REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 27: WHERE ARE WE GOING THIS TIME?

QUINN’S BUILDING,

On the top floor of Quinn’s PLC, in his vast office, Maximus stood close to the floor-to-ceiling glass. His hands were casually tucked into the pockets of his pants, but his bored eyes were fixed on the cars more than one hundred feet below him. He usually found solace watching this view, but today, it was different.

He sighed as his mind wandered mindlessly to Ava for the one thousandth time today. Everything has been different since she came into his life. He was easily distracted, always thinking about her. It drove him insane.

This woman was the death of him.

One moment, he was standing watching moving vehicles from a hundred feet below him, and the next, he was in Lebron University, forsaking the numerous tasks that piled up on his desk, leaving Ethan in charge of any emergency.

On his request, his chauffeur has driven past the administration building countless times, hoping to run into her by coincidence, just like the last time, but it never happened. It was only now he realized he didn’t have any means of reaching his little wife.

"Should we go for another round, Sir?" Lucas asked, staring at Maximus whose attention was focused on the building, from the rear mirror.

Maximus didn’t give a reply immediately. He exhaled weakly before his disappointed eyes fell on the driver. "No," he said firmly. "Take me back."

Lucas nodded curtly. "Yes, Sir."

Even as they drove past the building, Maximus found himself turning back to see if Ava would magically appear from behind, but when she didn’t, he turned back. They drove past three consecutive buildings, before his eyes landed on a small figure stepping out from another building.

Her hazel eyes glowed under the sun, but she looked lost in her thoughts with a small smile on her face.

"Stop," he ordered, and Lucas pressed on the paddle.

A small smile formed at the corners of Maximus’s lips that faded immediately he saw the tall figure beside Ava, and when his hands held Ava’s waist as she almost stumbled from losing her balance on the stairs, he could feel a maddening anger crawl at his bones.

He recognized the face immediately Ava stood to her feet. It was one of the Moore’s brothers. The same men from her grandfather’s party. What did these men want from his little wife?

He fought the urge to intrude, but his eyes darkened when Jordan ran his hand down Ava’s neckline. Even as her fiance, he hadn’t done this to her. Before he could stop himself, he was already walking toward them. "Ava," he fought the urge to yell.

Ava turned steeply at the familiar voice behind her. When she saw Maximus, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. What was he doing here?

On seeing Maximus, Jordan’s hand dropped from Ava’s neck. He straightened himself as his eyes landed on the man who looked like he wanted to murder him. It took a while before his brain reconciled his face. "Mr. Quinn?"

Maximus’s jaw tightened at Jordan’s greeting. "Mr. Moore," he drawled as his eyes went back to Ava, who stood frozen, with slightly enlarged eyes that were filled with confusion, and something else-- was that guilt? His already soured face soured even further. Guilt meant that she knew she had no business being this close to another man, especially not one touching her so familiarly.

"What are you doing here, Maximus?" Ava asked softly.

"To see my fiancee," Maximus said calmly. His dark eyes flickered to Jordan and then back to Ava. When he saw the diaapproving look on Ava’s face, he pushed, "Is that wrong?"

Ava gritted her teeth. No one knew she was engaged to Maximus, not even her family. And now, Maximus was saying this to Jordan, who she barely knew. What if he says this to someone else, and the word somehow reaches her family? Was Maximus trying to get her in more trouble?

Jordan’s brows furrowed as his eyes darted between Ava and Maximus. "Fiancee?" He thought out loud, trying to piece together the information. "You’re engaged, Mr. Quinn?"

Terrified, Ava instinctively held Maximus’s arm, pushing her lean figure to him. "We’ll be leaving now, Jordan," she said hurriedly. "Thank you for your help earlier. It was really nice running into you here."

Jordan smiled half-heartedly. "The pleasure is all mine, Ava."

With that, Ava tugged on Maximus’s hand and pulled him towards his car.

As soon as they reached the car, Ava yanked her hand free from Maximus’s grip and spun to face him. Her hazel eyes blazed with fury. "What was that?"

