With the little money she was given by the unknown man who helped her, she quickly left the park to find a cheap motel. 

The receptionist greeted her with a warm smile."Good evening ma'am."   

"Good evening, please do you have any available rooms ?" Ava asked, her eyes scanning the environment. "One minute.... The receptionist said. "Yes, we have room 103."

"Thank you," Ava smiled, collecting the key from the receptionist.  

    The room  was dusty all over, with spiders on the wall. Ava never thought she would sleep in a place like this. She slumped to the bed, so tired she drifted off to sleep.

Ava temporarily checked out of the motel in search of a job, running her hands through her hair, unsure what the future holds.  

After two hours of searching for a job, Ava sighed, fidgeting with her feet as she walked into the cafe nearby to order a cup latte as she asked the receptionist if she could speak with the manager. 

The lady worried that Ava wanted to complain, quickly asked Ava if the latte was not to her taste.  Ava explained everything to the lady, the lady sighed in relief , "Okay!! Please sit down, let me call my manager."

A few minutes later she arrived with the manager. "Good day ma'am, how can I help you?" Mr Ken asked, smiling.

Ava apologized for the disturbance and asked if he was hiring a new employee.

"Yes, please  let's go to my office and discuss," Mr Ken said, gesturing towards his office. "Come in, please.Take a seat," he offered. Once she was seated, he asked, "What's your name?"

Ava, unsure if she could say her real name, decided to use her fake name and  replied, "Nina." 

"Okay, Nina, I have a job offer for you but you have to sign a contract before you get employed." After they discussed the contract for about half an hour, she headed back to the motel.

Ava's mind wandered back to the discussions she had with the cafe manager, replaying his words like a broken record: "You can get this job after signing this contract, and you will be provided with a place to stay for a day.  After you're done you can work for me in the cafe. Although Ava doesn't know the nature of the job.

Making up her mind, she needs to start working to be able to rent a house. With a sense of determination, she called the manager to accept the offer, he informed her that she will start work on Friday, promising to send the location of the event. 

The next few days went smoothly for Ava. On Thursday night she got stopped by an old lady near the motel, she had a luxury look and a smooth skin. Ava wondered what an old lady would be doing in the street all alone, wandering in a place like this. "How can I help you ma'am?" She asked. 

"What's your name Miss?"  the old lady asked. Ava, afraid someone might recognise her she quickly told  the old lady her fake name with a suspicious look. 

"Can I borrow your phone? I need to call my grandson, my driver's car broke down on my way  and my phone is not with me." The old lady smiled.

Ava hesitated before giving the old lady her phone. After she made the call, she insisted on taking Ava's number to repay her back which Ava refused to give but she kept on insisting, which Ava finally gave in. 

Friday afternoon, Ava started preparing for the job, which she was told begins at night. 

After dressing up, she applied light makeup. Then hailed a taxi straight to the given destination. Arriving at the destination,  Ava was surprised by the entrance, which was a masterpiece in elegance, confused by the kind of work she will be doing tonight in this mansion. 

An old man approached her, "You must be the new lady ? Welcome." he said, leading her through the back door. "Miss!?" He asked. 

"Nina," she replied, still in awe about the interior inside the house.

"Okay,  we don't have much time. Go change." He said giving her a black knee length skirt, a white shirt and a pair of black low heeled shoes. 

Ava looked at him in amazement and she asked, " What exactly am I doing tonight?" He smiled and told her she will be working as a waitress tonight.

The house party started, showing no signs of slowing down. Ava balanced the tray of drinks in her hands, walking through the crowd. Just as she was about to get another set of drinks, a voice called out her fake name.

 "Nina! Nina, is that you?"  Ava turned around, scanning the room until her eyes landed on the old lady she met on the street.

The old lady approached her with a smile and said " What a coincidence! She asked, "Did you come with someone?" 

Ava returned the smile and replied that she had come to work. Then her eyes caught sight of a group of people and her expression changed.  

Jack, Ava's father's right hand man, greeting a group of people. If Jack was present, her father would also be here, she thought to herself.

"Nina, if you are free after the party, we can have a coffee together," The old lady said, breaking Ava's train of thoughts. Ava nodded and the old lady left to attend to other guests.

Thankfully Ava saw a facemask close to the counter, wearing it. She scanned the crowd for Jack's silhouette until she spotted my father and Mr. Tom  happily chatting, but could not spot Jack.

Ava, eager to hear their conversation, got closer to them. 

She heard Mr. Tom laughed then shaked Mr Adams hands, "I'll sign the contract after the wedding. You have just three months to find her, otherwise, the deal is off, for old time's sake. We can't mix business and personal issues." Mr Adams nodded, his eyes lit up.

After some minutes passed, Ava saw Jack walking towards her father with a young man in a buzz cut, wearing a dark green suit.  Ava quickly changed her position to avoid being seen.

