Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband
Chapter 196: The Bait

Chapter 196: The Bait

Ava’s initial shock began to wane as she read through the documents, replaced by a strange sense of cautious excitement. For the first time in weeks, there appeared to be a way out of the mess she had found herself tangled in—a meticulously crafted plan to escape the embezzlement and tax evasion charges that had been hanging over her like a guillotine. Every detail was outlined, from how to restructure the accounts to redirect scrutiny onto a long-forgotten subsidiary.

She couldn’t believe it. Serena, of all people, had done this? Shew aa the one who had thrown her into this mess and now she was giving her a way out? Ava’s lips twitched in an incredulous smile, her fingers brushing against the crisp edges of the papers in excitement. Relief bubbled up inside her, but just as quickly, it came crashing down when her eyes landed on the conditions spelled out at the very end.

The first line struck her like a blow: "If I can hand you salvation, Ava, I can also hand you damnation."

Her heart skipped a beat. She scanned the rest of the page, her stomach twisting with each word. The conditions Serena had set were something that she was not even unaware of.

For a moment, she wondered if she could simply disregard the conditions. The fool had already given her a way out. There was no need for her to agree to whatever she wanted. However, it was the words at the last that stopped her. It was a threat- plain and simple. "Failure to comply or betrayal will result in the release of additional evidence implicating you far beyond the current charges."

Ava’s hands shook as she put the papers down, her earlier excitement now replaced by cold dread. Serena wasn’t offering her a way out; she was tightening a noose around her neck. Ava bit her lip, her mind racing. The mention of her grandmother still lingered, gnawing at the edges of her thoughts. Edwina Dawn had always been her grandmother, but Serena’s cryptic remarks and conditions had planted a seed of doubt.

Finally, she made up her mind. If there was a way to get out of this mess, all she needed to do was find this woman- Nvidia and hand her over to Serena. She could do this. And if Nvidia was really her grandmother? So what? But first, she would need to ask her father about this matter.

Ava stormed into her father’s study, her hands clenched at the sides.

"Ava?" he asked, his tone laced with both concern and surprise. "What’s going on?"

She didn’t bother with pleasantries. "Who is Nvidia?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "And don’t tell me it’s just the company name. I need the truth."

Her father’s expression froze, and for a moment, she thought he might deny everything. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, letting out a heavy sigh.

"I was hoping this wouldn’t come up," he muttered, rubbing his temples.

Ava stepped closer, her heart pounding. "So it’s true. There’s a woman named Nvidia? And she’s... what? Somehow connected to us?"

e nodded slowly, his expression heavy with the weight of what he was about to reveal. "Nvidia Dawn," he said quietly, the name rolling off his tongue like a reluctant confession. "She was my biological mother. Edwina only came into the picture after Nvidia was cast out of the family. She married into our family years later, after Nvidia... after everything fell apart."

Ava’s heart pounded as she processed his words, her grip tightening on the papers in her hands. "Thrown out?" she repeated, her voice trembling with a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Why would your own mother be cast out of her own family? And what does Nvidia have to do with any of this? What’s her connection to... to my grandmother’s, I mean Edwina’s death? And Serena’s father’s death?"

At the mention of those deaths, Matthew froze, his expression suddenly guarded. The color drained from his face, and he leaned back in his chair as though trying to put physical distance between himself and Ava’s questions.

"Who told you this?" he asked, his tone low and cautious.

"Serena did," Ava said, forcing her voice to remain steady despite the storm of questions brewing inside her. "She said Edwina Dawn was murdered. And that my grandmother—Nvidia—was involved. And Serena’s father too. She claims they both died because of some conspiracy by Nvidia."

Matthew sighed, even as his eyes flickered," It could be true. Nvidia was your grandpa Corrick’s older sister. I don’t know why she was sent away. We were too young to know anything. But from what I understand, Edwina was the cause of her being thrown out. So, there is a possibility that Nvidia must have wanted revenge.

Ava left her father’s study in a haze, her thoughts swirling like a storm cloud. The revelations had come so fast, she could barely keep up. Nvidia Dawn was her grandfather Corrick’s older sister? Her grandmother? The idea that Nvidia could somehow be linked to Edwina’s death, let alone Serena’s father’s, made her stomach twist in knots. It would mean that Serena had a valid cause for seeking revenge.

Back in his study, Matthew remained seated, staring at the door Ava had closed behind her. His face was calm, but his fingers drummed an anxious rhythm on the desk. Slowly, he reached for the phone on the edge of his desk, his hand trembling slightly.

The line rang twice before a voice answered. "Yes?"

"It’s me," Matthew said, his voice low and tense. "This is about Serena," Matthew said, leaning back in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. "She told Ava... everything. About Nvidia, about Edwina, about Edward’s death."

The voice on the other end was quiet for a moment before responding. " So, she believes that Nvidia is the one behind the murders?"

"Yes. She seems to believe that. But I don’t understand why she came to Ava..."