Tristan already introduced Ava to his grandparents. Now, he wanted Ava to meet his friends.

He told Ava to get ready at 6 in the evening so that he could pick up at her house.

​​

Ava knew that one day she would need to meet with Tristan's people. She was nervous, after all this was his inner circle.

Ava was dressed simply in elegant attire. She wore a blue top with a sweetheart neckline matched with a brown skirt.

She accessorized it with a pair of Swarovski earrings and black heels.

She looked very pretty. Anyone can tell that she put in a lot of effort into today's gathering.

Mrs. Wesley asked Ava what she was up to, why she had to pretty herself up.

Ava lied and said she was going to a friend's party.

Tristan's car was already parked near Ava's house when she came out.

Blake, Dimitri, and Aiden were already waiting at their usual place. They were at the Aristocratic family hotel.

"Why did Tristan invite us? This was out of the blue," Blake asked. You would usually have to force Tristan to stop working.

He never had time to hang out, but today Tristan invited them all out for dinner.

"It's probably about him getting married again. Poor guy decided to run away from his Grandmother's nagging," Aiden said.

"Maybe he finally accepted his fate and agreed to his Grandmother's choice," Dimitri said.

"No way!" Blake argued.

"He's too stubborn to listen to other people," Aiden agreed with Blake.

"He is the oldest in our group, but he'll be the last to get married," Blake said. They knew Tristan avoided marriage because of his parents' failed marriage.

"How about a bet," Dimitri suggested. The gang usually wagers on anything and everything.

The prizes were always unique and expensive. Blake and Aiden looked at Dimitri in silence as if asking him to continue.

"I say, Tristan already has a woman in his life. Both of you say he doesn't," Dimitri said.

He knew about Tristan's girlfriend, that's why he was so confident that he would win. The other two had no idea that they were being fooled.

"Done," both Blake and Aiden agreed.

"What's the prize," Aiden asked.

"Let's go for something big," Blake said. Tristan getting a woman was like the 8th wonder of the world.

"If you win, I will give you one of my islands, but if I win I want your Bugatti La Voiture," Dimitri smirked.

All the aristocratic heirs loved their cars, but Aiden was crazy about them. He had a basement full of luxury cars from all over the world. If there was a new model in the market, Aiden had it.

"No way, I'm not giving up my baby," Aiden said. Bugatti La Voiture was the newest and most expensive car in the market, as well as his collection.

He never let anyone else touch it.

"Come, let's agree. The chance of him winning is Zero," Blake suggested. Aiden thought of Tristan's cold behavior toward women and agreed that Blake was correct.

"Fine," Aiden agreed halfheartedly.

Tristan and Ava got to the hotel. They were waiting for the elevator when Tristan reached for her hand.

"Ava, my friends may seem intimidating, but they are very cool guys, so relax. It's going to be okay," Tristan said.

Tristan opened the door and walked in.

As soon as Tristan entered, Aiden yelled, "Tristan, you invited us here. Why are you so late?"

The other two nodded to acknowledge him. Walking behind him, they saw a girl, and everyone was shocked to the core.

"Did I just die and go to heaven?" Aiden said while rubbing his eyes.

"Is she your sister?" Blake stood up. Only Dimitri smiled and lazily enjoyed his drink.

Ava felt nervous under their piercing gaze. All four men were alpha males, so there was a strong aura in the room.

All four aristocratic heirs were handsome. They radiated a very powerful presence that was hard to ignore. It was very hard to concentrate.

The whole country talked about them all the time. Ava should consider herself lucky to join their private gathering.

Tristan silently made his way to the sofa and sat down. Ava followed him and sat next to him.

"Tristan Ambrosio, we need answers now," Blake and Aiden screamed simultaneously.

They were in shock and all their concentration was on Ava that they completely ignored Dimitri's calm behavior.

"Both of you sit down first," Tristan said casually. Both Blake and Aiden sat at the edge of the sofa, eager to hear Tristan's answer.

"Her name is Ava, and she is my woman," Tristan said.

"Tristan, no... today is not April fool's day," Aiden said laughingly.

