Looking shocked and confused. Elias looked at the little woman that had just fallen asleep in his arms. He was just about leaving the club when this woman came crashing into him. He had a lot going tonight and this lady was not part of the agenda.

Letting out a long sigh he tried to wake her,but the more he tried the more she snuggled deep into his hands.

" Where the hell did you come from little one" he pocked her cheek while staring down at her.

He had to get rid of her as soon as possible because he couldnt be caught up in any scandal now,that will be bad for the company. But the lady in his arms seemed to be comfortable sleeping in his arms without a care in this world.

He remembered the last thing she said before passing out,"marry me".

What would have prompted her to make such a statement. Staring down at her sleeping face,she looked so small and her cheeks were flushed red probably from the alcohol,her face looked so innocent and fragile,one that will make any man want to hide and protect her from the world.

On a normal day he wouldn't let any woman close to him let alone touching him,but this stranger on his arm seemed different,he didn't feel disgusted by her touch instead he felt like protecting her from whatever made her to be in this state.

Still lost in thoughts on what to do with her his men came running towards him.

"Boss,the old man called. He asked..." The man stopped talking when he realised the lady on his boss arms.

"Mathew..you were saying?" Elias said to him when he saw he was distracted.

"Yes...he seeks your presence at his quarters now" Mathew continued still looking at the woman on his arms.

Mathew was Elias right hand man. He was assigned to him by his father when he turned 15 and since then he was always with him wherever he goes.

"Mhhm... tell grandfather that I'll see him tomorrow not now" Elias said while he began to walk slowly with the woman on his arms.

"Alright sir. And what about her?" Mathew asked referring to the woman in his arms.

Elias stopped in his tracks."prepare the car... she's going with us" he said and continued walking towards the entrance. He couldn't bare to leave her in a place like this..not in her current state.

Mathew was shocked and surprised at the same time. He has never seen his boss close to any woman since the incident that occurred. He signalled for the guards to prepare the car while he ran to catch up with Elias.

"At least let me carry her" he insisted.

"Never mind... I can manage" Elias turned him down. By the time they got outside the car was already waiting for them. Elias placed Ava at the back seat and sat next to her, while Mathew got in at the front seat with the driver.

" Where to sir?" Mathew asked him.

"Drive to the penthouse" Elias said. He wasn't going to take a stranger to his villa. He rested his head and closed his eyes, giving no room for Mathew to ask any further questions. They got to the penthouse that was located in the city's only five star hotel,the hotel was under Ward industries. When they got inside the penthouse, Elias took Ava straight to the bath tub. He turned on the shower and let it pour on her to at least make her sober up.

The water made her clothes wet and now they clung tight to her body revealing her small frame. She had curves just at the right place with a very tiny waist,her wet hair fell on her face that looked very smooth and soft. For a moment he seemed drawn to her but quickly got himself back.

He quickly turned to go out when she drew him back subconsciously,he lost his balance and fell towards her,his lips just inches away from hers. He could feel her breath on his cheeks. Her chest pressed slightly to his, the only thing separating them was the clothes they wore. He could feel a part of his body becoming hard.

"Little one..are you trying to seduce me" he said while steadying himself up. He carried her with her wet clothes to the bed then sat down on a chair to rest,it was almost day break. Just few hours he rested ,he heard some sounds coming from the bed,turns out she was now awake.

Ava woke up with a throbbing headache,she realised her clothes were wet and she was in a strange place. That was when she recalled the event that happened the previous day. The last thing she remembered was running into a man and she became unconscious. She sat up straight and looked by her side and she saw a man who was asleep on the chair close to the bed.

He must be the one that carried her here. She was a bit scared,she had to get out of that place immediately. Her sudden movement woke the man on the chair. He turned and looked at her.

"You're awake" Elias said and sat straight.

"Where am I and who are you" Ava asked him while trying to hide her fear.

