Eva glanced at the time on her cellphone before she stood up from the bed and stretched her body. After stretching her body a little bit, she started arranging the bed and pillow since she had enough time left to do that before she left. She grabbed her towel after she was done and made her way to the bathroom to take her bath. A few moments later, Eva walked out of the bathroom dressed in her bathrobe and strolled to her large wardrobe and opened it. Her eyes scanned through the clothes she had in there and a small scowl appeared on her face. Despite having a full wardrobe filled with clothes, Eva felt none of the dresses was suitable for her to wear.“How come none of the dresses here are suitable to wear? Should I have gone shopping for clothes yesterday?” Eva mumbled under her breath as she traced a few dresses with her hand.“Don’t be ridiculous Evangeline. It’s not a big deal. There is nothing to be worried about, there are enough clothes for you to wear.” she chastised herself
She couldn't help but wonder if she was making the right choice at this moment. A part of her was still terrified about the thought of getting married. Anytime she thought about what happened to her nine months ago on her wedding day it scared her and that was one of the reasons why she had tried to Damien desperately after he made the offer of marriage to her but he was unavoidable.‘Eva, take it easy. This isn't a real wedding, it's just a contract marriage about two people getting married for their benefits. It's not going to be like the last one because there is no ceremony, you just have to go to the Civil Affairs Office and get the marriage certificate.’ Eva thought to herself. ‘Don’t be delusional, marriage is marriage. How are you so sure of yourself that Damien wouldn't disappoint you just like Mark did.’ she had the voice of the little devil in her head. “Young Miss, we are here." Eva snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the voice of the driver. She looked outside th
‘Don’t be disappointed Eva, if you take a proper look at this situation this is just a marriage of convenience.’ Eva thought to herself.After asking that question, she remained silent and didn't utter anything other than just staring out of the window. Shane peeked at the silent Eva through the rearview mirror and saw how gloomy her expression was. For some reason he felt pity and guilt for Eva. “Are you okay, Mrs. Cross?" He suddenly asked. Eva turned to look at him with a raised brow, she was surprised and not used to the name he addressed her with. For a second she actually forgot that she was married and her name would automatically change from Carter to Cross. “I am. And please just address me the way you used to. I'm not used to that title yet." Eva quietly replied, turning back to stare out of the window. “I'm sorry, Miss Eva." Shane apologized in a guilty tone, making Eva turn to look at him again and this time she had a small scowl on her face." Why are you suddenly ap
"Miss, please allow me to introduce this house’s butler. This is Mr. Lee, you can ask him whatever you need." Shane introduced the old man to Eva.So he’s a butler? Eva wasn’t sure how to react so she bowed at him as a sign of respect to the elder when the two men’s eyes suddenly widened. If it was the past Evangeline, she wouldn't have bothered to show this level of respect, but given the fact that she had changed and the old man was an elderly man almost around the same age as her grandfather, she couldn't help but bow."No, no. Please don’t do that Miss. The precious wife of our young master shouldn’t bow to a mere butler like me." The old man looks so apologetic while Eva doesn’t know whether she was supposed to laugh or cry."By the way Miss, the young master, I mean, your husband will be arriving back to the country in a week." Shane told her then he asked the butler to tour her around the mansion. He handed Eva's suitcase to one of the maids before getting into the car and dro
“A little bit of brightness should brighten up this dark room.” Eva muttered as she drew the thick curtains open. And just as she predicted, the thick curtain was blocking the brightness from entering the room. Although the sun was already setting and it was getting to evening time, but she was still thankful that the little brightness alightend the room.After a few minutes of shamelessly checking out everything in the big room, Eva finally landed herself in the walk-in closet which was packed and filled with men's suits, pants, ties, shoes and wrist watches. “As expected of a tycoon." Eva smirked, she could easily guess each and every piece of clothing and accessories in the walk-in closet were worth a fortune. “That must be where the maids placed my suitcase." She sighted her suitcase in a corner and walked towards it. After she was fine exploring the room, Eva decided to take another shower to wash off the sweats from her body. A few moments later, she was done in the bathroom
“Gosh! I'm full!" Eva exclaimed as she landed heavily on the big soft bed. "Today has really been a long day.” She mumbled under her breath. If there was one thing that she was happy about Damien’s absence today that would be the fact that he wasn't around for them to spend the wedding night together. The thought of herself and Damien trying to do whatever a married couple would do on the wedding night made her blush hard as her mind wandered off to the night they shared together, nine months ago. ‘Don’t forget Eva, it's a marriage contract.’ she heard the little devil whisper in her ear while sitting comfortably on her shoulder.“It's disappointing that he didn't show up at the Civil Affairs Office today, and it's also a good thing that he isn't around because I have no excuse to make up if he wants to touch me. After all, we are now married, according to the paper." Eva remarked, slapping her cheeks to snap out of her thoughts.‘ I'm truly happy and glad that this wedding didn't t
