CHAPTER 5: WHO'S EVA

CARA’S P.O.V

 “It’s all happening so fast…and it’s so exciting and so romantic…and so…soooo beautiful” I was so filled with happiness that I felt that I would burst with excitement as I spoke to my sister Joyce over the phone, spilling the secrets of my new romance. “I can hear your happiness and excitement through the phone Cara and you deserve every bit of it. So tell me more…What does he look like? Is he handsome? What is his personality like? Is he full of fun and jokes or is he stern?” she asked, sounding as excited as I was. “Well, I wouldn’t say that he is the most attractive looking man that I have seen, but Joyce, he is charming. He has the most cheerful laugh and most beautiful smile. He is stern yet humbled and he never fails to make me smile or laugh.” I was lost in my thoughts of him as I spoke to my sister, so lost that I didn’t even notice someone coming towards me.

“Don’t be a fool!” an angry voice grabbed my attention. “Cara who is that? Is everything okay? What’s going on?” Joyce’s voice filled with concern as she asked these questions. “I’ll speak to you a bit later Joyce,” I said and hung up. “What did I do?” I asked a very angry Lily, who started laughing hysterically. “What did you do? Really? Oh please Cara! Don’t act so innocent! Just drop the act!” she spat at me. “What are you talking about? Why are you so angry with me? Is this about Mr. La’vardo? If it is then I think that you have misunderstood a few things” I shot back at her. I’m not some uneducated imbecile that would just stand back and take her insults! I would stand up for myself and fight for my dignity and respect! “Oh really? Is that the case? What have I misunderstood? I overheard the entire conversation that you were having over the phone. DO you really think that he is going to fall for you? A maid? Don’t be fooled besides everyone will know that you are just after his money! A Little Ms.Gold digger, aren’t you?” her accusing words gripped my heart. “That’s not true! And I’m not just a maid, I’m his friend too! You are just jealous of the FRIENDSHIP between Mr. La’ vardo and I” I defended myself. “Friendship? Is that what it is when you have been pouring all your romantic secrets over the phone? Don’t be so naive! He would never love someone like you! You can’t match up even a little bit to his Eva! He is just using you to forget her! But his heart would never belong to you as it belonged to her! He would never love you like he loved his beautiful Eva! Her beauty was that of a goddess compared to that of a maid like you! For all the years like he was lost in her bright green eyes do you really think that he would find love in your simple brown ones. For all the years that he ran his fingers through her shiny blonde hair, do you really think that he would be taken away by your unkempt, overgrown brown broken spiral staircase hair? Kissing her bright red plumped lips, do you really think that he would be satisfied kissing your plain dry lips? WAKE UP CARA! He had a woman as extraordinary as Eva, do you think that he can love someone who is below average, such as yourself?” she laughed at me while driving my self-confidence and ego right down to the core of the Earth. “You seem to have been more in love with Eva than he was, describing her with such intricate details! Oh and don’t forget that you are just an ordinary maid as well! Stop holding your head so high like a goddess!” were my last words before I left the room, not allowing her to see the tears which I could not control…

‘Eva? Who is that? How come he has never mentioned her? Is it too late for me? Do I love him too much to turn around now? Would he ever love me like he loved her? Would he ever love me? Does he really feel the same way about me like how I feel for him?’ I thought to myself as I paced back and forth in the garden outside the mansion.

“Hey! Are you okay? I noticed that you didn’t have dinner with the rest of the ladies…are you having dinner with my brother tonight as well?” Emma asked, her hands folded against her chest, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face as she stood in front of me in happiness and confidence. “Emma! Who is Eva? Please tell me! I have to know, please, I beg you” I ran to her, my hands on her shoulders, shock on her face as she watched me in my most desperate state. “Eva?” she asked, turning pale as if she has seen a ghost by just hearing her name. “Yes, Eva! Emma…please tell me who she is!” I pleaded. “Eva…Eva is my brother’s fiancé” she said, my hands fell off her shoulders as her words crushed me. “Fiancé?” I repeated her words in disbelief. “Well…Ex fiancé” she corrected. “I haven’t seen her around since…well since… ‘The incident’. I overheard him talking to his lawyer about a divorce, but he never really said anything to me. And I was to afraid to  remind him once again about that awful time by asking him about her or what’s going on between them” She explained. “What incident?” I asked, I needed to know. “Fine I’ll tell you” she sighed. “My brother was madly in love with Eva. He was so in love with her and her beauty that he couldn’t see the ugliness inside her heart. Until he came early form a business trip one day and caught her in bed with another man” She explained. “She cheated on Mr. La’Vardo? I don’t understand how a person can cheat on a man like him. In fact, I don’t understand how a person can cheat. There’s no sense behind it. ” I spoke my thoughts out aloud. “Yes and I know my brother. He is a really truthful and loyal man. He is a ruthless tycoon in business world and puts on a mask as being heartless at times, but Cara when it comes to love he is romantic and a true gentleman. He is a very sensitive person with a fragile heart. He changed a lot since he threw her out, he has grown harsh and has been filled with anger, so much of anger that he really did turn into the heartless person that he pretended to be. He lost himself in his work and shut the doors of happiness. But Cara when you walked through the doors of this mansion, it’s like you reopened the doors to his happiness as well. I’ve never seen him this happy before, not even when he was with her. He seems so full of life these days, he is glowing from the inside. He is happy and it feels almost like the sun has rose after many dark nights. He is our sun, Cara because when he is upset no one in this house can be happy. He is my only brother, in fact, he is my only family. He is all that I have, he is my everything and I would do anything that you want me to Cara…I would give you anything that you want, all I ask is for you to  continue doing whatever it is you do that makes him happy” she said. “I really don’t want anything Emma. But Emma, he loved her so much…I was such a fool Emma. Emma – I – I have fallen for him. I am in love with your brother Emma” I confessed, my head hung low as I battled to keep my tears at bay. “To be honest, from what I have seen, the feeling is quite mutual” she said, giving me a smile but my brows remained furrowed with worry. “I don’t know Emma. I have never felt this way before. I had a boyfriend back home and I have been with him for 3 years, but Emma not once have I ever felt this way about him. Whenever I see Mr. La’Vardo a wave of happiness takes over me. I can’t think clearly because my mind is always on him, I struggle to fall asleep too because I’m always thinking about him and when I do manage to fall asleep then he comes in my dreams as well. I’m giddy and so filled with happiness that I feel like it would burst out of me…it’s like a flower growing inside of me. Being in love…it’s the most amazing feeling yet the most scariest as well because if all this happiness can come from just having Mr. La’Vardo in my life, then I would have to face the same amount or double this amount of sadness when he leaves and I don’t think that I would be able to handle that” I expressed my fear.  

“Don’t worry Cara. Just enjoy these blissful moments. What’s meant to be will be and always remember that everything happens for a reason. Now let’s go inside and check if there are any leftovers, I’m famished” she said, easing all my tension, I followed her in…