"You've done a good job but your efforts are still lacking a bit. I want you to upgrade their level as a VVIP and they will be treated as such every time you come to this restaurant." Mr. Smith instructed in a commanding tone."I understand you, Sir." The manageress responded sharply even though she was surprised by the chairman's declaration, she wouldn't dare question him, not at this moment when he was still offended with her.“There was one more task you needed to do for me." Mr. Smith' informed the manageress while looking at Daya, Lisa and Shelly in a disregardful manner. "Tell me if I'm wrong but earlier, I think I overheard these three women demanding that you throw out both Eva and Lucien out of this restaurant because their presence was causing an inconvenience to them, am I right?""Yes, you are correct, Sir." The manageress replied instantly."Meanwhile, you were also about to carry out that order but stopped after I intervened." The old man remarked again with a questio
Eva chuckled lightly as she found the old man's response to be through. Her grandmother would certainly react in the manner he had described. In spite of that she was still greatly concerned about the fact that this issue could cause a big loss to Mr. Smith's restaurant and she desperately wanted to avoid that."Grandpa, I won't deny the credibility of your word and we weren't kicked out of the restaurant because you prevented that from happening. There are still tons of restaurants we could go to even if we were kicked out of this place so it's nothing serious." Eva muttered playfully."Yes, I managed to stop this dimwit from kicking you out but the mere fact that ordered you to do so in the first place was outrageous. I'm not saying this only because it's you but they need to understand that all customers should be respected regardless of appearance and status." Mr. Smith pointed at the manageress as he retorted back at Eva. “Besides, you have done a big favor for me and this resta
Despite the fact that they were a little bit confused, no one dared to utter a word about. Mr. Smith is one of the big shots in Miami and he is not a person to be trifled with in society, even if the business clients that came to his restaurant were also popular, they couldn't dare go against him because it was their utmost gratitude to be given a chance to do business with him.“You gentlemen can't leave just like that, allow my manageress to escort you out of the restaurant.” Mr. Smith stopped the gentlemen who were to leave before he turned to the manageress. “I need you to escort these esteemed guests and see them out of the restaurant.” He instructed.“Yes sir,” The manageress bowed as she glanced at the gentlemen. “Please, follow me.” She said while gesturing the gentlemen out of the room.“Grandpa, we will be taking our leave now.” Eva announced to Mr. Smith.“Since you guys have brought a car, let me escort you guys to your car instead. That way we can catch up a little bit.”
Dan who was driving glanced at both siblings through the rear view mirror and his lips stretched into a smile. He had missed seeing them bickering with each other like this because he was already used to it whenever Eva came to pick Lucien up from school like she had done today. However, he had been a little bit concerned about Lucien lately who always had a gloomy expression on his face for the past few months that Eva hadn't come to pick him up and he knew it was due to the fact that he couldn't reach Eva after her wedding day. But seeing the way Lucien had a small smile on his face he felt relieved, he also had a daughter around the same age as Lucien and he could guess that the cause of Lucien's gloomy attitude was because he missed Eva but due to Lucien's personality he wouldn't admit it.“I have made up my mind.” Eva muttered as she raised her head up still clinging onto Lucien's arm. “Dan, take us home.” Eva declared.“Are you sure about your decision?” Lucien suddenly asked w
A couple of minutes later after Lucien left the room, there was another knock on the door and on the command to enter the room from Eva. The door opened and a maid entered the room with a tray of food in her hands.“G-good evening, Young miss. Here is your dinner, Ma.” The maid greeted nervously while stuttering.Eva eyed the maid for a few seconds wondering why she was nervous for no reason, but then she recalled that she has never once been nice to the maids to working in the mansion so it the reason why the maid was shaking in fear.“Put it over there and leave.” Eva said as she pointed to the table in the room.“Y-yes ma'am.” The maid quickly placed the tray of food where Eva had pointed to and scurried out of the room immediately.“Tsk……annoying.” Eva muttered after the door was closed by the maids. She stood up and walked towards the tray of food to eat. However, just as Eva took a couple of spoons into her mouth she heard Matthew's loud voice coming from downstairs.“What an u
The next morning, after Eva took her bath and changed into one of her dresses she had in the wardrobe in her room. Eva was hesitant to sit down at the breakfast table , but she had no choice because she was hungry. Reluctantly, Eva went downstairs to the dining table.She paused in her pace when she sighted her father who had a scowl on his face, beside him was Laura who had her lips curled up into a crafty smile.“You're here already, sis? Come, I've saved you a seat near your favorite food.” Lucien gently patted the seat next to him.“She should be sitting by my side.” Laura spatted only to be ignored by Eva who took her seat beside Lucien. With the terrible tense atmosphere at the dining table, Eva was sure that she would be having indigestion.“Here, your favorite.” Lucien calmly said, while placing a poached egg on Eva's plate while passing her a small grin.“This is also your favorite.” Eva chuckled at his gesture. “As the older sister, I should be letting you take it instead. B
Eva balled her hand into a fist when he mentioned her mother in such a disregarding tone. She felt anger slowly burning in her as the urge to lash back at Matthew creeped up in her. However, Eva took a deep breath to calm herself, since she knew that both Matthew and Laura would be expecting some kind of reaction from her and she didn't want to give them that joy to enjoy. “At least you admit that I'm good looking.” Eva didn't even blink at Matthew only to remark shamelessly.“You…….why are you even here? What are you doing here?!” Matthew yelled loudly. He can't understand why Eva wasn't fazed by what he just said, he wasn't expecting her to have such a shameless side in her. Could it be that she doesn't care about her mother anymore and using her mother to irk her up does not work on her again?“Can't I come back to my house anymore? Whether you like it or not, father, I'm still the eldest daughter of this family and household so I have every right to be here.” Eva replied calmly.
