Four

She followed him all the way to England. Mason couldn't believe his eyes when he spotted Eva sitting at one of the tables with some guy and pretending to not see him. He knew she was crazy but this was just too much.

When she'd first shown up at the restaurant, he'd thought it was cute how she pretended to be surprised. He knew she had asked his secretary of his whereabouts because he was the one who'd given Mary permission to tell her where he was. It would be absurd to admit that he wanted to see her too so he settled on playing the game with her. He would let her think that she was winning then snatch away her victory just as she was at the finish line.

Acting like he hadn't needed her help was hard. Mr. Philips was playing hard to get, knowing that he had the upper hand over him. But the second he saw Eva, things changed. Adler got the upper hand just by knowing that crazy woman. He was grateful that she'd helped him but since he had to keep his act up, he pretended to be angry. If she was smart enough she would have realized that it wasn't a coincidence for the table next to his to be empty.

What he hadn't seen coming were her dinner plans. He thought she would brag about helping him and never let him live it down but to invite herself over to his house? That had been a shock. One that had made him realize that he might win this game in the end but end up losing something more precious. That was the reason he'd packed his bags and ran to England. A little distance from her would do him some good. Who knew that she would follow him?

While Mr. Henson, the man he was meeting for business, went on about the advantages of his company partnering with his, Mason stole glances at Eva. She looked serious, as if she was in a real meeting. For the first time he realized that she might be there for business too and not for him. It was conceited of him to think that she would board a plane to England just for him. But as he was about to look away, she turned her head, smiled at him and went back to talking to her companion. Mason breathed through his teeth.

That woman was going to make him end up in a mental asylum. How could she not have any shame? What she was doing was called stalking. He could report her to the police for disrupting his life. Yeah right Mace. What would you say? "Excuse me officer but that stunningly gorgeous woman is following me around and even though I like that she's obsessed with me I also don't want her anywhere near me?" Who would waste their time lodging such a complaint?

"Mr. Adler, are we in agreement?"

"Huh?" he blinked realizing that he hadn't heard what the other man had said. Clearing his throat he replied "I'm sorry Mr. Henson. I'm still jet lagged and I haven't had any sleep for the past two days. Can we reschedule this meeting?"

Henson cocked his head slightly to study him "I've done business with you for over three years now and it's the first time you don't seem like yourself. I'm inclined to believe that you really don't feel well. I'll give you two days Adler. Rest up and take care of yourself"

"Thank you. I'll see you in two days then" they both shook hands and Mr. Henson left. Mason went back to looking at Eva. She had also gotten up. Sitting back, he watched her take her bag while laughing with the guy she was with. As they were walking towards his table, he took time to study the man. He wore a maroon suit with matching Italian loafers and had an air of arrogance, probably from people kissing his ass all day long. He also knew the shoes were Italian because he had the same pair. They were a Limited Edition. He wasn't someone who put much effort into what he wore but he did his best to look presentable.

From the looks of it, the guy was rich, stylish and ready to give her the moon. He looked at her as if she was some kind of goddess or something. By the time they were near him, Mason was ready to show him who Eva really liked. So far she hadn't been able to resist him. Every time she saw him, she couldn't help throwing herself at him. Except this time. Because they walked past him without saying a word. Eva didn't even spare him a glance. Was she pretending to not know him? What game was she playing now?

He waited for her to look back and gloat or do something to acknowledge him but she kept going. Mason turned around huffing. After following him all the way to England she was going to ignore him? Did she think that she could get him to agree to be her boyfriend if she flaunted another man in front of him? Was she trying to make him jealous? And dammit! Was he really jealous?

He'd run away from her since she was getting under his skin. He didn't want to have dinner with her even though he couldn't get her out of his mind. The reason he'd decided to meet with Henson now was because he thought that he should avoid her before she got to him. But now that she was the one avoiding him why was he angry? Wasn't this what he wanted? Fuck. Springing up, he dropped some bills on the table and went after her. He found her standing in front of the hotel waving to the guy she was with.

"What game are you playing now?" he asked leaning to whisper in her ear. She jumped then turned around to face him.

"Jesus, you scared me"

"I don't believe you. This was your plan wasn't it? To ignore me so that I would run after you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You will realize that when it comes to games, I'm really good at them Miss Becker. I enjoy playing games but what I like most is winning. Don't think you can best me at anything"

She frowned "I really have no idea what you are talking about. But since you seem to have a lot to say, let's get a drink"

"A drink? You followed me here just to ask me out for a drink?" he chuckled "You're really something Eva"

"Humor me. We're in a different country. The least we can do is have a drink together mate. What say you?"

