“Well Richard, this is a toast to vision, perseverance, and may I say brilliance," Henry Darlington exclaimed triumphantly, raising his glass. The private lounge from the exclusive business club was a place of elegance and secrecy: dark oak panels and low light, a place where multi-million dollar deals were closed over a handshake and a drink."To sealing the deal," returned Richard Wadsley as he clinked his glass against Henry's while the tone was proudly taken by the man who had been a part of pulling that masterstroke. "Edward Langston isn't easily pleased, but you sure do seem to have done just that, Henry."Henry swirled the amber liquid in his glass, watching almost as if it seemed to play with the light-a tangible expression of their success. "I did it because I had the right guys behind me, and should you not have pulled through, Richard, we would not be sitting here in celebration today.”Richard chuckled, jerking his head back: "You are being modest. It wasn't just me; it wa
“You can’t keep this up, Ma'am,” Madam Tess said, her voice echoing through the grand hallway as she stood outside Eva’s locked bedroom door. “You need to eat something.” Eva sat silent, tucked against the window in her darkened room, with her arms clenched tightly around her knees. That mansion had been a prison unto itself-a gilded cage, slowly strangling her an inch at a time. The words of Madam Tess, innumerable attempts by Shawn to reach out and speak with her. The soft knock broke the silence. "Ava, please," Shawn's voice, laced with desperation, came from the other side. "Talk to me. I can't help if you keep shutting me out."Still, she didn't move, didn't say a word. Her mind replayed the fragments of the revelation that had torn her world asunder-the baby she never knew she carried, now gone.“Ava, I am not leaving until you let me in, Shawn said, his voice cracking yet laced with a determined edge that left Eva gasping for air. “We have been at this for days now, please ta
"You got everything?" Shawn asked, parking the car in front of Wadsley Jewels building. In his voice, there seemed a mix of concern and determination, which she had grown accustomed to in the past few days."Yeah, Shawn. Everything." Eva blew out a heavy sigh and unsnapped her seatbelt. Eva leaned for the door handle, but Shawn leaned over, intercepting her motion."And your medications? Did you pack them?" he pressed on, furrowing his brows."They're in my bag," she said patiently."Good. Don't forget them, no matter what. And for lunch, Ava you have to eat lunch, not just coffee. You've hardly eaten anything lately."She turned to him, her lips twitching as she suppressed a smile. "I promise, I'll eat.""And don't overwork yourself. Take breaks, sit down, hydrate-"Shawn," Eva cut in, firmness riding over the affection in her tone. "I'll be fine."He had ignored that and went on, "If you feel tired, leave early. I can come pick you up. Just call me, okay? And—She silenced him with
"Aren't you going to answer it, Eva?" Richards Wadsley's shrill voice cut through the thick tension in the office as Ryan's name flashed across Eva's phone screen.Eva's fingers hovered over the phone, her hand quivering. "I… I mean, I'm kind of surprised he's calling back, I don't even know what to say."Her father's sharp gaze did not falter. "Then let me." Without waiting for her permission, Richard reached across the desk and snatched the phone from her hand."Dad, no-" Eva protested, but a glance from him froze her.He jammed his finger onto the answer button and brought it to his ear, his face without inflexion. He didn't utter a word. His expression remained firm.There was a moment's silence, followed by Ryan's voice, casual, oblivious to the tempest about to be unleashed. "Eva? Finally! What took you so long to answer? Anyways I've been avoiding this particular phone for a while because of dad and Uncle Richard. I didn't see your call sooner.” Richard said nothing. He just w
"Eva," Ryan's voice came tight with worry over the phone. "What happened? Why didn't you say anything. Was someone there with you?” “Ryan, I'm sorry, my dad answered the call. I was caught off guard, and I couldn't do anything.”“Shit.” There was silence for a while before Ryan spoke again. “So he knows everything now?” Eva leaned back in her chair, placing fingers to her temple as if the pressure might beat the headache brewing inside. "No, he doesn't know everything," she returned wearily. "But it was close. Too close."Ryan exhaled sharply. "What did he find out?”She hedged, the glance of her father flashing before her eyes, the weight of the words: "Enough to know you've been avoiding everybody but me. He's furious, Ryan. He demanded answers, and since I couldn't give any, he stormed out. I don't think he'll let this go."A thick silence hung in the air after she spoke, right until Ryan finally broke the silence. "Thanks for not saying anything about my job or scholarship. I k
"I'm waiting." shawn tilted his head to the side; his eyes never left Eva's as they sat amidst the dimness of the restaurant. "So, are you going to tell me why you just apologized to Ryan before you said anything to me?”Eva hesitated, her fork hovering over her plate. She felt the weight of his question pressing on her, the unspoken expectation in his tone. Finally, she set the fork down and clasped her hands together. “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone,” she said softly, her eyes fixed on the table.Shawn leaned back in his chair, his expression curious but patient. “But you’re telling me now. Because there's no way I'm letting this go.” “I think I need to,” Eva admitted, her voice trembling. “I’ve been carrying this by myself, and it’s too much.”He reached across the table, his hand resting over hers. “Then let it out, babe. Tell me what's making you this burdened.”Eva took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say. “It’s about Ryan.”Shawn’s brow furrowed sli
