Chapter 35

Aiden's pov

Ava and I made our way to the restaurant Susan explained her and her boyfriend is going to be.

The restaurant was located a little out of the city and it was not one I was familiar with. From the first impression it was lovely, small but organized.

For a four-star restaurant it sure looked more beautiful than expected. When we got into the room where most people sat, Ava and I looked around for Susan.

Luckily it did not take us long to find her as she spotted us and waved for us to join them.

I noticed there was a man beside her who seemed to be looking through the menu. From his side profile I could tell he was of Asian descent like Susan. He also wore a casual white shirt and jean trouser. Overall, he seemed like a chilled down to earth type of guy or at least that's what I have gathered from his appearance. Upon noticing that we were approaching he turned around.

His eyes lit up as he recognized me. He immediately got up slightly and held his hand out to shake mine. Although Ava was in front of me, the man saw it fit to greet me first.

'Mr. Morgan it's an absolute pleasure to meet you. It's an extreme honor that you would take the time out of your busy schedule to join us for dinner' he exclaimed frantically as he reached out his hand towards mine.

I held out my hand and shook his 'it's nice to meet you too...'

'It's Maxwell, sir'

'Maxwell'

I let go of his hand which he held tighter than I would have liked. I turned my attention to Ava saying 'I'm sure you haven't met Ava yet'

'Ava, you are Susan's friend, right? She has said nothing but wonderful things about you' Maxwell praised as he shook hands with Ava.

'How sweet. It's lovely to meet you. Susan has been hiding you away!' Ava jokes while looking slightly in the direction of Susan who sat at the opposite side of the table observing the scene in front of her with a smile on her face.

'Have a seat, I'm so glad you two were able to make it' Susan exclaimed gesturing to the two empty seats.

I let Ava take a seat before me. Which meant she sat beside Susan while I sat beside Maxwell.

I slowly began to hate my chosen seat as Maxwell immediately started asking me questions.

'Mr. Morgan I am a photographer and I run my own small company. I have tried to get in contact with you but have failed multiple times. My letters and emails are always overlooked which I'm not surprised. I can only imagine how busy your schedule is'

'Have you? as you stated my schedule is extremely busy and we do get many letters and emails on a daily basis. I would advise you to send them through Susan since you know her, and she also works for the company'

'Okay sir, is there a phone number I can call or personal email I can get to ensure I am able to contact you in the event that you don't get it through Susan'

'I can't disclose that information. Please send it through Susan'

'Okay sir, thank you for your time'

Glad that he had stopped asking questions for now, I picked up the menu which was placed neatly on the marble table in front of me. I looked through the menu trying to decide what to order but I could not get myself to concentrate.

How could I when Ava is sat in front of me with that dress on. I looked as the dress clung on to every curve.

She did not reveal much yet I couldn't get my mind to focus on anything else. She had her hair styled to perfection.

By the way I see Susan look at Ava I could not blame her for feeling jealous of Ava. I am aware that Susan sees Ava as competition after all Ava did take the job Susan also applied for.

Ava was chosen because she is simply the best candidate for the job and over these past few months, she has proven me right in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

She was truly beautiful inside and out.

'Aiden are you okay?' Ava asked taking me out of my internal rant. I shook my head and looked her in the eyes.

I smiled and replied 'yes I'm fine. Just remember I had work I forgot I had'

'Okay, do you know what you're going to order?' She asked me still not breaking eye contact.

'Mmm, I'm still indecisive. What about you? I asked looking back up from the menu.

'I think I am going to order burger and chips. I haven't had that in so long'

'I think I will have the same. I haven't eaten anything like that in a while either' I exclaimed not remembering the last time I had a burger.

'Is everyone ready to order?' Susan asked breaking the conversation Ava and I were in the middle of.

'Yes, we are' Ava spoke for the both of us.

She immediately tried getting a waiter's attention once we all confirmed we were ready to order.

'Good evening, how may I be of assistance to you' the waiter who according to his name tag was Jayden.

Susan order first, followed by Maxwell. I spoke last and told the waiter what Ava and I's order was since we were having the same thing.

Once the waiter left silence fell upon us.

'So, Ava how long have you been working as Mr. Morgan's personal assistance?'

Ava's attention was drawn when she heard her name being mentioned.

'A couple months now, I am approaching six months, I think. Time has gone so fast. It feels shorter' Ava laughed as she always does.

'I can image, when you are passionate about something it doesn't feel like hard work. Everything is bliss' Maxwell exclaimed after Ava.

