Back in Cross Enterprise, Eric stood outside of his boss’s office, with his normal serious expression. However, he anxiously awaited the arrival of his boss internally.CEO Cross had been extremely late to the office two days in a row which was very much unlike him! His boss had always been punctual and always came to the office to spend most of his day buried in paperwork like a true workaholic. There were even times where Eric and Shane had to drag his boss out of the office just so he could stop terrorizing the employees who were too scared to leave before he did!His phone notified him of an incoming message and when he glanced at the message, his eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened to a big fraction.Cancel the entire schedule for the day?! Was he crazy?!Today was a very important day where Mark Johnson would come in person to negotiate about a proposal!Canceling a meeting with Johnson Corporation which was touted as one of the country’s "Big Five" companies was hard as it wa
Meanwhile, Eva was still standing at the same she had been ever since Damien left. She was completely stunned and dazed as she kept staring at the door. This was the first time she had been told such words, in fact, she was stunned not only because this was the first someone had spoken like that to her. But the fact that it was Damien who had just told her that.Pathetic? Revenge? Those were the only two words ringing in her brain currently.‘Am I been pathetic?. Do I really want to get revenge? But isn't that what everyone is expecting me to do?’ Eva's mind was in turmoil as she kept thinking about what Damien said before he left.“I just wanted to be alone and not get involved in anything else. Why can't he just understand that?! Did he have to go all the way and call me pathetic? Just who did he think he is to barge into my house and preach those words to me?!!” Eva finally snapped out of her daze and ranted furiously when she thought and remembered the way Damien had spoken to her
George raised a brow upon hearing that. Hazed state? Did something happen to her?He turned towards Julian and wrote down on a piece of paper to investigate what happened to her last night.Nodding at his command, Julian quickly grabbed his phone to call their team in Miami to dig out what happened to Eva. After a while, he spoke up again. "Will you do it again?" He asked her. He knew she could easily lie to him and say no, but he had enough trust in her to believe she wouldn’t attempt to break another promise."I can’t say I never will. But I will try my hardest not to drink any alcohol unless I’m under the supervision of someone I can trust." She truthfully said, not wanting to make another promise she couldn’t uphold.At her words, George felt his lips twitch. She didn’t lie to him, nor did she promise him anything. That was what he expected of her. "Do you remember what you did when you were drunk?"Eva paused at his words, thinking back to her hazy memories. She faintly remember
When the two people noticed the presence of people in the room, they quickly broke off from each other's grasp. Mark's lips tilted up to a pleasant smile when he saw Damien. "Mr. Cross, you’re here." He greeted, happily walking up to him to shake hands but one of Damien's security details came forward to prevent any contact.Mark’s eyes twitched at the disrespect as he ruthlessly scanned the men in his path. "What is going on?"Damien ignored his question and brushed past his men. He disdainfully eyed Christine who was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed. Her off-shoulder silk top was low and revealed too much cleavage and she was wearing a short skirt. The sight of her only grossed him the most.Eric was also surprised by her unprofessional attire. His boss had also ordered him to dig into her past, and he quickly realized that she had zero notable talents, except being a model which was due to her older sister's help. This was a professional meeting regarding a contract worth
Christine flinched at his harsh words, tears building up in her eyes. She didn’t think of herself as a mistress. Mark came onto her first and he ignored all of her protests! Instead, Eva should be the one called that because she was the one who was supposed to marry Mark before Eva came and stole her chancemWhy did she have to look like the bad guy when all she did was help him escape a loveless marriage? So what if that crazy woman , called her sister, was in love with her Mark ? Did he have to love everyone that loved him?! He willingly proposed to her and not to that woman!"Yes, but she’s only a mistress if she was the other woman in my current relationship-""She was the other woman in your previous one." Damien boredly said."She’s also an eyesore. If you want to discuss business, get her out of here." Damien added the final blow, motioning security to step forward.It took every fiber within Mark’s body to prevent his jaw from dropping to the floor at Damien’s insult."And her
"This is a proposal for a resort. Why are you approaching Cross Enterprise instead of Smith Enterprise?" Damien lifted his head, a listless expression on his face.Mark’s smile instantly faltered a bit at the blunt question. Why else? Smith Enterprise had already rejected him! "Currently, Johnson Corporations does not have a good relationship with Smith Enterprise at the moment."Damien didn’t need him to say it because he already knew the truth. But to him, since Mark knew that he had screwed up, it was satisfying to know. Mark should’ve just left his stubborn little kitten alone by calling off the wedding between the two families gently. Instead, he crossed the line and went as far as to humiliate and embarrass her in a public place."But that is not the only reason why this proposal was rejected in the first place." Damien remarked with a straight and blank face making it hard to tell what he was thinking. A smirk which was invisible appeared on his face when he saw Mark's baffled
