CEO's Contract Obsession-Chapter 261: Excessively Perky

The interview day ended positively in Bellory. Upon Amy’s arrival after lunch, the women had already selected several candidates for the HR Manager role, aiming to replace Josephine. Additionally, there were applicants for the vacant position of Operation Manager, which was previously held by Kevin.

Amy, feeling worn out from the day, carried a sense of guilt for having delegated her tasks to the ladies earlier. "Mitch, could you please request Ava to come to my office? Thank you," Amy instructed through the intercom.

Ava promptly entered Amy’s office, but her attire caught Amy off guard. "Are you heading somewhere?" Amy inquired, puzzled by Ava’s appearance.

Ava stumbled over her words in response to Amy’s remark, causing Amy to chuckle. "Oh, come on, don’t worry. I understand that you all have lives outside of work too, you know," Amy said reassuringly. "Now, let’s get back to business. Who is it?" she asked, eager to know the details.

Ava’s face reflected confusion, which only made Amy laugh even harder. "I must say, Ava, it’s quite obvious that you’re heading out on a date. You look absolutely stunning and radiant. So, who’s the lucky guy?" Amy inquired with a playful smile.

"I-It’s not a-a date, n-not at a-all," Ava stammered, feeling a sudden surge of nervousness. Cold sweat began to form on her forehead. Deep down, she secretly wished it were a genuine date, but she knew all too well that it wasn’t.

Ava could only hold onto that wish, understanding that she could never fill the void Amy held in Ash’s heart. All she could do was be there for him as a supportive presence whenever he needed someone to rely on.

"Alright, if you insist. But... I don’t believe you," Amy continued teasingly, letting out a laugh.

Ava smiled at Amy, knowing that if Amy only knew who she was about to meet, she wouldn’t be able to tease her in such a lighthearted manner. There was a secret anticipation dancing within Ava’s heart, but she kept it hidden behind her smile.

"Why did you call for me, by the way?" Ava said trying to stir the conversation away from her love life.

"Oh, yes, I nearly forgot," Amy replied a playful tone in her voice. "You’re just too stunning at the moment, Ava. You have the power to make even a woman forget things after laying eyes on you!" Both Amy and Ava burst into laughter, sharing a happy moment together.

"When and where did you learn those pick-up lines, huh?" Ava playfully questioned Amy.

"Perhaps my husband taught me those lines, haha!" Amy replied with a mischievous grin. "Anyways, as I was saying, I wanted to thank you personally for today. As a token of my sincere gratitude, I’m giving you an early dismissal. It’s Friday, and you deserve some rest. But looking at you now, I’d say use your free time to relax before your ’date’," Amy giggled, thoroughly enjoying teasing Ava.

Each time Amy mentioned Ava’s date or complimented her appearance, Ava couldn’t help but blush. This reaction only strengthened Amy’s belief that the head of her security team was undoubtedly in love.

Amy was genuinely happy for Ava. The last thing she wanted was for her security team to dedicate their entire lives solely to protecting her. Amy desired for them to have fulfilling personal lives, including the possibility of starting their own families in the future.

"Alright, now go, before I change my mind," Amy added, playfully nudging Ava to get moving from her spot.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it," Ava expressed her gratitude before leaving Amy’s office. The next thing she did was send a message to Ash, taking advantage of the three hours she had left before he would come to pick her up.

Ava: [Hey Ash, guess what? Amy let me leave early, so I’m out now. If you need anything from the grocery store, I can pick it up for you.]

Ava went to the bathroom to check her appearance while waiting for Ash to reply. However, just as she was about to enter the bathroom, she heard her phone ring. To her surprise, Ash called her instead of replying with a text message.

"Hello? Ash?"

"Hi, Ava. I was actually composing a text message for you when you texted me. I have a meeting, and I might end up staying at work a little late," he explained.

"Oh, that’s alright then. We can have dinner some other time," Ava replied, attempting her best not to sound disappointed and putting on an overly cheerful tone, but she sounded excessively perky.

’Really Ava? Control yourself!’ she scolded herself inwardly.

"That’s not actually what I had in mind. I was going to ask you a favor if you could go to my penthouse? The housekeeper needs to go home at six, and Beethoven will be left alone he will get lonely and will start to howl and cry when he’s alone. So if you could go there without me, I would be eternally grateful," Ash shyly pleaded.

"Sure!" Ava replied once again, her voice still sounding overly cheerful, causing her to inwardly cringe. "Of course, I would love to spend time with Beethoven," she added, trying to mask any excessive excitement and genuinely showing enthusiasm for being able to play with Ash’s beloved pet.

"That’s settled then. I will inform the reception and my housekeeper to let you in. I shall send someone there to pick you up," Ash uttered.

"No need, I need to buy some things first before I go to your house if that’s ok," Ava just had a great idea, something that she had been thinking about for some time now.

"No problem, take your time then. I’ll see you there. I have to go now; my secretary is already pestering me to head to the boardroom," Ash said, scratching the back of his neck.

As soon as Ash ended the call, Ava quickly returned to her desk, grabbed her belongings, and rushed off to the grocery store. She was eager to complete her shopping before heading to Ash’s penthouse.

"Woah, woah, where are you going?" Mitch questioned, who was just seated next to her desk.

"Amy dismissed me early, so I am going to the grocery," Ava casually said.

"In full make-up and dressed up? Who does that after work just to go grocery shopping? Do you have a date?" Mitch exclaimed, her jaw dropping before quickly covering her mouth, realizing her assumption. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"What are you talking about? You’ve got it all wrong," Ava chuckled, though her laughter seemed forced, and Mitch quickly picked up on it.

"I am right, aren’t I? You’re laughing awkwardly because you’re nervous, and you’re nervous because I hit the nail on the head!" Mitch exclaimed, a triumphant smile spreading across her face.

"Whatever, Mitch. Whether I am or not, it’s none of your business. Anyways, I need to go now," Ava stated firmly, starting to turn around. However, Mitch swiftly reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving.

"Wait! Of course, it’s my business! What if that guy is just using you to get to Amy? Or what if he has bad intentions toward you?" Mitch exclaimed, concern evident in her voice.

"Mitch, what the hell are you saying? Can you even hear yourself? Of course, I know how to assess someone’s intentions. We are trained for that," Ava replied, her annoyance at Mitch’s meddling becoming evident.

"I’m not saying that you’re not capable. What I’m saying is that I should meet the guy and-" Mitch began, but Ava interrupted him.

"Hahaha!" Ava burst into laughter upon realizing what Mitch was trying to do. "You think I don’t know what you are up to? You’re trying to meet him! Well, it is not going to happen. It is a secret," she exclaimed, playfully teasing Mitch.

"I knew it! I was right! So it is a date after all. Who is he? Do I know him?" Mitch cheerfully inquired, unable to contain his curiosity.

Ava frowned, realizing that Mitch had caught her off guard and successfully made her admit that she was on her way to see a guy.

"I will tell you someday, but not now. And again, it is not a date. We’re not at that stage yet. I am not even sure if we will ever get to that point. You see the feeling is not mutual. But I am hoping that someday it will change. So wish me luck, bye!" Ava replied firmly before walking away from Mitch.

"B-But... Avaaa!" Mitch’s voice trailed off as Ava disappeared from sight. Ava could faintly hear her friend shouting her name, but she could not help but laugh inwardly at her spirited and slightly crazy friend.

Ava took her phone and quickly browse the net as she entered the elevator. ’Alright, let us see what are we going to have tonight, Ash. I hope you will like whatever I will choose,’ she said to herself.