'Exactly. I heard you work as a photographer?'

'Yes, I do, I went to college to get a degree and I own a company'

'That's impression, it must be stressful to be in charge of everything'

'It is but I get the satisfaction in knowing I have something I can call my own as well as doing something I love'

'He is so passionate about what he does it's amazing to hear how driven he truly is' Susan suddenly exclaimed reaching out her hand from across the table to get to his.

'It's a beautiful thing when you are fulfilling your passion' Ava announces before the waiter came back with our orders.

He placed Ava and Susan's food on the table before making his way back to the kitchen to get the other two dishes.

After a short while he arrived again with two hot plates of food in his hands.

'Here is your food' he spoke almost in a sing song tone. He placed the food on the desk and said 'I hope you enjoy it'

Before leaving, he exclaimed 'if you have any queries don't hesitate to let us know'

'Dig in' Susan excitedly said as she picked up her fork and dug into her lasagna.

We had a few discussions in between eating but nothing too important it was more generic questions and a few laughs.

The time came for us to order dessert, the waiter once again arrived at our table to ask us what we would love to order.

Surprisingly enough we all wanted the same thing which was strawberry cheesecake.

The waiter went and came back with four slices of delicious cheesecake.

Once it was placed on the table in front of me, I took my fork and cut a piece.

I placed it in my month and immediately let out a sign of satisfaction. I was snapped out of my little daze when I heard Ava laugh softly.

I looked at her as she stared back at me. She held her fork in her hand and said, 'it's good, isn't it?'

'Delicious' I simply replied before going in for another piece.

'So, Mr. Morgan I read somewhere that your company is thinking of expanding once again' Maxwell asked as he has been asking me questions throughout the evening.

By the looks of it, Maxwell is truly engaged with everything surrounding my company. Since we are a public company many of our information is online but some of the questions he has raised, it is evident that he truly does his research and digs for information beyond what is said in the media.

Honestly, I don't know why he is so involved perhaps is because he wants to work with us, or he is one of those people that are obsessed with keeping tabs on me and the company.

Either way I can't give too much away after all I don't know his true intention.

'Yes, Maxwell I will be expanding, but it is rather uncertain at this moment' was my response hoping he will stop asking any further questions.

Luckily, he seemed to have ran out of questions because he remained quite after that.

'So, Ava, how does it feel to be back at work after taking a week off' Maxwell asked redirecting his attention to Ava who was just about to put the last slice of her cheesecake in her mouth.

'It's great, I missed it. Although I was grateful to be off, I couldn't help but miss my job'

'Ava is truly the best assistant I have ever had. She is prefect for the job' I added truthfully.

I couldn't help but notice the discomfort of Susan as I praised Ava. It was as if she could not bear the thought of Ava receiving praises for the amazing work that she does.

Wanting to catch her attention I added 'I'm sure Susan can testify to that, since they are close in the office'

'Ahh, yes Ava is an amazing asset to the company. We are happy to have her' Susan spoke looking like a deer caught in headlights.

'Anyway, that's lovely, you are a valued member of the Morgan enterprise. Since everyone is finished with their dessert, I think it's time we take our leave' Maxwell spoke noticing that the night is slowly coming to a close.

'I will pay' I announced

'That's fine with me' Maxwell agreed immediately.

'Mr. Morgan you don't have to do that' Susan replies.

'I think we should split the bill' Ava chimes in.

'It's not a hassle at all. I'm paying either way'

Everyone remained silent not knowing what else to say or do.

The waiter arrived once he noticed we were done with our food and looked ready to leave. I paid for the dinner and ensured to also give him a tip for his amazing service.

We got up from our table and made our way to the exit.

'It was lovely meeting you. It was such an honor and thank you for paying for our meals' Maxwell spoke as he looked up at me while we were making our way to the parking space.

'It was nothing. I am glad to be able to take some time off of work' I responded back.

'We are parked over there' Susan said while pointing towards the direction their cars where.

'Oh, we parked other there on the other side' Ava spoke

'I guess this is a goodbye then, at least for tonight. We still have work tomorrow' Susan reminded mostly talking to Ava.

'See you tomorrow' Susan expresses while coming closer to Ava to hug her.

Ava reluctantly returned the hug and bid her farewell to Susan.

She pulled away and waved at Maxwell who was standing beside me but was now making his way over towards the direction of his car.

'Nice to meet you Ava. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Morgan' Maxwell stopped in his tracks as if forgetting something he turned around and held out his hand to shake mine.

I shook his in return and let go. He smiled and made his way towards his parked car once again.

