Ava Von Richter

**Ava Von Richter** (Brianne Davis) is the main villainess of the 2020 Lifetime film *Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate* (alternately titled *The Surrogate* and *The Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate*; airdate September 19, 2020).

## Introduction

Ava was introduced as a famous actress who appeared on *Dancing with the Stars*, with a writer named Olivia Bolton (the film's protagonist) seeing her on the TV of her then-boyfriend Ryan while she was being asked questions by the paparazzi. After making a social media post, Olivia was contacted by Ava's assistant Cassidy, who informed her that her employer was looking for a surrogate mother to carry the child she wanted to have with her husband Hayden Von Ritcher (the film's tertiary antagonist).

Accepting the offer and then traveling from New York City to their California mansion, she was won over by the couple, especially Ava—who mentioned having three eggs remaining. Olivia hurriedly signed a non-disclosure agreement, and that night, she was eating a meal made by Peter (the Von Richters' chef) when Hayden drunkenly entered the kitchen before sexually harassing her. Surprisingly, no one present was shocked by his behavior.

## Heel Turn

The next day, Ava displayed enthusiasm regarding Olivia's upcoming pregnancy and gifted her a "lucky necklace" that once belonged to her great-grandmother. She then coerced her into taking a pregnancy test, and when it came back negative, Ava began turning heel by lashing out at Olivia for her failure to speedily get pregnant. It was followed by the two women discussing sex while having alcoholic drinks together for lunch, with Olivia witnessing not only Ava snorting cocaine to relieve her frustration about her last three films being unsuccessful, but also Hayden injecting heroin into his toes after said lunch. Additionally, after the Von Richters had her take fertility drugs they purchased from a local pharmacy, Olivia nervously notified the couple (who got drunk together) that she was pregnant with their child.

Voicing happiness regarding the news, Hayden then tried to pressure her into having sex with both him and his wife. In response, Olivia refused, mentioning how he could harm the unborn baby in the process. Even though she was once sympathetic to her concerns, Cassidy also began turning heel, chastising Olivia when she brought up her latest worries—reminding her of the agreement and telling her to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Ava got into several arguments with Hayden that escalated into him physically abusing her, and moreover, she constantly monitored Olivia while instructing Peter to keep her on a strict diet.

Tired of their behavior, Olivia successfully escaped by stealing a car and driving to the nearest police station. Before she could report her numerous discoveries about the couple, she saw them alongside Cassidy on TV speaking to reporters about her—with Ava deceptively claiming Olivia was an unstable woman who not only ran off with their baby, but also stole her great-grandmother's necklace. Subsequently, Officer Woll called Ava, and she told him to bring Olivia back to the Von Richter mansion, which he did.

Ava lambasted Olivia—labeling her as deceitful, ungrateful, and untrustworthy. Cassidy cemented her villainous reveal by asserting her agreement with her statements, and afterwards, Ava herself completed turning heel when she punished Olivia by locking her in the isolated guest house. Later on, during a walk with Cassidy which had her being scolded and ordered to do Ava's bidding, Olivia faked having to urinate as a pretext for her second attempt to escape with Peter's help. Unfortunately, Cassidy caught the pair and chained Olivia to the guest house's bed.

## Reveal/Arrest

In the film's climax, Ava tearfully told Olivia that Hayden left her, after which she announced a specification in the agreement which clarified that if the couple got separated, her pregnancy would be terminated. Ignoring her surrogate mother's pleas, the villainess left her behind in the guest bedroom, with Cassidy hearing Olivia screaming in pain as she went into labor and learning of her employer's intentions. The two women escaped in Cassidy's car, and Ava chased them in her own car before running them off the side of the road they were driving on.

Arming herself with a gun and pointing it at them, Ava demanded that they to return to her before stating that Olivia didn't "get to have it all." The latter realized that the former was a sterile woman and that she was pregnant with her own child. As it turned out, Ava hid her infertility and masterminded a scheme meant to maintain her superficially luxurious lifestyle, preserve her reputation, and save her marriage. It involved tricking a surrogate mother (Olivia) into taking hormones—with Ava having doctors fertilize one of the harvested eggs with Hayden's sperm before planting the resulting embryo into the woman's uterus. Nevertheless, when she became separated from Hayden, she was willing to murder both Olivia and her unborn baby in order to cover her tracks.

In addition, Ava pointed out to Olivia that her assistant knew the truth all along, with Cassidy redeeming herself by sincerely proclaiming her remorse. Even then, the deranged celebrity denounced them, as she helped pay for medication to save Cassidy's ill mother in the past—with implications saying that she would have stopped her monetary assistance if Cassidy was disobedient. Olivia proceeded to kick one of Ava's ankles, take her gun, and render her unconscious by striking her with the weapon. The film's final scenes saw Olivia giving birth to a newborn girl at a local hospital, with Ava being arrested offscreen. Peter also informed Olivia that he and Cassidy were going to give statements to the police regarding the Von Richters' villainy.