Shaking his head he said, "You're crazier than I thought. Lead the way"

Together they went back inside the hotel and sat at the bar. She ordered a coke and a scotch for him, then crossing her legs she asked "Did it really bother you that much when I ignored you?"

"No...." he started but she raised her hand to interrupt him

"Don't lie to me. You wouldn't have followed me if you weren't bothered"

"Cocky much?"

"No. But I'm old enough to understand that when a man gets angry for being ignored it means that he really wanted to have your attention from the beginning"

"Okay, yes it did. I don't understand why you would follow me here then proceed to ignore me. Unless you're playing hard to get"

"How can I play hard to get when I'm the pursuer?" she asked smiling and drawing his attention to her lips. He stared at them wondering why he was resisting her so much. Other women had thrown themselves at him and he'd had done more than accept their advances. Why was he resisting Eva so much?

"I don't get it" he murmured lifting his glass to take a sip of the scotch.

"I think you do. You understand everything and that's why you're scared to give in to me. Men do two things when they're scared. Turn around and run or do something stupid. You're the type that runs"

"I'm not scared of you Eva"

"No, you're scared of how I make you feel. You don't want to fall for me but you can't help it because it's out of your control"

Mason narrowed his eyes at her feeling angry at what she said even though it was the truth. He'd known her for less than a week and she'd already turned his life upside down. He even cancelled his meeting because he couldn't concentrate on what Henson was saying. He wasn't someone who got easily distracted but ever since he met Eva, he found his mind wandering to her. He would start thinking of what she was doing and if she was thinking about him before catching himself and chastising his behavior. She was right in saying that he had run away from her.

"Give me a break, will you?" he sighed "I admit that I came here so I could avoid you but the least you could do is give me some breathing space. I need to get my thoughts in order before I start thinking about getting into a relationship with you"

"I get it and I would do that if I could. But I'm afraid Eva doesn't know the meaning of giving someone space. She's going to pester you until you give in"

"You're cute, you know that?"

"Yes. My husband tells me that everyday"

"Husband" Mason said laughing "That's funny Eva. You have a husband and still have the nerve to stalk me?"

"I wouldn't call it stalking. If she didn't follow you here then she hasn't really started stalking you. Wait until she insists on moving in with you, then you'll know the true meaning of stalking"

"I see"

"No you don't. Let me introduce myself" stretching her hand towards him she said "Hello. I'm Rosslyn Becker Wiley, Eva's twin. It's nice to meet you Mr....?"

Mason slowly lowered the glass he was holding and placed it on the table "Excuse me?"

"Judging from your shock, I take it Eva hasn't told you about me. Which means your relationship is on its early stages. Enjoy your peace of mind while you still can"

"Eva's twin?" he asked still in shock. She had a twin? There were two of them? She looked exactly like Eva. From head to toe. The color of her hair, eyes, mouth, figure, everything was identical. He couldn't tell them apart. How had he not known she had a twin? It wasn't mentioned anywhere on the internet. Her Wikipedia mentioned something about having a sister but not a twin. She..... Dear lord. This was insane.

All this time he thought it was her. No wonder her confusion had been genuine. For a second there he'd thought she really hadn't meant to follow him because she was there for business too. It turns out it wasn't her but her sister. But why did she pretend to be Eva at first? "Why......"

"Didn't I tell you who I was?" she asked cutting him off "You're not the first man to mistake me for my sister. I didn't tell you because I wanted to know how you truly feel about her"

"Did she tell you to do this?" he stood up angrily "Was your plan to make me look like a fool?"

"Normally people just apologize for thinking I am my sister. You're the first person to actually get angry. I can see why she likes you"

"Did you enjoy making fun of me?"

Before she could answer a man approached them asking "Did you wait long? I had to sign some papers and it took longer than I expected"

"No. I had some company" she replied gesturing to him.

"Who is he?" the man turned to face him. He took one look at Mason, straightened his back then said "Just so you know we're happily married and deeply in love so whatever plans you have for my wife won't work out... Ouch" he yelped when she jabbed him in the ribs.

