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
“Are you about to leave?” Eva asked, because that was the only reason why he would be in the room.“Yes, the driver is waiting outside for me.” Lucien replied.“Alright, let's get going.” Eva muttered as she grabbed her hand bag ready to go out of the room.“Why are you coming with me?” Lucien asked with a frown on his face.“Simply because I want to see my younger brother off to school. Let's go.” Eva smiled at Lucien before walking to the door.“You creep me out whenever you smile like that.” Lucien commented as he followed behind Eva, who smirked at his statement.Both Eva and Lucien walked out of the house and entered the car that was waiting for them. Eva already guessed that Matthew must have left for company since she didn't see him again downstairs when both she and Lucien walked out.Eva pulled out her phone from her handbag and decided to check the internet to see whether the scandalous picture of both her and Damien had already been taken down from the internet. And just as
Although Damien never ordered him to keep tabs on Eva's every move and report to him, Shane felt like he should let Damien know what she was doing now since it was obvious that Damien seemed to be interested in Eva. This was the first time he had seen Damien interested in a woman ever since he had known Damien. He was also sure that if Damien's grandfather who was none other than the patriarch of the Cross family heard about this sudden change in Damien, a smile would grace his old wrinkled face. Shane made up his mind to help out his boss to win Eva for him even though he got rejected.Damien paused for a few seconds when he heard Shane report without raising his head up from the file he was going through. He hadn't asked Shane to report such things but he still found the information quite useful to him at the moment.Shane waited for a few extra minutes hoping that Damien would say anything but it was futile because Damien didn't raise his head or utter any word as he only focused o
“Plans? What plans do you have? Besides, who was that beautiful lady that came to see you yesterday? I've never seen her before.” A young girl who had also been listening to the conversation between Lucien and his friend quickly buttressed into the conversation with curiosity. She was among one of the girls that were following Lucien yesterday.Lucien glanced at her for a few seconds with a blank expression on his face. “And why should I answer that question?” He replied coldly with a question.The girl was flustered when she heard Lucien's response. Though she was curious to know who Eva was to Lucien, she was secretly jealous of the fact that Lucien actually ditched them yesterday because of Eva.“I-” She was suddenly interrupted by the school bell. Lucien didn't say anything else as he slung his school bag over his shoulder and strutted out of the classroom.When his friend saw him leaving the classroom, they quickly stood up from their seats also and followed behind Lucien.Outsid
“You should have urged me no matter how hard I tried to not listen.” Eva groaned. “And would you listen if I was persistent?” Lucien questioned. He had purposely stayed behind with Eva today, because he was already expecting this situation.Eva snorted, it was true she wouldn't have listened nonetheless if he was persistent. “Whatever.” Eva groaned and eyed Lucien's suit jacket and a sly smile creeped up on her face.She turned her head and saw a light blue Porsche 718 Cayman pulling over the pavement leading towards where they were standing. Realizing that she didn't have much time to go back inside and change out of this dress- not that she was going to change it easily without arguing with Laura. Eva turned to look at Lucien who was also staring at her with a suspicious gaze. “Give me your clothes, Lucien." Eva demanded. "I knew you were up to no good when that creepy smile appeared on your face. But thanks, I can't give you my clothes, they would smell like you.” Lucien looked
When she returned back home, Eva made up her mind and decided to ask Lucien the reason why he disliked Lucas on first meeting quickly. Right now, without uttering another word for bothering to look back, Eva entered the car and sat down in the passenger seat. immediately, she took her seat. The scent in his car made her swallow the words of appreciation she was about to utter. “Smells of sunflowers.” Eva silently mumbled.“I heard that they are your favorite flowers, so I branched into a flower shop and got some for you.” Lucas said, flashing Eva a quick smile before starting the car.Eva frowned at his comment before she spoke. “Who did you hear it from?" she questioned.“A little birdie told me." Lucas replied with a teasing smile on his face. Eva blinked, the little birdy he meant was either her father or Laura. She expected as much. Eva turned her head and glanced out the window, she thought Laura was the one that went ahead and set her up with another blind date, however, it tu
