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
“What is it?" Eva asked with a seriousness like she was about to strike a business deal.“I can't have our Madam doing all that hard work alone, so I will have a few maids assist you, if that is okay with you.” The head chef revealed."Sure, I can live with that." Eva nodded her head and the head chef quickly called three maids over to assist Eva while they cleared a space for her.A few minutes later, Eva was done preparing the cake. “Madam, we can handle the rest from here, we will let you once the cake is ready." One of the maid assisting Eva told her after she placed the cake in the oven.“Alright, thank you for assisting me." Eva didn't bother to argue with the maid, she nodded her head and asked one of the maids to lead her to the living room, since she didn't want to go back to the bedroom. She was really starting to consider taking the tour Tasha had offered her but she couldn't find Tasha anywhere.Eva sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. She scrolled through the chan
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