Lucien opened the card and began reading it without waiting for any one.‘To the girl with the most unique personality I have ever met.’ Lucien read from the card that sent Laura paling with confusion and then realization. Lucien ignored the expression on Laura's face and continued to read the rest of the words in the card much to his mother's grievance. ‘Although it's a little bit late to send a gift, I really enjoyed our previous date and I'm looking forward to having another date with you very soon. Yours truly, the desperate heir.’Silence engulfed the entire room, immediately Lucien finished reading what was written in the card. No one said a single word and every pair of eyes snapped their attention towards her at the same time as if they already knew the truth.Eva's eyebrow also shot up in amazement, when she heard all the things that Lucien had read out. She was expecting the content in the letter to be Matthew's sappy words to Laura since she claimed that it was a gift from
“I... I’m starting to think Eva might be trying to sabotage me. You know, with the awards coming up, and her growing popularity... I just have this feeling she’s trying to push me out of the competition,” Christine said, her voice trembling slightly as if she was on the verge of breaking down. She knew Mark would respond to weakness, to vulnerability, just as he always had.Mark’s voice was low, filled with annoyance. “What do you mean, sabotage you? She’s already got the public on her side. What else does she want?”“I don’t know, Mark. But I can’t shake the feeling that she’s behind some of the things happening to me lately,” Christine continued, carefully planting the seed of doubt. “She’s been getting more endorsements, more media attention... She’s always one step ahead, and I feel like she’s using me to boost her own career. Maybe she’s trying to push me out of the spotlight, making sure I don’t have a chance to win.”Mark was silent for a moment, processing the information. Chr
Eva didn’t respond immediately. She could feel the seriousness in Everett’s words, and for a brief moment, the playful rivalry between them was pushed aside.Everett’s eyes softened slightly as she looked at Eva, a rare glimpse of concern flickering in her gaze. “What are you going to do about her? She’s the one who caused my accident but had that person lie he was a fan, right? Also with the recent things happening, I can tell she’s been pulling strings, trying to break you down.”Eva's expression hardened, her grip tightening on her wine glass. “I’m not sure yet. But Christine’s time is running out.” She gave a slight, bitter laugh. “I won’t let her destroy me.”Everett studied Eva for a moment, her face unreadable. “Be careful, Eva,” she said quietly, her tone more serious than Eva had ever heard. “Christine’s dangerous. And she’s got a way of making everyone believe her sweet little act.”Eva took a deep breath, looking away briefly as she processed Everett’s words. The concern wa
The day of the event arrived, and Christine was glowing with victory. Dressed in an elegant gown, she enjoyed the attention as she mingled with industry elites, knowing she was now the headlining speaker.With Eva out of the picture, this was her moment.Then the doors opened.Gasps rippled through the crowd as Eva walked in, effortlessly poised, wearing a breathtaking designer dress. The cameras instantly shifted toward her, flashing in rapid succession.Christine’s smile faltered. “What is she doing here?”Before she could react, the event host stepped onto the stage, microphone in hand.“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special surprise. While there were some scheduling changes, we’re honored to have Eva here tonight.”Christine stiffened. “What? That’s impossible!”Eva merely smiled, making her way toward the front.Kai had pulled the right strings behind the scenes. Even if she wasn’t an official speaker anymore, she was still one of the biggest names in the room—and the audience
Christine was livid. Every attempt to ruin Eva had backfired, and now, the industry was beginning to suspect foul play.Her carefully crafted innocent image was slipping, and she refused to let that happen.Gripping her phone tightly, she dialed Tanya, her voice sharp the moment the call connected."Tanya, listen carefully. I don’t care what it takes—pull every string, bribe whoever you need to, but make sure Eva does not attend the upcoming fashion event. I want her out, completely.”Tanya hesitated. “Christine, are you sure about this? Maybe you should—”“Don’t question me!” Christine snapped, her frustration boiling over. “Do you think I have the luxury of waiting? Eva is already taking the spotlight. If this continues, I won’t even be considered for the Top Ten Models Award!”Tanya sighed. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do. But Christine, be careful. You’re playing a dangerous game. If this backfires, it could cost you everything.”Christine scoffed. “Please. Eva won’t be able to prov
