Eve dropped the large box on the couch and sank down beside it. "Eve." Ethan looked surprised for a few seconds before he retained his nonchalant look. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be recovering?""I should stay back home so you can goof around, right?" Eve folded her hands and stood up. "Ethan, are you a child to not buy your own clothes?"Ethan sat on the couch and unwrapped the box, revealing a business suit. "You got it from Jessie?""It is Jessica!""Eve." Ethan looked up. "Are you here for trouble?"Eve sighed and sat beside him. "Of course not," she grumbled. "I'm here because I've resumed work. Ethan, you could at least call me and ask about my health." Ethan scrutinized the suit and picked it up. "Take this to the thrash." He nudged the box towards her before standing up and disappearing into his private suite. Eve's eyes left his back and she grumbled some words before picking up the box. She walked out of the office and disposed of it in the trash, an
"But if I put it here, it will look made up. How about we draw up another draft?""No, we don't have time for that. Just do it like that. We've done this many times and he didn't suspect a thing." Eve pushed the door open and the voices stopped. In the room, two middle-aged men sat across each other in front of a desk. While at the swivel chair behind the desk sat a lady who seemed to be in her forties. "Who are you? Don't you know how to knock!?" One of the middle-aged men hollered. "What do you want, Young Lady?" The woman asked. "Why did you barge into my office without requesting permission?" "I am looking for the manager." Eve's eyes swept across the three people. "I am the manager," the woman answered. "What brought you here?" "Why are you asking her that!?" The first man slapped the desk. "She should be explaining herself for walking in on us without permission. Amanda, is this how you handle your employees here?" "Unless she is new, I don't recognize her as one of my e
Eve walked out of the Manager's office and headed to the elevator. She entered the elevator and leaned against the wall then blew out a sigh.The elevator dinged open moments later. She stepped out and located a trashcan nearby then tossed the document in it. Eve dusted her hands and headed toward Ethan's office. "Mrs. Anderson, come and have a look at this piece of jewelry. They just arrived last night, you'll be the first person to try it on."Eve stopped at the employees' area to check out the jewelry. "I am sure the president will be thrilled to see this on you. I'll sell it to you at a discounted price, would you buy it?""How much is it?" Eve put the ring on her finger and put on the necklace while the female employee held a mirror in front of her."It is five hundred, Mrs. Anderson, just a half million.""Not bad, Mrs. Anderson.""You look great!""It's like this necklace was made just for you.""Buy it, Mrs. Anderson. You look like an angel with it." The other employees pr
"When the heart longs for its love, the eyes see it. The heart beats with anticipation but the mind says it's a lie. The eyes see it again and the heart keeps pounding. The mind finally gives in and says it is the truth.""W–What are you doing here, Mr. Hudson?" Eve stepped aside as the man approached her. "And when the mind says it's the truth, things become clear. Inside and out, we are one. My heart, soul, and body, belong to no one but you.""Mr. Hudson, has anyone ever told you you're a bad poet? Stop following me now, or you won't like it.""I am no poet, Eve." Wade stopped walking. "These are only words from my heart.""Mr. Hudson." Eve's fists clenched by her sides and she took in a deep breath. "I have told you to stop stalking me, I even pleaded with you to leave me alone. Why are you so stubborn, or do you think my threats are groundless?""When it touches the heart, it is genuine. My eyes can see nothing else but your face. My ears can hear nothing else but your name. Whe
"Ouch! It's okay, Elena. Leave it like that." Eve squeezed her eyes shut, nudging the Stewardess's hand away. "Are you sure you're well enough to go out?" Elena stopped rubbing ointment on her waist. "Madam, you must be careful. Why don't you stay away from the Young Master for a little while.""But I have to go to the company." Eve pushed her blouse down and tucked it into her trousers. "Besides, this is my first day as a member of the AEC. I can't appear lazy.""You hadn't recovered well when the Young Master repeats it. What if something happens again–""Ethan wasn't as hard on me as he was the last time." Eve wore her shoes then stood up. "See, I can even walk properly."Elena sighed and nodded. "Whoever that Mr. Hudson is, he is definitely up to no good. You have to avoid him at all costs, Madam. He's the kind of man that only likes to go after married women. Don't let yourself fall victim to him, understand?""I get it, Elena." Eve gritted her teeth. "If he ever comes near me a
Eve let out a gasp before quickly turning around. She used her bag to cover the side of her face, then she ran off in the opposite direction. After walking around the huge skyscraper, she finally located the Cafe and her heartbeat eased down. "You are late, Mira. What took you so long?" One of the middle-aged men at Amanda's office approached her. The whole cafe was vacant. Only a handful of employees were present. They were not even more than twenty. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Clinton." She smiled and wore her bag properly. "I had to squeeze out of the president's tight schedule. You know what a workaholic he is." "Make sure this never happens again." Mr. Clinton warned. "We are always cautious, no one knows we meet up here. So you must make it seem like you don't like the food in the company's cafeteria and prefer lunch in outside restaurants.""Got it, Mr. Clinton. I'll take note of that." Employees, both male and female, old and young, sat at the tables spread across the wide cafe.
