Chapter 75

Ethan’s POV

Ava shut down and retracted back within herself after our simple dinner date. I wanted her to know that I appreciated her and did love her. Despite what her family situation was and despite the fact that she thought I only liked her because we were mates.

I liked her before that, I just didn’t know how to express it. Our attraction felt so wrong and powerful before, at least now I knew why.

The simple date that Olivia and Mars suggested didn’t work, obviously. I had to go bigger, better. I had to actually make an effort to sweep Ava off her feet. Something that showed her that my love for her was not casual in any sense. It was vast, bigger than me and her combined.

I was ready to spend my entire fortune on making her happy. I would do it if I had to.

Ava emerged from her room more frequently after a day or two of collecting her thoughts after what her mother told her. At first, I knew space was what she needed, it gave me time to plan and make accommodations for my more extravagant dates.

Then, it was time to put a couple of my plans in action. Ava came downstairs one morning, I ordered a private chef for the day to cook her elaborate meals of whatever she wished for.

She raised her brow at me when she understood what was happening, and I shrugged and smirked at her. I placed a quick kiss on her cheek and left her so I could go to work, happy to know she'd be eating well with none of the cooking stress.

The next day, I filled the house with roses. Every surface had a vase, and every bouquet had a note with a romantic poem scrawled inside. Ava smiled as she found each and every poem. She embraced me, I couldn't believe she was initiating the contact, but ultimately that's where she left that one.

I had to go bigger.

I ordered an entire jewelry box filled with diamond necklaces and earrings, rubies and emeralds, even a few less extravagant stones like opal. Four drawers were filled with glittering bracelets and rings as well, and I presented the box to Ava one night over a candlelit dinner at a quaint bistro downtown.

Ava gasped as she took in the sight of the gift, placing a hand over her heart and biting her lip.

“Ethan this is all too much,” She breathed out. “I can't accept this on top of everything else.”

“Everything else?” I asked, reaching over the table to grasp her hand. “What is everything else?”

Ava looked at me, pulled her hand away, and raised an eyebrow, “Paying for my mother, supporting me financially, getting me the job at the pasty shop, all these presents, and just overall being so amazing despite me trying to push you away over and over again. And I haven't been able to pay you back at all.”

“Ava,” I pulled my hand back and stroked my jaw, “I don't do those things because I expect you to return the favor or pay me back. I do them because I have feelings for you and I want you to be happy.”

“I'm happy enough,” She muttered and looked away.

“Let me spoil you,” I smiled, “Please.”

Ava shook her head.

“Thank you,” She pushed the jewelry box back towards me, “I just can’t accept this right now, then.”

I sighed and relented. After our dinner together, though, I slipped the jewelry box back in her room while she was in the library. That way she wouldn;t be able to hand it back to me or decline it. It would stay in her room, maybe she wouldn’t notice it until she needed to use it.

Weeks continued in the same fashion. I knew why Ava didn;t want the gifts, but all i wanted to do was drown her in affection and spoils. I continued to buy her lavish gifts.

The flow of jewels never stopped, flowers continued to be delivered nearly every day, brand new gowns and shoes were bought for her nearly every day.

I wanted her to fully embrace a new lifestyle as Luna to a rich alpha, not just the girl who ended up married to a powerful CEO based on a simple agreement or misunderstanding. She was powerful, intimidating, wonderful.

She deserved to feel like it.

That’s when I got the best idea for a gift yet. I was driving to work and passed a car dealership, sitting out front was the same model of car as mine, just the opposite color. Mine was black with a white interior, the one at the dealership was white with a black interior.

Instead of going to my early morning meeting with Tristan and Mars, I stopped at the dealership to take a better look at the car.

A salesman emerged from the building as I was circling the car, inspecting for any imperfections. The car was brand new, no dents, no scratches. I imagined Ava driving beside me, the cars matching as an inverse.

I spent the day buying the car, registering it, and taking it to the mechanics to make sure everything on it was in perfect condition for Ava.

All that was left to do was surprise her with it.

I got home that evening. Tristan drove the car back to the house for me, and he took a cab back to work. I snuck into the house.

Ava was in her room, not really out of the ordinary then. I knocked on her door and waited for her to allow me in.

“Yes?” She sighed when she opened the door and saw it was me.

“I have something for you.” I told her, unable to hide the smile on my face.

“I told you I don’t want anymore gifts,” She rubbed her forehead.

I couldn’t help but admire the way she looked. Even in her pajamas and angry at me, she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen in my entire life.

I just wished she would let me love her properly. I knew she was scared, I wanted to show her that she could be brave and vulnerable.

“This can be the last one then,” I held out a hand for her to take. “So long as you accept it and promise to use it, I won’t buy you any more gifts until you ask me for them.”

She rolled her eyes, but accepted my hand. I wrapped my fingers around hers and led her down the hallway and into the foyer.

“I won’t ask you for any more,” She said. “You’ve given me way too much as it is.”

“Trust me,” I looked back at her with a smile as we waited just on the other side of the front door, “I could give you so much more if you would allow me to.”

Ava scoffed and I suppressed a chuckle.

“Alright, just close your eyes while I take you outside.”

“It’s outside?” She asked, suspicious.

“It wouldn’t fit in the living room,” I joked and placed my palm over her eyes. “Trust me.”

I led her outside and stopped her once she was only a foot or so away from the bumper of the car.

“ALright, open.”

Ava opened her eyes to see the bright, shiny white vehicle in front of her.

She gasped and looked back at me, uncertainty dancing in her eyes.

“Ethan?”

I held out the keys to her, “It’s yours.”