Ruin The Wedding (The Murphy Brothers #1)

𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬

"Are you okay, Mr. Murphy?"

Lost in thoughts, Fabian didn't realize that she was talking to him until he was met with very intense and concerned brown eyes. There was a big frown on his assistant's forehead and the twenty-three years old kept looking at him as if he was an injured child.

After getting, no, earning the job of the new CEO of their family business, she was the first one he had hired after being impressed with her long resume despite her young age.

Alongside his other assistant Mateo, she probably knew him the best at work of everyone in here. That wasn't much because not only did he try to keep his personal life separate from work but also he made sure not to get too close to anyone in there.

Of course he wanted to be a good boss they felt comfortable talking with about anything but there was a reason why he didn't share any personal information here. The fact that Ava probably knew him the best at work only meant that they only happened to work together a lot and during that time, it was inevitable that one noticed things about the other.

For example, he could immediately tell how she was always the second to arrive to work after him or how she still felt like she needed to get approved or praised but it never came out as desperate, instead she was just very hard-working and clever with a lot of ideas. In time Ava would hopefully get more confidence to speak out loud.

Not only that but Fabian could also tell how close she was with her family because there were a lot of pictures on her desk of her parents, siblings, and even the family dog. Fabian had also noticed how blonde wasn't her natural color because it kept fading away because while she loved the color, she either didn't have enough time or energy to dye it enough.

Right now her hair was on a high ponytail and she was still staring at him as if trying to figure out something. Fabian frowned back, not knowing where this was suddenly coming from because as far as he knew, it had been a normal day, and nothing worth mentioning had happened. Why wouldn't he be okay?

"Yes. Are you?" Looking at her, he didn't see at least any physical injuries but maybe there was something else that was bothering her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I was... wondering, I guess. Forgive me if I'm crossing a line but I just wanted to ask if you wanted to talk? It's just... you've been a little distant, lately. And quiet. More than usual. And you're working much less than before which is good if you ask me because I don't know how you did that, working so much every day," Ava mumbled nervously, looking away.

While he appreciated her concern, Fabian knew that even if there was something, the last person he would bother them with was Ava Coleman. But the fact that she had noticed that there was a change in his behavior was a warning sign and he already made a mental note to stay more focused.

"I'm good, thanks for asking. There have just been some... family things that have needed my attention and I'm sorry for that but I'm sure that I left you both in good hands. But you're right, I've missed and re-scheduled too many meetings lately," Fabian frowned, hating how this meant that he had to be away from Charlie and the girls more often when they needed him.

Alright, maybe they didn't need him but someone, anyone to help them and just be there for all of them, especially when there still hadn't been any changes in Juliet's condition. She had grown a little but a day by day but that was pretty much it. How could he abandon her when the poor baby was still so fragile? When Charlie was just barely surviving and getting by?

"No! I didn't mean it that way. Like I said, I think it's a good thing that you've decided to get more time off and have something else in your life than just work. We won't go into bankrupt if you don't work fifteen hours every day, Mr. Murphy," Ava smirked before adding the name to be more professional. He almost rolled his eyes at that.