"No amount of money can buy my loyalty to my boss." Eric disdainfully said, sizing Mark up and down. He could not help but wonder why his boss would fall for a woman who had once fallen in love with this kind of man. What does it say about her taste? And his boss’s preference?!Clara handed over Mark's checkbook and he wrote down a check for ten million. He waved it in front of Eric who seemed unfazed by the seven zeros."Ten million."Eric turned on his heels and was about to open the door when Clara stepped in front of it, blocking the exit."Twenty million." Mark doubled the amount without hesitation. Ten million or twenty million meant nothing to him because if the proposal gets approved, Johnson Corporations would be raking in at least a few billion annually!"Tell your secretary to step aside or else brute force would have to be used." Eric glanced down at the petite woman in front of him.Clara felt her back stiffen and her body clenched in fear when she looked into her older
**********“You're late." Damien, who was sitting behind his desk in his office remarked when Eric strolled in."I apologize, boss, I had to take care of something that came up." It was as if a switch had been flickered within Eric's brain because, at the sight of his boss, he was no longer the fearsome man who mocked CEO Mark and beat up his bodyguards. In his place was a respectful and loyal secretary who was willing to risk his life for his boss.Damien raised a brow and glanced at Eric's appearance. Not a single hair was out of place, but he saw his slightly scratched knuckle and already knew what had happened. "I hope that giant pest was taken care of?""I’m afraid not. Those weren’t my orders so I only took care of the underlings of the scum." Eric apologetically said, his shoulders slightly hunched over in disappointment. Boss wanted him to hurt Mark? Why didn’t he say so sooner?"Mm, that’s alright. Dealing with them head-on would be swift and easy, but the consequences will b
His scowl deepened, and for a moment, she thought he might explode. But instead, he bit back whatever retort had been on the tip of his tongue. He knew that pushing her further would only backfire.“I understand you hate hospitals,” he said after a long pause, his voice gentler. “But staying here and resting is for your own good. You’re too stubborn to take care of yourself, so I have to do it for you.”Did he view her as a child? Why was he so persistent in keeping her here? She could recuperate somewhere else with a personal doctor — anything was fine, as long as it wasn't this chemical-filled location brimming with painful memories.Eva’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t need your intervention.”His eyes narrowed, his irritation simmering just beneath the surface. “Don’t be stubborn—”“You’re a hypocrite,” she shot back before she could stop herself. Well, to some extent, she was hypocritical."Ehm, ehm……you demand me to not be stubborn, but here you are again, also being st
Eva felt her heart ache at the tone of Damien's voice, so small and fragile, like that of a lost child. Her chest tightened with guilt for having pushed him to this point. Her logical mind chastised her for taking things too far, while her heart yearned to soothe and comfort him.“Will you do it again?” she asked softly, her fingers tracing gentle circles over his rough, calloused hands.Immediately, his hand shifted to clasp hers tightly, intertwining their fingers in a firm yet comforting grip. Her heart skipped a beat at the gesture, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.“I can’t promise you a definite no,” he admitted, his deep voice muffled as he rested his head on her shoulder. He breathed her in—the intoxicating, calming scent of jasmine filling his senses and clouding his mind. “But I will try my hardest to be lenient.”She paused, unsure how to respond. Sensing her silence, Damien tightened his hold on her fingers, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.“Are you sti
Eva’s heart pounded as she searched for a way to diffuse his anger. She knew that escalating this tension would only make things worse. Desperate, she decided to play a different card—a gamble.“Tell me, how would you like to handle the consequences? Perhaps I should start with—" He was interrupted when she abruptly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. The suddenness of her action made him freeze in place.“What are you doing?" He blinked. "Damien," she murmured softly, her voice sweet and soothing. She pressed her face against his chest, rubbing her cheek against the silk of his shirt.His body stiffened, his clenched fists trembling at his sides. "This won't work," he said, though his voice had lost its sharp edge."I'm cold," she whispered, her words muffled against his chest."Eva," he warned, but his tone lacked conviction."Won’t you hug me?" She tilted her head up, gazing at him with wide, pleading eyes and a slight pout on her lips. Her heart ski
