The Reluctant Healer and the Enigmatic Boss

Aydon Hotel, Presidential Suite.

Inside the room, clothes lay scattered haphazardly on the floor. After a night of passion, the sexual air still lingered with intimacy.

Ava Johnson rubbed her sore waist and struggled to sit up in bed, pulling the blanket over her chest. Her fiery gaze fixed on the man standing at the bedside.

The man was dressed in a custom-tailored black suit, tall with long legs, exuding an air of nobility. He reached into his chest pocket and took out a pen. His hands, more beautiful than those in a comic book, pressed the pen tip and swiftly began writing on a check.

Ava knew this was her compensation for the passionate night they’d shared.

The sound of paper tearing came from above her as the thought crossed her mind. A check for one million dollars fluttered down in front of her.

Ava casually picked it up and flickered her finger against the check with a crisp sound. She then looked up at him and said, "I don’t want the check."

Facing Liam Sullivan, the second son of the Sullivan family, the head of the Sullivan Group, and Aimiarn’s most powerful businessman who can play the entire country of Orian at will, any other woman would have gone mad with joy at receiving his personal check for one million dollars.

However, Ava hadn’t done this for money.

Liam’s face darkened, his deep black eyes looking down at her coldly, devoid of emotion. "Too little?"

"No!" Ava shook her head, her beautiful eyes locked on him. "I want you to marry me!"

Liam stared at her, his gaze icy, and sneered, "In your dreams."

He left those cold words behind and turned, walking out without looking back.

Ava wasn’t flustered. A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes as she said, "Liam Sullivan, we’ll meet again."

There was no man in this world Ava wanted but couldn’t get.

She would wait and see.

Liam ignored her and left the room.

Ava hummed a little tune, grabbed her clothes from the bedside, and dressed before leaving the hotel to return to the Johnson family.

*****

When Ava returned to the Johnson family, she immediately saw her stepmother, Irene Johnson, sitting on the sofa with her daughter, Cheryl Johnson. Instinctively, a sharp stab of hatred pierced her heart.

Three years ago, Ava had been just a country girl. She lived happily with her seventy-year-old grandfather, Elliot Cole, carefree and content.

However, one day, Ava was out running errands, and she returned home to find Irene leading a group of people out of their house, cursing as they left.

They claimed that Elliot was a quack doctor, responsible for his patient’s death.

When she entered the house, she found Elliot collapsed on the ground, his mouth full of blood. He kept muttering that the child couldn’t have been lost because of the medicine, that the medicine was fine.

Before he passed, Elliot handed Ava a letter, explaining that her mother had been pregnant when she was hit by a car, and the last person she saw before she died was Irene.

From that day on, Ava swore she would uncover the truth, clear Elliot’s name, and find out the real reason behind her mother’s death. She vowed to seek justice for her mother.

"You didn’t come home last night. Were you off serving some man?" Irene sneered, her refined face full of disdain, her tone sharp and cruel.

Ava glanced at her indifferently as a cold and sharp glint flashed in her icy eyes.

After Elliot’s death, Ava had been brought back to the Johnson family, but no one there treated her kindly. Even her own father saw her as nothing more than a bargaining chip for a marriage alliance.

But she didn’t care. To achieve her goals, she had to remain calm and keep herself hidden.

"Do we even need to ask? She was definitely out fooling around with some random man! Look at that shameless face of hers. She must’ve had a great time being serviced last night!" Cheryl mocked with an expression full of scorn as she looked at Ava.

Hearing this, Irene shot her a cold glance. "Ava, you’re about to marry the second son of the Warren family. If he finds out you’ve been messing around with other men just days before your wedding, do you think he’ll let you off?"

Vernon Warren was the heir to one of Aimiarn’s most powerful families. Rumor had it that he was hideously ugly, covered in festering sores, not only a notorious womanizer but also a sadist who took pleasure in torturing women.

Irene and Cheryl had long been waiting eagerly to watch Ava’s downfall.

Ava crossed her arms over her chest, raising her chin slightly with a trace of contempt in her gaze. "Don’t trouble yourselves. I’ve already found someone to marry me, so whoever wants to marry the Warren go right ahead. I won’t be doing it."

Irene couldn’t help but laugh at Ava’s words.

Her mocking laughter rang out like thunder, grating against Ava’s ears.

Cheryl pointed at Ava, laughing so hard she almost fell over. “You, a country bumpkin, think someone else would actually marry you? I bet last night you were driven insane by that man! What a joke!”

“Ava, just marry Vernon. Even though he may not be much of a man, his family is wealthy. You won’t suffer if you marry him,” Irene scoffed, her tone one of cold command.

Ava didn’t want to waste any more words on them. She shrugged and replied lazily, “If marrying him won’t be a loss, why don’t you let Elsie or Cheryl marry him? I’m sure he would appreciate their kind of beauty.”

After taking a few steps, Ava suddenly paused as if she had just remembered something. “By the way, don’t think I don’t know you two were the ones who drugged me. The pain you’ve inflicted on me these past three years—I’ll repay you a hundredfold when the time comes.”

Last night, Ava had indeed been drugged. She could have handled it on her own, but when she heard that Liam was staying at that hotel, she intentionally went to his room and slept with him.

