This is L.o.v.e. like it should be

XXXVII. Trapped

"Ava, Ava!", Phoebe half whispered, sneaking into Ava's new office.

"I still can’t actually believe this," Ava said, picking up some of her things that were on her previous desk, now on boxes spread out on the floor. "Mary just came to me and brought me here."

"And did she tell you anything about the promotion?", Phoebe asked, sitting in one of the chairs in front of Ava's new desk.

"Not much. She said congratulations and smiled. But the smile was so... intriguing. I don't know Mary very well, I just crossed paths with her once or twice, but I had the distinct feeling she wasn't entirely happy with this promotion."

"How so? Do you think she was jealous or something?"

"No, Phoebe. She gave me this weird feeling."

"How weird?"

"Like she had something she wanted to say but couldn’t."

"Uh!", Phoebe held her tongue, but what Ava said about Mary weighed in her mind.

"It felt like she wanted to warn me or something...", Ava said, now a little embarrassed by her theories. "Oh, forget it, I think I really am delusional!", she blurted out.

Then, a happy giggle followed her words.

"I don’t know how to feel about all of this. It was all so sudden, and just after that party. Was it really Julien?" Ava kept complaining and giggling at times while she unpacked.

Phoebe leaned over the desk, with a quizzical look on her face.

"About that, I think you will be surprised with what I have to tell you, to be honest, so was I."

"What? Please just tell me Phoebe."

"The one who recommended you for a promotion wasn’t Julien."

Ava, who had been moving her stuff from her old desk for the better part of the day without a break, stopped in her tracks. "This wasn't Julien's doing?"

"Yeah, I know, gurl. Confusing..."

"Then, who?"

"A random member from the board. One of those with like one percent of the company or something. Basically, no one who matters or knows you and your work."

"What? Then how did the promotion get approved?"

"I don't know, but I do know Julien gave his endorsement.”

"So, he cares for me after all? Do you think this is his way of saying he wants me back?", Ava didn't know how to feel about this. Julien was helping her with her career and sleeping with another woman? It didn't make any sense.

"All I know is that something smells fishy," Phoebe said in a worried tone.

"I don't even know if I deserve this promotion... this is just messed up!"

"Ava, you have been working like crazy. So, believe me, you do deserve this promotion, no matter what anyone else thinks. The whole process of you getting the promotion, now that was kind of weird apparently."

"What do you know?"

"I know the major shareholder was against this promotion, but, to avoid confrontation with Julien who just got here, they agreed to defer the decision to your executive boss. Supposedly, some tense moments passed until he final said yes. So, something is definitely not right."

Ava sat on her new and super comfortable chair, which almost made her forget about this unpleasant conversation, and asked: "What does this all mean?"

"I don’t know, but you better watch out, Ava."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I, but I can guarantee I’ve got your back."