Chapter Fifteen
Wade Cooper
I watch as Ava sighs heavily for the umpteenth time. She finished all she had to do for the day. DJ has been bathed, fed, and he went to sleep after playing for a while.
She tried to play the piano but only ended up banging her head against the keys, and nothing else was enough to keep her attention. Being cooped up within these four walls is almost like a prison for her.
There’s no fresh air to breathe, and her days are just the same mundane routine, which I know she would very much like to escape from.
My phone rings and I step out of the living room to take the call. “Yes.” I smile when I hear the response I have been waiting for.
“Thank you. Make sure everything is ready. We’ll be there within an hour.” I hung up the phone before I moved back to the living room .
Ava is sitting on the floor, absentmindedly playing with one of DJ’s toys. I lean down and stare at her, which makes her blink up with surprise.
“Did you call me?” she asks as she breaks out of her daze.
“No. But I have something for you.” I say and watch as her eyebrows furrow with confusion.
“What is it?”
“You will need to get dressed in one of your fine evening gowns. And please, wear some makeup or else, people are going to think we are headed to a funeral.” I snicker.
“We’re going out?” her eyes light up and that sight alone is enough to soothe my worries.
“Yes. You’ll need to get ready quickly though. It’s a bit of a drive from here.”
“Where are we going?” Ava gets up to her feet as she looks at me excitedly.
“You’ll find out when we get there. Go and get dressed.” I tell her but she pouts. “Go.” I push her gently and she finally leaves the living room to get dressed.
I feel happy to see her excited at the mere mention of going out. She’s like a little girl who was finally going to that family dinner she always disturbed her parents about. I hope her childishness never wears off. It’s what makes Ava who she is today, an outgoing and easygoing person. Whoever is after her life was either just sick in the head, or he doesn’t know her well enough to harbor such intense hatred for her presence in this world.
* * * *
“Make sure to check around the house every thirty minutes. The boy is not to be let out of your sight under any circumstances. The backup team is around the neighborhood, and they will be making a routine check every half an hour too. So you just—” I stop talking when I hear her heels coming down the stairs.
My attention is taken away when I see Ava walking towards me with a shy smile on her face. She chose a yellow frock tonight, and the bright color does wonders in brightening up her face.
Her makeup was very minimal, with just a stroke of eyeliner and lipgloss but she was already pretty without it. Her hair was curled and left to cascade down her back. She looks around the room while rubbing her arms awkwardly.
I can tell she is feeling self-conscious due to the men in her house, so I move closer to offer her the comfort and assurance she needed.
“These men will be with DJ while we are out. There are men around the houses, and cameras everywhere. Nothing is going to go wrong.” I mutter and she nods her head.
“Thank you all for your hard work. Please, there’s food in the fridge if you’re feeling hungry.” She tells them with a smile before we walk out of the living room .
“You look gorgeous, by the way. As always.” I compliment as we step out into the cool evening.
“Thank you, the inspiration behind the outfit was La La Land. I hope I was able to pull that off?”
“You’re a fan of the musical, huh?” I open the door of the car for her.
“Sure, you can’t be an opera singer and not love musicals. It was a classical movie, and I enjoyed every second of it.” Ava says.
I move to the driver’s seat before starting the engine and driving out of the driveway. During the ride, Ava plays different opera songs and sings after them. Despite not practicing much these days, she still sounded like an angel descending from the sky.
I find it hard to get rid of the smile on my face as I watch her sing her heart out to some of her favorite classics. There is a huge difference between her mood now, and her mood a few hours ago, and I’m glad I was able to bring her out of her dampened mood.
* * * *
Ava Anderson
A soft gasp escapes from my lips as my eyes widen in awe at the beautiful lights shining down at us. The restaurant Wade had brought me is one of the most famous in town. Both for their food and customer service.
I had heard that getting a reservation here is almost as hard as scheduling an appointment with the President. They were booked. But as I look around the place, I see that there is no one here except for us and the waiters who are welcoming us in.
“No way. You booked the entire place?” My mouth is unable to close at the beauty of the place.
A path was decorated with candles, and I could smell lavender in the air. My favorite scent. The tables and chairs were all taken away, leaving just a single round table and two chairs in the middle of the restaurant.
“Here you go, ma’am.” A waiter handed me a red rose.
“Thank you.” I smiled at the sweet gesture. Wade leads me to the table and draws a chair out for me. I place the rose on the table and look around the place one more time to take everything in.
“If I didn’t know you better, I would have thought you are about to propose.” I tease and Wade merely shakes his head at me.
“But, seriously, this is amazing. I don’t think I have ever had someone do this for me. Thank you.” I take his hand in mine, feeling blessed to have someone like me by my side .