Maximus smirked as if her irritation amused him. "What was what, little one?" He countered, leaning casually against the sleek car.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Ava shot back. Stepping closer to him, she jabbed a finger at his chest, stunning Maximus, and even Lucas who stood a few feet away from them. "You just announced our engagement to a near stranger! Do you have any idea how reckless that was?"

Maximus didn’t flinch, but one of his brow rose in cold amusement. "And why is our engagement supposed to be kept a secret?" He asked distastefully. His gaze pinned Ava in place. "So you can allow another man paw at you in broad daylight?" His voice lowered, but in a way, it made Ava’s stomach twist.

Ava opened her mouth to retaliate, but held her tongue as she observed his face. The restraint in his clenched jaw and the rigid set of his shoulders told her everything she needed to know --he was angry.

"I held myself back," he said calmly. "Do you even realize how much restraint it took not to wipe that smug look off his face for touching you? For this-" he gestured vaguely between them, "-only for you to accuse me of being reckless?"

Ava paused. Slowly, her anger dissipated as she thought about his words. He wasn’t entirely wrong. Their engagement was never meant to be kept a secret, but she wasn’t about to admit she’d overreacted to him. She lowered her voice. "Jordan wasn’t pawing at me, Maximus. He was helping me. I almost tripped on the stairs, and he--"

"He caught you," Maximus interrupted. "Yes, I saw. And his hand also happened to go somewhere else to irritate me."

Ava sighed. "You’re impossible," she muttered, tucking her hair to the back of her ears as she tried to change the conversation. She glanced up at him with a small smile. "You came to see me?"

When Maximus didn’t utter a word, and simply just stared at her, she shifted uncomfortably, trying to look at anything other than his face, but when she couldn’t take the silence anymore, she smiled nervously at him. "Where are we going this time?" Ava asked sweetly.

Maximus stared at his little wife that smiled nervously at him. Jordan’s action and her outburst earlier had made him very angry, but now, with her wide eyes and soft, beautiful tone, his anger died down like it never came. How was he supposed to stay mad when she looked at him like that?

Ava’s heart skipped a beat as Maximus stepped away from the car towards her. She instinctively took a step back, but was stunned when he opened the car for her instead. "You’ll find out soon enough," he said calmly, too calmly for someone that was mad only a few minutes ago.

His personality switch scared Ava, but she entered the car regardless, and they drove off.

.

Jordan finally arrived at the Moore’s Enterprise. He gave a polite nod to the receptionist, who offered him a warm smile, before walking confidently toward the private elevator.

The moment the elevator doors closed, his expression shifted as his thoughts raced back to Ava. He didn’t understand all these while why he’d been drawn to the girl, until now, and he couldn’t wait to reveal everything to his brothers.

The elevator chimed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Jordan stepped into the top-floor office, where his brothers, Dustin and Liam, who he called on his way here was already waiting.

"You’re late," Dustin said without looking up, his focus on the documents spread across his desk. His tone was sharp, but there was no real bite to it.

"For someone who’d screamed emergency and to rush down here, you sure don’t keep what you preach," Liam said grudgingly, playing with the ball in his hand.

Jordan sighed, loosening his tie as he approached. "It’s been a day," he muttered, sinking into the chair opposite Liam.

Dustin finally glanced up, his piercing gaze narrowing slightly. "Judging by the look on your face, I’d say it’s been more than just a day. Spill it." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Jordan hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I ran into someone... Ava."

That got both his brothers attention. While Liam dropped the small ball in his hand, Dustin leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Ava? The girl you and Liam won’t stop talking about?" Dustin asked. He didn’t have a problem with the girl, he just didn’t like his brothers obsession. "Don’t tell me the emergency has something to do with Ava."

Jordan nodded.

At the mention of Ava’s name, Liam pushed forward on the chair, suddenly excited by whatever Jordan was going to say, while Dustin’s eyes returned to his work. But Dustin’s nonchalance died when he heard Jordan’s next words.

"Ava has the mark guys. She is our lost sister."