Unwilling Bride: The 1V5 Love Drama novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28 Ava’s Conundrum

Chapter 28 Ava’s Conundrum

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Ava might look like a gentle and meek girl, but that was nothing more than a protective façade. In truth, she was no pushover. Ethan had noticed that characteristic of hers almost immediately.

So, he asked, “Ms. Morren, do you dislike Ryan and me that much?”

Ava instantly shook her head and said, “Of course not! Mr. Brock, we were essentially strangers. I don’t know about everyone else, but I personally think that it’d be odd for anyone to dislike someone for no reason at all.”

“If that’s the case, then why are you pushing for this? I’ve heard your concerns, and I don’t find you lacking in any way. If you don’t mind, I’d like us to give this a shot,” he replied.

Ava met his gaze. His silver–gray eyes were steady and earnest, which meant he genuinely meant what he said.

“Why?” she asked. “I thought I had already made myself clear.”

“Then, I suppose you can consider this as me falling for you at first sight.”

Ava ttearly choked on air as she exclaimed, “Are you serious right now? Mr. Brock, having a sense of humor is fine, but this? You fell in love with me at first sight? Please! This isn’t a fairytale and I’m not a child!”

Ethan let out a soft chuckle. “Well, it’s like you said so earlier. You don’t dislike me. It just so happens that I don’t dislike you either. So, why can’t we give this a go? Of course, I’ll respect your decision if you still want to end this arrangement by the time you turn

26.”

“After all, you were the one who forced the match to happen. Yet here you are, backing out on me like this… Put yourself in my shoes for a change, wouldn’t you find this completely unreasonable too?

“After all, I haven’t done anything wrong to warrant such a reaction from you. Or perhaps…” he trailed off as a mischievous spark appeared in his eyes.

“Are you afraid you’ll fall for me?”

Ava’s eyes had gone as wide as saucers as she stared at him, utterly gobsmacked. His shameless words were completely at odds with the calm and righteous persona he had been maintaining.

Was this shameless guy sitting right there really the infamously impartial judge, Mr. Ethan Brock?

“So, what do you think? Would you like to give us a shot, Ava?” he drawled huskily, her name rolling off his tongue like spun sugar.

God, this man is impossible!

Ava hastily looked away and set her sights on Ryan instead. “Mr. Ryan, what about you? What do you think?”

If she couldn’t reason with the older Brock brother, perhaps the younger one would be more amenable to her suggestion.

After all, Ryan was a veteran in the entertainment industry. Although she didn’t pay attention to that particular industry, she knew enough to know what it was like.

He was surrounded by beautiful people day in and day out. He was a famous celebrity adored by countless fans online, so why would he ever bother looking twice at her?

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Chapter 28 Ava’s Conundrum

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Ryan was far more hot–tempered than Ethan. So, he crossed his arms and retorted bluntly, “What? Are you trying to get me to back out? Or are you trying to dump me?”

Ava nearly jumped at his obvious displeasure, so she quickly insisted, “No! Not at all! I’m not suggesting anything of the sort. Mr. Ryan, I’m saying that you would be the one doing the dumping.”

Please don’t get the sequence twisted. The sequence is important!

Ryan snorted coldly. “Do I look like an idiot to you? Isn’t that the same thing?”

Ava sighed helplessly. “Of course not. It’s totally different if you’re the one ending the arrangement.”

“So, you’re willing to try to see where it goes when it’s with Ethan, but you want me to dump you?” Ryan couldn’t help but raise his voice as he demanded hotly, “Why the double standard?”

“When did I ever agree to test the waters with Ethan?” Ava asked, utterly bewildered by how he’d come to that conclusion.

She hadn’t even decided on her next move yet. If anything, she was clearly trying to redirect the conversation by choosing not to

answer!

“You didn’t say no, so you might as well have said yes!” he shot back huffily.

“Well, it doesn’t matter because I don’t care what you want to do. You were the one who forced this match on me, not the other way around.

I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I suffer the ‘divorcee‘ label when I haven’t even had the chance to be a husband? Why should you get to call all the shots, Ava?”

It was obvious that he was really hung up on this whole thing. Even though his anger was childish, it was still intimidating enough to her.

Ava, who was already guilty for inflicting this upon them, felt her resolve falter as this continued. Her no–nonsense tone softened as she tried to appease him. “I’m just… trying to come to a compromise with you, that’s all.”

Ethan, who had noticed her change in demeanor, immediately chose this opportunity to strike, saying, “Ms. Morren, please give my offer a good consideration.

“I swear that I’ll uphold my words by respecting your wishes and ending this arrangement if you remain uninterested in me by the time you turn 26.

“Considering our profession, the Brock family places a great deal of importance on our reputation and image. I hope, for the sake of my parents, that you’ll allow some room for compromise.

“After all, it won’t look good for both our families if word about this gets out to the public.”

His calm but pointed words threw Ava’s thoughts into disarray.

Her frown deepened as she fell into a contemplative silence. Now that the Morren family had brought her into the fold, it also meant that she had a duty to protect their interests.

If things got out of hand, it’d be one thing for her to be on the receiving end of the public’s malice. However, it would be a whole other can of worms if this spiraled into a feud between two families. The Morren family’s reputation would also be in tatters if she failed to handle this properly.

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Chapter 28 Ava’s Conundrum

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Ryan shot Ethan a surreptitious look. “Ethan’s said his piece, so I suppose I could agree with this solution. Don’t you think for a second that I’m doing this because I’m interested in you. I’m only doing this to protect my family.”

As noon rolled by, Dylan and Elena warmly invited Jonathan and Ava to stay for lunch. Neither of them brought up their discussion at the pavilion.

Regardless, Ava just desperately wanted this visit to end as she tried her best to maintain her demure demeanor over lunch.

The Brocks tried to convince them to stay for dinner after lunch. Alas, Jonathan declined their offer before leaving, stating that they had to visit the Caswell family later that day.