"Don't worry I didn't do anything to you.. even if I had the chance" he said with a smirk on his face. "You came running into my arms at the club last night, so I decided to help you out of my will. You should be thanking me, you wouldn't want to imagine what could have happened to you in that state if I had left you alone" Elias said while he picked up his jacket which he removed earlier.

Ava just sat still on the bed, trying to calm herself down and recollect all that happened. She couldn't see his face clearly cause the room was a bit dark.

" I've covered all the expenses on the room and you can leave whenever you want to... I'll be taking my leave now" Elias said while he walked towards the door.

"At least can you tell me who you are or your name so I can thank you properly?"Ava asked just before he stepped out. He paused in his track and said without turning to her.

"That won't be necessary... you can thank me properly when you see me again" he replied and walked out leaving her alone in the room.

Ava remained sitting on the bed replaying the last words he said. "You can thank me when we see again". Well she wasn't going to see him again for sure,so she thought.

She picked up her phone beside her and saw a lot of missed calls and messages from her best friend, Jane. Jane was the only close friend Ava had,after the incident she called Jane but her phone was switched off, probably because of her work. Jane was an air hostess.

She decided to reply her messages and lucky for her Jane was active.

"Hey girl,are you back?" Ava asked her.

"Yeah,just got back this morning. I saw your calls..I hope everything is fine" Jane replied.

"Hmmm...long story. Let's meet up during my lunch break,I'll fill you in"

"The usual spot right?"

"Yeah.. talk to you later. Need to get to work".

Ava dropped the phone and prepared to leave the hotel. She had just enough time to go home and freshen up for work. When she got out she realised she was at the most expensive hotel in the city. "Who was that man and how was he able to afford a place like this" she thought to herself. He even brought her car from the club to the hotel. She had to find that man,not for any reason but to thank him.

She got into her car and drove off.

****

LIN INDUSTRY

Ava had just gotten settled at her table at the office when she got a message that her father wanted to see her. He must have heard about what happened last night and wanted to speak to her.

Ava sighed, suppressing the pain and discomfort in her. She walked to his office which was on the same floor,knocked twice and went in.

"Father..you wanted to see me"Ava said when she walked in.

"Yes my child, have a seat"Ava's father, Mr Lin said.

"Your sister told me what happened last night and I wanted to apologize to you on her behalf" he felt guilty while he spoke cause he knew it wasn't fair to her.

Ava already expected this,her father always sided with Clara whenever matters came up for one reason or the other without considering her own feelings. He always said it was for peace to reign among them.

"Please can you forgive your sister,she can stubborn and irrational some times" Mr Lin said looking pitifully at Ava. He continued "I can pair you with another man that is far better than Jeff but please..."

"Enough father!" Ava couldn't take it anymore. "I don't need pity from anyone and not from you" she said with a pained voice.

"I've long gotten used to being a push over...I don't care about Clara or Jeff. I just want to be left alone" Ava said angrily and walked away.

This was the last time she was going to let anyone take advantage of her .

During her lunch break Ava went to the coffee shop close to her office to meet up with Jane who was already waiting for her.

" Spill the beans Ava.. tell me everything that happened" Jane said immediately Ava sat down without giving room for any pleasantries.

Ava recalled every thing that occurred in details to Jane but left out the part about the mystery guy. By the time she was done,Jane was already boiling in rage on her seat.

" How dare he do that to you... not even considering that you two are engaged" Jane exploded in anger. "And that slut of a sister..I wish I can just choke her to death. How could she do that to you, she's so evil"Jane said in anger.

Ava sighed in defeat "calm down girl.. there's nothing that can be done to redeem the situation" Ava said.

"You can't just let them get away with this Ava" Jane said barely able to calm herself down.

"I wasn't planning to.. I'll make them pay for what they did to me" Ava replied in pain.

"I support you on this one... how do you want to go about it?" Jane asked

"I don't know yet,but I know I need to get myself a man,I need to prove them wrong"Ava said remembering what Clara said to her.

