Gavin's POVShe took a step back from me as if scared of my closeness to her. “And I don't want to, Gavin. I don't want to kiss you. Rather, I want you to leave," she said. She snatched the door open and jerked her eyes from me to outside. “Please leave,” she said, steel in her voice, yet for a brief moment, it faltered. But that wasn't what gave her away. It was her fingers trembling slightly on the doorknob. She tried to hide it well, yet her body kept betraying her. Her toffee-brown pair shifted uneasily, lingering on me, yet encouraging me for the door. She wasn't immune to me, as she pretended to be. She was merely putting up a wall of resistance. A wall I was soon to break. I never run from a challenge. “And what if I refuse to leave, Eva?” I said, trailing my thumb over my lips, my eyes trained on her. I grinned, relishing her distress. “Then I'll have the security throw you out,” she snapped. “I’d love to see them try.” I winked at her and dropped back into the ro
Luke's POVI had no right to be angry. I was the one who betrayed her, the one who gave in to my parents threat, and was marrying Lucy instead of keeping my promise to marry her. I was the one who hurt her and led her into the arms of Gavin Sinclair. It felt like hell to know this was happening all because of me. I had come with the red roses bouquet, hoping to make things right as best as I could. Yet, I had to meet this—them. Locked in each other's arms, Gavin’s lips firm on hers. My fingers dug into the fluffy and tender bouquet as I waited for her to push Gavin away. But she didn't. She let him claim her lips in a hot, passionate kiss. With each passing moment, as I watched them kiss, a lump settled at the back of my throat. My throat burned with so much pain, I found it hard to swallow. She eventually pushed him away. Her eyes swirling lethargically, as realization flushed them. Her eyes strayed to me, but she threw them away immediately, as if fearing it would hurt me
Eva's POVI thought he was serious, that he was about to choose me over Lucy. That meant there would be no billionaire wedding for me to plan, no billionaire wedding with which to uplift my portfolio. Yet, I seemed to wish that was what he was about to do, choosing me.“I’ll marry her too. I’ll marry the both of you,” he said, looking straight into my eyes, tenderly and dearly, yet hurting me with his words.His eyes begged me to agree with him, but there was no way I would agree to something like that. He wasn't choosing me. He just wanted me to be his mistress. His second choice. As if he hadn't hurt me enough. It felt like my heart was shrinking into my soul. His words shattering whatever hope I had built up in my mind. Hope of us being together again. I turned away from him. I wouldn't let him glimpse the drop of tears that was about to slip from my eyes. He didn't deserve my tears. “Get out, Luke,” I yelled over my shoulder. I managed to keep much of the sorrow in my heart f
I consulted my wristwatch as I dropped down from my car before the Radcliffe estate.The affluent neighborhood was what I wished my apartment block was, serene and tranquil. But in life, you don't always get what you want. And that I’d learned as far back as when I was still learning to grow teeth. "Three minutes late!” I screamed in horror at myself, my eyes flicking off the wristwatch’s screen. I’d just handed Lucy the weapon with which to bury me. Talk of the devil. I sighed, my chest thumping silently, betraying my calmness, as the estate gate opened and Lucy drove out in a sleek, elegant yellow ride that had Ferrari somewhere on its bonnet. I wasn't so good with cars. Toyotas, Golfs, and pickup trucks were the closest I knew of cars, because those were all I had ever driven.Lucy steered the car for me, and I jumped quickly from the asphalt onto the sidewalk. I still have good use for my legs, even if Lucy didn't mind crushing them down for me with her Ferrari. She parked bes
Madam Isabella Ferara’s assistant, a young lady in her late twenties, dressed in a smart and expensive shirt and pleated pants that made me almost conscious of my over-washed ones, led us through a tiled patio and into the living room area of the penthouse suite. She ushered us to a plush sofa, our shoes clinked on the marble floors, echoing in the room, echoing in my ears. The further I walked in, the more the impossibility of the task screamed at me. The lady had on a cologne, a sweet jasmine smell that lifted not just her spirit but that of anyone around her. It did lift mine. In that moment, I nearly felt a bit confident I could make this miracle happen. “Madam Isabella Ferara would join you soon.” The lady assistant showed the whole of her teeth in a friendly smile. “Thanks,” I whispered with my own smile. Lucy just waved her away. She left, leaving us to admire the luxury—well, me. Lucy seemed not to bother. She had her eyes stuck on her iPhone as if trying to solve the wor
Eva“How do you expect me—” Before I could get my response together, Lucy was marching away from the penthouse. I could do nothing but watch her go. My eyes trained on her retreating figure, swaying away with her bag. She had let her insecurities win over her reasoning and ruin everything herself. Now, she wants me to fix the mess she created. I should grab my purse and leave, just like she did, just like a part of my heart was warning me to, but damn it. I had a career to consider. I have endured enough for this job to let it go as cheap as this. I turned back to the room, letting my eyes trail to the window and lingering on the skyline view while I thought about what to do. Madam Isabella wouldn't fall for my emotional trick a second time. I had to improvise. I raised my head at the steady tap of heels and the strong whiff of the familiar cologne. The lady assistant dropped into view beside me. “You have to leave now, ma’am,” she said courteously, still gifting me one of her e
