While Eva was busy with her business in the bathroom, Nathalia sat on the bed waiting patiently for her best friend with a smile on her face.****"Ugh! I hate it. It looks hideous and weird on me, Thalia." Eva complained with a frown, expressing her hatred for the dress while running a tired hand through her hair. There were bags beneath her eyes from the endless night of tossing and turning around in bed without falling asleep."You've been saying that for the other dresses I've picked out for you and what is up with your wardrobe? Since when did you become a nun?" Nathalia remarked as she threw the dress on the bed.Eva sighed for the nth time. Ever since the incident nine months ago on her wedding day which made her the laughing stock of Miami, her confidence had reiterated to the last limit. The glittering twinkle in her eyes from being engaged to Mark had vanished long ago leaving only dead, lifeless eyes.It wasn't easy for her to lose everything in just a single span of one ni
The two ladies quickly garnered attention immediately as they walked into the lobby and headed towards the entrance. With each step Nathalia took, her wavy hair would sway and bounce as the wind ruffled the edge of her yellow layered dress. Even though Nathalia didn't mean to gain attention her beauty was already doing the job.The men they walked past had their eyes widened in bewilderment as they couldn't help but leered and took a second glance. They were all shamelessly drooling at the sight.Eva had a smirk on her face when she noticed the reaction of the people around them. She was too surprised since she was already used to these looks whenever she walked with Nathalia.While the two ladies chatted away, Eva was unaware that the men were actually staring and admiring the stunning beautiful woman beside the supermodel Natalia. Although Nathalia wasn't a woman whose beauty could be ignored, she was a seductress as many called her. However, the woman next to her was on another lev
An hour later, Nathalia had cleared almost two clothing sections for Eva and the hands of two sales attendants were already full. "Tilly, I think that's enough shopping for today. I'm already tired and it's not like I have a place to wear all this dress to." Eva expressed her thoughts. She tried to persuade her best friend to end this shopping hour and let them return back home."Enough? I'm just getting started and if you're tired just go and sit over there I'd do the rest of the shopping for you. We aren't leaving this place until I'm satisfied." Nathalia stubbornly refused as pointed in the direction of the small living room that was set in the boutique. "Besides, from now on you now have to go out with me, take it or leave it." She added, leaving now room for argument.Eva sighed again, she knew it would be impossible to persuade Nathalia anymore now that she is in her shopping mood.They kept walking around the boutique section, while Nathalia kept picking whichever clothes ca
Eva was taken aback when another hand suddenly grabbed the same purse. She was a little surprised when she raised her head up to look at the person who had also sighted the same purse as her.The person who had grabbed the purse was none other than Christine, her younger stepsister. When Christine and the other four ladies arrived at the bag section, they were happy to see that the boutique had some latest designs of bags and purses. While they were picking out the bag they preferred, Christine sighted the red Chanel purse that was placed separately from the other bag. She was captivated by the beauty of the purse. Most especially she was surprised that she was seeing that purse there, because she couldn't find that brand of purse in any boutique she went to.Without further delay, Christine immediately went towards the purse but she saw a hand grabbing the purse, she immediately grabbed it but to her surprise the person was a little bit faster than her. When she looked up to see
Sil was utterly frightened by Eva's demeanor but she couldn't back down because it would ruin her reputation and people in the boutique already had their attention on them."Yes, I am. What are going to do about it, huh? Did you think you still held the power you once had in the past" Sil confirmed that she was talking to Eva after regaining her composure.Eva scoffed when she heard Sil. She took a few steps but still maintained some distance between both of them. "Can you really handle the consequences of what I'm going to do to you? You should think very twice before starting a fire you can't put out. Unlike you I don't start shit but I'd gladly tell you how it would end." Eva gaze was so meanancing that Sil was forced to take a couple of steps backward."Sister, don't be offended at Sil instead it should be you should get angry at because Sil was only saying that protect me." Christine said from behind Eva."Christine!!" Trish yelled but Christine waved her hand to stop her."It's
"You're still such an ungrateful wench!" Reah yelled angrily."Ungrateful? Did I argue with her when we both grabbed the purse? Even though I was the first person to grab it first. I let it go but Christine kept trying to push it to me." Eva retorted back with a calm expression."What is all this ruckus about?" A voice bellowed loudly. Everyone turned around to see who it was this time around. The voice belonged to a man around his forties, everyone froze when they saw the man approaching. However, one would think they had that expression on their face because of the man who just spoke, they had their gaze locked on the man who was walking beside him wearing an expensive three-piece business suit with his hands inside the pocket of his trousers.The man who had caught everyone's attention was none other than Damien Cross. The Cross Enterprise had invested in a lot of business. Therefore, this is one of the boutique operating under one of Cross Enterprise subsidiaries. Damien was here
