Chapter Nineteen: Relentless

(Ariadne Asselina Ildelfonso's POV)

I should have known he wouldn’t stop.

That Gavyn Del Herrera was never the type to back down from a challenge—especially when that challenge was me.

For days now, he had been persistent. Annoyingly, infuriatingly persistent.

No matter how many times I rejected him, no matter how often I told him to leave me alone—he just wouldn’t.

A knock sounded at my hotel room door.

I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head, willing whoever it was to go away.

But the knocking continued.

Insistent. Familiar.

I already knew who it was.

With a sigh, I dragged myself out of bed and pulled open the door.

And there he stood.

Gavyn.

With two cups of coffee in hand.

Like clockwork.

Every. Single. Morning.

He held out my usual order without a word, his expression smug.

"I didn’t order this," I muttered, crossing my arms.

"I know," he said smoothly. "I did."

I exhaled sharply, but took the coffee anyway, if only to get him to go away.

Gavyn leaned casually against the doorframe, watching me take a sip. "Good morning, wife."

I choked. "Ex-wife," I corrected, voice sharp.

He smirked. "Still haven’t seen the papers."

I glared at him. "You’re unbelievable."

"That’s what you love about me."

I scowled. "I don’t love anything about you."

He tilted his head. "Then why are you blushing?"

I slammed the door in his face.

At work, it was the same.

Annoying. Unavoidable.

The moment I stepped into the office, there was a bouquet of white lilies waiting on my desk—my favorite.

A small card is attached.

"For the woman who still pretends she doesn’t like flowers. –G"

I wanted to be angry.

I wanted to throw them away.

But instead, I sighed and pushed them aside, pretending they didn’t exist.

Pretending he didn’t exist.

"Aren’t you getting tired of this?" I snapped at him over lunch, after he somehow ended up at my table—again.

He took a bite of his food, completely unfazed. "Nope."

I glared. "You should be."

"Why?" He raised an eyebrow. "It’s working, isn’t it?"

I scoffed. "What part of no do you not understand?"

He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"The part where you keep talking to me instead of walking away."

My breath caught.

I hated that he wasn’t wrong.

It continued.

Day after day.

Night after night.

Waiting for me outside the office.

Waiting for me outside the hotel.

Bringing me coffee.

Sending flowers.

Finding excuses to sit next to me in meetings.

I'm starting to get tired of him being so persistent.

But Gavyn Del Herrera was insufferable.

I had rejected him.

Again. And again.

And again.

Yet, every morning, without fail, he was still there.

Waiting. Watching. Pursuing.

I stepped out of my hotel room, already exhausted from the long night of work. My eyes were barely open when I nearly tripped over something right at my door.

A bouquet.

Another damn bouquet.

I exhaled sharply, bending down to pick it up. White orchids this time. Elegant, understated—except for the fact that I knew what they meant.

"I’ll wait for you."

I should have thrown them away.

Like I had with the others.

But instead, my fingers lingered against the delicate petals, my heart betraying me with a stupid, unwanted ache.

And then—

A voice from behind me.

"That’s your tenth bouquet this week. I was starting to think you were counting."

I froze.

I turned.

And there he was.

Gavyn leaned against the wall opposite my door, arms crossed, looking infuriatingly amused.

My scowl deepened. "Are you stalking me now?"

He smirked. "If I were stalking you, you wouldn’t know."

I groaned. "Go home, Gavyn."

"This is my home," he shot back. "Or did you forget we’re both living in the same hotel?"

I knew that, of course.

And it was a problem.

Because it meant that avoiding him was impossible.

"Let me guess," I muttered, stepping past him. "You’re going to insist we have breakfast together."

"Well, if you insist—"

"I don’t."

He grinned, falling into step beside me as we walked toward the elevator. "Ariadne, you’ve rejected me every day for the past month, and yet, here I am. Do you think I’ll stop now?"

I shot him a glare. "Most people take no for an answer."

"I’m not most people."

That was the problem.

I made it to the office, and for the first time that day, I felt like I had escaped him.

For exactly five minutes.

Because just as I settled at my desk, a cup of coffee was placed in front of me.

I didn’t even have to look up.

I knew who it was.

"You have to stop doing this," I said, exasperated.

Gavyn just sat on the edge of my desk like he belonged there. "Why? Do you like that specific blend? I figured I’d save you the trouble of getting it yourself."

"Or you could stop inserting yourself into my routine."

"But then you’d miss me."

I exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You are insufferable."

"That’s not a no."

I resisted the urge to throw the coffee at him.

Lunchtime came, and I thought—finally, a moment to myself.

Except, of course—

Gavyn slid into the seat across from me, placing his tray down like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I stared at him, unimpressed. "Who invited you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Did I need an invitation?"

I groaned. "Yes."

He smirked. "Well, I’ll remember that for next time."

I swore I could hear Bella and Ahsirt stifling their laughter a few tables away.

By the time I finished work, it was already dark outside.

I stepped out of the building, stretching my stiff muscles, only to stop dead in my tracks.

Because there he was.

Waiting.

Again.

Leaning against his car, hands in his pockets, watching me like he had all the time in the world.

I should have been annoyed.

I was annoyed.

But more than that—

I was tired.

"You have nothing better to do, do you?" I muttered.

Gavyn pushed out of the car, walking toward me with slow, deliberate steps. "I could ask you the same thing. You’ve been working too much."

I scoffed. "And whose fault is that?"

"Mine, obviously," he said without missing a beat. "But that’s why I’m here. To make sure you eat dinner."

I narrowed my eyes. "I can take care of myself, Gavyn."

He tilted his head. "I know. But I’m still not leaving."

I hated that part of me expected him to.

I hated even more that he never did.

"Come on," he said, nodding toward the car. "Let’s eat."

I wanted to say no.

I should have said no.

But my body moved before my brain could stop it.

And for the first time—

I let him stay.

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