Believe me (RHEKKER)

Chapter 1

Holding the papers Connor had discarded, which contained a brief sketch of a hybrid operating room, Ava stood to one side, already catching sight of the man she was looking for - Connor's father. After another glance at the slightly crumpled pages, she walked confidently to Cornelius, determined to make him understand the benefits of his son's project.

After adjusting the loose outer clothing that covered her bare shoulders, Ava stopped next to the man, speaking calmly and amiably: "Good evening, Mr. Rhodes".

"Dr. Bekker, what an unexpected meeting" Cornelius smiled too widely, not hiding his obvious surprise. Their last meeting had not been particularly pleasant, given that Ava had directly refused his advances, which were completely inappropriate. Back then, Bekker had hoped that she would never meet this man alone again. How wrong she was, standing in front of him right now, but mentally wanting to get away.

"I'd like to talk to You about a very promising idea" Ava said matter-of-factly, holding Cornelius gaze for a long moment. 

"Then let's go to my office" he nodded in agreement, indicating with his hand which way she should go. Ava led the way, clutching the project tighter, only losing a little of her confidence when the door closed behind her.

If Ava hadn't been hoping that sponsoring a hybrid operating room could get Connor to stay in Chicago with her, She would have run away by now. She just couldn't imagine her entire existence without Connor if he did leave.

"So, what did You want to talk to me about?" Cornelius sat down at the table and looked at Ava, startling her out of heavy thoughts.

"Hybrid operating room, everything is described here" handing him a brief draft, Ava froze in place, pursing her lips. She gave him some time to read it, then continued with a forced smile: "If you become the main sponsor of a hybrid operating, it will save many more lives, and also, of course, make a profit".

"This is a tempting case, Dr. Bekker, who's behind it?" Cornelius asked with interest, knocking Ava down with this question, forcing her to be confused.

"Connor... I mean, Dr. Rhodes, it's his idea" Bekker corrected hastily, but it was too late. This was her main mistake. 

"My son? He's leaving Chicago" he said, looking at Ava again.

"If this project is sponsored, it will remain" Ava replied in a trembling voice, automatically adjusting the cape on her shoulders. She wished she'd worn something more close. 

"I need to think about it, I need an impressive amount of money here" Cornelius looked up from his papers, casually putting them aside, leaning back in his chair.

"Of course, Mr. Rhodes, I'm sure you have connections in the matter of money, and it won't be difficult. The decision must be made today" Ava said quickly, betraying her nervousness. She saw that her last plan was evaporating, leaving only a void in its Wake. Something had to be done, immediately, before Cornelius left.

"Let's have dinner and discuss everything in detail?" meeting his eyes, Ava tilted her head slightly, smiling broadly. She was going to convince him to invest in a hybrid operating system, but she just needed a little more time.

Ignoring Cornelius's unpleasant, vulgar look, Ava pulled the cape back over her shoulders when it had slipped so badly, and the man didn't miss it either.

On the way to the restaurant, Ava received several messages from Connor. He was waiting for her at his farewell party, but she couldn't come. After sending a short reply that she was staying in surgery, Bekker cleverly hid her disappointment at being near his father, only turning off the sound on her phone, hiding it away in her bag.

It was really harmless. They sat at a distant table with sofas, located in a fenced-off booth so that no one could interfere with their business conversation, as Cornelius later explained. Ava finished her vegetable salad slowly, saying that she wasn't hungry, and then went on to describe the positive aspects of the hybrid operating room, not forgetting to mention the morning when a man died only because they didn't have time to take him to the free operating room.

"If we had a hybrid operating room, we would have been able to save that guy" Ava sighed, still hearing the heart-rending, desperate cry of his wife, who couldn't believe that he had died so suddenly.

"I don't remember what the expenses will be," Cornelius said and sat down next to Ava, flipping through the papers on his own, finding the right page.

"In the eighth point, the approximate list of expenses, but here you will need to recalculate more accurately" swallowing, Ava tried to move away, but there was not enough space.

"Yes, I see" Cornelius chuckled, putting his hand on her hip, continuing to pretend that he was engrossed in the essence of a project that had long been read and, moreover, understood.

"Mr. Rhodes?" Ava only said, immediately removing her hand from her hip, hastily starting to collect papers from the table.

"I think you're a grown-up girl, Dr. Bekker" Cornelius said in a gruesome voice, turning to face her 

Ava quickly rose from her seat, but her attempt to get out of the table and around Cornelius failed when he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back into her seat. She was suddenly sick of what was happening, exactly what she was afraid of.

"I have to go, Mr. Rhodes" Ava said, pursing her lips, almost evenly, hiding her trembling. 

"You wanted money" Cornelius grinned, not asking, but asserting, still holding her in place as she jerked forward again.

Everything that happened next was so fast, and so disgusting. Cornelius threw Ava on her back, leaning on top of her, pinning her with his body, not allowing her to move, wildly pulling off Her ill-fated cape, pressing his lips to her shoulder, chest. When Ava screamed, her mouth was clamped shut, and still no one was going to come to help, as if everything had been planned in advance. She was completely shackled, and that was what the vile man was taking advantage of when, without hesitation, he pulled up her dress, putting his hand down. And then Ava squeezed her eyes shut, biting hard on his hand, taking advantage of the moment to knee him in the stomach, stagger off the couch on shaky legs and run, barely managing to grab the bag. 

Her vision blurred as Ava continued to run away from the restaurant without looking back. After hailing a taxi, she gasped for breath, trying to get back to normal, several times convincing the driver that she was all right. A lie that made her feel even worse.

When Ava ran home, She sank down on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, holding her hands to her face. Panting hysterically, she felt Cornelius's hands on her body, and most importantly on her crotch, as he reached for her underwear. These horrible, real memories made her feel sick. When she got to the bathroom on her knees, Ava bent over the toilet, emptying her stomach to bile, lost in time as well as in consciousness. She woke up on the cold tile of the bathroom, right where she was, by the toilet, hugging her knees, which were drawn up to her chest. The tears were gone, leaving a feeling of emptiness and shame. Ava wanted to forget this day like a real nightmare. Forget forever.