As the elevator doors closed with a soft "ding," Louise lowered her gaze to mask her emotions.
After mulling it over for a moment, she decided to just say it. Ava was her closest friend-she had been the first to know about her marriage to Dominic. She didn't want their friendship to suffer just because she hid her past with Edgar.
Honestly, where she stood now, even ten Edgars couldn't hold a candle to Ava.
Thinking that, Louise looked up. Though her face was calm, there was a quiet firmness in her expression. "Yeah, I know him. Pretty well, actually."
Ava turned her head slightly. "Knew you'd be the right person to ask. He-"
"He's the one who had me thrown in jail," Louise cut in without hesitation, shutting down whatever Ava was about to say.
Ava froze, lips parting slightly in surprise. Her long lashes fluttered before she let out a low, "Oh. That's him? Then we definitely have to mee

Louise didn't answer right away. Truth be told, there was still a lot she didn't quite know about Dominic. And it's not like their relationship had gotten to the point where she could just casually bring him along to meet her friends.
"What? You think I'll scare him off?" Ava grinned, sliding in behind her and casually resting a hand on her shoulder. Her gaze landed on the papers on the desk. "That the Chendell project?"
Louise raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know about that?"
"Heard a bit," Ava said, eyebrows twitching before changing the subject. "Alright then, it's settled-tonight, at ‘Velvet Room'. I'll text you the address."
"You..."
Ava was already turning around, grabbing her bag off the sofa and waving her off. "No backing out, no standing me up. If I don't meet your mysterious husband tonight, I'll be seriously pissed."
Louise had nothing to say to her over-the-top bossiness

Louise gave her a smile and pulled her into a hug. "Ava, look who finally remembered me."
Ava's gorgeous face lit up with a grin. "I got off the plane and came straight over, didn't even drop off my luggage." She pointed to the rolling suitcase behind her. Ava was about the same height as Louise, but with those ridiculously high heels, Louise had to tilt her head up just to meet her eyes.
"At least you haven't completely forgotten me."
Ava slung an arm over Louise's shoulders, laughing softly. "So, how've you been lately?"
"I got married."
"What?!" Ava stumbled a little, almost losing her balance. "You? Married? Who's the unlucky guy who dared to marry you?"
Louise didn't even flinch, just shot her a sideways glance. "Cut the crap."
They met back in prison, shared the same room, under the same miserable sky, for almost three years. Thanks to Edgar, life for Louise inside had been hell. If Ava hadn't had her back the whole time, Louise doubted she would've made it out alive.
To Louise, Ava wasn't just a friend-she was the kind of person you'd trust with your life. Calling her family wouldn't be far off.
Ava shrugged, her delicate face showing a playful smirk. "Hey, I'm just being real. I mean, would your poor husband still be grinning if he knew his wife once knocked out ten chicks without breaking a sweat?"
Louise exhaled sharply. Prison memories weren't something she liked revisiting, but hearing Ava mention it made Dominic unexpectedly pop into her mind.
They'd only met twice. Honestly, she didn't know him at all. But after they slept together, she didn't regret it-actually, it weirdly felt... right.
"So, when do I get to meet him?"
Louise waved someone over to grab Ava's suitcase, and the two of them headed toward the elevator. "It was a whirlwind wedding. Only met him twice. Let's wait till I know him better."
"You've got to be kidding me... something this big and you didn't even talk to me about it?"
Louise tucked her hair behind her ear, her face calm and collected, eyes staring straight ahead. "Well, Miss Reed, you've been AWOL for days. Even if I wanted to fill you in, I had no way to reach you."
Ava let out an awkward laugh. "Honestly, if my old man hadn't dropped the final ultimatum, I'd probably be on a cruise to Antarctica right now."
Louise had a rough idea of Ava's background. You don't survive prison like she did without some serious backing. But for someone like Ava to even end up behind bars... that part never quite added up.
Still, Louise never asked. Some things, no matter how close you are, are better left untouched.
She raised an eyebrow. "Ultimatum?"
Ava gave her a look, lips twitching in annoyance. "Blind dates."
"Can you believe it? The day I walked out of that place, they started forcing me to meet random guys. Said I'd be marrying some stranger soon-all for some business deal apparently. That's why I ditched everything and just ran off traveling."
"But looks like I can't escape it this time."
Louise stifled a laugh. "So... have you met the guy?"
"Not yet. But I've heard he's not bad looking."
"Oh?" Louise raised a brow. "Is he from Kingswell?"
"Yeah! You've been in Kingswell all this time. Maybe you even know him. What was his name again... Edgar!"

As the elevator doors closed with a soft "ding," Louise lowered her gaze to mask her emotions.
After mulling it over for a moment, she decided to just say it. Ava was her closest friend-she had been the first to know about her marriage to Dominic. She didn't want their friendship to suffer just because she hid her past with Edgar.
Honestly, where she stood now, even ten Edgars couldn't hold a candle to Ava.
Thinking that, Louise looked up. Though her face was calm, there was a quiet firmness in her expression. "Yeah, I know him. Pretty well, actually."
Ava turned her head slightly. "Knew you'd be the right person to ask. He-"
"He's the one who had me thrown in jail," Louise cut in without hesitation, shutting down whatever Ava was about to say.
Ava froze, lips parting slightly in surprise. Her long lashes fluttered before she let out a low, "Oh. That's him? Then we definitely have to meet him."
She leaned back, crossing her arms. "That guy sent you away without even giving you a chance

Chapter 15