"I got you on this one..I can arrange a date for you with one of the top socialite in the city" Jane said while she brought out her phone and began browsing through her contact list.

Ava was a little skeptical but decided to play along. But little did she know that this decision of hers will lead to a great turning point in her life

On the other side of the city. Elias had just gotten to his grandfather's villa. He walked in to the living room. The old man was seated on the couch with two nurses attending to him.

"Grandfather...how do you do?" Elias said while he sat down.

"Look who finally decided to show up" Elder Ward said not bothering to look at his grandson.

"You don't look too well grandfather, let's get you to the hospital"Elias said with a frown.

"I'm fine...as you can see I have nurses attending to me" elder Ward said."I asked to see you for s different reason" he continued.

"And what's that" Elias already knew the answer before he asked.

"When are you getting married?" Elder Ward asked finally turning to look at his grandson. "I'm already old and I'm afraid I don't have much time left. I can't bear to leave you alone in this world,I won't be at peace till I'm sure you have someone by your side". The old man continued.

Elias was tired of having this conversation countless times. Not that he doesn't want to fulfill his grandfather's wish,but he couldn't bring himself to love any woman,not after what happened the last time.

"Alright grandfather I'll do as you have said but you need to take your health seriously. I'll send the family doctor to do a proper check up on you" Elias said. His grandfather was the only family member he had left after his parents died in a plane crash when he was just a child. The old man raised him all by himself and so Elias was fond of him.

"I'll be taking my leave now grandfather" Elias stood up to leave.

"Alright my son take care of yourself" elder Ward said. "And don't come visiting again unless you have a woman to present to me" he continued.

Elias sighed,the old man was being stubborn again. On his way back he turned to Mathew and said.

" I want every information about the lady from last night sent to me" Elias said and got into the car.

"I'll do just that sir" Mathew answered. He had a lot of questions on his mind but dare not asked his boss.

It's been two weeks after the incident, Ava had just gotten to the office and about to get settled when she saw an envelope on her desk, she moved to pick it up and is shocked by what she sees. Inside the envelope was a wedding invitation,her sister was getting married to her ex- fiancee.

A surge of pain rushed through her body,she stared at the invitation with red eyes,she should have expected this from her sister. She sat down trembling trying to calm her raging heart. She looked at the initials on the card "C and J". Her eyes began to sting with tears. It was supposed to be her name on that invitation.

When she recalled the scene from that night the pain in her heart was replaced with anger. She picked up her phone and called her friend.

"Hey bestie what's good" Jane picked the call at the first ring.

" I got an invitation... they're getting married" Ava answered trying to sound calm. There was no response on the other side for a while. Jane finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happening to you Ava,you don't deserve any of this" she said trying to console her. "What are you planning on doing now?" Jane asked.

"Fix me a date... there's no point crying over spilled milk, it's time for me to move on " Ava replied with renewed energy fueled by the hate and anger in her heart. She was going to get her revenge on them.

"That's my girl,I love that spirit" Jane said over the phone. I'll arrange a date for you immediately, I'll send you the details later" she added.

"Thanks Jane.. you're the best" Ava said and ended the call. She got back to getting busy, shoving all other thoughts to the back of her mind.

**WARD INDUSTRIES

Elias was sitted in his office going through some documents when he got a message from his grandfather.

" I fixed you a date with the youngest daughter of the Horace family,Emily. Do not miss it,5pm at crystal restaurant".

Elias read the message with a frown on his face,as much as he hated going on dates he couldn't bear to turn down his grandfather,not that the old man gave him any room to refuse. He sighed and thought to himself,"it's just a date, nothing more".

Ava got a text from Jane about her date. She paired with a guy named Raymond,the son of a business tycoon,they were to meet by 4pm at the crystal restaurant.

