"I wonder what will happen to Ava now that Lydia is back.""But I thought Alessandro really loved her.""No matter how good you are in charming a man, nothing beats a first love."Eve's eyes remained shut at the set, earplugs blocking her ears from the rest of the world. She feigned ignorance when the makeup artist regarded her puffy eyes with pity in her eyes, and pretended she didn't hear any of the words spoken about her.None of them was after all anything in comparison to the ache slamming into her heart.Alessandro hadn't returned home last night, nor had he called her back.She had stayed up for a good part of the night, waiting, staring at the diamond wall clock and her phone, and then looking at the front door.But Alessandro hadn't done as much as leave a text. He had stood her up in that restaurant while the staff gossiped and muttered shit about her.Yet he hadn't bothered...Eve dug her fingers into her palms to dull the emotional avhe that was spreading through her hea
'Trouble in Paradise' was the headline which dominated the entertainment news that week, with pictures of Alessandro and Eve, then Alessandro and Lydia.She was compared with Lydia and had fans rate them both, picking who was more suitable for Alessandro.She received calls from popular news channels who wanted to interview her regarding her husband's affairs.Even her in-laws called asking why she hadn't stopped it. Journalists made a crowd at the sets, disrupting their activities, and also camped in front of the mansion.Throughout the week, Eve felt absolutely humiliated. She wished for the ground to open up and swallow her whole she wouldn't have to put up with this.It was most embarrassing since she and Alessandro had projected themselves as a happy couple.And to make matters worse for her, there were constantly issues at the Johnson Corporation due to Harry's inability to do anything.He was more incompetent than Eve had feared, and they ended up losing business deals and cli
Chairwoman Wilson-Stark was in designers' pants and unique tailored suit jacket that was both professional and sexy. Her blond hair was packed in a chignon, and her blue eyes sparkled like crystals beneath the spotlight.People stood as she walked with confident elegant steps, bowing as one would welcome a Queen.Security filed up and stood on both sides, enabling her to walk in the middle.Like an empress.Alessandro Stark wondered if he were in a joke of a dream.All those times his wife had been on the phone with Leonardo, and even when she had met him, he had simply assumed that she was having an affair.But she had been carefully making business plans with him!Mixed emotions burned in his chest. He was both in awe of her and mortified at the same time.How many other things did he not know about his wife?Eve's stilettos clicked against the floors, her perfect frame encased in that suit. As she got closer to him, the reality hit him harder. Yes, it was she who had fixed an ap
Alessandro entered the mansion in the evening after a long meeting with his legal team, to see his wife in his room.She sat cross-legged, looking elegant with her hair let down in long straight style. In the dim indigo and blue lighting of the room, his wife was like Cleopatra dressed in that suit and stilettos.Coupled with the glass of red wine she was nursing in her hand, Alessandro stared for a moment, something wrenching in his guts.Damn her for being so unpredictable, unlike the selfish vain Ava he knew before. This was exactly the reason he was still unable to get past those nights they had shared.But how could she? When she was even more addictive than the wine in her hand and hotter than the fiery flames..."Can you shut the door? The staff shouldn't witness us fight, should they?" That soft and yet commanding tone...Alessandro killed something within him and lifted himself from the wall.He hadn't even realised how long he had been leaning against it, gawking at his wi
Wife, Mom, CEO, Actress, Model.The traffic on Ava's social media accounts was crazy. The agency finally hired a media handler on the second week, after it was clear that Wendy would slump and fall ill with the tons of work facing her.Offers poured in from all directions, and although Eve had wanted to take a break from the recently concluded shoot, her agent had convinced her to accept a role."We need to cash into this obsession fans currently have with you. Baby, the importance of a celebrity is fleeting, you won't always remain relevant unless you entertain your fans."Those words from her agent had pushed Eve to choose the role of an assassin who killed for the government in power. "It's badass, but shouldn't you work on a hallmark romance or something?" Eve hadn't shared that opinion with her manager. Romance was a no-no for her, specifically now.Alessandro barely slept in the house anymore, and whenever she saw him, it was when they crossed paths on their way to Zoe.The t
One Week LaterIt was Eve's first time of being in such star-studded event, surrounded with celebrities she had admired over the years.It was difficult to remember that she was here as Ava, who was also a celebrity and therefore resist the urge to blush like a teenage fan girl when they came to take pictures with her."I saw the trailer, you were killing it!" "Oh my God, your acting is so good, I should do a commercial with you soon." Eve was overwhelmed by the support she was receiving, and held herself from doing something silly like jump up and ask for autographs.It was weird to see fans in the flesh, requesting for her autograph and screaming when she smiled at them.This had been her in England and London as a student, framing the few autographs she got and using the rest as wallpapers.It was weird how fast things had changed. "Hey, Ava, I think we have enough pictures now. Let me show you to your table." Wendy who was dressed in black like most of the guests said to her,