Lucien entered the living room with his usual quiet air, his school bag slung over one shoulder. His dark eyes, cold and unreadable, briefly scanned the room before landing on his mother, Laura, seated gracefully on the couch with a teacup in hand. Her posture was as poised as ever, but Lucien’s sharp gaze detected the faint smugness that usually lingered after one of her scheming conversations with Christine.He said nothing, brushing past her with the silent intent of heading upstairs. His long strides were interrupted when Laura called out, her tone laced with a false warmth."Lucien," she said, setting her teacup down. "Come here for a moment."Lucien stopped mid-step, his back stiffening. He slowly turned around, his expression blank but his sharp gaze silently questioning her interruption.Laura’s smile wavered under his cold stare, but she maintained her composure. "Christine just got back a while ago. Why don’t you go upstairs and greet her?"Lucien raised an eyebrow, crossing
Christine stormed into the Carter mansion, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor, her jaw clenched tightly in frustration. She tossed her designer bag onto the couch, her lips pressed into a thin line as she paced back and forth. The events of the day replayed in her mind like a relentless reel—Eva’s smirk, her cutting words, the way she had effortlessly dismissed Christine in front of everyone. It was a humiliation Christine couldn’t stomach."That woman," she hissed under her breath. "She always finds a way to one-up me. How does she always come out on top?"Laura, who had been sitting in the adjacent room sipping tea, looked up as her daughter’s angry footsteps echoed. She set her cup down gracefully and stood, smoothing her dress as she approached Christine."Christine," Laura said in a calm, measured tone, "what’s the matter now?"Christine stopped pacing and turned to her mother, her eyes blazing with frustration. "It’s Eva! She humiliated me again today, in front
Once the deal was official, she turned to leave the meeting room with Gwen and Trix at her side. They made their way down the sleek hallway of HB Industry, their footsteps echoing on the polished floors. Just as they neared the exit, they came across Christine and her entourage, who had just arrived.Christine’s eyes widened when she saw Eva. Her usual fake smile quickly appeared, though there was a slight tension in her features. Eva wasn’t sure whether to laugh or feel disgusted as Christine approached her.“Sister!” Christine said, her voice sweet and syrupy as she stepped forward. “I am so sorry for being late. I didn’t mean to hold up the meeting like this. I just got caught up in some last-minute details.”Eva’s expression remained neutral, but she couldn’t help the slight roll of her eyes at Christine’s words. She had no intention of entertaining Christine’s faux apology, but Christine wasn’t finished yet.“Oh, and about last night,” Christine said in a tone that was just loud
In the sleek, minimalist meeting room at HB Industry, Eva sat at the center, sitting by her sides were none other than Gwen and Trix, with her official company lawyer at her side. They were all dressed sharply, the atmosphere tense as they awaited the start of the meeting. On the other side of the polished conference table, Mr. Carl and his HB Industry team sat with the Whyte Corps representatives, their suits impeccably pressed and faces expressionless.It was a rare sight to see Eva waiting this long, especially for a meeting she had no patience for. She had already signed the contract in her mind, but the delays were irking her. The anticipation of what was supposed to be a routine procedure seemed to drag on indefinitely. The room had grown uncomfortably still as they all waited for the meeting to start. Eva’s fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of her chair, a subtle gesture that spoke volumes about her impatience .With a soft sigh, Eva glanced at Gwen and Trix, silently expre
