Bound To Him

Kelly and Ava got to school almost at the same time and they spotted each other right away.

"Kelly, I'm so sorry I left you alone behind," Ava apologized. Tristan informed Ava that Jack took care of Kelly yesterday. Ava was relieved but she still felt bad for ditching her friend.

"It's fine, I know you were also drunk yesterday," Kelly consoled her.

"I hope Jack drooped you safely," Ava said. She had no idea about what had happened between them. She assumed Kelly came back to the dorm last night. She knew that Jack was a nice person and can be trusted.

"Yeah, why did Tristan Ambrosio come to see you yesterday? Did he take you home? Are you two together?" Kelly asked after seeing Ava being dropped off in a car she didn't recognize. It meant Ava was also not at the dorm last night.

"Tristan is my boyfriend," Ava confessed. She felt guilty for hiding their relationship from her best friend.

"What? Really? Tristan?" Kelly was totally shocked.

"Why didn't you tell me? Are you keeping secrets from me?" Kelly accused.

"I know I'm really sorry. I didn't have any choice. Can you forgive me?" Ava pleaded.

"Well I'll forgive you only if you tell me all the juicy details," Kelly bargained.

"Okay, deal," Ava smiled.

"Well, I also want to tell you something. Ummm… I'm dating PA Jack," Kelly said shyly.

Today was her first day of relationship with Jack. He was smiling and talking during the whole ride. He could not control his excitement. When they reached the school, Jack hugged her once more and asked her to confess again to confirm he was not dreaming.

Kelly had not confessed but pinched him very hard to confirm to him that it was all true.

"Wow! Are you serious? Omg! That's exciting!" Ava said excitedly. 

"We can now hang out in the future," Kelly screamed. They hugged each other and shared each other's love story. They could not concentrate in class because of all the excitement.

They were gossiping in class the whole time. The professor caught them and warned them to stop talking. On their second offense, he threw them out. They were more than happy to get out of there.

That afternoon.

Tristan told her to dress up. He said he was introducing her to somebody important today. She chose a very elegant short backless lace lavender-colored dress. She didn't really know how dressed up he wanted her to be, so she opted for something in the middle of being too formal and too casual.

Hardin was on the other side of the courtyard when he saw Ava. He had never seen her so dressed up, so he decided to say hi. 

He had been trying to confess to her the past few days, but Ava had always been busy. It seemed like she never had the time for him. It was his chance to see her again.

A car stopped on the curb, and a man came out. He kissed her on the cheek and hugged her before they got into the car.

Hardin was rooted to the spot. "Does Ava have a boyfriend? She didn't tell me she had a boyfriend. 

That guy looked familiar. Wait, is that the same guy from the hotel restaurant? 

Did I just lose my chance to confess and become her boyfriend? Ugh!" he was sad, angry, and frustrated at the same time. He did not know what to do.

They looked like they were very comfortable with each other. He wondered if they've been together for a while. If they were already together at that time when they met him at the restaurant. "I wonder if that was the reason why he looked very mad at me," Hardin thought to himself.

In the car, Tristan was staring at Ava, "You look very beautiful today my love." 

He held her chin in between his fingers and said "I want to kiss you so bad, but I don't want to ruin your makeup."

"You can kiss me, she said, I can retouch my lipstick," Ava blushed and lowered her eyes. She missed him so much too.

"I might do more than kiss you. So we will reserve that for later," Tristan said naughtily. 

They stopped in front of a villa that resembled the English stately homes of the eighteenth century. It had a sprawling front lawn with a magnificent garden. 

Tristan held Ava's hand as they got out of the car and entered the villa. Ava's jaw dropped upon seeing the interior of the villa. Everything in it screamed royalty. This person must be very rich to be able to build a house like this.

A tall man with well defined facial features was waiting for them in the living room. He had slicked-back black hair and was wearing a dark green suit. He had a mischievous look in his eye.

"Hey, buddy! It's been a while. I'm glad you could come," the man came and hugged Tristan as soon as he spotted him.

"Good to see you, man. It looks like nothing has changed," Tristan smiled and hugged him back.

He looked at Ava with a smirk. Ava smiled at him. She could feel his eyes scrutinizing her. 

"Little one, this is Reylond, my friend. Reylond, this is my girlfriend Ava," Tristan introduced. 

Reylond gazed at Ava head to toe. "Looks like the lion fell in love with the lamb," Reylond chuckled.