"Well, only Eva and I knew of it," Eva said in an extremely low tone. Eva finally looked away from Shawn and started giving her napkin in her hands quite a lot of attention-folding, unfolding, folding again, and again-the repetitions not doing much to help calm her nerves."I have no idea how the school and workplace found out."Shawn hunched over, arms over the edge of the table as his piercing glare seemed incredulous, searching. "You are trying to tell me there's nobody else who would have known? Nobody whatsoever?"Eva shook her head vigorous, her fingers in a tight clench upon the napkin. "Nobody. Ryan was really careful, and so were we, and there is just no way.”“Then someone must have found out somehow," Shawn said, unbending. “Did you or your sister tell anyone about it, maybe a close friend in school by mistake. Or maybe Ryan himself told a friend who did this to ruin him on purpose.” “I don't know, Shawn. We all vowed not to say anything about it. So I don't know if any of
"You are not going alone," Shawn said firmly, crossing arms over his chest, his voice that unyielding that always unnerved Eva.Eva exhaled sharply and started pacing the living room, trying to find her words. "Shawn, listen to me. This is a Wadsley family dinner, and trust me, you don't want to be there."“Whatever kind of dinner it is, Ava, you've already made it sound like a battlefield; I'm not going to let you go into that lion's den alone." Shawn shot back, annoyance starting to lace his voice."It isn't your fight," Eva replied as she faced him, her tone soft, but it was the imploring in her eyes that proved traitor. "It's my family, Shawn. Whatever goes on, I can handle.”Shawn snorted, his head shaking. "You're not convincing anyone with that. Your hands were shaking just from the phone call of your father last night . You expect me to believe you are going to be okay? ''Eva had stiffened, the knuckles on her hands going white as she clutched the back of a chair. "It doesn'
"Ready for another tiring day, Mrs. Darlington?" Shawn teased, opening the car door for Eva, a wide grin on his face.Eva forced a small, weak smile and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Do i have a choice.” She replied in a tired tone.She stepped out of the car, holding her purse close to her side. The air was cool that morning, though the weight inside her chest had her feeling constricted. About to return to Shawn's cheerful banter, she suddenly froze.Ava leaned against her car casually, that bright smile of hers blazing like a spotlight toward them as she stood in the parking lot."Good morning!" Ava called cheerfully, her voice as sweet as sugar as she sauntered toward them.Eva's heart quickened as she found herself clutching at her purse. ‘What is she doing here?’"Eva!" Shawn exclaimed, still blind to any of the tension between the women."Good morning. Good to see you.”"Good morning, Shawn," Ava said with her eyes dancing momentarily onto Eva. "And good morning t
Just as Shawn and Eva sat in the living room, chatting over their evening tea, the doorbell jingled. Their attention went to the main entrance as the sound came up. Madam Tess, ambled toward answering the door grumbling discontentedly with the uninvited guest. Eva's heart leaped high-she had been uptight all day, waiting for Ava's next move. She tightened her grip on the teacup while her stomach churned. “Who could this be at this hour? Are you expecting someone?”"Relax," Shawn said, chuckling at her rigid pose. "It's probably a deliveryman; someone must have sent something.” Then they heard the door open and Madam Tess's voice full of surprise: "Oh! Miss Eva, what a lovely surprise."Eva's blood froze. She put down her tea on the table, trembling; that rattling sound very loud against the stillness of the room. ‘What's she doing here?’Shawn's head jolted, a brilliant smile lighting up his face. "Eva? Really?"No sooner were the words off his lips than Ava appeared in the doorway
"Ma'am, are you all right? You've been staring at that screen for ten minutes now," Amelia, one of her employees who brought a report to her office, ventured to ask warmly.Blinking a few times, Eva forced a bright smile onto her face as she quickly minimized the open blank document on her computer that she had seemed to be working on. "I'm fine," she said, but her tone wasn’t convincing. And dismissed her.She was not okay. The storm brewing in her mind for the last couple of days crashed on her ceaselessly. Every time she met Shawn's gaze, her gut roiled with overwhelming guilt and hurt seriously gnawing at her insides. He had slept with her sister, cheated on her without realising, and she couldn't do anything.Her hands had formed into fists under the desk. “It wasn't his fault,” she reminded herself for what must have been the hundredth time. “He didn't know. He couldn't have known.”But that didn't make it one whit easier to bear.Eva thought of the weekend: Shawn had seemed ful
