REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 16: ABDUCTION

"Welcome to Lebron University, Miss Whitlock," the auburn-haired woman said professionally as she handed Ava a neatly arranged set of files.

Ava offered her a polite smile even though the woman’s words didn’t stir even a flicker of excitement within her. "Thank you, Miss Corinne," she said charmingly. With a brief nod, she turned and walked out of her office.

The moment the door shut behind her, Ava exhaled slowly, trying to shake off the restlessness and the uneasy knot that twisted at the pit of her stomach all day.

It started the moment she stepped her feet into the campus. From her first class to the third, and even during her visit to the administration building, the knot in her stomach only tightened.

Yes, it was normal to feel first-day nerves, since this was her first day in this college. But, this wasn’t her first time here, not in a way that mattered. She had lived this life before, walked these halls, sat in these classrooms. She wasn’t supposed to be this tensed.

Steadying herself with a deep breath, Ava pushed through the building’s glass doors. The warm sunlight hit her face, momentarily distracting her. But as she looked up, her steps faltered.

The world around her blurred for a moment.

Standing at the base of the stairs was a man who seemed almost unreal. His tailored coat accentuated his broad shoulders, and his hands were casually tucked into his pockets as if he didn’t care about anything in the world. The sun played tricks with his silver hair just in the right way to highlight his sharp, divine features.

Ava froze. Her heart leaped into her throat as recognition slammed into her.

Him!

The stranger from the day she was brought back into the world. The man who claimed to be her fiance.

Her fingers tightened around the files. Why was he here? How could he be here? The first thing that came to her mind was for her to run, to get away before he noticed her.

Following her instincts, she turned swiftly, and almost reached for the door. But then, "Miss Whitlock," Ethan called out, "A word, please."

Ava stopped mid-stride. Heat rushed to her face. She’d been noticed, and she knew there was no way to escape now. Slowly, painfully, she turned to face them again.

At her reaction, Maximus’s lips curled into a smile. He expected a lot from Ava but running away was certainly not part of it. "Were you trying to run away?" He asked mockingly.

Ava swallowed hard, forcing herself to hold his gaze, despite the embarrassment she felt. "No," she said evenly. "I wasn’t running. I was just... Going back to get something I forgot."

Behind Maximus, Ethan smiled at her response. Maximus, however, didn’t seem pleased with the little lie. "Aren’t you going to come down?"

Ava frowned before hesitantly going down the stairs. "What do you want?" She asked, clearly not interested in whatever reason for Maximus’s presence.

Maximus wasn’t particularly happy with her tone, but he said, "We need to talk. Privately. I need you to come with me."

Ava looked around. There was no one here but the three of them. This bothered her. Maximus was a stranger. Regardless of his little help earlier, she couldn’t trust him after he claimed to be her fiance, and she didn’t even know his name.

"Why should I come with you?" She asked, already feeling unsafe. "I barely even know you. If you have anything to say, you can say it here. After all, there’s no around," she said firmly.

Maximus’s lips twitched. He didn’t know if he was annoyed by Ava’s tone or amused by how she stood up to him. A step toward her was all it took for him to tower over the girl in front of him who was barely 5’’9 feet tall.

"I don’t care if there’s no one here, Ava," he said calmly. "I’m not going to have a conversation in front of your school’s building."

Ava refused to step back, even though every instinct screamed at her to put some distance between herself and the imposing figure in front of her. She squared her shoulders and tilted her chin up. "Then maybe you shouldn’t be here," she shot back, even if her hands trembled slightly. "No one invited you."

Maximus’s eyes narrowed slightly as he wondered if Ava had always been this stubborn. He was already exhausted from his trip and just wanted to have a conversation with her before resting. Why was she being so difficult?

In truth, he wanted to be understanding with her and probably convince her to come with him, but his fatigue didn’t give him a choice.

"You have two choices, Ava," he said, fighting the urge to massage his temples that throbbed. "To come with me willingly or make me forcefully bring you along. The choice is yours to make."

Ava’s heart skipped a beat. She was scared, but, "You’ve got some nerves, Mister. You show up uninvited, issue threats, and mistake me for someone who takes ultimatum," she said coldly.

Maximus let out a low, humorless chuckle. "I came here for you, Ava, not to argue semantics. You’re leaving with me -- whether you like it or not."

Before Ava could protest, her head spun slightly and she gasped as she found herself hoisted onto Maximus’s broad shoulders lika a bag of flour. "Put me down!" She yelled, pounding her fists against his back. "What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"

Maximus strode toward the car calmly. "You weren’t listening, so I made the decision for you," he said coolly, as if kidnapping someone was just another item on his to-do list.

"This isn’t a decision, this is abduction! Put me down right now, or I swear--"

"You’ll what?" Maximus interrupted. He tilted his head slightly, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "Scream? Kick? Threaten me? Go ahead. Like you said, no one’s here, and even if anyone was here, they wouldn’t dare interfere anyway."

Behind the glass door, Sasha stood there, watching as Maximus carried Ava away.