Chapter 25 Ava
Chapter twenty-five
Ava
The next day, the store feels quiet—too quiet, if you ask me. Elijah spent the morning here with us, and Sophia’s around too. So far, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Still, I doubt my stalker will return this soon.
Sophia, Laura, and I are sitting on the couch having tea. Mia is behind the counter, serving a couple of customers, while Elijah is in my office, making calls. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I’m sure I won’t like it. Yesterday, he nearly hired private security for both the store and my house.
Laura is in the middle of telling Sophia an anecdote from one of her work visits when Sophia’s eyes suddenly widen.
“Sophia, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Laura asks, concern lacing her voice.
“It’s him… the guy I saw watching you.”
Before I can react, Laura jumps up and rushes to the office to get Elijah. I stare at the man Sophia’s talking about but see nothing out of the ordinary. I’m frozen.
Elijah bursts out of the office like a storm barely contained.
“Where is he?” His voice is thunderous, promising chaos. Sophia gives a small nod, and Elijah lunges toward the man without hesitation.
“What do you want with my woman? Why are you following her—sending photos, leaving notes?” His words are sharp enough to draw blood. If rage had a voice, this would be it.
“What? Who are you? I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The man stammers. I have to admit—his fear and confusion seem genuine. But not to Elijah.
“What are you doing here?” Laura demands.
“I… I came to…” The man falters, unable to finish his sentence.
Just then, Mia approaches—and what she says next makes the whole room go still.
“Ethan? What are you doing here?”
Elijah’s voice is molten fury. “Mia, how do you know this man?”
She hesitates, her voice shaking. “He’s… he was… my foster brother.”
The room goes silent. Even the soft clinking of cups and the low murmur of customers in the background seems to fade.
Elijah stiffens. His eyes narrow, flicking from Mia to Ethan like he’s recalculating everything.
“Your foster brother?” he repeats, each word slow and heavy.
Mia nods, swallowing hard. “It’s been years… I haven’t seen him since I was sixteen. I didn’t even recognize him at first.”
Elijah turns back to Ethan, his voice like ice now. “Why didn’t you say that? Why pretend you didn’t know her?”
“I—I wasn’t sure if it was her,” Ethan stammers. “I came in because I thought it might be Mia, but I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t following anyone. I swear.”
“Then why have you been lurking outside this store? Why the notes? The photos?” Elijah presses, stepping in, his body tight—coiled like a loaded spring ready to snap.
Ethan’s eyes dart around the room, landing briefly on me. “Photos? Notes? I don’t know anything about that.”
My mouth is dry. “Sophia saw you watching… and I’ve been getting anonymous messages—pictures of me, notes left on my desk.”
Ethan looks genuinely panicked now. “That wasn’t me. I swear to God, I wouldn’t do that. I just… I found out Mia was living in the city. I thought I could maybe see her, talk to her. That’s all.”
Mia’s voice is barely above a whisper. “Why now?”
Ethan exhales shakily. “I’ve been in and out of shelters. Got clean a couple years ago. I’ve been trying to fix things… thought maybe reconnecting with you could be part of that. I even have a new job at Kingston Security. It's a good job.”
Elijah’s brows lift slightly, with interest.
“Kingston Security?” he echoes, his voice more calculated now. “That’s a serious outfit.”
Ethan nods. “Yeah. Night dispatch. Nothing fancy, but it’s stable.”
"Then perhaps you might be of use to me—if you work for the Kingstons." Elijah says
Before Elijah can say more, Sophia steps in, arms crossed, her expression cautious.
“I think the Kingston brothers should know before you start pulling threads inside their company,” Sophia says, her voice hesitant, eyes flicking away for a moment. “I don’t know what you were going to ask Ethan, but… you know how they get about this kind of thing.”
Elijah looks at her, waiting.
She takes a breath, then continues softly, “You know very well that if you ask, they’ll give it to you.
Especially for Ava. Everyone knows how much you care about her.
But… don’t put Ethan at risk—especially if he turns out to be innocent.
The Kingstons don’t play games with betrayals, and you know that better than anyone. ”
Elijah’s shoulders tighten, but he nods slowly.
“Alright. I’ll talk to the Kingston brothers.”
Sophia lets out a relieved breath. “Good. Because anything involving their company and business… that’s their call.”
He turns back to Ethan, voice calm but serious.
“You said you want to help. Be ready when the time comes.”
Ethan nods, grateful but tense.
Elijah adds, “If the Kingston brothers sign off on this, we’ll move forward carefully. Until then, no digging, no risks.”
“Understood,” Ethan says.
The room stays quiet, charged with unspoken fears.
Because if Ethan isn’t the one watching… Then someone else still is. And they’re waiting.