needs to understand. Besides, I’m just her assistant and she’s my boss.
He hoped.
Ava fell silent and her stomach was already hurting so bad. She wanted to bring back her mood and decided to pull out a park at her own assistant whom Ava thought was so funny. Mason was staring at her with nervous eyes. He seemed worried. Being the devil Ava was, she could not help but burst out laughing so hard.
“HAHHAHAHAAHAHAH…..”
That was the sound that echoed in the glass-walled office on the top floor of Lauren Foods, Inc. It was so loud, wicked, and evil that Mason realized his own boss was making fun of him. Yes, Ava Lauren was such an excellent actress and the greatest prankster of all time.
Her laugh was beautiful even if it sounded so demonic. Mason could not help but realize that. He suddenly smiled. It was so rare to see his boss so happy like this. Her laugh was real. The smile reached her eyes. She looked genuinely happy and it made Mason feel light somehow.
It was not every day to witness such a view. The sight of Ava Lauren laughing freely in her office was just too beautiful to watch. It clenched his heart because most of the time, what he really saw was a great pretender who loved to hide in this very room.
You’re a great pretender.
Mason wanted to say it out loud but decided to keep it to himself. Instead of talking, he just waited for her to stop. He had seen her trying to put on a tough façade around people. He knew it was her own tactic to not let other people get on her way. She wanted excellence in everything. Thus, she was always so serious. But deep inside, Mason knew what Ava really was what she wanted in life. She was a weak creature who went by her father’s rules. She was chained and he wished he could do something more to make her laugh and smile this way again.
Ava felt Mason staring at her silently and that was when she finally stopped laughing. Her eyes landed on Mason who was smiling at her.
“What?” She asked. “Is there something on my face?” She innocently asked.
“It’s been a long time since I saw you laughing like that.”
“Oh. Is it weird?” She could not help but feel curious. Because of always keeping up with her father’s standards, Ava forgot what she was like around people. Sometimes, she wasn’t aware anymore that she had been cold around them.
When will I have peace within myself?
She wondered. That was a very tricky question for some. But for Ava, she was doing her best. She devoted most of her time to the office. She worked really hard to impress her father.
Is that even peace?
“Not really. I just hope to see you always this happy.” Mason.
Happy.
Ava tasted the word in her tongue. “Happy. I don’t know what happiness is. Where can I find it?”
“Happy is where your heart is light and smiling.”
She knew to herself she lacked that and she didn’t know how to get that happiness Mason was talking about. What really were the requirements to attain that? Did it need much? What?
“It needs freedom. Never let anyone stop you from doing what you want and you’ll be happy. Don’t bind yourself in the standards of other people.”
Mason answered her thoughts like he knew what she was thinking about.
“How do you do that?” Ava squinted her eyes at him.
“Do what?”
“Read minds?”
Mason stared at her like she had grown three heads before chuckling and saying, “What? I can’t do that. Maybe, I just thought I needed to say that.”
“Thank you.” She could not help but feel grateful. “You’re literally someone I can count on to.”
“Awe… That’s so sweet.” Mason dramatically said, making Ava laugh. “Come on. This is getting so damn emotional. We have workloads of papers and emails to work on.”
“Bossy.” Ava scrunched up her nose at him. “Give me a minute.”
Pushing her chair back a little, she lifted her feet up, extended her legs, and put her feet up on the edge of her desk.
“I’ll get back to my office now.”
“Okay.”
Mason stood up with a yawn, stretched her arms above his head when the door suddenly opened, and walked in no other than the mighty Adam O’Kelly. His eyes widened and he was so quick to straighten himself and bow his head.
“Good morning, Sir.”
“Good morning, Dad.”
The words left their mouth in unison. Ava too was so quick to put her feet down from her desk, but his father already saw her lounging like that. Just like every time she faced her father in the workplace or everywhere, her heart started to beat fast in nervousness. She did not know what was coming and she hated it when her father pays her surprise visits like this. She should get used to this.
“Have you picked models for the commercial already?”
He’s always straight to the point.
“Uh… Not yet, Dad. Mason and I will actually work on that this morning.”
Ava pursed her lips. She took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. She was starting to feel uneasy that he could not help, but fidget with her fingers.
“Work on that now and don’t just lounge her. The company is in your hands.”
Before Ava could even say something, her father was already walking towards the door. She could not move and all she could do was just watch him exit the office.
When Adam O’Kelly was finally out of the room, Mason breathed out heavily in relief while Ava sighed in disappointment. Yes, she was disappointed in herself again for letting her father see her not doing anything yet. She was not lying when she said she would work on the commercial.
Mason, sensing that his boss was feeling down and under, spoke to get Ava’s attention. “Don’t think too much about it.”
“I’m such a disappointment.”
“You’re not. You are just scared to speak up.”
That made Ava look up at him. “I just can’t say something against him. I wish I have the courage, though.”
“You can. You are just afraid. Come on. Let’s forget about it. I’ll go call the applicants for the commercial so we can finalize it.”
“Thanks.”
With that, Mason smiled one last time at her boss before exiting the office.
When Ava was finally left alone in her office, she plopped down on her chair and sighed for the nth time. She was just laughing not so long ago.
Maybe happiness was not really for her.
Not everyone who’s laughing is happy and not all happy are laughing.
- Writer