Christine sat alone in the dimly lit hotel, her fingers lightly tapping against the side of her untouched wine glass. The usually confident and composed woman looked lost in thought, her expression unreadable as she stared at the city skyline beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.Everything she had planned against Eva had backfired spectacularly. Instead of destroying Eva’s reputation, she had only fueled the public’s admiration for her. The industry was turning against Christine, and the narrative was slipping out of her control.A soft click of heels echoed through the room, breaking Christine from her thoughts.“Christine?”She turned her head slightly, finding Tanya standing near the entrance, a curious look on her face.Tanya was one of the few people Christine trusted—or rather, tolerated—because she was useful. Smart, cunning, and always willing to play dirty, Tanya had been by Christine’s side long enough to know exactly how far she was willing to go to get what she wanted.“Wh
A few days after Mark successfully cleared his name from the Harper Luxuries scandal, Christine sat alone in her dressing room, her perfectly manicured fingers tapping impatiently against the vanity table.She had tried everything—sabotage, whispers in the right ears, carefully placed rumors—yet Eva always came out unscathed. Every plan Christine devised had crumbled before her eyes, and it was beginning to drive her insane.If indirect tactics didn’t work, she had to change her approach. This time, she wouldn’t hide behind shadows. She wouldn’t need to.Instead, she would manipulate the situation so well that Eva would ruin herself.All she needed was the perfect stage.---An exclusive fashion gala was set to take place, attended by top designers, influencers, and media elites. Both Eva and Christine had been invited as brand ambassadors for their respective labels.Christine smirked to herself. This was it. The perfect opportunity.She had carefully arranged for the media’s attenti
The dim candlelight cast a golden glow over the elegantly set dining table. A soft melody played in the background, filling the room with warmth. Christine had spent hours preparing this—his favorite dishes, the finest wine. Tonight had to be perfect.She glanced at the clock anxiously. Mark would be home soon. And she had to fix this.The front door finally opened, and Mark stepped inside. His face was tired, his eyes dark with frustration. He didn’t even glance at the romantic dinner she had prepared. Instead, he sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.“Christine, what is this?” His voice was cold.Christine swallowed and stepped toward him. “A dinner. For us.”Mark scoffed, shaking his head. “A dinner? Christine, do you have any idea what I’ve been dealing with? My father’s furious. Investors are backing out after the Harper Luxuries. I've lost of funds.” His voice grew sharper, filled with exhaustion. “And do you know what people are whispering? That my own fiancée might
The silence between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, but Damien wasn’t one to leave things unresolved. He turned slightly, his piercing gaze fixed on her.“Why didn’t you ask for my help?” His voice was calm but held an edge of something deeper—something close to frustration.Eva, who had been absentmindedly tracing the rim of her wine glass, glanced at him. A small smirk curled her lips, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.“Because it was something I could handle,” she said simply. “Like always.”Damien’s expression remained unreadable, but his fingers curled slightly against his knee. “And if you couldn’t?”Eva shrugged. “Then I would have asked. But it wasn’t time for that yet.”That answer didn’t satisfy him. He exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. “Eva—”“I know what you’re going to say,” she interrupted, meeting his gaze head-on. “You think I should have let you take care of it. But Damien, I don’t always need you to fight my battles. Sometimes, I want to win them on my own
Eva sat on the couch, feeling bored. The scandal had caused too much noise, and going home—where the paparazzi were undoubtedly lurking—was out of the question.With a sigh, Eva reached for her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Her finger hovered over Damien for a moment before she pressed the call button.The phone rang twice before his deep, smooth voice came through. “Eva.”Just her name. Nothing more. But there was something in the way he said it—low, controlled, yet sharp with attention—that made her exhale slowly.“Hey,” she murmured, leaning against the plush headboard.Silence. Then, “What’s wrong?”She almost smiled. He always saw through her.“I can’t go home,” she admitted, rubbing her temple. “The reporters are camped outside. And after today’s interview… they’ll only get worse.”Damien didn’t answer immediately. She could hear the faint rustling of papers, the click of a pen, before he finally spoke. “Where are you?”“Penthouse suite at the Grand Royale,” she repli