His Placeholder Bride, My Bitter Revenge

Grant Sutton POV:

My thumb hovered over Avery' s contact, the screen cool beneath my touch. The last message, my frantic apology about the wedding "mishap," remained stubbornly unread. Three days. Three agonizing, silent days.

She' s probably still angry, I told myself, a weak attempt to rationalize her silence. She has every right to be. I deserved her anger. The way I handled Ivory, the way I let my family, and then Ivory herself, humiliate Avery. It had been a monumental failure on my part. A colossal mistake.

"Is the gift ready?石头" I asked my assistant, Leo, who stood patiently by my desk. "The one for Avery's family. Something truly generous."

"Yes, Mr. Sutton," Leo confirmed. "A custom-made diamond necklace for Mrs. Trevino, a vintage Rolex for Mr. Trevino, and a trust fund for Miss Clara. All delivered discreetly to their estate this morning."

I nodded, a muscle in my jaw ticking. "Good. And what about Avery? Has she responded to my messages? My calls?"

Leo hesitated, his gaze briefly meeting mine before darting away. "No, sir. Still no response."

A knot tightened in my chest. "Keep trying. And send another message to her, apologizing again. Tell her I understand she needs space, but I want to talk. Face to face."

"Yes, Mr. Sutton."

I signed the last of the contracts, my mind miles away. This Phoenix Development deal, it was supposed to be my legacy, my clean slate, solidifying Sutton Holdings' legitimate future. But it felt hollow without her.

I picked up my phone again. The chat window remained blank. The silence screamed at me. A flicker of irritation, then a cold wave of fear washed over me. This wasn't like Avery. She was disciplined. Even when angry, she usually responded eventually.

"Cancel my afternoon meetings," I told Leo, rising from my chair. "I'm going to Avery's apartment. I need to see her." I needed to see her. Needed to explain. Needed to fix this.

I arrived at her building, my heart thumping against my ribs. I pressed the doorbell, a polite, insistent chime. No answer. I tried again. Still nothing.

A nosy neighbor, a woman I vaguely recognized, poked her head out of the adjacent apartment. "Oh, Mr. Sutton! Looking for Avery? She left a few days ago. With a suitcase." The neighbor smiled, oblivious. "Probably on one of her big reporter trips, huh? She always goes on those."

My throat tightened. A suitcase? She hadn't said anything about a trip. Was she... running from me? The thought sent a jolt of icy fear through me.

My phone rang, startling me. It was Ivory. Her voice, sharp and demanding, cut through my thoughts. "Grant, where are you? We have that meeting with the city council in an hour. You need to be here. Now."

"I'm on my way," I said, forcing a calm into my voice. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

I sent a quick text to Avery. Heard you're on a trip. Be safe. Call me when you get back. It felt hollow, inadequate.

The meeting with the city council was a brutal, drawn-out affair. Ivory, sharp as a whip, argued our case with a cold, clear logic, dissecting their points with surgical precision. I admired her tenacity, her brilliance. She was a force of nature. But even as she spoke, my mind kept drifting to Avery.

It was late, well past midnight, when we finally wrapped up. Ivory walked to the panoramic window of the conference room, gazing out at the glittering cityscape. "Just like old times, isn't it, Grant?" she murmured, her voice soft, wistful. "Working late, side by side."

I didn't answer. My gaze drifted to my phone, lying on the table. Still no reply from Avery. The silence was a persistent, nagging ache.

Ivory turned, her eyes narrowed, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips. "Still worrying about her, aren't you? That reporter."

"She's on a business trip," I said, my voice flat, trying to sound dismissive. "She hasn't checked in."

Ivory turned fully, her expression unreadable. "Tell me, Grant. Are you still going to go through with the wedding?" Her question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning.

I hesitated. "I have my considerations." The words felt forced, hollow. My head was a battlefield of warring thoughts. My duty. My past. And the gaping, undeniable void Avery had left.

Ivory didn't press further. A fleeting shadow crossed her eyes, a complex mix of disappointment and something else I couldn't quite decipher.