“You deserve it and more.”
“For your appetizer. You have our most famous Garlic Knots, with Waldorf Salad and Beef Negimaki. Enjoy your meal.” The waiters drop the dishes before filling the glasses with white wine.
“Ooh, fancy.” I rub my hands together before diving into the food.
We exchange small talk as the main dish and dessert is served one after the other. After that, we move to walk in the gardens, and I take off my heels to feel the grass on my feet.
“Wooohoo!!” I yell out as I run down the large space.
“You better slow down before you fall on your face.” Wade says from behind me, but I don’t listen to him and continue jumping like a child.
I close my eyes as I breathe in the fresh air, letting the wind kiss my face with its delicate touch. I have never felt so free, happy and excited in such a long time.
My life has been nothing short of a thriller and murder mystery these days, and something as simple as going for dinner has been my worst nightmare.
With people around me dying or in danger because of me, forgiving myself hasn’t been easy, nor do I think it ever will be. But there’s one thing I know for sure now. I don’t want to continue being the pawn in someone’s elaborate and sick game.
Whoever is behind all the murders so far will never get what he wants, because I’ve realized that life is all too precious to be taken away at the whim of someone who doesn’t think, out of his shortsightedness and stupidity, that you should remain in this world.
Life is supposed to be greater than that.
I open my eyes slowly and see Wade standing inches away from me. His eyes appear thoughtful, and his countenance is melancholy. I don’t want to ask him what’s going through his mind as I wish for him not to ask me.
I just want to exist at this very moment, and not think of anything else.
“So, tell me, how did you manage to pull this off? Getting a reservation in this restaurant is as hard as seeing a white peacock, but you rented the entire place out. How did you do this?” I link my arm with his and we continue to walk past the beautiful flowers surrounding the place.
“The owner here is an old friend of my father who has been of great support ever since he decided to start the business. My family has unlimited reservations here, so it wasn’t that hard to pull some strings. What you needed was a way to come outside privately and I felt like this was the best place for that,” Wade tells me, and I’m touched he’s concerned about my needs.
The fact that he used his father’s connections to do this for me, even after he had mentioned he doesn’t use his father’s name for anything, makes me extremely grateful.
“You have no idea how much I needed this. Thank you.”
“Seeing as you are in a much-improved mood, I’m glad I did this.” Wade smiles at me .
“You don’t talk much about your family. Is there a reason for that?” I ask. The question is actually always on my mind, I just hadn’t found the right time and place to ask him about it.
For the past few months he’s been my bodyguard, I haven’t heard him once talking to his parents on the phone. I don’t know how rich people interact with their children, but my mother can’t go a whole week without speaking to me or DJ, not to mention several months.
“I try my best to stay away from the life and place I grew up in.” Wade utters. “I didn’t have a very normal childhood. From the moment I was born, I was served by maids who did too much to please a child. My father was strict and distant, and my mother found solace in shifting all her attention, love, and care to me.”
“It sounds endearing but to a ten-year-old, all I wanted to do was to escape from my mother. I wanted to play sports because I was good at it and loved doing it, not because I wanted to impress my father or my equally affluent uncles. I wanted to hang out with my friends after school, not being forced to attend extra lessons just to remain top of my grades.”
I stayed silent as I let him express his feelings wholeheartedly. It looks like this was something he wanted to get off his chest for so long but never found the right opportunity to do so.
“My life was extravagant and far too complex for a child, which is why I made the decision when I was much older that I was going to pursue my dreams for the remaining years of my life, without the influence or name of my father. I wanted a more simple and peaceful life, and I did what I had to do to get it. ”
“That includes keeping them away from your life?” I question gently.
“Yes.” He answers curtly. “My mother has been asking me to return home and run my father's company. That, I don't wish to do.”
“What does your father do? I mean, I've only heard and seen him in newspapers and magazines, but what does he actually do?” I stopped walking and faced him.
“He has a long chain of businesses, but he's mostly based in manufacturing weapons. Something I hated when I was a young boy.” He shudders slightly. “I saw the horrors of what those weapons could cause so I joined the army to use those very weapons to protect my country and its people. I had to convince myself that to protect, often, one had to hurt another. It was a hard realization, but I was able to overcome it.”
“Anyone who hears you are Nathan Cooper's son might think you've had one of the best childhoods ever. But reality, you want to escape from that life.” I sigh. What one sees online is never the real face of the truth.
There are always other sides to the coin, and the more I spend time with Wade, the more I'm able to see that.
His watch beeps and I know it's time for this dream to end. I have to return to my life now. My home and my prison.
“Time for us to head back.”