"Hi, welcome" "Hello Sabrina. We brought some wine" Mason said handing her the bottle. She took it, forcing a smile as her eyes darted to Eva. The look on her face was different. Normally, she was either pretending to be happy or she let her dislike at being there show. Family dinners weren't her thing. "You didn't have to but thank you" stepping aside she motioned for them to go in "The food is almost ready. I hope you like..." "Did you make lasagna again?" Eva cut in. To someone who didn't know her, they'd think she was just joking "Sabrina, you need to learn how to cook something else" Ah, there she was. "Says the person who can't even fry an egg without burning it" there was a few seconds of silence where they challenged each other. Sabrina wanted to see if Eva could say anything in front of Mason. He wasn't Linc. He wouldn't assume they were joking with each other. "Ouch" she said then laughed awkwardly "I'll stop taking jabs at your lasagna" "Thank you, that's very n
The moment she turned on her phone, it vibrated with messages, calls, and voice calls. Eva scrolled through them. Noting that most of them were from Lincoln and Pippa but none from him. She didn't expect him to still want her in any way just as she didn't want him. Not anymore. Settling on the white leather couch in her dressing room, she dialed Lincoln's number and waited as it rang. Her mind drifting off to the day she'd gotten married. "What does off the market mean?" Lincoln bellowed the second he answered. "Hi, uncle Linc. How are you? I'm doing great. Thanks for asking" she said sarcastically. Whenever she added uncle before his name, it kind of calmed him down. Reminding him he was just that. An uncle. She appreciated everything he'd done for them but there were aspects of her life he wasn't allowed to judge or interfere with. Besides he hadn't done anything when Rossy got married and moved to another country. "Why didn't you tell me you were engaged
"If it isn't the great Mason Adler and his bitch. Howdy folks" "Walk away Lauder. Or I'll make you" Alden hissed from beside him. "You really do go above and beyond for your bestie. Don't you Greaves?" Mason kept his eyes on her. Observing her every move and reaction. He couldn't believe she was high or that she'd come out like that. Since when did Eva start using drugs? He'd never seen her do it when they were together and if she has, he would have noticed. He wasn't that blind. What happened to her after she'd left? Where had she gone and most importantly why would she marry this asshole? Shit, it was none of his business what she did or didn't do. They weren't together anymore. If something was wrong with her, Lauder should be the one to worry. Without a second thought, he spun around and went to the bathroom. He could be civil with business rivals, even have a drink or two with them but never with Remington Lauder. Mason couldn't stand being in his presence and he didn't mind
"Mason? Hi. Uh... Come in" Sabrina stammered, shocked that he had gone to visit them. Surely, he had to know that Eva had gotten married. Whatever happened to them? Hadn't Eva said he was the one? "Thank you and I'm sorry for showing up unannounced" "No, no, no, it's fine. You're welcome here anytime. What can I get you? Tea? Coffee? Something stronger?" "Coffee's fine. Thank you" "Okay, make yourself comfortable," She said heading to the kitchen "It's been a while. How are you?" "Fine. I've just been busy with work" Why was he there? Could it be about Eva or something else? They were all shocked by her revelation but there was nothing they could do. Last they heard from her, she'd given them the same excuse she always gave them whenever she didn't want to see them. She was busy with a new project. Sometimes it was true, other times, it was a lie. She hadn't told anyone she was engaged or married. As usual, Lincoln had been pissed but it was too late. He couldn't change any
⚠️ Trigger warning⚠️ Mentions of suicidal thoughts. "You can go without them today" Eva told the reflection in the vanity mirror. She wasn't some drug junkie. She could do it. And she would. Picking up the lipstick, she spread it over her lips and smacked them together. Telling herself she was beautiful "Smile. You're beautiful when you smile. Smile Evangeline" but it was so damn hard. How much longer could she hold the smile this time? She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was get back in bed and close her eyes. For a long time. Minus the nightmares. But Remington expected her to go down for breakfast. It would be fine if it was just the two of them since they wouldn't even bother talking to each other. He could say everything he wanted and all she needed to do was just ignore him. But with Florence there, not only did she have to keep up a lovely conversation with her so called husband, but she also had to let him touch her. With his hands and lips.