Ava and I walked in the opposite direction to Susan and Maxwell.

'That was interesting' Ava was first to speak.

'It certainly was'

'I see you have a super fan. Maxwell couldn't keep his attention off you' Ava gushed reminding me of what I had to endure.

'He was just excited since he's been trying to work with the company for a while and besides this is a common behavior by many people'

We finally made our way into the car and I quickly drove off the parking space.

'Where are you going, my apartment is that way' Ava spoke noticing that I was going in a direction she wasn't familiar with.

'I know. I want to show you where I live. Since it's not too late and my place isn't too far from here. I thought it would be good to show you where I live'

'I can't believe you want to show little old me your extravagant home. Does your mansion have a pool?'

I laughed and replied 'yes'

'Pool parties in the summer' Ava screamed with excitement doing a little dance in the process.

'Calm' I laughed

We reached the gate of my home. I rang up a number on my phone which caused the gate to open.

I drove into my estate. Once the car passed the gate, it immediately closed.

Ava's mouth hung in amazement as she observed her surroundings.

'Beautiful' she uttered as she looked around in utter disbelief.

I parked the car beside the others, and we got out.

'I knew your place would be lovely, but I didn't know it was like this'

'Thank you. I enjoy living here'

'Who wouldn't' Ava said while I opened the front door of my house.

She immediately looked around the place again. Taking in every inch of the house.

'Don't you get lonely living here all by yourself. I know you have people over to do a few things, I mean you must have but at the times when they aren't around you most be feel lonely'

'I do but it's very rare since I am in the office most of the time'

'Wine?' I asked while making my way to where the wine was kept.

'Yes please' Ava replied while sitting on one of the chairs beside the island.

She placed her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hand. She let out a sign.

'What's on your mind' I asked curious to know what she was signing about.

'Susan sometimes gives me bad vibes. I don't know what it is. It's as if she's trying to be nice yet I can't seem to see it as genuine even when I try to'

'It's that so'

'I know it's crazy. It must be me. Maybe I'm being unfair towards her. She might be trying but I'm the bad guy'

'It's not you Ava, I've noticed she's a little off too. She sometimes suddenly shows up in places she isn't expected or acts in a suspicious manner' I explained further trying to let her know that I too have noticed a few of her behavioral issues.

'Exactly. It's to the point I can't ignore yet I can't put a finger on why'

'Whatever it is. It will surely reveal itself. Don't bother too much about it' I said as I gave her a glass of red wine.

'You're right. It's all just a bit.... what's the word...off'

'Want to watch something?'

'Yes'

'Come on' I said as I made my way from the kitchen to the living room.

When I got into the room, I used voice control to turn on the tv.

'Wow, this room looks amazing. Look at the tv...it's massive' Ava exclaimed captivated by her surroundings.

'This is by far my favorite room'

'Actually, I change my mind. I don't want to watch anything on tv. I want a house tour!'

'If it is a house tour you want then it is a house tour you shall get' I exaggerated while leaving the living room. Ava followed behind quickly not wanting to get lost or left behind.

'It's going to take a while to get to every part of the mansion'

'I have time'

'Where do we begin....Follow me'

I had given Ava a tour of all the rooms downstairs. Which took longer than I expected. Now we were making our way upstairs.

In total I had twelve bedrooms. Two of which are located downstairs and the rest upstairs.

When we finally reached upstairs the first room, I showed her was my bedroom. Since it was the closest to the stairs.

'This is my bedroom' I announced once we got in.

'It's huge. You even have a chandelier in here wow' she exclaimed as she looked around.

She walked towards the en-suite bathroom.

'Where's the shower?' She asked curiosity filling her voice.

'Look up'

She did as I said and the only words she managed to utter was 'wow'

She walked in even further and took a look around ' I didn't realize there was a bath also'

She walked around a bit more and slowly left the bathroom.

She ran straight to my bed and laid down on it.

'It's so soft. I can easily get used to this'

All I could do was laugh. She had a look of total bliss on her face. It was as if in that moment nothing could upset her.

'Let's go check out the other rooms' announced breaking the silence.

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Heyy everyone, we have finally made it to chapter 35. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Ava and Aiden still haven't kissed. How do you feel about that? Is it long overdue or do you think they need to know each other better? Let me know your thoughts. If you haven't already, please check out my channel where I discuss the issues in our society as well as other hair and lifestyle related stuff. Youtube channel name; IgboQueen Ify. A link is also in my bio. Stay blessed and see you in the next one.