"They think they can control me" Ava growled low in her throat, pacing the small hotel room. Her heels clicked against the floor, her anger simmering, threatening to boil over at any moment. She came to a stop, hands clenching on the edge of the desk in front of her. Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror over it, green eyes wild with frustration and hurt.And in Ava's head, those words re-echoed in her mind in an endless feedback-the words deeply engraving in her mind one word after another."You're a disappointment. You dragged the family name in the mud. You've done enough damage.”She snorted, her voice thick with resentful arguments so bitter. "I've done enough damage? Really?" Ava shook her head, the laugh that finally came out seemingly cutting her throat. "Eva stole everything from me, and I am the one that's done enough damage?It was injustice, seared in fire, and she found no room for reason. She hunched backward into her chair, shaking, her hands covering her fa
Eva slumped onto the couch in the living room. Immediately, she was convulsed by unchained sobs as her composure snapped into a thousand pieces. Hiding her face between shaking hands, that tidal wave of reality engulfed her-cold-blooded betrayal by a sister."I just can't believe it," Eva whispered, her voice breaking at last. "She's going to ruin everything… everything I worked hard to build. She'll destroy my life.”Eleanor fell on her knees beside her daughter and laid a reassuring hand on her knee. "Eva, sweetheart, don't cry; we'll work this out.”"Sort this out?" Eva's head jerked up, her tear-streaked face contorted in a grimace of anguish. "How, Mother? Ava's hell-bent on taking Shawn from me. You think she'll stop after what she just pulled? She won't!"Richard was pacing furiously beside the fireplace, hands clasped tightly behind his back. "That girl… she's gone too far this time. I should have never let her come back into this house after what she pulled.”"Richard!" Elea
Ava drove up the driveway in Eva's sleek car up to the mansion looming ahead-the Wadsley mansion. Her fingers around the steering wheel tightened with each second passing while her heart was pounding, yet not a ripple crossed her face. She didn't want to show them that she was scared. Inside, Eva stood at her window in her silk robe and watched the car pull in. There she saw her twin sister driving in behind the wheel of her car. She felt her blood boil as she stormed out of the house, heels clattering on the marble floor.Scarcely had Ava stepped out of the car when Eva descended upon her, a mask of fury upon her face.“How dare you?" Eva's voice cut through cold morning air. "You went out with Shawn and spent the night at his house, our house, and you waltz up in here in my car like nothing's wrong?"Ava got out of the car, shut the door with calculated calm, her face unreadable. "Good morning to you too, Eva.”"Don't you dare play coy with me!" Eva spat, advancing on her, her fing
Thin curtain shades allowed morning sun to streak the room in patches of gold. Ava stirred, weighed down by exhaustion, yet her mind was in a marathon leading to the opening of her eyes. And then all the pieces fit together-the way Shawn had touched her, the things he said, the manner in which he had looked at her like she was the only female on this earth.She turned her head slightly, and her gaze fell on Shawn's sleeping form beside her, with his arm possessively flung across her waist. 'It really happened' -the thought slammed her heart against her chest.The phone lying next to the bed slicing through the silence of the room. She carefully reached to get it-not wanting Shawn to wake. The screen blinked through texts and calls-all from Eva and her mom and dad."Ava, call me right this minute!""What the hell are you doing with Shawn?""Do you know what kind of mess you're putting us in?" All from Eva.“Ava please, stop this nonsense and come back home” from her mom. But the latt
"She's not coming back, is she?" Eva's voice shook, pacing the length of her parents' living room, fists clenched. She could hardly hold back the burning rage that ran through her veins. "Can you imagine what she's doing, Mom? She is with my husband at this very moment. Pretending to be me!"Her mother, Eleanor Wadsley, waved airily from the couch. "Eva, be still. Ava would do nothing to hurt you. She is your sister—"Don't say that!" Eva snapped, whirling to glare at her mother. "She is not the Ava we used to know. She's selfish, conniving, and… and she doesn't care who she hurts anymore. She left Shawn on the altar, remember? She didn't want him, and now she's back acting like she can just waltz into my life and take everything from me!"The scowl on Eleanor's face softened to concern. "She's still your twin, Eva. Whatever is happening there has to be a reason. Maybe she just-""Don't make excuses!" Eva exclaimed sharply, her voice rising. "You don't understand-she isn't just 'being
"How is she so shameless?" Ava muttered as she viewed from the second floor window of the company building. Her eyes were fixed in the parking space below, where Eva was standing beside Shawn.He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss against Eva's lips. She laughed, the sound light and warm, and set a hand to his arm as she said something Ava couldn't hear. Shawn laughed at it.Jealousy, like fire, had burned within Ava as her chest felt constricted, her fists clutching into the sill. That was supposed to be her life. She should be experiencing this happiness. If only she hadn't run away on that wedding day, it would be her, he adored now.‘You gave that all up, Ava,’ said the bitter voice within her mind, ‘but that does not mean that you can't take it back.’The thought sat there, all dark and alluring. If they could convince an entire company with their resemblances and they didn't notice the switch of management, why couldn't she do the same thing with Shawn and take what was original