GavinThe phone beeped in the middle of the presentation, cutting through the presenter’s monotonous voice.Every eye in the room snapped straight to me, picking me out as the suspect.There was only one person who could dare bring a phone to a presentation, and that was me. Anyone else, and they'll be kissing their jobs goodbye. It was my company. I set the rules and can break them.I took out the phone from my pocket, and it was Eva flashing on the screen. My lips curled slowly into a tentative smile. I reclined on my seat, staring at the screen. I wondered why she had chosen to call. Perhaps she's fallen for me already? The thought made my smile morph fast into a grin, a sly grin.I still couldn't pin down why she interests me so much. She was pretty—yeah, with her red hair and toffee brown orbs, and so were the hundreds of girls I have dated. Yet, I had never felt the urge to chase.Maybe—I tweaked my head slightly… I hadn't tried chasing any lady before now because they were alw
Eva's POVI had no idea why Madam Isabella’s name threw him off. His expression turned blank at the mention of the name. The flirtatious glint that always held his eyes was abandoned for a hardness that now had my heart nearly racing in the entrapment of my chest. The more I stared into them, the harder they burned. “I am sorry, Eva, I can't help you,” he said crisply and spun for his car.“Why?” I yelled after him, the word almost hanging in my throat. He didn't answer. Instead, his pace quickened, as if something was out to get him in the underground car park of the Luminee Palace. “Wait, Gavin. What is happening?"Still, I got nothing. His broad, powerful back retreating from my sight. He threw himself into his Porsche. With no other choice, I threw myself onto the front of the car, blocking his path with my body. I knew he could just simply reverse and drive off, but like this, I thought he would understand my desperation.I wasn't one to seek help from anyone. I was a one-m
Eva’s POVTheir eyes burned through me as I remained somehow partly in their middle. I bowed away carefully, trying not to draw attention and make things between them any more awkward than they already were.Bri, Madam Isabella’s assistant didn't spare me even a glance as I moved to stand just beside her. I had thought her cologne was soothing and inspiring before. Now I thought it terrible. I had to crinkle my nostrils near her.Maybe I was being petty, but it didn't matter. She wasn't looking. Bri had her eyes trained on Gavin and Madam Isabella, especially Gavin.She watched the scene sullenly, her eyes twinkling with a bit of bitterness. She didn't seem to fancy losing her 6-foot-four Greek god, which she’d just begun to crush on, to her boss.Well—she was welcomed to the club of disappointment. Because how in the world could the most renowned playboy in the country coincidentally reunite with his ex-wife just when I had called him to help me seduce her assistant? It was just the
Eva's POVI had no idea why Madam Isabella’s name threw him off. His expression turned blank at the mention of the name. The flirtatious glint that always held his eyes was abandoned for a hardness that now had my heart nearly racing in the entrapment of my chest. The more I stared into them, the harder they burned. “I am sorry, Eva, I can't help you,” he said crisply and spun for his car.“Why?” I yelled after him, the word almost hanging in my throat. He didn't answer. Instead, his pace quickened, as if something was out to get him in the underground car park of the Luminee Palace. “Wait, Gavin. What is happening?"Still, I got nothing. His broad, powerful back retreating from my sight. He threw himself into his Porsche. With no other choice, I threw myself onto the front of the car, blocking his path with my body. I knew he could just simply reverse and drive off, but like this, I thought he would understand my desperation.I wasn't one to seek help from anyone. I was a one-m
GavinThe phone beeped in the middle of the presentation, cutting through the presenter’s monotonous voice.Every eye in the room snapped straight to me, picking me out as the suspect.There was only one person who could dare bring a phone to a presentation, and that was me. Anyone else, and they'll be kissing their jobs goodbye. It was my company. I set the rules and can break them.I took out the phone from my pocket, and it was Eva flashing on the screen. My lips curled slowly into a tentative smile. I reclined on my seat, staring at the screen. I wondered why she had chosen to call. Perhaps she's fallen for me already? The thought made my smile morph fast into a grin, a sly grin.I still couldn't pin down why she interests me so much. She was pretty—yeah, with her red hair and toffee brown orbs, and so were the hundreds of girls I have dated. Yet, I had never felt the urge to chase.Maybe—I tweaked my head slightly… I hadn't tried chasing any lady before now because they were alw
