Morning, Celeste Towers,
'Ring, ring…'
Aveline gasped awake at the shrill ringing of her phone. Her eyes were puffy, swollen from last night's turmoil, but the second she saw the caller ID, the exhaustion disappeared.
'Damien.'
Her stomach clenched. She swallowed hard, her fingers instinctively gripping the duvet as she turned her head toward Scarlett, who was still sound asleep beside her.
She couldn't let Damien suspect anything. Not where she had been, not what she had done last night, and definitely not Scarlett's involvement. If he found out, she might be putting her friend in danger.
A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled Scarlett's accident that took her life.
Had Damien staged it?
The thought made her blood run cold.
Shaking her head to focus on the call, "Act sweet and clueless." Aveline reminded herself to stay calm but the tremble of her fingers revealed the truth as she swiped at the screen and answered the call.
'Groggy!' Aveline thought and spoke, "Hello!?" And she subconsciously held her breath, her fingers tightened the grip over the duvet.
"Nina!?"
Aveline flinched the moment Damien's voice reached her ears.
The name used to feel warm, affectionate. Now it felt like a cruel joke.
How easily had he fooled her?
How smoothly had he played the role of the perfect husband while betraying her in ways she had never imagined?
Aveline parted her lips, trying to steady her voice, but for a moment, she just couldn't. She struggled to act naturally. Every fiber of her being wanted to confront him, to demand why he had done this to her, why he had made her love him while loving someone else. But logic held her back.
She had to play this game right.
"D-Damien…?" She murmured, feigning sleepy confusion.
Scarlett whispered beside her, "Breathe…"
Aveline nearly dropped her phone, her heartbeat roaring in her ears, before she realized the voice had come from beside her. Scarlett, barely awake, had signaled her with a whisper, her voice barely audible. "You need to stay calm. Breathe."
Aveline hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath. She forced a long inhale, steadying her nerves as Scarlett turned on the speaker.
"... everywhere for you. Where are you?" Damien's voice was sharper, urgency laced in every word. "Are you alright? I'm coming to pick you up. Send me your location."
The panic-stricken voice left not just Aveline but Scarlett also speechless.
Despite learning that Damien was putting on an act of a loyal and caring husband, hearing his voice live was… something else.
Scarlett had to poke Aveline to respond, silently coaching her to yawn naturally..
Aveline followed. She yawned dramatically and softened her voice, "Damien… I had another nightmare."
Aveline looked at Scarlett, who was guiding her through the script they had prepared last night.
Aveline sighed shakily, making her voice sound fragile, "I– I went downstairs looking for you but you weren't there. I was scared to sleep alone but I didn't want to disturb you… So I came to Scarlett's place."
Scarlett quickly signaled her to pause.
Then, with perfect timing, she mouthed the next line, 'Did I do something wrong?'
Aveline hesitated before repeating the question, "Did I do something wrong?" It made her sound more vulnerable, less rehearsed– less like she was reading from a script.
Scarlett wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead, feeling a wave of pride. Not bad.
On the other end of the call, Damien was silent for a beat before sighing, "I'm really sorry, Nina. I got an emergency call from a foreign client. The files were at the office and I had to go." His voice lowered regretfully, "I will make sure to be there next time."
Scarlett gritted her teeth, resisting her urge to curse the man out loud at his such a smooth and calculated move.
Aveline's face darkened. How many times had she heard this exact excuse?
How many times had she believed it?
Not anymore.
"No, Damien." Her voice was sweet– too sweet. This time she looked more at ease with her words, "Don't apologize. I should be the one saying sorry for leaving without informing you."
Scarlett placed a hand on her chest, dramatic relief flooding her features after witnessing Aveline slowly getting better with the role of sweet wife. She fell back on the bed, worrying less, gaining more confidence that Aveline could pull it off.
Aveline continued, her voice laced with concern, "You must have worked all night, and here I am, making you worry."
Aveline sounded so guilty, Scarlett buried her face in the pillow to muffle her laughter. Her friend was a quick learner.
"Oh Nina, it's alright. If not you, who else would I worry about?" Damien's voice was dripping with warmth.
Scarlett: "..."
Aveline felt like throwing up. His voice, his words, each syllable felt like a knife cutting her tolerance. But she reminded herself, 'Patience.' Because Damien wasn't just anybody to make him an enemy.
She took a steady breath before replying, "Why don't you rest at home for a bit, Damien? Since I'm here, I'll have breakfast with Scarlett and spend some time with her. I will be home before you."
Because, first she needs to visit the doctor. And then… she needed to steel herself for the real performance.
The silence on the other end stretched long enough that Aveline tensed. Had she said something off?
Was she overconfident?
Scarlett was quick to notice Aveline losing her cool. She gave her a sharp nod, signalling her to add more drama, more emotions.
Nervous, Aveline hesitated before lowering her voice, making it softer, hesitant. "Damien, did I… ask something wrong? If you don't like it, I can…"
Damien cut in quickly, "Of course not, Nina." His voice was smooth as ever as he continued his act of a doting husband, "You should spend time with your friend. You haven't gone out in a while."
He paused before adding smoothly, "I will book a salon appointment and a restaurant for you both. Enjoy yourselves."
Though he was acting like the chivalrous man of many women's dreams, Aveline clenched her jaw as she deciphered Damien's reasons behind his actions.
She struggled to respond like a surprised wife, "What would I do without you!?"
When the call ended, Scarlett spoke in awe, "Damien Ashford knows every formula and equation from the universe to impress a woman." She almost melted hearing Damien take personal attention even in his absence.
She realized why Aveline insisted that they need to quietly dig for the truth and stay under the radar. Because Damien wasn't just dangerous, he was way too smart and crafty.
However, Aveline wasn't impressed, recalling all the incidents before she regressed.
She was born a golden spoon girl. She had everything at her beck and call, but she wasn't spoiled at her parents' place. When Damien began taking care of her, she had assumed that he was spoiling her out of love and care, and she should accept it.
But now, she saw it clearly – this wasn't love. It was control, disguised as devotion.
"He didn't do it to make me happy, Red." She muttered, "He is keeping an eye on me. He hates not knowing where I am, who I'm with, and what I'm doing."
The weight of Aveline's words hung heavy in the room as she wondered how Damien reacted after learning she wasn't home.
––––––
In the Sterling villa,
Damien ended the call and exhaled sharply, his expression unreadable.
Around him, the house staff stood in perfect silence. The maids, servants, the driver, the night-shift security guard, and the housekeeper all lined up before him with their heads bowed.
Damien's sharp eyes narrowed at the security guard, "What time did she leave?"
The security guard grasped that it was a question for him. He swallowed, bowing his head, "Sir, Mrs. Ashford departed right after you."
Damien's expression hardened yet again. His brows dipped, thinking of various possibilities. One of which is Aveline following him.
A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes. He shot up from his seat, his voice sharp as he commanded, "Keep me informed of everything. When she leaves, when she arrives, who she meets."
This was the first time Aveline had left without telling him. He wasn't about to let it become a habit.
Grabbing his blazer, Damien strode out of the villa, pulling out his phone as he dialed a number, "Ric, meet me at Obsidian."