Page 14 of Tears of Revenge

You can order something to be delivered to us. Come whenever you are ready.

Varos and Marcus

She returned the note to the bag, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt while pulling out the gift card inside.

Even though that fluttering in her stomach was enough to drive her mad, she tried to focus on work until lunchtime. She ordered her favourites: a salad from her favourite spot and a cake from the best bakery.

With one last glance in the bathroom mirror, it was finally time for her to head upstairs. She couldn’t change much about her appearance anyway, but she felt like a teenager again going on her first date. She stepped into the elevator on shaky legs, trying to steady herself.

Calinda, the woman from before, greeted her at the reception desk. “Hello, Miss Williams. Mr. Saul would like you to go straight through.”

“Thank you, Calinda.”

She passed through the office and knocked on the private door, which opened a moment later.

“Good afternoon, Ava,” Marcus greeted with a bright smile. “Come in. Your food is already waiting for you.”

“Perfect, I hoped I’d timed it right.”

She stepped into the office and Marcus closed the door behind her. Lysander was sitting behind his desk, brows fused and his eyes focused on the screen before him. Varos stood at his desk, the only one that didn’t face away from the gorgeous view. With a charming smile, he set her food on the desk.

“It is nice to see you again,” he beamed.

“Same. How are you?”

“Better now. How was your weekend?” Varos indicated for her to sit in his chair.

“Very relaxed.”

Marcus pulled his desk chair closer and sat down with her. “What have you been up to?”

“Not much. Enjoyed the good weather and bought a few new books.”

“Lysander likes to read too,” Varos revealed. “Though it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen him pick up a book.”

“Oh, I have that too sometimes. I’m a total mood reader.” She pried open her salad container, looking up when she realised the other three in the room were simply watching her. “Are you not eating?”

Marcus shook his head. “We have a business lunch later, but we still wanted to see you.”

“Oh—so I don’t need to feel bad for eating first,” she giggled

Varos’s face turned serious. “You never have to feel bad for addressing any of your needs with us.”

She was sure he hadn’t intended for the words to sound dirty, but they did. And as a result, she felt the sudden urge to have his skin on hers, to feel his lips caressing every inch of her skin.

Trying to get away from those thoughts, she quickly changed the subject. “I guess that’s just my past talking.”

“And we don’t blame you for it,” Marcus told her in a soothing voice. “It’s going to take time for you to adjust. I think you’ve been doing fantastic so far.”

That slight bit of praise had her heart racing. “Thank you.”

Varos spoke next, shifting the conversation. “We were hoping we could take you out again soon. Is there anywhere you would like to go?”

She chewed on her bite of salad, mulling over the question. “I thought you were choosing this time.”

Marcus tilted his head and studied her for a moment. “Do you not think we enjoyed ourselves?”

“Well, that was my hobby, maybe you two have other things you enjoy doing?”

---