Eve stepped toward the desk and walked past the pile of documents. She stopped by the floor-to-ceiling glass window and looked out of it before tossing the document out. After dusting her hands, she returned to the couch and lay down on it, breathing out a sigh. Her eye lingered on the ceiling for a while and slowly, her vision turned blurry. Eve covered her mouth to hold back a yawn when footsteps approached the door followed by a slight knock. And moments later, the door was pushed open from the outside and a female employee stepped in. "Ehm, Mrs. Anderson– I mean, Mimi." She stopped in front of Eve and hesitated. "I got a promotion last week and the others promised to throw a party for me after work today.""A promotion!?" Eve sat up and exclaimed. "Wow, congratulations, Anna. I'm so happy to hear that.""Thank you." The employee smiled. "I– I wonder if you would like to come to the party with us. Everyone will be there.""Really?" Eve's brows furrowed. "Please don't say no."
Her head pounded in rhythm with the rapid beating of her heart. Eve's eyelids weighed like mountains as she struggled to open her eyes. A ray of bright light pierced her vision and she groaned out loud, shutting her eyes again. "Urgh. Who asked you to open the window, Ethan!" Eve mumbled and she held her forehead and turned her back to the window. Her head was still pounding as if it would explode. And her hands reached forward to touch the man. "Argh! What the hell did you do to me, Ethan? Why can't it stop?""Good morning, Beauty?""Huh?"A strange voice reached Eve's ears and her hand halted. This time, she forced her eyes open and her gaze fell on the man lying next to her with his hand propped up. "Ahhhhh!" Eve let out a loud scream and scrambled up. "W–Who, W–What are you– Why am I here!?" She asked frantically and pulled the sheet off her body. "Is that how you greet your soulmate good morning, Sweetheart?" The man smiled and sat up on the bed. "Ahhhhh!" Eve screamed again
Not every family stuck with each other forever. But forever is like asking for never. They'd all had their ups and downs. The brothers quarreled, not once, not twice, and definitely not thrice. Yet, at the end of the day, they always came back together, standing strong as one family. As Eve lounged on a recliner, staring at the vast ocean ahead, her mind couldn't help but wander to a few years back. Ethan left the company for Wade, but only to manage the one in the other city, as that city was much closer to the island. Well, they frequented here, and often, the whole family gathered here for vacation. "Mummy, I want more." A tiny voice came from her lap and Eve looked down at the baby. She'd almost been convinced that he was sleeping. Her fingers ran through his hair and she removed the straw from her mouth and let him sip the coconut juice. "This is your last sip, Evan. You can't have too much coconut." "Uhuh." The boy nodded and took a sip, but he didn't let go of the stra
"Eve, please c–calm down. Your babies must not be far," Elena tried to coax her as Eve sat on the bed the next morning, bawling her eyes out. Ethan had ransacked the whole hospital last night. They'd even alerted the authorities, and all the staff that worked in the nursery were investigated, but... Her babies were nowhere to be found, they were still missing. And the surveillance cameras caught nothing. Everywhere was dark. "Eve." The Stewardess rubbed her shoulders. "Please don't cry, it can affect your health. Even if that person is cruel enough to kidnap the babies, I don't think they'll have the heart to hurt them."Hurt her babies? Eve cried harder. "That is what I'm scared of, Elena. What if they harm my babies!?""Shhhh, it's okay." Elena hugged her and patted her back. "Don't cry, Eve. Let's keep praying. Nothing will happen to the babies, the Young Master is out there with the authorities searching for them." "M–My babies." Eve's lips trembled and she sniffed rapidly. "My
Swapping her with another baby? Eve pulled away and stared at the woman in astonishment. "Mum, what did you just say?" "I'm horrible, right?" Her mother covered her face and sobbed. "I understand if you don't forgive me, Eve. I don't think I deserve it. I wasn't in my right mind, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought..." She trailed off and kept on sobbing. Eve opened her mouth, but no words came out. The accidental swapping wasn't an accident? Her Mum did that? "M–Mum, why did you..." Eve held back her tears from falling, trying her best to control the sudden grief compounding her heart. "Mum..." "Please don't call me that. I feel bad when you call me by that name. After what I did..." "Do you really hate me?" Eve sniffed. "What did Dad do for you to hate me so much? What did he do for you to abandon me?" "I don't hate you now, Eve." Her mother shook her head and looked up. "I am just ashamed to come near you. I am ashamed to be close to you after what I did." Eve
