In the following month, Dallas did not see Averi again.
No calls, no messages—she had vanished completely.
She was done playing, faster than he had expected.
Life finally returned to normal, as if nothing had changed, except that he proactively contacted the company to request a transfer out of the Mcdowell household.
Supervisor Sidney Carr was also a military veteran. If he had the choice, he would have preferred to stay in the military for life, defending his country. Though the pay wasn't much, it was worth it to live with an unwavering sense of pride. However, his child was ill, with a chronic condition that was a financial black hole, and the security company paid better.
For this reason, he especially understood Dallas's situation. When he heard about the request for a transfer, he was puzzled. "Dallas, think it over. The job with the McDowell family pays well, is low-stress, and is close to home. Other positions either pay less or come with more risks—it won't get better than this."
Dallas responded without hesitation, "I know, Sidney. I'm prepared."
"Dallas, what's really going on? If it's about the salary, I believe there's room for negotiation. Mr. Mcdowell has always appreciated your work ethic."
Dallas didn't mention Beatrice's harassment. He only said that they didn't get along well.
Sidney was perceptive and didn't press further. At first, he was concerned that having someone like Dallas work as a bodyguard for a young woman could cause problems. But seeing that Dallas wasn't that kind of person and that Manuel's standards were so high, he had gone ahead with the recommendation.
He hadn't expected problems to arise after all.
Sidney felt sorry for him, paused in thought, and said, "Alright, I'll find someone to rotate shifts with you for a transition period. After all, you can't just leave immediately—we'll need to check with Mr. Mcdowell as well. Take the opportunity to rest and adjust your mindset."
Dallas agreed.
At the beginning of the month, after receiving his salary, he once again withdrew all of it, placed it into a kraft paper bag, and brought it to the reception desk of Averi Company.
This time, the receptionist, already familiar with the situation, directed him to the waiting area and called Jordan.
When Jordan heard about it, he felt a headache coming on and called Averi for instructions.
On the other end of the line, a woman's voice responded coolly, "Jordan,is this really the kind of thing you need to call me about?""
If Jordan couldn't tell that she was angry, then all these years would have been for nothing. She just couldn't understand why her boss was so furious.
Jordan cautiously asked, "Averi, should I accept it?" Last time, Averi had told her to accept it, but even then, she could feel that Averi wasn't pleased. That's why she went out of her way to ask again today.
The phone remained silent for half a minute, and for that half-minute, Jordan was equally anxious. Finally, she heard Averi's voice: "Tell him I'm giving him two options: One, take the money back and never come again. Two, bring the money to me himself."
Click, the call ended.
Jordan thought for a moment and decided to relay the message word for word to Dallas. The boss didn't mention an address, so neither did she. Jordan didn't know what was going on between them and assumed Averi was purposely making things difficult. Jordan thought for a moment and decided to relay the message word for word to Dallas. The boss didn't mention an address, so neither did she. Jordan didn't know what was going on between them and assumed Averi was purposely making things difficult.
Jordan kindly advised, "Dallas, you need the money more urgently than the boss does, so why not just hold onto it for now? When things get better financially, you can pay it back in full. There's no need to rush."
The man listened silently, his face devoid of any expression.
She threw another choice at him, putting the decision in his hands.
And he chose to knock on her door.
After a moment, there was the sound of a lock turning from inside. The woman, dressed in loose loungewear, opened the door and looked at him calmly. "What are you doing here?" She stood blocking the entrance, not showing any intention of inviting him in.
Her cheeks had an unnatural flush, and her voice was hoarse, just like that indulgent morning after.
Dallas didn't want to think, so he said, "I came to return the money."
Averi let out a laugh, looking at him as if he were a joke. "Dallas, do you think I'm short on money? What you're doing only moves yourself—it's meaningless."
Her voice was soft but piercing. She had humiliated him before, but never in such a straightforward way. She would usually watch his struggles from afar, with quiet, malicious delight.
Dallas's eyelid twitched sharply, tugging at his heart.
He knew it, he knew it all; he just didn't know why he was still standing there.
The two stared at each other in silence, as if locked in a competition. Averi's smile gradually faded, and his deep eyes, backlit by the light, seemed even more unfathomable.
"Dallas, what are you really here for?"
He looked into her eyes, only silence.
After an unknown length of time, Averi stepped aside, leaving the doorway open. "Are you sure you want to come in?"
She didn't wait for him to ponder for long, throwing the question and then heading back inside to pour water. A few seconds later, the sound of the door closing came, and the man who had been outside now stood inside her apartment.
She had given him a choice, hadn't she?
Averi pointed to the sofa, her tone full of meaning. "Sit down, it's not your first time here."
Once he sat down, she finally spoke slowly, "Dallas, don't tell me you don't know what it means to come in."
Her gaze was deep, her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes, hinting at anger. "Want to play a game?"
Dallas's jawline tightened as he stared at her, watching her stand up and retrieve that familiar pair of handcuffs from the room. Pink, furry, something he could break free from with a bit of force.
Today, she brought out two pairs.
She stepped closer, walking between his legs. And he spread them, letting her in.
Averi looked down at him and softly asked, "Do you want to play?"
He didn't answer, so she waited. She had endless patience, her thigh barely brushing against his groin, determined to get an answer.
Dallas's throat tightened, and after a long silence, he finally spoke, but it wasn't to answer her question. Instead, he asked, "Why are you angry?"
It was spoken as a statement.
Averi's smile slowly faded as her gaze lingered for a long time in the man's light-colored eyes. Then, a faint smile returned to her lips as she said, "I don't like it when others touch what's mine."
Truth and lies intertwined, shrouded in vagueness—he could never tell whether she was sincere or simply toying with him.
Dallas's breath caught as he stared at her intently and blurted out, "What about you?"
Whose possession was she, really?
Averi froze for a moment, a faint trace of confusion flickering across her brow. "What?"
Dallas fell silent again, even more so than before, though his eyes remained fixed on her.
She couldn't be bothered to probe further. Holding the feather on the handcuffs between two fingers, she lightly brushed it against the corner of his eye and asked, in a voice softer than the feather, "So, shall we play?"
Still, there was no answer- just those eyesstaring directly at her.
Averi was annoyed, but the irritation made her more patient, so her smile remained light: "Fine, not answering is okay. If you blink, that means you agree."
The man stared at her for a while, finally lowered his eyes, paused for a moment, and then looked back up at her.
Averi's smile deepened as she leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his cheek, "Good boy."