Damien paused for a few minutes when he heard the question. That's right, the reason why he had approached Eva and offered her this marriage contract in the first place was not only because he wanted her to borrow his power and status to get revenge on Mark. The real reason was because he needed an heir due to his grandfather who kept pressuring him to get married and have his own child. He had been ignoring his grandfather's antics about getting married since he wasn't interested in any woman. But after that one night stand he had with Eva, his interest in her increased and each and every time they encountered each other, she always did something that kept wanting him to be close to her. His curiosity about her was what made him offer her the contract at the restaurant, since she was also the first woman he would ever sleep with. However, he hadn't thought much about what to do if Ev1a completed her own side of the contract and gave birth to an heir for him. All he knew was that he
***********Just like that after having breakfast, Eva was escorted back to the bedroom. When the maid bowed and was leaving, Eva suddenly stopped her.“You, what is your name? I can't keep calling you ‘you’ when you have a name and I forgot to ask you yesterday as well." The maid blinked her eyes. She didn't expect that Eva would want to know the name of an insignificant maid like her. ‘I thought she was from a rich household? Is she supposed to ask my name?’ The maid was confused but still decided to reply anyway.“Tasha. You can call me Tasha, Madam." The maid replied.“Okay, thank you for escorting me around, Tasha." Eva smiled at her, making Tasha go into a daze at Eva's smile. Who would have thought that her Madam had such a beautiful smile and she would smile at a maid like her?Eva raised a brow when she saw how Tasha was dazed. “Tasha, are you alright?" She asked, snapping her finger in front of her eyes to bring her back.“Ah, yes, Madam. I'm sorry, I was dazed for a moment
Eva tried to push him away, but Damien effortlessly pulled her back, pressing her body into his chest, solid as a wall. “I don’t have enough experience for that,” she muttered, her gaze shifting away to hide her embarrassment. She was skilled in many things, but kissing wasn’t one of them.At her admission, a surge of possessiveness coursed through Damien. His voice was firm and resolute as he said, “You don’t need experience. I’ll teach you.” His dark eyes held a depth of devotion that sent shivers down her spine.Eva thought he was joking, but the intensity in his gaze told her otherwise. Reluctantly, she smirked, “Alright, have it your way.”Seeing her compliance, his lips curved into a contented smile that only brightened his mood further.“"I have somewhere to take you," Damien said, his deep voice drawing Eva’s attention.She glanced up at him, her curiosity piqued, but instead of asking questions, she handed him her purse and cell phone without hesitation. "Hold this for me," s
The next morning, when Eva woke up, she let out a sigh as her eyes landed on the empty side of the bed.Last night, Damien had called to inform her that he wouldn’t be able to come home due to some work he needed to handle at the office.Even though she didn’t argue with him, Eva couldn’t help but feel that his absence was because he was still upset about their disagreement the previous afternoon. Regardless, she missed his presence deeply.Little did she know, Damien’s absence was part of a carefully planned surprise.After her morning routine, Eva dressed in a simple white top paired with black jeans, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs. Her mind was set on going to Elite Entertainment for a meeting.However, when she reached the staircase, her eyes widened in surprise. Standing near the entrance of the living room was a tall and lean figure, exuding casual elegance.“Damien…?” she murmured, his name slipping from her lips before she could even think.He turned, a pastel blue box
"Wait, really?!" Nathalia squealed, her sorrowful tone vanishing in an instant, replaced by over-the-top excitement. Usually, she had to scream, throw tantrums, and threaten to hold her breath until she turned blue to get her brother to relent."On one condition," Damien said, impressed by her earlier accomplishments. If anyone understood Eva best, it was his obnoxious little sister."What is it? Is it about that boy toy? Don’t worry, I kicked him to the curb ages ago! I have already turned into a new leaf, in fact, I now have a boyfriend. He is a CEO and very good, someday I will introduce him to you. Just tell me anything you want me to do.” Nathalia wagged her metaphorical tail, eager to agree to anything."Have you spoken to Eva recently?"The question caught Nathalia off guard. She almost blurted, Of course I did! But thanks to you, I can't speak to my friend for long. But she lacked Eva’s boldness, so she replied, "No. Why?""Never mind. You’re useless too," Damien muttered, rea