"Sir, This is the young man I told you about, he is very good at his work, many companies will risk anything to get him working with them." Jack praised him while Ethan and  Mr Adams exchanged greetings. Jack also introduced Ethan as one of the top personal investigators that works at the Ket organization. 

Ava could not understand what exactly they were saying , throughout the conversation she kept her eyes on Ethan's silhouette until he was ready to go.

The park was crowded with people leaving the party, it slowed down her movement, from a distance she could not see his face clearly. 

 While trailing behind him, her phone rang, breaking her focus. "Hello?" Ava answered, ready for whatever was coming. "Where are you? The boss needs you to come quickly." 

Before she could respond, the caller hung up. Her gaze snapped back to where Ethan was standing, but he was now walking towards the mansion instead of getting into his car. 

 Ava quickly followed him inside. Without hesitation, the old lady's voice rang out, " Nathan, why are you late?" 

Nathan hugged her, smiling and explained that something urgent had come up at the company that  needed immediate attention.

Ava, unaware of their conversation, quickly approached Granny, smiling in hopes of getting closer to Nathan.  Nathan ignored the lady behind him and  walked to his room.

The old lady turned to Ava and said, "Nina, come have a seat," gesturing towards the chair. Ava shifted her gaze from the stairs, where he had just disappeared . After she settled down, the maid poured coffee for her.

"You look familiar, who is your mother?" The old lady asked, sipping her coffee.

 Ava hasn't spoken about her mother to anyone since childhood. Honestly she felt uncomfortable talking about her mother to anyone, not even her best friend.

 "My mother is dead." That was the only word that could escape Ava's mouth. 

The old lady's face dropped , apologizing, "Ohhh, l am sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of the past." She smiled warmly and added, " You can always come here if you feel lonely." 

Ava nodded. "Thank you, ma'am" touched by her kindness. 

"Please call me Granny Walton," The old lady quickly said.

"Okay, ma'am." Ava corrected herself, "l mean, okay, Granny Walton." The old lady smiled.  

When they  finished chatting, she collected her paycheck then she quickly glanced at the place Nathan disappeared too before heading out. 

The next day, she got a new apartment then did a change of name and did a fake certificate, unable to risk getting caught. She then went to change her hairstyle and dye her hair black.

At noon, she officially started her new job at the cafe, looking completely different. After her night shift ended, she met with the manager to gather information about the party's host, but all she got was the name.  

Ava returned home and began her research on the Walton family. Unfortunately she couldn't get enough information about the family on the internet. Just as she expected, the family was known by everyone because of their son, Nathan Walton. They  seemed to be  people who stayed low-key and avoided social media. 

" NATHAN THE HANDSOME BACHELOR  BUILT HIS EMPIRE AT THE AGE OF 23 AND ACHIEVED BILLIONS WITHIN A YEAR." 

"NATHAN WALTON HAS HELPED HOMELESS PEOPLE BY PROVIDING SHELTER AND FOOD OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS." 

That's  the only thing Ava could find, no scandal relating to the family.

 Why would a billionaire be working for her father as a private investigator? She questioned. 

As days passed, Ava went on with her daily activities till the weekend. Despite all her efforts, she couldn't find any useful information about Nathan, only the name of his company.  

She entered a cab straight to Paragon Group's headquarters.  Arriving, she paid the driver and watched it speed off. The building was bustling people walking in and out.

 Paragon Group was known for being the largest company in the country, only the 1% can work there. She  approached the front desk, where a lady stood. "Good day, miss," Ava greeted her with a smile. "I'd like to meet with the president, please."

The lady looked up at Ava, with a doubtful expression. "Okay, did you book an appointment with him? If so, what's your name?" 

Ava explained that she didn't have an appointment with him, but it was urgent. Pleading with the lady to let her see the president. 

The lady looked at Ava, clearly unimpressed with her acting. "Ladies like you come here everyday, they have something important to tell our president too," The lady replied rudely.  "If you don't leave, I'll have no option but to call security on you."

Ava was not ready to cause a scene so she asked her, "How can I book an appointment with the president?" 

The lady ignored her, taking her as one of the ladies desperate to be in the president's bed. 

Ava kept returning to the company, determined to meet the president. However, her determination paid off in an unexpected way, she was kicked out by the security. But still didn't give up 

"Boss, there's a lady who has been coming here without an appointment for the past five days looking for you." Leo reported the situation to Nathan. 

Nathan's eyes darkened, and he asked,  "Who is she?"

Leo responded, "We don't know at the moment, but you can see the surveillance cameras outside the building," Leo said, while handing him the iPad . 

After watching the footage, Nathan smirked and instructed Leo to investigate her. 

He was surprised that she had found him so easily, but he had to be sure if she came seeking compensation. 

After conducting the investigation, Leo brought the result to Nathan. "She recently faked her certificate and her name," Leo reported. She's on the run from home. Nathan laughed and said, "Good! When she comes again, let her in.