"Enough, you're just as pompous as you ever were but before you talk about our flaws then you should take a look at yourself and look where you ended up with all your knowledge. It doesn't seem like you ever learned about what happened to you in the past." Sil pointed out the fact, hoping that her words would tarnish Eva's confidence."It's very concerning when you couldn't spare your sister from your fury and bullied Christine when she was only trying to be nice to you." Reah remarked.Eva scoffed with a raised eyebrow, "I understand if you're trying to protect your friend. However, you should know that Christine would have been kneeling on the cold hard floor on her two knees and be in a pathetic state already if I was truly bullying her. You should be aware that isn't an understatement since I'm very famous for that and you have also experienced it for yourself in the past." Eva revealed, locking gaze up to Reah's face with an intimidating look. Reah gulped in fear, unable to say a
"I apologize that you had to endure that Miss Nathalia. It wasn't my intent that your friend would have to experience this kind of thing on her first visit to our stall. I'm sorry, Miss. Our staff should have handled the situation more effectively." The manager immediately apologized to Nathalia and Eva respectively."Oh, that's okay. Besides, those ladies have a lot of unsorted problems with me, since I've also not been a good influence. And, you don't have to get angry at Miss Maria because I was the one who told her not to interfere, she was only following my order." Eva stated. "O-of course, if it was your order she was following, I have no problem with that." The manager replied. Even if there was a problem he couldn't say it.He turned to look at Damien. "Mr Cross, please excuse me, I have to take care of some matters quickly." He requested.Damien nodded his head, giving him the permission to leave. "Thank you, Sir. Maria follows me." He thanked Damien before signaling Maria to
Eva buried her face in his shoulder, her fingers gripping his shirt tightly. Memories from the past threatened to overwhelm her, but Damien’s calming presence kept her grounded.“Relax,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “I’ve got you.”“Can I ask you something?" Eva asked as she pulled back to look at him.Damien gave her a slight nod which was a permission for her to ask as he caressed her cheeks.“That night at the hotel……I mean the first time we met…..”" What night?” Damien questioned, cutting her off. Of course he knew what Eva was talking about but he just chose to act like he didn't know.Eva creased her brow slightly when she heard his question. “I'm talking about the night we both had a one night stand. You remember everything that happened, right?" She asked. This time explaining what she really meant.“Hm. I do. Why did you ask?" Damien replied, wondering why she was asking about it all of a sudden.“Nothing. I just wanted to know if you still re
Eva tilted Damien’s face down to her level, trying to ease the strain on her tiptoes. But he had a different idea. Before she could react, she let out a soft yelp as he swept her off her feet, effortlessly lifting her.She couldn’t help but chuckle. “You really don’t know how to carry someone properly, do you?” she teased, though her head instinctively nestled against his shoulder, finding comfort in his embrace.Damien smirked but didn’t reply. He carried her to the plush couch in the corner and sat down, settling her gently on his lap. His arms remained firmly wrapped around her waist, holding her as if afraid she might vanish.“I like you, Damien,” Eva said softly, raising her head to meet his intense gaze. “I really, really do.”Her heartfelt confession washed away the last remnants of his frustration. It was as if her words had the power to calm the storm raging inside him.“But…” She hesitated, her fingers brushing against his jawline. “If we want this relationship to work, you
Her eyes, usually so bright and full of life, glistened with tears that fell in unrelenting streams. Those beautiful eyes, once akin to brilliant stars, now reflected nothing but hurt. He stepped toward her instinctively, but she moved back, widening the distance between them.Regret struck him like a wave, heavy and suffocating. He hadn’t intended to push her so far, to break through her boundaries in this way. He only meant to test her resolve, not to wound her so deeply. Now, guilt and remorse clung to him like an oppressive weight as he stood frozen, unable to undo the damage he had caused.“Look away…” she begged, her voice shaking as she pressed herself against the glass window.Despite how she promised her to never win Damien over with her tears, she couldn't control herself. She swore she would never cry over a man as she had done with Mark in the past.“Eva,” he whispered, stepping closer, but she held up a trembling hand to stop him.“I’ll stop bothering you,” she stammered