Shane sighed, reaching into his briefcase to pull out another ready-to-use phone, already preloaded with all the necessary information from the previous one. "Is something the matter, Boss?" he asked cautiously, his words slow and deliberate, as though treading on thin ice. He handed the new phone to Damien with both hands, his posture tense.Damien inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled slowly, attempting to calm the storm brewing within him. He understood why she had hung up. She didn’t want to escalate things, especially not after their most recent argument.Damien, who had little knowledge of relationships or how they worked, turned sharply to Shane, a scowl etched onto his perfectly chiseled face. "How's your relationship with your fiancée?"Shane blinked in confusion, his usually composed demeanor faltering. His expression went blank as if he hadn't heard the question correctly. Scratching the back of his head, he stammered, "P……pardon my incompetence, Boss, …could you repe
Eva exhaled deeply, her grip tightening on the steering wheel as Damien's words echoed in her mind. She hadn’t meant for the conversation to spiral into this, but his response had struck a nerve she hadn’t realized was so raw.He doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say. He keeps assuming I don’t see him as my husband. Damn it, of course, he’s everything anyone could want in a husband—perfect, dependable, and... maddeningly oblivious! she cursed inwardly, frustration bubbling beneath her calm exterior.What Eva truly wanted, though she could never bring herself to say it, was for Damien to ask her out the traditional way—a formal, heartfelt gesture that would solidify their relationship in the way she longed for. But she was too proud, too stubborn, to admit it aloud. Instead, she had resorted to subtle hints, hoping he’d pick up on them and take the next step.Yet Damien, with all his intelligence and sharp instincts, was painfully oblivious when it came to matters of the heart. He
After finishing her meal with Kai, Eva was ready to head home but paused, noting how bright the afternoon still was. Her grandfather’s words from their call replayed in her mind: Damien bought you a property.The curiosity nagged at her. Should she ask Damien about it? What if he thought she was being too demanding? After a few minutes of careful deliberation, she decided to call.The phone barely rang once before Damien picked up. His voice was calm but tinged with concern. “Eva, are you okay?”In the executive meeting room, heads turned in astonishment. Their boss, who usually disregarded calls during meetings, had not only answered his phone but done so without hesitation. His phone, typically kept out of reach, now sat prominently on the table—a change that hadn’t gone unnoticed.Eva hesitated briefly. “I’m fine, Damien. It’s nothing serious. I just wanted to ask you something.”“Go on,” he encouraged, his tone soft and attentive.“Well…” she began cautiously, unsure how to phrase
“Did Dustin Banks insist you attend the banquet, or was it your grandfather?” Kai asked, his tone laced with curiosity. It puzzled him why Lawrence couldn’t attend the event himself. Sure, the man was getting older, but didn’t he just make an appearance at a similar event three months ago? What has changed now?Eva blinked at the question, momentarily taken aback. She hadn’t thought about it in depth before, but now that Kai mentioned it, the whole situation did seem odd. Why was her grandpa Smith so adamant about her attending in his stead?“Now that you mention it, I’m not too sure,” Eva admitted, her brows furrowing as she contemplated it. She took a bite of the beef she had prepared, the flavors melting in her mouth, followed by a sip of soup to balance it out.Kai went quiet, his thoughts running wild as he considered different possibilities. His sharp eyes rested on Eva, who was too preoccupied with her food to notice his gaze.Even as she ate, there was an undeniable elegance t
Arriving at Elite EntertainmentThe sleek glass doors of Elite Entertainment gleamed in the morning sunlight as Eva stepped out of her car. The reception area buzzed with activity, but the moment she entered, heads turned. Being one of the agency’s most prominent models, Eva’s presence never went unnoticed.Ignoring the whispers, she made her way to the elevator, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Moments later, she was stepping into Kai’s office, where he sat behind his massive desk, engrossed in a document.“Kai,” Eva greeted, her voice drawing his attention.He looked up, his sharp eyes softening slightly when he saw her. “Eva. What brings you here so early?”Eva placed the container of food on the small glass table with a sly smile. “Bribery.”Kai raised an eyebrow. “Bribery for what?”“For what I’m about to tell you,” she replied, sitting down on one of the couches in his office mini living room.Intrigued, Kai leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “This shoul
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the Miami sky in shades of orange and purple, Eva leaned back on her couch, flipping through a stack of papers. Her phone buzzed on the table beside her, and she glanced at the caller ID. “Grandpa Smith,” she answered with a smile as she picked up the call. “Eva, my dear, how are you feeling?” Lawrence’s warm, deep voice came through. His concern was evident, as always. “You’ve been overworking yourself lately, haven’t you? Tell me, how’s your health?” “I’m fine, Grandpa,” Eva assured him, her voice was light and soothing. “I’ve been careful, and I’m almost fully recovered. There’s no need to worry.” “Good, good,” Lawrence replied, though his tone suggested he wasn’t fully convinced. “I just wanted to check up on you—and remind you about the banquet. I assume you’ve prepared for it?” Eva chuckled softly. “Of course, Grandpa. I wouldn’t dare forget something so important. I’m getting everything ready, and I’ll be there on time.” “Good