"Please endure it, Mrs. Anderson. We'll soon get to the delivery room."Eve couldn't register what happened next. All she knew was that she was being wheeled down a long hallway and the pain in her stomach kept expanding with each second. "Eve, please keep up with the pain. I know you can handle it." Ethan continuously stroked her hair while wiping her sweat with the other hand. "It's too painful, Ethan. I think I'm gonna die!" Eve cried. How could she handle this pain? It was the most agonizing experience she'd ever gone through. "You can do it, Eve. I believe in you." Ethan's reassuring words were accompanied by the fear in his voice. It took forever before they finally wheeled her into the labor room. Her gynecologist appeared and the staff lifted her on a bed. "Help me, please! I don't wanna die, Doc!" "You aren't going to die, Mrs. Anderson. It's a momentary pain. Luckily, you're already opened.""C–Can I start pushing?""Yes, please. You can start pushing.""Ahhhhh! I can'
As if they were being chased out of the island, the private jet arrived that evening. No one carried anything with them, just their clothes and phones. When the plane descended on the helipad at the rooftop of the hospital, Ethan literally jumped out before it came to a complete stop. "Th–That was dangerous, Ethan!" Eve shouted amidst the blaring sound of the plane. The gynecologist helped her out and she held his hand. "Ethan, please calm down. Let's hope nothing bad happens." The man wasn't looking at her. His mind seemed to have wandered off, the same condition he'd been in since they left the island. Ethan brought out his phone and fiddled with it. Then he made a quick phone call before holding her tight and heading down the rooftop with her. "You can go home, Eve." "No, I must see Grandpa." Her heart was racing and her nerves were wracking inside. She couldn't just go home like a coward. And Ethan wasn't himself, she'd rather be with him. They appeared on the top floor
But Ethan wasn't being too sensitive, he was just smarter than her to see the gynecologist's actions coming. As the weeks passed by, Sara's actions became bolder and more provocative. She'd even resorted to dressing in short dresses without shoulder straps. Sometimes, she'd even walk around the house in a tiny bikini, claiming she was going swimming. But even after returning from the pool, she'd take a long time before changing out of the bikini. And the worse thing was... She would use the pretense to speak about Eve's health in other to spend time with Ethan. Sometimes, they'd be discussing until midnight as she explained some difficult medical terminologies to him. "Eve, I know I'm not supposed to butt in, but you must take action before this girl snatches your husband." Elena came to her room one day and advised, and Eve found it hard to handle the bitter truth. "You also noticed it, Elena?" "Everyone notices it," Elena whispered. "Even the maids speak about it, Eve. S
Eve made sure all the things they would need were set in place three days later. After bidding their families goodbye, they set off to the island in Ethan's private jet and arrived the next morning. "This house is very huge, Madam," Camila said as they toured the mansion."I can't believe we're going to live here until you put to bed.""Won't you miss the city life?" Eve's eyes wandered around the large living room. It was even more luxurious than the one back at the Villa. "Not at all, Madam. Compared to the noises and buzz of the city, this place can be considered a paradise.""Mmm. I also like it." Eve nodded and caressed her bump. "And I think my babies like it also." They didn't kick a lot today, unlike recently when they'd been nothing but active. "This is a generous gift from their great-grandfather. Of course, they'd like it, Madam." One of the maids looked at her stomach and smiled. "Where is Elena, by the way?" Eve's brows furrowed as she asked."She must be in the kitc
Like the sand in an hourglass, the months slowly trickled by. While Ethan worked hard day and night to stabilize the company, Eve couldn't ward off the lingering fear that Wade was lurking in the shadows. Sometimes, she would forget he existed, and other times, the thought of his action and promise made her wake up with a start in the middle of the night. Such as this night. Eve reached for the glass of water on the bedside table. She took a sip of it, patting her chest to ease her frantic heartbeat. Her eyes squinted in the darkness and she turned on the bedside lamp then looked sideways at Ethan. "You're awake?" Ethan turned and opened his eyes. "Is it the nightmare, Eve?"Eve sighed and slowly nodded. "I told you to stop worrying about it. He can't do anything.""We're not sure, Ethan." Eve shifted and rested on his arm. "That man is dangerous, we must be wary of him.""He can't do anything," Ethan repeated, caressing her bump. "I'll make sure he never comes near you."Eve wasn
"You, Evelyn! You think you have finally made it in life! You think you can bully others and do as you please!? Unlike you, I won't go to the authorities. I'll take the matter into my hands and make sure you're dead!"As Mia charged toward her with a knife, Eve stood still, unable to react. But Ethan acted fast and knocked the knife out of her hand. "Ahhhhh! Leave me alone! Let me at her!" Mia screamed as two bodyguards hurried forward and seized her. "I said let me go! You are all bunch of fools and cowards, hiding behind the authorities! If you don't fear me, Evelyn, let's fight barehanded. I'll poke out your eyes and make you regret ever thinking of harming Cole.""This crazy girl. Why did you come here?" Eve's grandfather stood up with his cane. "You have lost your mind by thinking that you can harm my granddaughter.""Are you sure that she is your granddaughter!?" Mia yelled. "You have always hated me, Old Man. I wasn't surprised when you wanted to kick me out. What stupid blood