After bidding Belle goodbye and promising her one last time that she would return tomorrow, Eva walked down the hospital halls with a spring in her step. A soft hum escaped her lips, her arms filled with snacks Belle had insisted she take. The little girl had brightened her day and made her feel less alone in the dreariness of the hospital."You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you sayI'm talking loud, not saying muchI'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochetShoot me down, but I get up," Eva softly sang, her favorite song playing in her mind as she strolled back to her room. She smiled, wondering if her friend Nathalie would enjoy the snacks she was carrying.“I'm bulletproof, nothing to loseFire away, fire awayRicochet, you take your aimFire away, fire awayShe was in such a good mood that she even gently danced along the hallway to her. “You shoot me down, but I won't fallI am titanium………..”“You shoot me down, but I won't fallI am titanium” a low voice suddenly com
She paused, her mind flashing back to the countless fights, the shattered dishes, the cold silences that followed her every rebellion. "But I didn’t let their expectations control me. I chose my path, even when it meant walking away from them entirely." Eva let out a sigh, her gaze still focused outside the window. " I really loved it when I refused them, even though it would earn me being slapped senselessly. I always find pleasure somehow and I took pride in becoming the perfect, graceful black sheep of that damned family.” Belle hung on every word, her eyes wide with admiration and curiosity."But," She continued. “I only did it when I was a grown adult, legal enough to make my own choices. My plan wasn't perfect nor did it work in pleasing my family, but then again, why should I continue to please them when they were never family to me in the first place?" Eva gently moved her gaze back to Belle, leaning forward, "However, as someone who has gone through all that, you should k
"So, Belle," Eva began, pulling a chair close to the bed and sitting down. "Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself? What brought you here to this hospital room?" Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the overflowing flowers and gifts surrounding the small child."I caught a fever a few days ago," Belle replied glumly, her voice quiet. Though it was just a fever, she’d been stuck in this hospital for a week. She felt fine now, but her parents insisted she remain."I'm all better now. Nothing hurts anymore. I just want to go home, but they won’t let me." Belle’s lips turned down in a bitter frown as she recalled how her parents refused her calls and ignored her requests to leave. Deep down, she knew they preferred her absence."Why not?" Eva asked softly, though she already sensed the answer."Because they hate me."Eva’s heart clenched at the words, so full of pain and resignation. She studied the young girl, who stared back with guarded eyes that looked far older than her years.
Once the door shut, the girl turned her head slightly. "You can come out now."Eva pushed the gifts aside and slid out from under the bed. She straightened up, her gaze meeting the child’s lifeless, cold eyes. They lacked the innocent sparkle of youth."Why were those men chasing you? Who are you?" the girl asked, studying Eva intently. Despite her disheveled hair and rumpled gown, there was no mistaking the elegant air that surrounded her.Eva smiled faintly, deciding to test the girl’s intuition when she noticed how she was studying her. ‘Let’s see if you're smart. "Who do you think I am?"The child’s eyes narrowed. "You’re not a simple patient.""Oh? What makes you say that?""This is the VVIP floor, accessible only with a private keycard. Your gown is made of high-quality cotton, reserved for VVIP patients.""Well, I could’ve stolen the keycard and clothes," Eva countered.The girl’s gaze didn’t waver. "Despite your messy appearance, you carry yourself with grace. Your posture, ev
Eva jumped in alarm, spinning around to find a young girl sitting on a hospital bed. The room was filled with vases of flowers, their cloying fragrance filling the air. The child, no older than fourteen or fifteen years old, looked at her with wide, innocent eyes, her long hair framing her delicate face.Eva blinked in surprise, her anger momentarily forgotten as she stared at the young child. Somehow she felt something about this girl resembling a boy she used to know. “Hello.”“What's your name, child?" She asked, just as the footsteps outside became louder.The girl smiled faintly. “You’re running from people.” she said nugging at the door.Eva's brows furrowed. “Yes, I am.”. “Quick! Look for her before Boss gets upstairs!”The sound of the bodyguards’ voices rang in the hallway, getting closer. Panic flooded Eva's chest. She scanned the room frantically, looking for a way out, but the space was small, and the windows were sealed shut.She turned back to the girl, her pulse racing
Eva who was moments away from hitting him with the IV pole again when his pitiful plea caught her attention. “You can tell your boss to rot in hell—” she started, but the man cut her off.“Please, Lady Boss!” he cried, desperation in his voice. “I have a wife, kids, and a family to feed—”Eva's brow twitched at his words. Of course, he definitely wouldn't be a monk like his boss, however, she had a feeling he was saying this to make her feel guilty. “And you have a dog too, I bet?” she quipped sarcastically.His eyes widened in shock. “Y-yes! Exactly! His name is Chase!”She grit her teeth in annoyance, snatching the phone from his shaking hands. “What do you want?” she demanded, her patience wearing thin. She could guess that he was trying to stall time until he got here but she wasn't planning to let him meet her here.The bodyguards flinched in fear. They truly applauded her for her boldness, but they also feared for the poor woman's head! It would really fly if she continued talk