"Did you pay her to pretend to be your girlfriend so you can escape from your Grandmother?" Blake interrogated.

Dimitri laughed.

"This is not your TV series," Tristan frowned.

"Ava, this is Blake, Aiden, and Dimitri," Tristan introduced everyone.

She gave everyone a small smile. Dimitri nodded at her, but Blake and Aiden were staring at her as if she was an alien.

"I think I've seen you before," Aiden said.

"Yes, we met at the wedding," Ava said excitedly.

"I remember now, I danced with you," Aiden remembered Ava.

"You danced with him?" Tristan asked pointedly.

Before Ava could reply, Aiden interrupted her. "Did he blackmail you? Tell me I will protect you from him," Aiden said half-seriously.

"What are you saying?" Tristan put his arm possessively on Ava's shoulder.

"No," Ava giggled.

"I think, they really are dating," Blake said, observing the couple.

"I guess they are," Aiden whispered.

"Wait, why does Dimitri not look surprised?" Blake suddenly realized. Both Blake and Aiden looked at Dimitri with questioning looks.

"I helped him once when his lady was in trouble," Dimitri said proudly.

"It means you cheated, you knew he had a girlfriend," Blake yelled.

"You made the stakes of the bet higher on purpose. We should have known when you gambled your islands, those are your favorite things," Aiden was in pain, he was losing his newest car.

Just like Aiden collecting cars, Dimitri had a weird obsession with collecting islands.

"Did you guys bet on me?" Tristan asked. He understood that they bet on whether he had a woman or not.

"I met you first, but I was a little slow. I missed such a pretty girl," Aiden jokes.

"Aiden," Tristan warned.

"Let's order something," Dimitri suggested.

When it was Ava's turn to order, she was overwhelmed.

She turned to Tristan and pulled his coat arm, not knowing what to order. Tristan took the menu from her hand and ordered for her.

"You ordered all my favorites," Ava said sweetly.

"Yes, my little one's favorites," as Tristan cheek her chin lovingly.

All three of them noticed the sweet gesture and looked at each other as if silently conversing among themselves.

When the dishes came, Tristan personally served Ava.

"Tristan, I want to use the restroom," Ava whispered in his ear.

"Out the door, towards the right," Tristan said.

Tristan stood and helped her up. "Careful, little one," Tristan said.

He told her the hotel was very big, and it was easy to get lost. As soon as Ava was out of earshot, they all started shooting their questions.

"Satisfy my curiosity, and tell me how this happened," Blake asked referring to his relationship.

"Okay enough! What the hell is happening," Aiden retorted.

"I met her at Nina's wedding. I got captivated, there was something about her.

I courted her for a while. Then I felt I was slowly falling in love. What can I say? She decided she wanted to be with me," Tristan said.

"Did she voluntarily agree to be with you, or did you use some underhanded methods?" Aiden asked.

These friends know how much darkness hides behind them. They will go to great lengths to get something they want.

"I did not force her, but I also didn't give her any other choice but to say yes to me. I want her and got her," Tristan grinned.

"Tristan, she looks so young. There is almost a decade in the age difference between you," Blake said.

"It's like you treat her like she's your daughter," Dimitri said. They've never seen Tristan like this before. He has never talked to anyone softly before.

"I don't care about the age difference. I won't let it become a problem in our relationship.

Of course, she is my woman and it's my duty to pamper her," Tristan said.

"Tristan, how serious are you about this girl," Blake asked.

"Serious enough to marry her, and think about her bearing my child," Tristan said.

Everyone was stunned.

This was the person that always ran away at the mention of the word marriage, and now he's talking about getting married. What is happening?

"Well, it's good to finally see you settled down," Aiden said.

They were surprised, but they were all happy for him. Who knew he'd want to get married.

They took a liking to Ava instantly. She was a genuine person, very innocent and pure.

These guys have been around for a while, and they could easily read people.

Ava seemed like a nice girl.

She did not look like she was out to get Tristan just because of his status.

Maybe that's what attracted Tristan to her in the first place.