She had her reasons for doing this.

She thought, ‘Didn’t Elmer declare that whoever marries Liam would inherit the Johnson Group? Isn’t it Elsie and Cheryl’s dream to marry Liam and take over the Johnson Group? Well, I am not going to let them get what they want.’

Ava intended to become Liam’s wife, put the entire Johnson family under her heel, and then slowly deal with this wicked bunch.

As Ava snorted coldly and walked upstairs, she could hear their insults behind her.

They called her mother a short-lived wretch and said that she was as rotten as her mother, claiming her mother deserved to die for giving birth to her, and worse.

Ava clenched her fists, rage boiling up inside her.

She thought, ‘Let them curse her now. The harsher their insults today, the harder they will cry in the future!’

*****

Night fell, and the city lights began to glow.

Ava checked the time, locked her door, and slipped into a black leather biker outfit before heading out to the balcony.

She was on the second floor, no more than 10 feet from the ground.

Without hesitation, Ava climbed over the railing and leaped down.

She landed smoothly, rolling to her feet without a scratch.

Keeping low, she moved stealthily toward the wall, easily scaling it and jumping down to the other side.

Not far away, a flashy red motorcycle was parked.

She mounted the bike, revved the engine, and sped off into the night. Liam’s mansion was located 20 miles away in the western suburbs, covering over two thousand square yards. The vast villa stood tall in the center of the estate, resembling a grand palace—imposing and majestic.

This was Liam’s residence.

Few people knew its location; Ava had obtained the address by hacking into the Sullivan Group’s system.

The estate walls were high, and a circle of barbed wire lined the top.

Ava picked up a small stone and threw it at the wire.

A sharp crackle of electricity buzzed through the air.

So, the wires were electrified. Good thing she hadn’t tried to climb over, or she would’ve had quite the shock.

While the walls had wire, the main gate didn’t.

Ava nimbly climbed over the gate and entered the courtyard.

But no sooner had she landed than she was spotted by a patrolling guard.

“Oh dear, off to a rough start!” she muttered.

The guard asked, “Who’s there?”

“The future Mrs. Sullivan!” Ava replied confidently.

The guard rushed over, seeing a brash woman with long, flowing hair dressed in all black. Assuming she was there to assassinate Liam, he shouted for backup. Then, several guards quickly charged at her.

But Ava was a skilled fighter. Two years ago, she had taken down three world champions in an underground fighting ring, so dealing with these small fries was nothing.

In a matter of moments, she had knocked all of them down.

The guards lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

They stared at Ava, their eyes filled with resentment and anger.

“You still have a lot to learn, but I wouldn’t mind teaching you a few moves once I become Mrs. Sullivan,” Ava said before clapping the dust off her hands, crossing her arms, and looking down at them with disdain.

Her stance was that of a cold, commanding queen, as if she ruled over the world.

Study Room.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Liam observed everything that had happened in the courtyard.

His strikingly handsome face was shadowed with a sinister expression, and a trace of malice flickered in his deep, dark eyes.

He thought, ‘My guards can’t even handle a single woman! What a bunch of fools.’

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door.

Liam sat down in his swivel chair, his face dark and cold, his deep black eyes emanating a chilling aura.

The next moment, the study door was pushed open from the outside.

Ava walked in while dragging a man with her.

The man was Liam’s assistant.

Seeing Liam’s grim expression, Marvin Adams was filled with dread and respectfully said, “Mr. Sullivan, they couldn’t stop her, and I…”

“A bunch of useless fools! Replace all of them and bring in a new team,” Liam said, his narrow eyes flashing with obvious irritation.

“Yes, Mr. Sullivan,” Marvin answered timidly.

Ava shoved Marvin aside, waved her hand, and said, “You’re done here. You can go.”

Marvin shot Ava a resentful and angry glance, then looked at Liam again.

Without Liam’s word, he didn’t dare leave.

Liam waved his hand, signaling that Marvin could go.

With a nod, Marvin turned and left.

“You’re incredibly bold. You even dared to break into my house. Are you tired of living?” Liam’s icy gaze swept over Ava, his voice as cold as icicles hanging from tree branches, devoid of any warmth.

“Darling, didn’t I tell you this morning that we’d meet again? Did you forget so soon?” Ava's bright eyes locked onto him, her tone filled with smugness.

“Don’t call me that. It’s disgusting,” Liam’s voice was low, and his gaze was frigid.

He had never met a woman as audacious as Ava.

Liam thought, ‘Breaking into my house is one thing, but calling me "darling"? Her audacity knows no bounds.’

Ava pouted and said, “Since you already slept with me, isn’t it fair for me to call you that?”

Liam thought, ‘It was her who took the initiative last night… This shameless, vile woman. Speaking of which, I have never revealed the location of Sullivan Mansion to anyone. Yet this woman not only found it but also took down my bodyguards. I have to admit, this woman is something else.’

Liam narrowed his eyes, contemplating for a moment before asking, “Tell me, why did you break into my home in the middle of the night?”

Ava stepped closer, a sly smile playing on her alluring but not overly seductive face. “I want you to marry me.”

Liam thought, ‘She came all the way here to force me to marry her? This woman must have nerves of steel!’