The Choices We Make (Revenge)

Outlook

Nolan's Mansion, Hamptons

Ava stepped into Nolan's house and her escaped an impressive, "Wow, that's sheer madness! This is all yours?"

Nolan nodded, smiling. "You may not know that, but I'm one of the richest men in the country."

"Yeah, it seems so." She put her bag down. "You know, I was pretty wealthy myself, too."

"Really?" Nolan raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Ava nodded. "The short version for you." She took a deep breath. "Well, the reason I came to Rebun Island was that I wanted to get back what I'd been stolen from. I was the heiress of the famous Starling vineyards in Napa," she said. "But then I fell in love with the wrong man, and he took away all I had ever possessed. I went to Japan to learn the art of revenge. And there I met Emily. She didn't tell me much about her past, just that she wanted to take revenge on those people who had killed her father." She stroked a long strand of hair behind her ear. "These people were the Graysons, right?"

Nolan nodded. "Yes, they and a few others." He pointed to the seat group. "Let's sit down. This might take longer."

"Charlotte doesn't know what her parents did, does she?" Ava started the conversation and sat down.

"No, she doesn't," Nolan confirmed.

"I thought so. She looked at me warily the whole time. I could literally feel what she wanted to ask me. But I don't know anything about it."

"I do." Nolan rolled his eyes. "But I won't tell her until Emily gives me permission."

"What happened to Emily? Or is the question too upfront?" Ava looked at him expectantly.

"No, not really. You want to know everything?" He continued as she nodded. "Well, let's start from the beginning ..."

About an hour later, Ava was pretty much informed about Emily and her past as Amanda Clarke. "What a story!" She said impressed. "And I thought mine was interesting or that of the others who had trained on Rebun Island."

"I told you, because I think I can trust you. No one else can know about it." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, there are a few people who already know about it, as Jack Porter, who owns a bar in Montauk."

"Does he need someone to help him at the bar?" She smirked as she saw Nolan's perplexed expression. "I need a job," she clarified.

"No idea." He shrugged. "You can ask him." He cleared his throat. "But to return to our old subject ... I have repeatedly begged Emily to reveal her true identity, but she has refused it so far."

"I can understand her." Ava nodded slightly. "She now belongs to the family, who she wanted to destroy. She wants to start a new life with her new identity."

"Yes." Nolan nodded thoughtfully. "But sooner or later the truth always comes out. And then it can be too late."

"You saw what happened on the island," Ava said, frowning. "She would have given her life for her husband. She won't risk giving up everything, just so she doesn't have to lie anymore." She leaned back, sighing. "Now I understand everything much better. If I had known how complicated everything was, I wouldn't have told Charlotte that Emily's father was murdered. It's her father, too."

"Only that she doesn't know that Emily, or Amanda is her sister. She thought that the real Emily Thorne was her sister. And Emily didn't do anything to put the record straight."

"Phew, really complicated." Ava rose. "Can you tell me where this bar is?" She asked curiously.

"I can show you." Nolan also rose. "I haven't seen Jack for a while. Perhaps a good opportunity to pay him a visit."

"Talking about lying ..." She cleared her throat. "Please, don't tell anyone about my past, okay? Just like Emily, I want to forget about the past and start afresh."

"No problem." Nolan rolled his eyes. "I'm practically trained in telling the untruth." He looked at his watch. "And after our visit at the bar, I'll go to the hospital. Maybe there are some news about Daniel."

"You saved her life," Ava said thoughtfully. "If you hadn't pulled her away, she would have been the one who had received the bullet."

"And Aiden had killed his one true love " he added thoughtfully, then pointed to the door. "Let's go now. We can talk about it later." He took her arm and together they left the mansion.