That night, Ava went to the store, gathering some veggies, fresh meats and some snacks to restock her kitchen.   Approaching the drinks section, she overheard a man apologizing with his head facing down while pleading with a customer. "Sir, the drinks are all sold out." As she got closer, she recognized the man was Nathan.

Ava headed to the counter to pay for her items while darting her eyes to where he was.

Nathan saw sneaky eyes from afar and instantly recognized her. He smirked while dismissing the manager. Ava saw Nathan approaching and she quickly fastened her footsteps towards the entrance. 

After she thought she had finally escaped him, Ava felt a hand on her shoulder tapping her, and she froze. "Miss?" Nathan asked. Ava, staring at him with her mouth wide open, taking a close look at his face. She found him familiar, but couldn't recall exactly where.

Brought out of her thoughts, Ava replied, "Nina." If Nathan was a private investigator sent by her father, she couldn't reveal her true identity to him.

"Nice to meet you," Nathan said, acting cluelessly. "I met you at our family mansion, one of our guests, huh?" He wanted to see if Ava had any other motives. 

Ava found the perfect opportunity to cling to him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Nathan," she replied.

"Oh,  please, just call me Nathan," he smiled. "Do you need a ride home?"  "Yes...Yes.. please." Ava stuttered out of nervousness. 

The car was filled with silence, and  Ava tried to stop the awkward moment by starting a conversation. "Mr Nathan, do you have other business that you do?" She asked.

Nathan's eyes darkened without looking at her, and he replied sarcastically, "Seems like Miss, want to know more about me, huh?"

"Not that I am invading your privacy, but I actually know your secret," Ava replied, with confidence.

The car came to a halt on the highway.  "What's my secret?" Nathan asked, gazing at her with a frown.

"That you have another identity apart from being a CEO," Ava replied nervously.

Nathan smiled, eager to hear what she wanted to say. "Which is?" he asked.

"I know you're  importing hard drugs to the elites." Ava said nervously, hoping her lie will pay off. 

Nathan got speechless for a while, until he decided to play along. "Really! And how did you know?" he asked.

Ava, thinking she has exposed him, she smiled and said, "That isn't important right now. Let's make a deal."

Nathan raised his brows, while staring at Ava, waiting for her to continue talking. 

"Marry me then I will keep your secret safe," Ava said with a smile.

Nathan leaned in closer to Ava, his lips only an inch away from hers. 

Staring at her lips before looking into her eyes, and smiled. "You shouldn't be doing this," he warned. "Entering a sleeping lion's den can be dangerous."

Ava smiled and said with determination in her eyes, "Deal or no deal?"

"For how long?" Nathan asked. "For a year, after a year we can divorce," Ava replied.

Okay, deal, little chick.  You can't go back on your words now," Nathan  said as he drove down to the marriage registry office.

Ava couldn't believe that she was finally married to a man she barely knew.

 Staring at the marriage certificate, she felt a mix of excitement and regret, but she had a mission she needed to accomplish within one year with him.

"Are you going to keep on standing there?" Nathan asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Ava smiled nervously, " I'm coming" She said, as she walked towards the car. "So where are we heading to?" Ava asked.

"Mrs Walton, I am obviously going to your house,  where do you think we are going??" Nathan asked sarcastically.  

"Don't forget you are just my wife on papers, you can't interfere with my private life and I won't do the same. This marriage should be a secret, for the meantime, you will be staying in your house. If you need anything don't forget to call me." Nathan said as he arrived at her house.

Ava went on with her normal routine,she was given whatever she wanted, she couldn't stay at home all day, so she had to continue working. 

After one  month, Ava didn't see Nathan because he was so busy to meet her, he always sends his assistant. She wasn't worried since he said she has no right to interfere in his private life, but she needs to be close to him to start plotting her plans.

"Welcome! What do you want to order?" Ava said, her eyes focused on her phone. "Can I get a latte and a sandwich please," a deep voice said.

"Okay," Ava said as she looked up to take his orders, her eyes came into contact with her childhood friend, whom she hadn't met for seven years.

"Charles," Ava called out, but she couldn't say it out loud. Charles smiled and said," look who we have here, the almighty Ava." He said, sarcastically.

When Ava finished high school, she left for another town. She had been crushing on him then, but he had a girlfriend who wasn't supportive of their friendship, causing them to lose contact. After his family business expanded he left for the US to continue his studies. 

After Ava gave him his orders, he left to take a seat. When he finished eating, he didn't stay for long. "I have to get going, Ava. I'll come to visit often." Charles said.

Ava smiled, she didn't want him to visit at all. If Charles' family found out that she ran away, her whereabouts would definitely be exposed by Charles, and she would be in trouble.

"Do you know that guy? Jessica chimed in excitedly.  "Ava replied,  "Kind of."

"He is our regular customer," Jessica said. "He has increased our sales for the past six months and is  admired by many ladies who come to buy from the cafe." Jessica smiled, not noticing the frown of Ava's face.