Eve's POV I was terrified as hell.   No, terrified had to be an understatement. There were no words to describe the terror I had felt.   When Tom had insisted that he had to give Mrs Stone her gift personally, I knew I was doomed. I knew that she was definitely going to cause a scene and everything I had fought to hide would be up.   It had been nothing short of a miracle that she had t noticed me at her party in the first place. But showing up before her, trying to give her a gift? I might as well be wearing neon signs all over my body calling for her attention.  But Tom couldn't be reasoned with. Tom always had to get his way. If he wanted to give gifts to Mrs Stone, then he would make sure he did. If he wanted to catch her eyes and draw attention to himself, he would do so by all means.   I understood, well to a

Adam's POV "Thank you for coming, have a safe trip home,"  "Thank you, Stone. I had a blast!" The last of the guests to remain, slipped into his car and drove off. I watched his car speed through a curve and he was out of sight.    "Can we go now?" Anabelle groaned behind me. She stood in the parking lot with me, with my mother sitting on a chair an usher had gotten her, looking rather exhausted but smiling like she had won a lottery.   I remembered her smile when she saw the party. The tears of joy on her face as I pulled the unexpected and a grin tugged at my lips.   Was it worth it? Absolutely! Mother deserved all of that and more. I simply wished that I could do more. I wished that I could give her way more than that.  I walked towards them, giving her a smile. "Are you okay, Mother?" "Okay?" Sh

Eve's POV I flopped on the sofa tired as hell. I hadn't done much work that morning but the pain from moving around made it hard. Now that Tom was gone, I was simply grateful for a chance to lay on the sofa without getting yelled at.   The sound of the vacuum could still be heard around the room. Nuren must be cleaning the guest rooms. She was quite the hard worker. I suppose that was also why Tom had hired her in the first place. The woman could work herself to death.   Sometimes I wondered about her family. When did she get the chance to see them? I wasn't sure of the arrangement she had with Tom. Which was also pretty sad if you asked me. I was the mistress of the house and yet my maid knew more about me than I knew about her.   I knew she had a family. Sometimes, very rarely however, she would mention a son or a daughter.  Realizing I had sp

Eve's POV "T-Tom, Tom please listen-" It was too late. In a blink familiar hands clasped around my neck, grabbing and holding on to it, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.  "You bitch!" He screamed. "What are you doing here?!"  "I was just-" I wheezed, unable to continue. I couldn't speak with his hands clapped around my neck. I couldn't think of them choking me, restricting my air supply. I struggled, reached for his hands and tried to pry them off. "Can't... Breathe..."  "Can't breathe?! Bitch, by the time I am through with you, you'll very much prefer not to breathe."  His threat sent my body into a frenzy. Oh no. I never should have come in here. What was I thinking about trying to play a hero? I was no hero. Hell I was in need of a hero myself.   Tom would hurt me all over again and I had barely

Tom's POVI walked into my study with a spring in my step. I had decided not to go to the office and work from home instead. Wanted to enjoy the new comfort my secure study brought. Getting the camera and the sensor was the best idea I'd had in a damned while. To think it was Eve all along. Well, it did please me to find out it was Eve. It meant I could have fun with her. And it had been very fun watching her crumple to the ground like a sack of heaped potatoes. That bitch was as spineless as hell. One hit and she would be all over the floor, screaming like a banshee. That was what she got when she decided to break my rules. The audacity. I had gone too soft on her, hadn't I? She would never have dreamed of this years ago. Eve worshiped my every step and followed my rules to the letter. Suddenly breaking them had to be motivated by something else. And what could that be? I racked my brain hard but arrived at nothing. The next time she messed with me, I'd do worse than dunki