Chasing His Scentless Mate-Chapter 336 Stubborn Hearts

Chapter 336: Chapter 336 Stubborn Hearts
Ava’s POV
I remembered those threatening letters that had been arriving one after another.
I buried my face in my hands, trying to quiet the storm in my head. Everyone around me seemed to be keeping secrets, playing some game where I didn’t know the rules.
A soft knock on my desk made me look up. Caroline stood there, her expression concerned.
"Hey, Ava" she said gently. "You look like you’re having the Monday from hell."
I attempted a smile. "That obvious, huh?"
She perched on the edge of my desk. "I heard Joseph was downstairs waiting for you this morning. Did you two talk?"
"Briefly," I said, rubbing my temples. "I told him I couldn’t deal with it right now."
"And how do you feel about that?" she asked, studying me carefully.
"Honestly? I don’t have the emotional bandwidth for relationship drama right now." I sighed.
Caroline nodded sympathetically. "Want to grab coffee and talk about it? Sometimes an outside perspective helps."
I hesitated, then nodded. We walked to the small break room where Caroline made us both lattes from the fancy machine.
"So," she said once we were seated. "What’s going on? And don’t say ’nothing’."
I laughed despite myself.
"Call it female intuition." She smiled. "Is it about Joseph? Or something else?"
"Both? Neither?" I stared into my coffee. "It’s complicated."
Caroline leaned forward. "I understand complicated better than most. When I first met Draven, the timing was a disaster."
"How did you get through it?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"We almost didn’t," she admitted. "But Draven taught me something important. He showed me that when someone truly cares about you, they’ll give you the space you need to work through your stuff."
I thought about Joseph cornering me in the stairwell. "And if they don’t?"
"Then maybe they’re not the right person," she said simply. "Or maybe they’re just scared of losing you."
I traced the rim of my mug with my finger. "I don’t think Joseph Garcia gets scared of losing anything. He’s an Alpha and a billionaire. The world practically bends to his will."
Caroline gave me a knowing look. "Even Alphas have vulnerabilities, Ava. Sometimes especially Alphas."
"Maybe," I conceded. "But right now, I just need to focus on figuring out what’s going on with my family."
"Anything I can help with?" she offered.
I smiled gratefully but shook my head. "It’s just some drama with my mom and grandmother. Nothing unusual for three generations of stubborn women."
The lie came easier this time, which scared me a little.
Caroline reached across and squeezed my hand. "Well, if you need someone to talk to, or just to vent, my door is always open."
"Thanks," I said, genuinely touched. "That means a lot."
After she left, I sat there thinking about her words. It was nice to have someone in my corner, even if I couldn’t tell her the whole truth. But right now, romance was the least of my concerns.
I spent the entire week avoiding Joseph Garcia like he was carrying some highly contagious disease.
Every morning, there he was—waiting by the entrance of Thorne Enterprises with either a coffee cup or flowers in hand. Didn’t he get tired of driving from Puma Global to my company every single day? I really wished Eleanor could keep him in line.
But my heart would do that stupid flutter thing every time I saw him, which only made me angry at myself. I wasn’t some lovesick teenager, for goddess’s sake. I was a grown woman with real problems—a missing grandmother, a mother who wouldn’t tell me the truth, and apparently some kind of supernatural threat hanging over my family.
I’d texted Odelia several times, but she never replied.
I didn’t dare go home either. Last time I managed to escape from there, it was pure luck. I was terrified that if I went back, my mom would just use her witch magic to bind me and drag me away.
Couldn’t this damn life give me a moment’s peace?
"Good morning, Ava," Joseph said on Thursday morning, holding out a cup from my favorite coffee shop. "Double shot vanilla latte, extra hot."
"How do you even know my coffee order?" I asked, then immediately regretted engaging.
His lips curled into that infuriatingly sexy half-smile. "I pay attention."
I walked past him without taking the coffee, though the smell was divine and I desperately needed the caffeine. "I’m running late."
"Ava," his voice dropped lower, more intimate. "We need to talk."
I stopped and turned around, finally letting my frustration show. "No, Joseph, we don’t. You made yourself perfectly clear. You’re an Alpha who’s been with countless women and can’t stay faithful, and I’m just some nobody Omega from a tiny pack you wanted to sleep with. Message received."
His face darkened. "That’s not what happened and you know it."
"Really? Because from where I’m standing, that’s exactly what happened." I jabbed the elevator button repeatedly, willing it to arrive faster.
"You’re not even giving me a chance to explain," he said, his voice tight with frustration.
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. "I don’t owe you anything, Alpha Joseph."
His eyes flashed with something that looked almost like pain as the doors closed between us.
When I got to my desk, I found another one of Louise’s deliveries waiting for me—a small box of heart-shaped cookies with a note in childish handwriting.
"For Miss Ava. I made them myself. Uncle Joseph says you’re mad at him. Please don’t be mad forever. Love, Louise"
I sighed, my anger deflating slightly. It wasn’t fair to punish adorable Louise for Joseph’s actions. I’d have to send her a thank-you note at least.
"So, are you two back together yet?" Kyle asked, pausing by my desk.
"There’s nothing to get back together with," I said curtly. "We were never together."
"Uh-huh. That’s why he’s been standing in the lobby every morning like some lovesick puppy." She rolled her eyes. "Half the women in this building would kill to be in your position."
"Then they can have it," I muttered, turning to my computer.
The entire week continued like this—Joseph making appearances, colleagues giving me knowing looks, and my concentration shot to hell. By Friday, I was mentally exhausted and looking forward to girls’ night at Eleanor’s apartment.