He spun around quickly, only to feel a sharp pang in his chest at the sight before him. It was the first time he had seen her cry because of him, and the experience was nothing short of devastating. The sight shattered his heart and left his mind reeling, stripping away any semblance of reason. All he could think about was holding her, comforting her, and making the pain disappear.“There’s nothing to talk about,” Damien said, his words cutting through the silence like a blade.Eva felt her heart shatter, each syllable ripping through her chest. A wave of unbearable pain swelled within her, threatening to crush her completely.“Damien, I—”“Let go of me.” His voice was sharp, cold, and gruff, the irritation laced in his tone striking her like a physical blow.Eva opened her mouth to reply, but no words came. Her lips trembled, her eyes stung, and her throat tightened with unshed tears. She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry, not again, but it was a battle she was losing.“No.” Her
As the minutes ticked by, her breathing evened out completely, and Damien could tell she had fallen into a deeper sleep. He leaned back slightly to observe her peaceful face, but her hands gripped his shirt tighter, pulling him closer.“...Damien…” she mumbled, her voice barely audible.His eyes widened at the sound of his name on her lips. A soft smile crept onto his face.“I’m here,” he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her damp forehead. At first he thought she was awake but seeing how tightly her eyes were shut, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. Was he expecting her to say something?“D…Damien….. I-I….” She suddenly grumbled some gibberish which made Damien look at her again. Knowing that she was only sleep talking and would end up saying something confusing, he raised his hand up and stroked her hair again. However, he stopped when she spoke again."...You..." He frowned, realizing he’d missed the first part of her murmuring."Even in your sleep, you're such a tease,"
At three in the morning, Damien silently wandered through the dim hallways of the Black Mansion. He was impressed by the high-level security surrounding the estate. The electrified fences, guard dogs pacing near the main door, and laser beams hidden within the hallways were all expertly placed—but nothing could stop Damien.The soft glow of the full moon seeped through the tall windows, lighting his path. After a few moments of searching, he found a door with a golden plate engraved with Eva’s name.He pushed it open, the door clicking softly as he locked it behind him. His footsteps made no sound on the polished floor, but a faint, heart-wrenching cry made him halt in his tracks.“No... I’m sorry…”Damien stiffened. His sharp gaze snapped toward the bed where delicate muslin curtains draped down from the canopy.Her muffled sniffles and broken sobs were like knives stabbing at his chest. The sound of her despair pulled him forward, and he gently pulled back the curtain.The sight bef
The next morning, Doctor Sam arrived at the mansion to check on Eva. He ensured her bandages were clean and properly dressed before prescribing a regimen of light exercises, such as daily walks in the garden.George, ever meticulous, had ordered medical supplies to be delivered from the hospital, including IV bags and a drip pole. No one dared question his decisions, knowing better than to challenge the formidable patriarch.After ensuring everything was set up for Eva’s comfort, George prepared to leave for work. Before departing, he gently patted her head.“Eva, I’m heading to the office now,” He said.Eva looked up from her thoughts. “Why are you going to the company?” she softly asked. She remembers that her grandfather said he wanted to stop going to the company and that was why he appointed his son, Raphael as the CEO of the company. “That’s because your uncle has gone on a business trip and there are matters that need my attention at the company.” George calmly replied and exp
Moments later, Damien’s phone buzzed with a message.“Don’t be mad at Eva anymore, Damien. Just return her calls. She needs you.” — Nathalia.His lips curled into a scowl. Nathalia’s meddling had gone too far this time, but he couldn’t deny her words hit a nerve.Eva’s trembling figure flashed in his mind, and for the first time in hours, he felt the stirrings of guilt.………When Eva arrived at the main mansion, the new staff were visibly startled by the sight of a grown woman trembling in fear of thunder. Old Butler Song, however, was unperturbed. Familiar with her childhood anxieties, she quickly took charge. Leading her to her room, she had the curtains drawn, the windows locked, and the lights turned on.She ordered warm milk with honey and instructed the staff to bring in a noise-canceling machine. Soft piano music played in the background to drown out the thunder’s rumble. Once Eva drank her milk, she fluffed her pillows and persuaded her to lie down.At last, Eva succumbed to sl
As they left the hospital, George’s gaze remained fixed on the pouring rain outside the car window. His normally unshakable expression revealed a rare hint of worry.“She’s fragile,” he said, almost to himself. “This environment does more harm than good.” He didn't want her to leave the hospital since she just woke up but it seems like it is not helping at all.Lately, he has been digging deeper into Eva's past and how she had been living her life when he had ignored her. Even though the information he got wasn't clear, he was able to find out that his granddaughter had developed some mental health issues but during the time she had disappeared, she was able to recover herself a bit. He just hoped the thunder combined with the irrational fear of the hospital wouldn't bring back any dangerous harm to her because he wasn't willing to take that risk.Julian glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Sir, will the young miss be returning to the hospital for further treatment?”“Not unle