He sat in the dimly lit restaurant, waiting patiently. He'd booked the entire place so he could punch anyone if he felt like it. There were five more minutes left and if that bastard so much as showed up a minute late, he wouldn't spare him. They'd met in university and since Alden was a social butterfly, he'd tried to befriend him. Claiming that they needed a third member in their little circle so they could be the three musketeers. Remington looked like he could fit right in. He was fun, outgoing, and loud. Just what Alden was looking for. At least that's what he thought back then. A month into their friendship, he started noticing a pattern. All the girls Alden supposedly distracted so they would shift their attention from him, somehow ended up as Remington's girlfriends. Mason didn't think much of it. He thought maybe they were his type and if they willingly went out with him then there was no problem. But then when they went out, he would try to get them drunk. And when that did
She slept like a baby or was it an angel? He'd been watching her for the last hour as his fingers traced circles on the smooth skin of her face. After tearing into him about the honeymoon suite, she'd finally taken a shower and he'd coaxed her to eat a few more bites before she fell asleep. Now that her makeup was off, he could see the dark circles under her eyes, indicating that he'd been right about her being tired. He thought about the ceremony that was two days later and how she'd feel when she found out about his plans. Mason knew she was going to hate him but there was nothing he could do. Curing her was more important than how she felt toward him. Sighing, he picked up her phone and used her fingerprint to unlock it. Then he went to her P*******t and clicked on the wedding board, trying to see if he could find something close to her dream wedding dress. He took a screenshot, sent it to himself then put Jack to work. Aside from him, no one else knew about his plans. His parents
He could have forced her. In fact, his original plan had been to get her drunk then drag her to the chapel and get married. No one would think anything of it because they were in Vegas. It was the norm for people to get married while they were intoxicated. But he'd wanted to give her a choice. Although, technically, she didn't have one. He would marry her whether she liked it or not. A small part of him thought she might yes if he asked her so he did just that. While they were out, the staff set up the room like they had when they arrived. He didn't want to ask her in public in case she didn't like it and stormed off and he'd been right. When they went back, he pulled on her hand, stopping at the door. She raised peculiar eyes to his. "What? Don't tell me you're already addicted to gambling" she asked. He pulled her into him and kissed her. The first since she got divorced. Since she left. Eva was stiff for a few seconds and Mason inwardly prayed she wouldn'
"If that call has lasted more than five seconds, consider yourself..." "What? Fired?" Eva retorted, reminding him of the first time he'd met her. She'd changed but at the same time, she was still the same person who had changed her clothes in his office while he watched. Back then, he'd known he would never forget her. "In trouble. Who are you talking to?" She took the phone off her ear and pressed a button. A woman's voice came through "... decide which cover you want. I've emailed you the samples" "Yes, Miranda. Thank you for calling. Please email her the rest of the conversation, she'll get back to you when she isn't busy" Mason cut the call. "I still had a few questions to ask" "You were supposed to join me in the shower ten minutes ago" he said his hands busy unbuttoning the summer dress then pushing it off her shoulders. She only wore panties underneath which he also slid down her legs. On his way up, he palmed the little bump. Soon she was going to start showing. He
"Hey" she whispered through the crack in the door. "Let's go" "Where?" "Hurry up before..." Mason trailed off when he spotted someone else standing behind her. "Before what? Also, this is her sister. Eva is busy. She's not going anywhere with you" "I can't sleep without her, mom," he said ignoring a grinning Rosslyn. Sometimes he forgot Eva had a carbon copy of herself. Aside from the hair, he couldn't tell them apart. But he was confident that with time, he would be able to find that one difference between them without relying on their physical looks. "He sounds like when he was five insisting he couldn't sleep without his stuffed animal. Would you like me to put you to bed Mace?" "No, I want my wife. Stop hiding her from me" two days. He hadn't seen her for two days and he was getting antsy. It wasn't as if it was their first time getting married or sleeping in the same bed. Why were they preventing him from seeing her? "You'll get to see her tomorrow after the wedding
"A spanking?" Why did her voice sound so small? It was supposed to be sexy and seductive. It had taken her a long time to settle on that particular piece of lingerie. The lace garter covered half of her stomach which was supposed to hide her belly and make her feel confident but instead, she felt ready to bolt. Mason's eyes were on her, his gaze dark and burning. In the past, it used to make her feel empowered. Beautiful. Strong. But now, she wanted nothing more than to pull the blinds of the tall windows, so she could hide behind the dark. The sky outside was grey, lights already shining in the city below them. Eva moved towards him. Telling herself that if he loved her, he would have to accept her imperfections. She was done trying to be perfect. When she stopped beside him, he hooked a finger on the strap behind her thigh and gruffly commanded "Turn around" she obeyed, turning her back to him "Fuck Eva, your ass looks even better than I remember" she startled when his teeth sunk i
