Unnoticed Mia Brooks had always believed mornings were meant to be peaceful.
Unfortunately, living with Ava Carter meant peace was rarely an option.
The sound of the alarm had been ringing for nearly five minutes.
Then ten.
Then fifteen.
And yet Ava remained completely unmoved.
Mia stood in the doorway of the bedroom, fresh from her shower, staring at her best friend with disbelief.
“How are you still asleep?” No response.
Mia walked closer.
“Ava.” Nothing.
She crossed her arms.
“Ava Carter.” Still nothing.
Finally, she grabbed the pillow beside her and dropped it directly onto Ava.
Ava immediately sat up.
“What happened?!” Mia stared at her.
“Good morning.” Ava blinked.
Then looked at the time.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh no.” And just like that, the peaceful morning officially ended.
Within minutes, Ava was rushing around the room searching for clothes, fixing her hair, and trying to convince herself that she was not repeating the same mistake from days ago.
Mia, on the other hand, was already completely ready.
She sat comfortably on Ava’s bed, scrolling through her phone while watching Ava move around like a hurricane.
“I genuinely don’t understand how you survive.” Ava grabbed her bag.
“I don’t have time for this.” “You always say that.” “Because you always talk too much.” Mia smiled.
“You’re welcome.” Ava looked at her.
“For what?” “Keeping your life interesting.” Ava wanted to argue.
But unfortunately, Mia wasn’t wrong.
As Ava continued getting ready, Mia started talking about her own day.
“So…” Ava immediately knew from her tone that something was coming.
“What?” “My day with Lucas was weird.” Ava paused.
“Weird how?” Mia sighed.
“I feel like I offended him.” Ava looked over.
“That wouldn’t be really surprising, why?” “I don’t know.
He just acts like he’s annoyed with me.” “Maybe that’s just his personality.” “No.” Mia shook her head.
“It’s different.” Ava frowned slightly.
“Did he say something?” “Not exactly.” “Then maybe you’re overthinking.” Mia looked unconvinced.
“I don’t think so.” Ava smiled faintly.
“Mia, you overthink everything.” “Not everything.” “Last week you thought a cashier hated you because he didn’t smile.” “He looked angry.” “He had a headache.” Mia opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
“That was different.” Ava laughed quietly.
What neither of them knew was that Mia’s strange feeling around Lucas had nothing to do with work.
And everything to do with a night neither of them remembered the same way.
Because Lucas Hawthorne remembered.
He remembered her.
Mia Brooks had been the first woman in a long time who treated him like a normal person instead of a Hawthorne.
She didn’t care about his money.
His family.
His name.
She had just been Mia.
And then she disappeared the next morning.
No goodbye.
No message.
Nothing.
Lucas had convinced himself he didn’t care.
But seeing her every day now and watching her treat him like a stranger?
It bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
“Ava!” Mia’s sudden voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Ava turned.
“What?” Mia was staring at her phone.
Her eyes wide.
“Oh my God.” Ava frowned.
“What happened?” Mia immediately turned the screen toward her.
A video was playing.
A familiar kitchen.
A familiar hotel.
And two familiar people.
Ava and Ethan.
The video showed them working together from the previous day.
Cleaning.
Preparing food.
Laughing.
Ava froze.
The video had already gained thousands of views.
The comments were filled with praise.
People were calling Ethan a different kind of CEO.
Someone who wasn’t afraid to work beside his employees.
Someone who cared about rebuilding the company from the inside.
But Mia wasn’t reading any of that.
She was staring at the two people in the video.
“Oh my God.” Ava already knew that tone.
“No.” “You two look so good together.” “Mia.” “I’m serious.” “No.” “The chemistry.” “There is no chemistry.” “The teamwork.” “We were working.” “The way he looks at you.” “He was looking at the food.” Mia ignored her.
“You would make such a cute couple.” Ava grabbed her bag.
“No.” Mia laughed.
“Ava.” “No.” And before Mia could continue, Ava walked out.
Fast.
Very fast.
“Ava!” Mia tried to follow.
But Ava was already gone.
By the time Ava reached Aurora Grand, her thoughts were still everywhere.
She didn’t care about the video.
Not really.
What bothered her was the fact that everyone else seemed to see something she didn’t.
She just worked.
That was all.
She knocked on Ethan’s office door.
“Come in.” Ava stepped inside.
“Good morning, Mr.
Hawthorne.” This time, she waited.
And waited.
But before she could become offended again, Ethan looked up.
“Good morning, Ava.” She paused.
A small relief crossed her face before she could stop it.
At least he answered this time.
Ethan noticed.
Interesting.
“We have good news.” Ava looked up.
“The restaurant changes worked.” His expression softened slightly.
“Since yesterday, we’ve gained new customers and increased reservations.” A smile appeared on Ava’s face.
She had wanted to tell him.
She had wanted to be the one to share the good news.
But of course…
He already knew.
He was the person in charge.
Ethan stood.
“Today, we’re checking room service.” Ava nodded.
“Okay.” He walked toward the door.
She followed.
Quietly.
A little too quietly.
Ethan glanced back once.
She was walking behind him with her head slightly lowered.
Almost like a disappointed puppy.
He almost smiled.
Almost.
When they reached the suite area, Ava was still lost in thought.
She was thinking about the video.
The comments.
Mia’s teasing.
Everything.
Which was exactly why she didn’t notice Ethan had stopped walking.
Until- Bang.
Her forehead collided directly with his back.
Ava stumbled.
And before she could catch herself, she fell backward onto the floor.
Silence.
Then laughter.
Several staff members nearby tried to hide their amusement.
Ava wanted the ground to swallow her.
Again.
But Ethan wasn’t laughing.
He immediately turned around.
“Ava.” His voice was sharper than he intended.
She looked up.
“I’m fine.” “Are you?” The question surprised her.
He looked genuinely concerned.
But his expression quickly became serious again.
“You need to be more careful.” Ava lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Ethan sighed.
He wasn’t angry.
He was worried.
But he wasn’t good at showing that.
“Go sit down.” Ava looked confused.
“What?” “Leave for now.” Her face immediately fell.
Did he really want her gone?
“I can still help.” “No.” His voice softened slightly.
“Come back in an hour, when you are more focused.” Ava stared at him.
She didn’t notice the concern hidden behind his frustration.
She only heard the rejection.
“Okay.” Quietly, she stood.
And walked away.
Ethan watched her leave.
Then sighed.
Because somehow…
Making her understand that he cared was proving much harder than managing an entire company.