Chapter 4 Liam and I were officially in a cold war . The last texts he sent before I blocked him were : [ Have you canceled the transfer request yet ? ] [ Not your concern . ] [ You will . We've been together five years . You can't live without me . ] [ Ava , you have to apologize to Chloe . Until you do , I won't speak to you again . ] I blocked him immediately . Three days before I was due in London , his assistant came to find me- with an invitation . " Ms. Cooper , Mr. Carter is hosting a celebration tonight . He sincerely hopes you'll attend . " I couldn't find a way to refuse , so I went , though I was confused . Why throw a party now ? The moment I stepped into the venue , I understood . It was a double celebration . Chloe stood at the entrance , beaming . When she saw me , her voice turned sweet . "Ava , you made it ! Come on in ! Tonight's party is for both Mr. Carter and me . " " I officially passed my probation today . I begged Mr. Carter to merge his celebration with mine for some extra luck . " I had no words . There was nothing to say . The breakup was already unspoken between us . And her showing off meant nothing to me anymore . I found a quiet seat in the corner , just waiting for a chance to leave . But Liam came looking for me . He paced in front of me , irritated . " Ava , what are you doing hiding here ? Come sit at the main table . " I refused . He took a deep breath , trying to keep calm . " You've had me blocked for ten days . Are you still angry ? You really want to make a scene at an event like this ? " I said nothing . He leaned in , voice tight with frustration . " You've always sat beside me at these things . You're going to throw that away over something so small ? " The commotion drew the attention of others . Chapter 4 W WebNovel 4.3 * FREE Google Play OPEN You think I'm gonna fall for llusion ? 57.14 % A few colleagues rushed over to smooth things out , half - pulling, half - persuading me to sit at the main table . Liam's face finally relaxed a little . A seat next to him had been left open . Soon , Chloe appeared , radiant as ever . " Ava , you're here ! " she chirped . " Perfect timing . Mr. Carter and I were just planning the team - building trip . He said he'd take me hiking . Want to join ? " My fingers stilled . I remembered Liam's promise not long ago . After the project wrapped , he said he'd take me to the mountaintop at sunrise - for a special proposal . He had blushed then , his voice unusually nervous and sincere . Now , my heart still skipped a beat , but it was from a wave of nausea . That video of them kissing in the bar flashed through my mind . " You two go . I'm busy finishing up the transition work . " I raised my glass and smiled politely . Chloe lit up , eyes practically glowing . She could hardly contain her glee . Liam , however , looked furious . Under the table , he suddenly grabbed my wrist . After the banquet , he cornered me outside the restroom . " Ava , what the hell are you trying to do tonight ? " " Nothing , " I replied flatly . " Are you still doing this ? You canceled the transfer anyway ! " " Chloe said she was going to tell you that day . You just found out before she could . Even if you hadn't , she would've reminded you ! " Really ? I didn't believe that for a second . Chloe was cunning There was no way she would've said anything . But I didn't bother arguing with Liam anymore . I replied quietly , "Then I guess I owe her thanks . " " Don't give me that sarcastic crap ! " he growled . " Tomorrow morning , eight o'clock, I'm picking you up for that hike . I made that promise , and I'm keeping it ! " With that , he stormed off . At eight the next morning , I stood by the window , watching the two of them downstairs , ready to go . Chapter 4 W WebNovel 4.3 * FREE Google Play OPEN You think I'm gonna fall for lusion ? 57.14 % 酒 Liam called me . I rejected the call . " Ava , keep this up ! " he shouted toward my building . " If you really want to act like this, don't expect me to take you anywhere ever again ! " Then he turned , Chloe in tow , and walked away . My social feed lit up all weekend , filled with their hiking photos . [ Outdoor training with the new team , resilience is the first lesson of the workplace . ] リ [ When the path gets tough , sometimes you need to reach out and pull someone up . ] [ The mountain view is nice , but nothing beats the smile beside you . Youth is unbeatable . ] Each post was flooded with likes and subtle comments from coworkers . Huh ? Why Chloe this time ? Where's Ms. Cooper ? ] [ Looks like the queen's lost her throne ~ ] [ Young energy is the best . Mr. Carter's a lucky guy ! ] [ Mr. Carter , don't push the kid too hard , okay ? ( wink ) ] Maya nearly exploded , shoving her phone at me . " That jerk is doing this on purpose ! He's trying to get under your skin ! " Under my skin? I felt nothing . It was almost laughable . The reporting day arrived as scheduled . As the plane landed , a wave of humid air greeted me , thick with the scent of the South - so different from the North . Early in the morning , just as I was adjusting to the blinding southern sunlight , my mom called . " Ava , Liam showed up at the house first thing this morning . He kept saying you were hiding from him . What's going on with My heart sank Damn . I had planned to tell her about the breakup gradually . Now Liam had blown it . Mom sounded confused . " I told him you left yesterday , but he wouldn't believe me . He insisted on coming upstairs to find you . " you two ? " In the background , I could hear Liam's irritated voice , " Mrs. Cooper , please stop covering for her . She knows what today is . She can't just ignore something this important ! " " She really left , " my mom replied . " I took her to the airport myself yesterday . " Chapter 4 W WebNovel 4.3 * FREE Google Play OPEN You think I'm gonna fall for lusion ? 57.14 % " Yesterday ? Airport ? " Liam's voice halted in shock , clearly caught off guard . " What did she go to the airport for ?! " " She's starting at the London office . Didn't she tell you ? " The line went silent . All I could hear was his breathing , now heavy and erratic - like he had just been punched in the gut . I didn't wait for more . I hung up , calmly . Chapter 4