She stood at the doorway, adjusting the strap of her handbag as she prepared to leave for HB Industry. Damien followed her to the entrance, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, though his piercing gaze gave away his reluctance to let her go.“Don’t forget to call me if anything comes up,” he said, his deep voice steady yet tinged with a protective edge.“I won’t,” Eva replied with a small smile. She turned to open the door when his voice stopped her.“Wait.”She turned back, one brow raised in question.“You’re leaving without giving me a proper goodbye?” Damien asked, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips.Eva blinked, caught off guard by his request. “A proper goodbye? You’re serious?”He stepped closer, the warmth of his presence wrapping around her like a cocoon. “I don’t joke about such things. A goodbye kiss is mandatory.”Her cheeks flushed slightly, though she masked it with a playful roll of her eyes. “Fine,” she relented, taking a step toward him. “But I’ll only give yo
After a pause, George returned to the phone. “Damon Cross,” he said, purposely mispronouncing the name to irritate him.Damien felt his nose twitch at the deliberate and grating mispronunciation of his name, but he maintained a polite tone, reminding himself he was speaking to an elder. “Yes, Grandfather?” He replied smoothly, emphasizing the title in retaliation. Two could easily play the game of pettiness.George resisted the urge to march over to the banquet and knock some sense into the boy for daring to use that title. Grandfather? He scoffed internally. ‘If you want to call me that, first show me a ring on her finger—and then give me some great-grandkids before you even think about it! I wonder what that useless grandfather of his taught him.’“Now listen clearly to me. If she stays at your house, it’s for tonight only. And if I find out you’ve done anything improper, I’ll personally see to it that you’re castrated. Do you understand?”Julian, overhearing the threat, nearly cho
---As the banquet neared its end, Damien escorted Eva to his car. He fully intended to take her home—to their home—hoping to spend the night by her side. But his plans were thwarted by an all-too-familiar figure: her meddling grandfather.The moment Eva settled into the car, her phone rang. Damien, still holding the door open for her, frowned at the sound. When he saw the caller ID, his expression darkened further. Of course, it was him.While Eva answered the call, Damien’s sharp eyes scanned the area. Hidden in the shadows near the back entrance, a figure lurked—one of George’s men, undoubtedly there to keep tabs on her. His presence only worsened Damien’s mood.“Yes, Grandfather, I’m leaving the banquet now,” Eva said into the phone, her tone polite but weary. “Yes, I’ve made a few connections… I’m heading home? No, not to Damien’s. I know, I know, there will be more rumors if—”Before she could finish, Damien snatched the phone from her hand.“She’ll be perfectly safe with me,”
Eva turned to him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you do this?" She lifted her gaze to meet his, realizing he had been watching her the entire time, his piercing eyes fixed solely on her. She had heard whispers, unconfirmed reports that Lydia was behind the replica of the blue dress that was sent to her. But to see her now, reduced to this state, it seemed the consequences of her actions were almost... excessive. "Yes," Damien replied without hesitation, his tone calm but firm. He tried to guide her out of the banquet, his hand lightly pressing against her back, but Eva stood her ground, refusing to move. "Why?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Damien’s sharp eyes narrowed at her question, his jaw tightening. What did she mean, why? That woman had orchestrated her public disgrace, and now Eva was hesitating, questioning the justice served? Did she not understand that showing mercy to enemies was akin to betraying herself? "She was responsible for your humiliati
Christine’s nails dug into her palm, her anger simmering beneath a mask of civility. She longed to lash out, but Damien’s presence reminded her of her place. Any wrong move could lead to her downfall.“It’s unbecoming to insult others so publicly…” Christine’s voice was a deliberate attempt at calm, but it lacked conviction.“The truth often stings, get over it.” Eva replied coldly, her unapologetic tone reinforcing her dominance. The crowd e were not even surprised by her response because they were used to this behavior of hers, but they were taken back by Christine's sudden desire to argue with Eva.Wasn't Wasn’t Christine supposed to be the passive type, the one who ended arguments rather than starting or joining them? The sudden shift in her behavior was beginning to alter everyone’s perception of her, casting doubt on the image she had so carefully cultivated.Dusti standing nearby with a glass of wine, observed the scene with quiet amusement. Eva’s sharp wit was refreshing, a st