"Now what?" He'd held her as she cried, assured her there was no one else then her stomach decided it wanted food so they were sitting in her small dining room while she moved the salad she'd ordered for herself around the plate. "You should eat, Eva, and don't tell me you're not hungry" she was glad to see he was back to his bossy self. He hadn't changed one bit. He was still handsome and fit and so breathtakingly gorgeous while she'd let herself go. She didn't care what she wore, indulged too much in unhealthy food and it showed. She grabbed a salad once in a while and went worked out when she felt like it. But she was happy. After living under so much pressure, she liked not caring about her public image or what people would say. Until she saw Mason. Now all the doubts were creeping in. What if he didn't like this version of her? She'd worked on getting it back. Had been forced to peel away the so many layers she'd stacked on top of each other in order to get to that one. If he did
"Why don't they deliver?" "Their delivery guy was run over yesterday and they're looking for a new one. The guy isn't dead. He's at the hospital. Imagine how sorry they were that they felt the need to explain themselves. Poor guys" "Get to the point, Pippa" "So, yeah, that's what happened. I would pick up the food but I have an appointment with my OB/GYN. Cravings are a bitch, Eva. Please just pick up the order for me. I'll owe you big time" it sounded like bullshit. "I haven't been back for long but you're already a pain in my ass" "I love you too. I'll text you the order details. Thank you" she hung up. Eva removed the phone from her ear and stared at it. Wondering how she'd gone from Pippa's boss to her assistant. She'd ordered from the restaurant they'd gone to four days ago and she wanted her to pick it up for her because their delivery guy was unavailable. If she wasn't pregnant, Eva would have rolled her eyes and gone back to working. Shaking her head, she grabbed her
Tick. Tack. Tick. Tack. "Sir?" "Something's not right with this contract but I can't put my finger on what it is" "Shall I send it back to the legal department?" "Yeah, you do that. Tell them to find out what the problem is" he said pushing the papers away and leaning back on his chair. If he wasn't so distracted, he would have figured out what the problem was. But he couldn't concentrate on anything. Hadn't been able to do it since he bumped into Eva yesterday. It took him a moment to realize his secretary was still standing there "What is it, Marsha?" "You're still holding the pen. Is there something else I should do?" "No. Leave" "Are you sure sir?" "As sure as I am that if you don't close that door behind you in the next five seconds you'll be out of a job" "I'm right outside. Tell me if need something else" she said closing the door. Alden threw the pen on his desk and ran his hands over his face. Why had she come back? Two years had already passed and Mace was ju
"I couldn't go through with it""Why not? I'm sure they would have been happy to see you" Eva snorted "Yeah right. I'm sure anyone in their right mind would be happy to see someone who framed them and almost caused their miscarriage. Let's be real, Rossy" "I asked Linc and he said you were more than welcome to go see them. And before you lose your shit, it was a hypothetical question. He doesn't know I'm in contact with you. But he's an agent, Eva. If he wanted to find you, nothing could stop him" But he hadn't. Because he was still mad at her. "Anyway, I'll go visit them some other time" she'd gone to see them but the moment she arrived, she'd chickened out and drove away from there as if the devil was on her tail. Part of her recovery was being able to handle rejection without ape shit and she believed that she could. Just not at the moment. "Like some time this year or next year?" "Get off my case. I have stuff to unpack" she said eyeing the boxes
TWO YEARS LATER "Morning Ava" she grumbled a response, her mind miles away. But Lilly wouldn't be Lilly if she didn't jump in front of her and command her attention "I said good morning""Good morning to you too. Now can you get out of my way?" She snapped at the young woman who only smiled. Undeterred by her tone."What are you cooking up in that head of yours today? Could it be more adventures of our beloved couple?""Out of my way. I'm in a hurry""If you give me a sneak peek, I'll do your coffee run for the rest of the month""I never should have spoken to you that first day" she had been the first person to speak to her. Showing up at her door with an apple pie as a welcome to the town, then her eyes had gone round. She introduced herself and Eva made the mistake of telling her that she had a niece whose name was Lily. Since then, Lilly had taken it upon herself to introduce her to the rest of the town "Don't let her glare scare you off, she's real
"Why Mr. Adler, are you nervous?" "A little" he admitted sheepishly, feeling like a teenager who was about to do it for the first time. Only Eva could make him feel like that. They'd had sex on every surface of the apartment but it still excited him to know he would be inside her soon. Feel the way her body squeezed him and shook when she came around him. Reacquaint himself with every dip and curve. She took off her sweater laughing, making him smile. He loved it when she laughed. "I'm pretty sure it's not your first time" "Doesn't stop me from being nervous" "Lose the clothes, Adler" she ordered, heading upstairs. He followed her, undressing as he went. At the landing, she stepped out of her skirt, throwing a sultry look over her shoulder before veering off to the bedroom. His cock came alive, reminding him how long it had been since they were together. He'd jerked off to his hand more times than he could remember. Not wanting to pressure her into anything. At some point, he e