"Did you not tame a lioness, you schmuck!" Tristan countered back.

"Yeah, that I did. Don't let her hear you say that," Reylond let a soft laugh.

Reylond was one of the biggest businessmen in England. They met when Tristan had just taken control of his father's business, and Reylond's father just turned the business over him. They were both working to prove their worth to the world.

Tristan was cold, dominant, and silent. Whereas Reylond's personality was fun, easy, and outgoing, but deep inside he was a cruel and manipulative person. He fooled a lot of people with his easy-going nature.

"Come let us sit down and talk," Reylond said. He observed how Ava stuck to Tristan's side. Surprisingly, Tristan looked and felt happy with Ava's actions.

He always thought Tristan was like a wooden block. That he was incapable of showing any emotions, but looking at the scene in front of him, he could not believe he was the same Tristan he knew.

Reylond and his wife stayed in England. They came to this country only when they had some important work. They built the house with the English style in mind so they could have something familiar to go home to in a foreign land. The interior design and the manicured lawns were all designed by Reylond's wife.

"Honey, you did not tell me our guests were here," A voice behind said, it made everyone turn around. 

A gorgeous woman with a slender figure and long legs came down the stairs. She had an austere aura about her that made her seem untouchable. She was wearing a red halter gown that clung to all her curves. The contrast to her white skin made her look like a very delicious forbidden fruit.

Reylond's face softened when he heard his wife calling him so sweetly. She sat next to Reylond as he gave her a small peck on her cheek and put his arm possessively around her waist.

"Leena you know Tristan. This is Tristan's girlfriend Ava," Reylond introduced.

Leena and Tristan nodded at each other, and she a genuine smile to Ava, which made Ava feel a little more relaxed.

"Why don't you guys keep on talking about business, while I steal Ava and have a friendly chat with her," Leena suggested.

Tristan looked to Ava for confirmation before he said yes. He did not want to force her to leave his side if she wasn't comfortable. She nodded her head, assuring him that she wanted to talk to Leena.

Ava and Leena left the men to talk about business while they got to know each other better.

"You, my friend, are completely whipped," Reylond chuckled.

"You talk as if you are not. You're just as whipped as I am," Tristan smirked.

"Yeah, what can we do, beautiful women brought us down to our knees," Reylond smiled and winked.

These businessmen ruled the business industry with their iron fists, but their hearts were ruled by their lovers.

Leena took Ava to her design room.

Ava was a little hesitant to start the conversation or talk freely with Leena. She was a little intimidated, seeing that Leena was older and more sophisticated.

Leena was a renowned international jewelry designer. People were ready to pay millions to get a customized design from Leena. Leena only took a few requests a time since she believed in the quality of her work over producing more items at a time. This was the reason why she never mass-produced her jewelry. She got her designs from her inspirations, and those took time to make.

"These are a few jewelry designs for my upcoming exhibition. What do you think?" Leena showed her a few necklaces and earring designs.

"These are gorgeous. Look at the intricate details on these designs and the colors cannot be matched," Ava ran out of descriptive words to describe how wonderful her designs were. Everything was perfect. She did not know which one to choose as her favorite.

"You are so amazing," Ava complimented her.

"Thank you," Leena smiled. Leena's smile was infectious, it was like sunshine filled the room.

Leena was very cold and she hardly showed any emotions. Only people dear to her bore her heart. Leena and Reylond were opposites. When Leena was nice to people it meant she has identified them as one of her own.

"I am struck with this necklace design. I don't know how to proceed further. Maybe a fresh set of eyes can help me figure out what to do with it. Why don't you have a go at it," Leena casually showed Ava a design that has been sitting on her desk for a month now, she encouraged her to try.

Ava quietly observed the design that Leena had already started. She turned the paper here and there and started drawing on another piece of paper. It was a rough sketch.

Leena looked at it and gave Ava a surprised look. 

"Well, how do you like it? I thought it needed something different on this side to make it unique. What do you think?" Ava asked, embarrassed. She wasn't that confident doing it, but it somehow called out to her.

"I have never seen anyone just look at somebody else's drawing and draw inspiration from there. You drew it like you knew what you were doing. It seems like you have a talent for this," Leena said, with admiration.

"Thank you so much, you are so kind," Ava felt awkward, receiving a compliment from such a very talented person. She didn't think Leena would like it.