Chapter 279

Joseph's POV I stared at my phone for what felt like the thousandth time this week, hoping to see Ava's name light up the screen. Nothing. It was driving me insane. "Pathetic," Dean growled in my mind. "We should just go to her." "She doesn't want to see us," I muttered. My office door swung open and Antonio walked in without knocking. The kid had a habit of barging into places like he owned them—a Garcia family trait I couldn't fault him for. "Uncle Joseph, I saw Ava at the mall yesterday," he announced, dropping into the chair across from me. I nearly knocked over my coffee reaching for him. "What? Where? How was she?" "Whoa, desperate much?" Antonio smirked, leaning back. "I told her you've been moping around like someone stole your favorite wolf toy." "You said WHAT? Antonio..." "She looked sad," he continued, ignoring my distress. "Said you two were 'taking a break.'" He made air quotes with his fingers. "What did you do?" I groaned. "I didn't do anything. Those women—" "Oh, so it