Ava looked at the message and for a minute she felt it was a bad idea,but she was going to go anyways. She hurried to clear her desk so she could get ready for her date. She arrived at the restaurant few minutes before the said time,but on getting there the man was not there yet. She decided to order a glass of red wine just to keep herself busy while she waited for him.

An hour passed by and Raymond was yet to arrive. She was disappointed and was just about to stand when she felt a shadow over her,she looked up and their eyes met.

It was him.

The man from the club. She was shocked to see him.

"Leaving already"Elias said while looking down at her. He had been watching her for a while now as his date was not there yet. He only came up to her when he saw she was about to leave.

"Yes... I've been here for a while now" Ava answered."we meet again..I didn't expect us to meet this soon" she continued.

"Well here we are,"Elias said as he moved to sit opposite her."I think you owe me an appreciation"he said with smirk on his face.

"Thanks for helping me ". Ava said "I didn't mean to bother you but I was feeling down that night". She continued.

"Hmm what would have made someone like you to be in that state..care to share with me" Elias said getting interested with the lady at his front.

"Well long story cut short,I caught my fiancee in bed with my stepsister"Ava answered. For some reason she felt comfortable talking to this stranger. There was silence afterwards. She decided to break the silence.

"My name is Ava by the way"Ava said trying to ease of the tension.

"I'm sorry about that,no one deserves to go through that experience"Elias finally said something, feeling sorry for her.

"It's fine... I'm going to get my revenge on them". Ava answered him with determination in her voice.

"And how do you intend to do that?" He asked her. This little woman seemed interesting.

"I haven't figured that out yet, but I intend to get myself a man.. that's why I'm here, I'm supposed to have a date with a guy but he didn't show up.

"Ohh really,I guess we're in the same boat. I also have a date, but she hasn't showed up yet"Elias responded. Let's make a toast to our dates that never showed up",he said while he moved to pour himself a glass of wine.

Ava watched him as his hands moved to pour the wine. She payed close attention to his face and realised how handsome he was. He looked so handsome yet so deadly,his dark eyes seemed to hold a lot of mystery,Thick, dark hair fell in slightly rebellious waves. He looked like an arrogant son of a billionaire. Despite how aloof he seemed Ava couldn't help but gawk at the sight before her. She quickly adjusted just before he could catch her staring.

He raised the glass for a toast. And just as she put the wine to her mouth he uttered a statement.

"Marry me" Elias said while holding the wine glass. Ava nearly choked on the wine in her mouth.

"What did you just say?" Ava said eyes wide staring at him.

"Marry me" Elias repeated the words again.

"Why will you say such out of the blues" Ava said holding herself from pouring the rest of her wine on his face.

"I was just repeating the exact words you said to me" Elias said not minding the look on her face."but I'm actually serious this time. I need a wife and I think you're the perfect person for the position ",he continued.

"And what makes you think I am?", Ava said breathing heavily. She was angry at how arrogant he sounded.

" This is the best way to get your revenge on your fiancée and I also need a wife,so we're both going to gain"Elias said ignoring the angry lady opposite him. "Besides,it will be a contract marriage, we'll both have our terms and conditions. I'm sorry for doing this but I'm left with no choice,I just want to fulfill my grandfather dying wish", Elias sighed and looked out through the window. This is the only way he could go about it and he didn't feel disgusted by the woman before him making her the perfect candidate.

"I might seem desperate to get my revenge but don't expect me to agree to this..I barely even know you,not even your name", Ava replied. She wasn't expecting any of this and was visibly shocked.

"My name is Elias W..."

"I don't care to know your name" Ava cut him short. What gave him the guts to mention this to her.

"Here's my card" Elias dropped the card on the table as he stood up to leave. "You can reach me on that number when you finally agree" he said and turned to leave.

"And what makes you think I'll ever agree to this?" Ava asked just before he walked away.

With turning to look at her he answered.

"I know you will". Then he walked away.