Nicholas returned to the table with a smile that seemed utterly stainless. With a peculiar sense of calm, he squeezed Mary's hand. Mary, slightly unsettled by the sudden change in atmosphere, whispered, "Is something wrong?"
Nicholas replied with a reassuring tone, "No, darling, everything is perfect."
At that moment, Ava approached the table, drowned in a whirlwind of her own thoughts. Seeing Nicholas and Mary's hands intertwined, an involuntary frown etched itself onto her forehead. Denise, noticing the slight tremor in Ava's shoulders, stepped closer and asked softly, "Ava? Did something happen? Why are you so shaken?"
Without taking her eyes off Nicholas, Ava murmured, "Now is not the time; we'll talk later."
Yong, looking anxiously at the empty chair beside him, turned to Ava and asked, "Haven't you seen Diana? The food is here, it's strange she hasn't arrived yet."
"No, I haven't seen her," Ava's reply was short and cold.
Yong picked up his phone. After a few rings, Diana's indifferent voice echoed through the receiver. Yong asked kindly, "Where are you, Diana? We're all waiting for you."
Diana's voice from the other end was colder than ever: "Something urgent came up; I've left the restaurant. You all enjoy yourselves."
Yong asked in surprise, "Did something bad happen?"
"No, it's just work-related. Don't worry for now." Diana cut the call.
With a smirk that was barely detectable, Nicholas asked, "What happened? Did Diana leave?"
Yong sighed, "Apparently she had urgent business. We'd better start."
Ava stared at Nicholas's smirk, her eyes burning with rage. All night, Nicholas played the role of a devoted lover with perfect skill; he constantly complimented Mary and kept the mood cheerful. Everyone was laughing except Ava, who tried to swallow her screams with every sip of her drink.
After dinner, when Nicholas dropped them off in front of the apartment, he took Mary's hand again and said in a dramatic tone, "Mary, thank you for coming into my life."
Mary smiled shyly, but Ava impatiently cut in, "Alright, we'd better head inside now."
Nicholas turned to Ava mischievously, "Miss Ava, if you're tired, go on up and let us enjoy our moment for a bit."
Ava gave him a look full of resentment and, without a word, turned and walked away.
Nicholas said to Mary with a self-righteous air, "Goodness! What did I even say? Why did she react so sharply?"
Mary said, annoyed with her sister, "No, honey, she's not mad at you. I think the work pressure at Diana's company has her on edge."
Nicholas said slyly, "Diana has really gone too far; I should have a serious talk with her."
Mary immediately objected, "No, Ava doesn't want us to interfere. Whenever she feels the time is right, I'll ask Yong to talk to Diana."
Nicholas insisted, "Why Yong? I'll handle her myself... Now go inside before Ava gets upset with me too."
He leaned in to kiss Mary, but she pulled back slightly with a modest shyness. Nicholas smiled, "Alright, as you wish." Mary quickly kissed his cheek and ran inside.
Inside the house, Ava sat in the living room, nervously biting her nails. She screamed in her mind: 'I have to tell her! If she finds out what a snake Nicholas is right now, it'll hurt less. Poor Yong... he doesn't know what kind of monster he's dealing with.'
When Mary entered with a face flushed with joy, Ava stood up: "Mary, there's something you need to know."
Mary interrupted her excitedly, "Let me tell you first, Ava! You won't believe it, but I think I've actually fallen for Nicholas. He's the only person I feel I can rely on..."
Ava said in disbelief, "What? But you've only just met! You aren't the type to trust someone so easily."
Mary continued dreamily, "I don't know... maybe it's because it's the first time someone has supported my dreams like this. He makes me feel like being a painter is valuable."
Seeing the glow in Mary's eyes, Ava was left speechless. She couldn't destroy that pure happiness with a bitter truth. She only whispered, "Never mind... I'm going to sleep, I'm exhausted."
... A few days passed. Mary and Nicholas's relationship grew deeper, and Ava struggled in a hell of indecision.
One day in the company kitchen, Ava's manager informed her that Diana had summoned her to her office. Ava entered the room with clenched fists.
Diana said with a fake smile, "Ava dear, I'm very satisfied with your work. I want to promote you to Head of the Cafeteria."
Ava said hesitantly, "But there's already a head there!"
Diana said ruthlessly, "I decide who goes where. If you don't accept, it means there's no place for you in this company anymore. Go think it over."
Trembling with rage, Ava stormed out of the company and took refuge in a park. She called Nicholas. Nicholas cheerfully said that Mary was with him and they wanted Ava to join them at the new gallery. Ava said with a shaky voice, "I need to see you alone, Nicholas. Mary mustn't know anything."
That night, in a cozy corner of a cafe, Ava sat across from Nicholas. Before she could say a word, Nicholas's phone rang: "Diana".
Nicholas rejected the call, but the phone vibrated again. Ava smirked, "Answer it, it might be important."
Nicholas reluctantly went toward the restroom. Ava followed him like a shadow and stood behind the half-open door.
She heard Nicholas's angry voice: "Why won't you let go?... Yeah, I heard you offered Ava the promotion. Do you think you can separate Mary from me?... Have you forgotten that half the shares of this company belong to me? I bought them with the money from the land sale, and I can take it all down if I want. You let Ava resign quietly, no penalties, no lawsuits. Do you understand?... I'm not leaving Mary, do whatever the hell you want!"
Hearing the truth about the "shares" and their dirty game, Ava hurried back to the table. When Nicholas returned with an indifferent face, he asked, "Well, what were you saying you knew?"
Ava looked into Nicholas's lying eyes. A wicked thought sparked in her mind. She wanted to sabotage their game from the inside.
Ava said with a mysterious smile, "I wanted to say... I know you pulled some strings for me and recommended me to Diana. Why not? I accept the promotion!"
Nicholas stared at Ava, his eyes wide with surprise. He expected anything but Ava's sudden surrender.