The Traps of Black Swan

One could practically count the footsteps of Leon as he slowly made his way up to Aarvi, who had no idea Leon had already reached and was making his way up to her.

The Shadow team was prepared for any emergency. They cued the mall manager to vacate the area as Leon grabs public attention, and his ruining image would taint Aarvi who will be going public soon about her identity.

Alex, the team captain, dropped a message to Shawn while watching Leon, who wasn\'t angry but kind of happy to look at Aarvi. [It\'s time.]

Leon watched Ava Kelly sitting against the sunlight at a simplistic open cafe. The cafe was in the shades of wooden brown where she sat, becoming the center of attention. He could weigh her high against any of the artistic things.

He couldn\'t believe she looked so flawless after all these years and the hardship she had to be through. She wasn\'t the same, she might look innocent due to her little face, but there was a maturity in how she carried herself in every move. She wasn\'t a little girl anymore but a lady of elegance and classiness.

Her long black jacket was resting on the chair carelessly while she was calmly sitting on the chair looking at the laptop screen. Her slender fingers typed for a while, if not grazed over the touchpad of the keyboard. 

She was wearing a black dress that covered her shoulders yet left it uncovered in the delicate black mesh. The delicate mesh enfolded around her slender neck in a turtle neckline. Its comfortable fit made the dress look smart and stylish.

Her arms were covered in the mesh until her elbow, which left her silky skin visible. Her well-manicured nails didn\'t hinder her work, while her exquisite bracelet could make one envious while brushing on her forearm.

The dress\'s waist was thin, and a tight fit gently wrapped around her flat stomach. Below the waist, the dress snug around her, hugging her curves. Finally, the dress reached the middle of her thighs, making Leon drool over her long slender legs. 

She was wearing black pumps with straps around her ankle, which further adds elegance and class. To top it all off, she was wearing a stylish set of long earrings that were peeking between her chocolate brown softly curled blow-dried hair.

Beyond all that, her grace and her sweet voice never missed having his attention, even now. 

Aarvi\'s long lashes softly blinked as her hand reached for the coffee cup next to her laptop. She didn\'t need to look at it to realize the cup was empty. She softly placed it back down on the table as she lifted her hand.

"Coffee, please." Her melodious voice rang while her eyes stayed on the laptop. Her hand again reached the keyboard, hearing the shop manager answer instead of the waiter.

Unfortunately, the shop manager\'s voice didn\'t reach Leon\'s ears. He was just focused on Aarvi ignoring the people passing by him. He wasn\'t scared of losing his life as Ava kelly won\'t kill him. He was sure about it. So he confidently yet unhurriedly took his steps towards her, watching her every reaction, savoring his view.

Aarvi had completed a lot of work when she felt somebody closing her from the other side. Her gaze shifted from her laptop to the man. Her expression didn\'t change even when she saw Leon just two steps away with his eyes fixated on her.

The manager who noticed Leon Harmon quickly prepared another coffee as per the instruction he had received prior.

Leon\'s lips smugly arced, his chin lifted high, proud of himself, and he looked down at her in excessive pride, thinking that he finally ended their game when she was sitting there alone.

He hadn\'t put any effort to look extra good, yet it was a harsh truth that he was striking and attractive. He was in a dark grey suit matched with a navy blue tie. He had skipped his vest that just intensified his muscular build more prominently.

Anyway, it didn\'t take long for his smugness to turn to arrogance when he made himself comfortable in front of her at the same table. 

His proud, satisfied smile pushed up to a sneer. His lifted eyebrow became more pronounced. He believed Ava Kelly was hiding her fear; hence she was blankly looking at him.

Aarvi watched him for a few seconds before she diverted her attention back to her laptop screen and started working as though he wasn\'t visible to her.

Leon: "..."

The Shadow team members almost burst into laughter, watching her from far or sitting in the security room. They couldn\'t believe Aarvi pressed Leon\'s nerves without sparing a word.

They were right, Leon was incensed, but he had convinced himself to act calmly and smartly while facing Aarvi. So much brain work to meet her.

However, he had yet to over-smart her. His haughty eyes disdainfully looked at her, in his assumption she must be shaking to face him.

"Ava Kelly." He uttered the name loud enough to reach her ears. He was surprised he didn\'t despise or hate to breathe her name. "Aarvi Evans." He accepted her new name, which perfectly suited her personality, peaceful and serene.

He saw her pause but continued to work, feigning ignorance. He scoffed, unable to accept she was blatantly ignoring him, hiding her fear, "Why? Are you afraid to see my face?"

Aarvi leisurely took her time, completing her other work before lifting her face. She smiled without warmth that didn\'t reach her eyes, "Hadn\'t I told you?" She questioned, causing him to raise his eyebrow higher.

Aarvi reminded him of her words in a matter-of-fact tone, "That I will throw up if I see your face."

Leon\'s eyes narrowed at her as his lips curled down. The little bubble of anger started to make its way to his nerves. If she could calm one\'s frenzy mind, her words had enough strength to do the opposite. How could he forget? She wasn\'t the same, and he had already had a taste of her ways.

Aarvi leaned back on her chair, crossing her slender legs, moving them away from Leon. 

Does he still think she is afraid of him? Aarvi felt it was ludicrous. 

Three years back, she was scared of him to her wits, but he had vanished that fear from her. If he had let her off that day, she would probably be living in that fear. It\'s a good thing that he killed the fear of him in her before she killed herself, her personality. So, he just shot to the body to appease his pride and ego.

Leon calmed down following the techniques his psychiatrist had taught him. His breathing and focusing on his aim. He breathed slowly while looking at his target, Ava Kelly.

He watched her beautiful face before his eyes shifted on her left chest. He wasn\'t lusting but looking if there was any mark behind that delicate mesh fabric. A bullet mark, to be precise.

However, it didn\'t take a second for him to lust over her looking at the barely visible cleavage and the proportionate mounds tucked in her black dress.

A dog\'s tail stays crooked even if it\'s buried for three years. It was no different for Leon.