REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 21: YES, AVA. I WAS JEALOUS

Maximus’s fork paused mid-air as he gave her an incredulous look. "Mama’s boy? You clearly haven’t met my mother. That woman doesn’t have feelings. She has an agenda."

Ava burst into laughter, almost choking on her food. She covered her mouth quickly. "An agenda? What, like world domination through casseroles?"

Maximus leaned back on his seat "Don’t underestimate her. One time, she brought over a lasagna and guilt-tripped me into hosting an entire charity dinner in my penthouse. She’s a master strategist."

Ava couldn’t help but laugh again genuinely. "Okay, I have to meet this woman one day. She sounds terrifying and amazing all at once."

"Careful what you wish for," Maximus said, rubbing the crust from the bread off his fingertips. "She’s been asking to meet you ever since Ethan blurted to her about our engagement." He cleared his throat at the new expression on Ava’s face. Her smile had faded.

That’s right... He said they were engaged.

Ava stabbed at her food, suddenly losing her appetite as she tried to think of her previous encounters with Maximus. Just like when Wadsworth prepared gift for her grandfather, the new memories from her new life always just came to her. She didn’t understand why it was different with Maximus. No matter how hard she thought of him and how they met, nothing came to her mind. Yet, Maximus claimed that somehow, they were engaged. Ava didn’t know what to believe.

When Maximus’s hand came to Ava’s, she snapped out of her thoughts. "Are you okay, Ava?" He asked. The concern that lingered in his eyes scared her, and she unconsciously retracted her hand to her thighs.

"I’m fine," she said dryly.

Maximus retrieved his hand, not flinching by her tone or even her reaction. "You don’t look fine, though. And I lost you for a second there. What’s bothering you, Ava?" He asked softly.

The question caught Ava off guard. Nobody had ever asked her that, at least, not with genuine concern. It felt strange, foreign even, to have someone notice her unease and actually care enough to ask. But it surprisingly annoyed her that the concern was from Maximus.

She knew all these men too well. They’d show a little kindness, pry into your world, make you feel special, just for their selfish gain. If she’d wanted to waste her second chance at life, there were places she could wallow in self pity, not jeopardize her revenge by spending the night here.

The only reason for not shoving him out of her life, was the risk of getting exposed about being reborn. She didn’t understand how the Ava in this life had been, so she couldn’t outrule the chances of actually getting engaged to him.

She’ll only listen to him till her memories come back, and if they don’t, she’ll call off the engagement before the marriage, Ava thought. Little did she know she’s already married to Maximus, and on her request, he’d refused to expose this, calling it an engagement instead.

"I said I’m fine," she repeated sharply. She focused intently on her plate, stabbing at her eggs again as if they had personally offended her.

Maximus leaned back in his chair, studying her. "You know," he began calmly, "for someone who claims to be fine, you sure look like you’re at war with your breakfast."

Ava’s fork froze mid-air, and she shot him a glare. "What’s the time? I want to leave," she said straightforwardly, not feeling the need to mince her words.

Maximus exhaled. "It’s still early, Ava," he replied, "And you’re not leaving until we finish our conversation. Or, at the very least, until you’ve eaten something without trying to kill it first."

Ava narrowed her eyes, her patience thinning by the second. "I didn’t ask for breakfast, and I certainly didn’t ask to be here, Maximus. So don’t lecture me about food or conversations I didn’t consent to."

He raised an eyebrow, leaning slightly closer. "Consent? You’ve been fighting me at every turn, Ava. Do you think I enjoy dragging you around like a misbehaving cat? I’d rather you cooperate, but here we are."

Ava scoffed, dropping her fork with a loud clang. "You kidnapped me, brought me to your house, and now you’re holding me hostage over eggs. This isn’t cooperation, this is coercion dressed in a tailored suit."

Maximus chuckled, a deep, low sound that made her want to throw her toast at him. "If I wanted to coerce you, Ava, you’d know. Trust me, I’m much better at it than this." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Her jaw tightened, but she refused to take the bait. "Just tell me whatever you wanted to say so I can leave."

Studying her face once more, he pulled out a couple of pictures from his apron, images from Ava’s grandfather’s party.

Ava was shocked to see the pictures. Her eyes widened as she stared at the photos Maximus had placed on the table between them. She snatched them up almost immediately, staring at the images that were crispy, and detailed. The first ones had been where the Moore’s helped her after she lost her footing, but the next wave was where she was smiling politely, mingling with them.

"What is this?" she demanded, "Are you spying on me now?" There was no other explanation for this.

Maximus raised an eyebrow, unbothered by her accusation. "Spying?" He repeated mockingly. "What am I? An insecure, jobless man who has nothing better to do than spy on his fiancee?" He wasn’t particularly happy with the way she accused him. "Ethan was at your grandfather’s party. He sent these to me," he said honestly.

Ava’s grip on the photos didn’t loosen as she glared at Maximus. "So now you have your minion doing your dirty work?" she snapped sarcastically. "How very efficient of you, Maximus."

Maximus was the least affected by her outburst, but he refused to rise to her bait. "Ethan isn’t a minion," he said calmly, "He’s someone who cares about my interests, and by extension, yours. But that’s not the issue, Ava. The issue is having another man’s hand around you when you’re engaged to me."

Ava scoffed, slamming the photos back onto the table. "So you’re jealous?"

Maximus’s eyes darkened. "Yes, Ava. I was jealous that I took the next flight from Cebu down to Lebron City when I could hardly contain my annoyance," he said mockingly, but meant every word.