"Baby shark do do do do do do baby shark..." At this rate, Eve was going to lose her voice.She returned home exhausted after shooting some commercial or a movie and working at the office to baby Zoe who now insisted on being sung to every day.And her best song just happened to be the one that took all of Eve's breath."Mo..mmy shark..." The little kid sang along with a tone that was tiny and lacking every rhythm.But despite the stress associated with it, it was a joy to see her laugh with gum which was starting to get filled with baby teeth.Zoe was a delight, and Eve felt guilty for not spending enough time with her due to work.Which was why this Sunday which happened to be a day off at the set for her, and since she also didn't have to go to work, she decided to take the kid on a shopping spree and amusement park.Zoe sat at the back in the kid's protective seat, giggling and muttering words which filled Eve's heart with joy."Daddy shark do do do do do do..." Eve sang along to
"You are saying you want to start looking for Ava right now?"Leonardo Vince sat across Eve in her office, the morning sun making a play of the shades of green shimmering in his eyes."Yes." Eve replied, and turned the laptop in front of her towards him.It was that picture that Alessandro had shown her of Ava in a sex club.It was blurry, but she intended to begin her search from somewhere anyway. The young attorney nodded, adjusting his big rimmed glasses to take a proper look at the screen.While he took his time, Eve reclined into the executive seat and continued, "I looked into it of course, and because our company isn't focused on tech, I can't get the information I need from our database, hence..."This time, Leonardo picked up what she meant, and completed the statement for her."You will use Alessandro's, when the collaboration begins."Eve neither affirmed nor denied his words, but rolled her seat towards the window, the silver locks of her hair reflecting against the rays
Seven Months Later An orchestra ensemble was playing softly in the most luxurious hall in the heart of New York. It was one of the properties Alessandro Stark had gifted his fiancée, Eve Wilson, when he proposed to her months ago. Their love life had swept the whole of America by storm, especially when the Ava Wilson that the whole world had known as Alessandro's wife exposed everything that had happened on TV. The months after Ava had surprised everyone by telling the truth for the first time in her life had been a rollercoaster. At first, fans were confused since they had just realised that the celebrity they loved all those months hadn't been Ava. It had been difficult for Eve who took to interviews with Alessandro by her side, apologising for deceiving the world. But finally, after series of hate comments and legal battles, the Johnson Corporation had returned to the hands of Eve Wilson, the original owner whom the late Mrs. Rebecca Johnson had handed the company to. Durin
It started out as a kiss, but soon went beyond a mere locking of lips.It was like having two souls merging together, hearts locking in an eternal bliss which completed them both, and made them whole.He tasted her tears which rolled down to her lips, his palm cradling her face like a babe as their eyes fluttered shut.His fingers glided down her arm and cupped her waist, slipping into the shirt and moving around to her toned stomach...Except that it wasn't flat anymore, and that unmistakable bulge had him stilling his movements.His fingers stopped moving, his lips wrenching from hers with a pop."Is this what I think it is? You're pregnant?" His eyes were wide open in bewilderment, his tone ladened with shock and delight.It reminded Eve of the drawer full of pregnancy kits, and she stepped away from him, breathing hard and walking towards a seat."Eve, why are you not answering my questions? When were you going to tell me that you are carrying our baby?" That rage was returning t
It was one thing to be a lover of kids all her life, but Eve soon realised that carrying one's own child wasn't as fun as she had imagined it to be.She had barely entered into the second month of her first trimester, and she already felt like she was carrying a trailer on her stomach.She was blotted and weak most of the time, and going to work had become a tedious task.For instance, being around so many daycare kids whom she had taken pride in being their teacher before, now gave her headache,And also filled her mind with fears of taking care of her own kid properly.She felt nauseous and heavy and everything simply had her overreacting.It was nights like this, when she returned to her apartment with take out that she missed Alessandro, terribly.The last time she checked, he was unaware of her existence and was gracing the covers of magazines with Ava by his side.Eve forced her feet to move, a bead of sweat rolling down her temple from climbing the stairs.The elevator had brok