"This is..... I don't even know his name but I think Eva has cast one of her spells on him"

At that the man relaxed "Oh, I see. Well, in that case my condolences. If you're lucky, she'll let you go before you fall in too deep"

"Why do people keep giving me their condolences? Do all of you think that poorly of Eva?" he snapped. Rosslyn and her husband looked at each other with matching smiles on their faces.

"I'm afraid he's halfway in love with her" she told her husband.

"Poor guy. I hope Eva really keeps him or God knows what he'll end up doing"

"Excuse me, I'm standing right here"

"Eva dated a musician once. He used to sing really cool songs but now all his albums are full of sad and heartbreak songs" Rosslyn's husband said wistfully  

"What he means is that even though the guy was reluctant to be with Eva at first, he finally fell in love with her but his timing wasn't right. By the time he realized his feelings, my sister was already over him. Don't be like that man....." she stopped making him grumble,

"Mason. My name is Mason Adler"

"Don't be like that man Mr. Adler. Eva might be chasing after you now but she loses interest pretty fast. If you take too long you'll lose your chance"

"With that said, we would like to formally invite you for dinner at our house tonight"

Mason looked at them realizing that anyone associated with Eva was definitely crazy "Why are you inviting a total stranger to your house for dinner?"

"If we didn't would we have any friends?"

"Jordan's right. Don't worry, we are totally sane people. We even managed to raise a daughter for five years now and she's still alive. We're very capable, aren't we honey?"

"Yes. Although we need to go home now and make sure she's okay. The sitter called over an hour ago to say she had to leave early so she left Lily-May with Celia"

"Let's go. God only knows what that crazy witch is doing with her now"

"What about him?" Jordan asked referring to Mason.

"Thank you for your offer but I can't join you for dinner or any other meal" he told them buttoning his suit.

"You will later come to realize that I am exactly like my sister. We don't just look alike but we also have the same characters. I don't take no for an answer Mr. Adler"

"This is rich" Mason scoffed "As if it wasn't enough that Eva is harassing me, now I have to deal with you too?"

"If you come with us I will tell you everything about her. Including ways you can get her off your back. After all, no one knows her better than I do"

"Take the deal my friend. Eva offered me the same deal and to this day I've never regretted accepting it. Worse comes to worst, you'll have some dirt on her"

They both had a point. He could use some information about her. If he wanted to beat her, Rosslyn could tell her of ways to do that. At least that was the excuse he was going with. Deep down he wanted to know everything about Eva. Especially the men she'd been with and who out of those still wanted her back. Scoping out competition before entering the game was the best way to guarantee a win.

"Okay. But just so you know I'm only coming with you because I really want to get her off my back"

"You keep telling yourself that my friend" Jordan said slapping him on the back.

It turned out that Lily-May was more terrifying than both her mother and aunt combined. She fired questions at him the second they were introduced and she wouldn't stop until he answered. What was his name, what did he do, could he buy her a set of Barbie dolls on her next birthday, was he going to marry aunt Eva, and if yes, then could she be the flower girl, she also had a friend who wanted a pretty dress. Could he buy it for her on her next birthday too? Her curls were pretty but they bothered her. Could he help her tie her hair?

She liked school but some questions were harder. Later could he help her with her homework? Mom and dad only knew how to make money. They weren't clever enough to help her with her homework. God, the questions were endless. Some time later, Mason noticed that Lily-May had planted herself on his lap. He didn't realize when that had happened but the funny thing was that he liked how comfortable she made him feel. As if he was her uncle whom she hadn't seen for a long time.

It bothered him how trusting they were of strangers especially when they had such a beautiful daughter but he enjoyed every minute he spent with them. They were so much like his parents. Open, with nothing to hide. Rosslyn and Jordan made dinner while he sat at the dining table chatting nonstop with Lily-May. All throughout the meal, they told him stories of how their childhoods were and how Jordan had proposed to the wrong twin.

Later when he was in bed, he realized that they hadn't told him anything useful. He'd gone to their house to get information about Eva but instead made promises to attend Lily-May's birthday with the biggest, most expensive gift and left with mental images of Eva's childhood. They had told him every embarrassing incident that had happened. So much so that he couldn't stop smiling every time he thought of her.

Before he fell asleep, Mason admitted that he indeed liked Eva. It didn't matter how far he ran, she would always catch up with him. Instead of trying to avoid her, he was going to do everything he could to make sure she didn't lose interest in him. At least not before giving him a chance.

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