Eva“How do you expect me—” Before I could get my response together, Lucy was marching away from the penthouse. I could do nothing but watch her go. My eyes trained on her retreating figure, swaying away with her bag. She had let her insecurities win over her reasoning and ruin everything herself. Now, she wants me to fix the mess she created. I should grab my purse and leave, just like she did, just like a part of my heart was warning me to, but damn it. I had a career to consider. I have endured enough for this job to let it go as cheap as this. I turned back to the room, letting my eyes trail to the window and lingering on the skyline view while I thought about what to do. Madam Isabella wouldn't fall for my emotional trick a second time. I had to improvise. I raised my head at the steady tap of heels and the strong whiff of the familiar cologne. The lady assistant dropped into view beside me. “You have to leave now, ma’am,” she said courteously, still gifting me one of her e
Madam Isabella Ferara’s assistant, a young lady in her late twenties, dressed in a smart and expensive shirt and pleated pants that made me almost conscious of my over-washed ones, led us through a tiled patio and into the living room area of the penthouse suite. She ushered us to a plush sofa, our shoes clinked on the marble floors, echoing in the room, echoing in my ears. The further I walked in, the more the impossibility of the task screamed at me. The lady had on a cologne, a sweet jasmine smell that lifted not just her spirit but that of anyone around her. It did lift mine. In that moment, I nearly felt a bit confident I could make this miracle happen. “Madam Isabella Ferara would join you soon.” The lady assistant showed the whole of her teeth in a friendly smile. “Thanks,” I whispered with my own smile. Lucy just waved her away. She left, leaving us to admire the luxury—well, me. Lucy seemed not to bother. She had her eyes stuck on her iPhone as if trying to solve the wor
I consulted my wristwatch as I dropped down from my car before the Radcliffe estate.The affluent neighborhood was what I wished my apartment block was, serene and tranquil. But in life, you don't always get what you want. And that I’d learned as far back as when I was still learning to grow teeth. "Three minutes late!” I screamed in horror at myself, my eyes flicking off the wristwatch’s screen. I’d just handed Lucy the weapon with which to bury me. Talk of the devil. I sighed, my chest thumping silently, betraying my calmness, as the estate gate opened and Lucy drove out in a sleek, elegant yellow ride that had Ferrari somewhere on its bonnet. I wasn't so good with cars. Toyotas, Golfs, and pickup trucks were the closest I knew of cars, because those were all I had ever driven.Lucy steered the car for me, and I jumped quickly from the asphalt onto the sidewalk. I still have good use for my legs, even if Lucy didn't mind crushing them down for me with her Ferrari. She parked bes
Eva's POVI thought he was serious, that he was about to choose me over Lucy. That meant there would be no billionaire wedding for me to plan, no billionaire wedding with which to uplift my portfolio. Yet, I seemed to wish that was what he was about to do, choosing me.“I’ll marry her too. I’ll marry the both of you,” he said, looking straight into my eyes, tenderly and dearly, yet hurting me with his words.His eyes begged me to agree with him, but there was no way I would agree to something like that. He wasn't choosing me. He just wanted me to be his mistress. His second choice. As if he hadn't hurt me enough. It felt like my heart was shrinking into my soul. His words shattering whatever hope I had built up in my mind. Hope of us being together again. I turned away from him. I wouldn't let him glimpse the drop of tears that was about to slip from my eyes. He didn't deserve my tears. “Get out, Luke,” I yelled over my shoulder. I managed to keep much of the sorrow in my heart f
Luke's POVI had no right to be angry. I was the one who betrayed her, the one who gave in to my parents threat, and was marrying Lucy instead of keeping my promise to marry her. I was the one who hurt her and led her into the arms of Gavin Sinclair. It felt like hell to know this was happening all because of me. I had come with the red roses bouquet, hoping to make things right as best as I could. Yet, I had to meet this—them. Locked in each other's arms, Gavin’s lips firm on hers. My fingers dug into the fluffy and tender bouquet as I waited for her to push Gavin away. But she didn't. She let him claim her lips in a hot, passionate kiss. With each passing moment, as I watched them kiss, a lump settled at the back of my throat. My throat burned with so much pain, I found it hard to swallow. She eventually pushed him away. Her eyes swirling lethargically, as realization flushed them. Her eyes strayed to me, but she threw them away immediately, as if fearing it would hurt me
Gavin's POVShe took a step back from me as if scared of my closeness to her. “And I don't want to, Gavin. I don't want to kiss you. Rather, I want you to leave," she said. She snatched the door open and jerked her eyes from me to outside. “Please leave,” she said, steel in her voice, yet for a brief moment, it faltered. But that wasn't what gave her away. It was her fingers trembling slightly on the doorknob. She tried to hide it well, yet her body kept betraying her. Her toffee-brown pair shifted uneasily, lingering on me, yet encouraging me for the door. She wasn't immune to me, as she pretended to be. She was merely putting up a wall of resistance. A wall I was soon to break. I never run from a challenge. “And what if I refuse to leave, Eva?” I said, trailing my thumb over my lips, my eyes trained on her. I grinned, relishing her distress. “Then I'll have the security throw you out,” she snapped. “I’d love to see them try.” I winked at her and dropped back into the ro