"I wonder why we've been forced to sit with this classless family of cheats and gold-diggers. I can't believe we all fell for your stupid pretense!"Anastasia Stark was clearly enraged where she sat across the Wilson family in Alessandro's spacious living room, her long legs crossed in front of her.Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were in their best clothes, dressed like they were being hosted by the president of the country.They ignored the angry Stark girl and turned away from the entire Stark family, staring at the television, clearly unbothered.It was only a matter of time before all their plans fell into place.In fact, based on the good news they had received from their star daughter, Ava, the one who had always brought money home, not the other self righteous Eve, it was only a matter of minutes.Soon, Alessandro would come down with Ava by his side and make a grand announcement, and they couldn't possibly imagine what it would be.But knowing how wealthy he was, he was probably going to
The door to Alessandro's study opened stealthily, and a teary eyed Ava came into view and leaned against the wall, her lips pouted cutely.Alessandro looked up from the screen of his laptop and reclined into his seat, pulling off his glasses."Hey baby, you know your cousin is lying right?" She employed that sweet tone capable of melting ice as she sashayed into the study.Alessandro who sat cross-legged in the executive seat rolled it to her direction and beckoned her to sit on his thighs.Ava smiled softly and perched on his powerful thighs, wrapping her arms around his neck."Daniella is lying, she's been trying to get me to have a threesome with them but I refused, then she ganged up with Anna and decided to set me up. You know I would never do that to you, right?"She was unbuttoning his shirt as she spoke, batting her baby blues at him. Alessandro slipped his fingers in between hers, halting her activity."Yes, I know that the woman I married would never do that." Ava smiled
One Month LaterWinter in the U.K. was one thing that Eve hadn't missed during her stay in America.It was extremely colder this year, and she had to stuff herself in large sweats and jeans, paired with scarves around her neck and head warmer.But the only advantage the clothes had was that Eve wasn't mistaken for Ava on the streets, which had been happening a lot these days.Apparently, she had underestimated how popular her twin's name and image had become when she was living as her.But now, as she walked the streets of London, she kept her head low, aware of Ava's image and ad videos on the billboards surrounding her.Some of them were of her twin with Alessandro, covering the pages of magazines and headlining events together.It hurt to say that they looked good together, as though there was no difference between them.Eve halted at a bus stop just in time for a bus to pull over, and she stepped into it, conscious of the curious eyes alternating between staring at her and looking
Morning came with unbearable pain, as reality crashed down on her.How much did it hurt waking up to the man she loved who had just declared that he was also in love with her, knowing she had to be on her way out of his life soon?Eve struggled with so many emotions, tempted even to ditch her sister for once.It was even more painful when she noticed that Alessandro had been awake for a while, staring at her with his head propped against his palm."Morning, beautiful." He muttered softly, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, his eyes glinting more brightly than the morning sun."Hey" Eve said in response, and he took her hand, bringing her palm to his lips and leaving a soft kiss.Her heart fluttered, butterflies dancing in her stomach.Alessandro made a face, playfully, "Well, I was expecting more than a hey from my wife who just declared her undying feelings for me last night. You feel like bursting with all the love you have for me, right?" The shameless narcissist!Eve pushed
Lies lies lies. Eve was determined not to fall bait to whatever her sister was planning, and pushed herself upwards to her feet, dragging her wet clothes with her and walking past her delusional twin. Ava was either cooking up something or just hallucinating, and Eve wasn't going to be her pawn. First she had accused Alessandro, and now Leonardo? She almost made it to the door when a voice halted her in her steps. 'I am sorry for sending those messages to the douchebag, but Eve wouldn't divorce him despite that I promised to help her! I only thought that he would be forced to leave her and show her his true colours if he found out the truth, that's the only reason I agreed to work with Bella.' It was clearly the voice of Leonardo, and Eve turned slowly, stunned to her bones. Ava was holding up her phone where those damning words were coming from. "Wh.. What?" Eve stuttered. Ava sucked in a deep breath and came close to her, taking her hands and leading her to the bed again.
Months ago, Eve had prayed for this moment when Ava would return and she could go back to her normal life.But now, her head was swirling and her heart aching as reality crashed down on her.Her lips hung open, but no words could come out of it.She was still thinking of what to say when footsteps padded on the grand stairs, shattering the block in her train of thoughts.It could be anyone who would walk in and see her with her sister.Eve started to panic, her fingers trembling and tightening around the door knob, but she soon felt herself pulled into the room, the door shut quietly,Leaving her alone with her sister, whose expression proved that Eve wasn't hallucinating as she had hoped."I...um, you are...back?" Eve stuttered, her brain barely able to function amidst all the thoughts and anxiety blocking its passage.Ava smiled and took her hands, pulling her into a hug."Thanks so much for standing in for me, sister. I will take it from here."Thanks for standing in? She could tak