A pawn?Chloe actually had the nerve to call herself a pawn?If that was what being a pawn looked like, then she was living the high life on the chessboard.I handed my phone to Sharon and Dolly for a quick look.Dolly slammed her hand on the table. "Classic manipulative flirt! This is textbook fishing-for-sympathy. "All that 'weâre just like siblings,' 'I donât even love him,' 'Iâm only staying with him to protect his pride' crap. 'I canât bear to hurt him'âugh, give me a break!"She made a gagging noise for emphasis.Sharon gave a cool smile. "Miss Chloe is quite the strategist."Despite the words, her eyes were full of disdain.Sharon was the embodiment of an independent womanârunning a successful gallery in a cutthroat industry. She didn't get that far without a strong sense of self and a good deal of vision. She had zero respect for women like Chloe.Fuming, Dolly declared, "Iâm going to expose her.""Donât," I said. "Let her keep performing."Sharon nodded in agreement. "Eve d
Milesâ response was to pin me hard against the bed.He leaned in, forcing me to meet that devastatingly handsome face of his.He was so close that I felt unfair."Blacked out? Hm?" His voice dipped slightly at the end, teasing, laced with something darkly amused.The pressure rolling off him was overwhelming. I could barely breathe.Still, I kept up the act. "Yeah, I donât remember a thing."He gave me a lazy smirk. "Want me to jog your memory?"I watched that dangerously handsome face draw closer and swallowed hard. "No need. Really. You can, uh, get off me now. Youâre kinda heavyâĶ"The rest of my sentence was cut off by his mouth crashing down on mine.It was another ruthless kiss, no room for negotiationâjust pure, unrelenting force. He pulled back only when heâd stolen every last breath from me, inhaling deeply as he sat up.Watching his rigid, annoyingly attractive back, I offered a helpful suggestion. "You know, you really donât have to do that. Every time you kiss me, you end
"Okay, bye!""No, see you in a bit!""See you in a bit.""Mwah! Kiss kiss!""Kiss kiss.""You have to say 'mwah mwah'!""Alright, mwah mwah!"After who knows how many rounds of âmwah mwah,â I finally hung up.There was a knock at the door. Mary walked in, trying hard not to laugh.I looked at her, only she looked like two or three of her.I squinted. "Mary, thereâs two of you. Can you shapeshift?"She brought over a bowl of soup. "Oh, sweetie, I was only in the kitchen for a minute, and you already drank that much? Come drink this hangover tea."I stared at her for a second, then suddenly burst into tears.She panicked. "Oh no, whatâs wrong, honey? Why are you crying all of a sudden?""I want my mom... Grandma... Grandma..."...When I woke up, it was already completely dark outside.My head was still spinning, and my mouth felt as dry as cotton.Clickâthe warm light from the floor lamp flicked on.I groaned and covered my eyes. "Too bright..."The bed dipped slightly beside me. Someo
When I got home, I devoured a full meal, then, on a whim, poured myself a big glass of red wine.The moment I let out a wine-induced burp, it felt like all the frustration bottled up in my chest had finally found a way out. I poured myself another glass.The wine Miles kept here was surprisingly good and strong. One glass turned into two, then three, and by the third, I was already dialing a number without even looking."Hello? Eve, whatâs going on?" A gentle voice came through the phone.He sounded so soothing. He was handsome, rich, kind and his voice? Absolutely dreamy.How on earth did I ever fall for someone like Julian when I had someone like Miles right in front of me?Slurring my words, I let out a goofy laugh. "Miles Wynn, I like you."Miles was speechless."Miles Wynn, why do I like you so much?""Eve, have you been drinking? Where are you?"His voice was calm and steady, and the way it slid into my ear made me feel like I could get pregnant just listening to it.I let out
Richard immediately turned to the approaching security. âSeparate them. Escort Mrs. Moore downstairs for some tea.âJulian exploded. âGrandfather, how could you take the side of an outsider like that?!âAt last, Richard showed the authority of the true head of the Moore family.âIâm not taking anyoneâs side,â he said coldly. âLet me formally introduce herâEvelyn White is a major shareholder of Moore Group. "Mr. Burns and the other three founding shareholders have unanimously recommended that she attend todayâs board meeting.âAs he spoke, he motioned to his secretary, who handed over a prepared letter of recommendation.Julianâs face turned even grimmer as he took the document.One glance at it and his expression darkened further. The letter carried the personal signatures of all five senior shareholders.He stared at it for several long seconds before turning his gaze on me.I stayed silent.Then, suddenly, Julian gave me a smileâsharp, cold, cutting. âYou got what you wanted, Evel
I couldnât believe what I was hearing.I asked again, just to be sure. âWhat? Julian Moore, what did you just say?âJulian adjusted his tie and stared at me coldly.That look in his eyes, like he had finally seen through the filth of my soul, was steeped in utter disappointment.He said, âI was right, wasnât I? Everything youâve done was just to make me change my mind. "Evelyn, you havenât changed at all. Youâre still as brainless, brash, and pathetic as ever, clinging to me like you always have!âI was so furious I actually laughed.Sometimes, when one became too stunned to react, all they could do is laugh.âYou think I came today to embarrass you, just so youâd come crawling back to me?â I said with a cold smile.Julian snapped, âDidnât you? Why else go to all this trouble? You even went to my grandfather. I have to give it to you.âEvelyn, your tricks have gotten a lot more refined. You made me believe you really wanted a divorce. "Then you stirred up all that dramaâmade a public
Ian respectfully handed each elder his business card."Gentlemen, you're all esteemed figures in the business world and role models I look up to. I'm the special assistant to Mr. Wynn of Wynn Group. "Mr. Wynn asked me to accompany Miss White today to present this proposal. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me."The five elders glanced at the card and nodded in acknowledgment.Ian wasnât just any unknown assistant. On the contrary, he'd been with Wynn Group for many years. Though his title was Special Assistant, his authority rivaled that of a general manager at headquarters.His presence alone meant this proposal had Miles' personal endorsementâit wasnât just empty talk or wishful thinking.I caught the five elders exchanging glances, then nodding in agreement.We got them.A surge of joy rushed through me.If these five senior-level shareholders gave me their support so quickly, then todayâI had it in the bag.Just then, Richard cleared his throat. "Timeâs nearly
I took the chance to ice my lips before James arrived only to find that they swelled even more.I stared at the mirror, torn between laughing and crying.In the end, I threw on a face mask, hoping by the time I reached Moore Group, the swelling would go down.Half an hour later, I arrived at the company with James and Ian.Honestly, in the five years I was married to Julian, this was maybe my fifth time stepping into Moore Group.At least, thatâs what Dolly told me.James reminded me to keep quiet and let them handle the talking.Partly to avoid tipping Julian off about my memory loss, and partly because too many unexpected questions could put me in an awkward spot.With my mask on, I walked into the lobby.The receptionist stopped us, asking for a visitor code.I pulled out my phone and showed her the VIP access code Richard had sent.She checked the system, then shook her head. âSorry, the three of you arenât allowed to enter.âI frowned. Even with Richardâs invite, we were being tur
So, was she about to take the bait?No, this was already the spark of a crush.Trey sent me a smug little emoji with sunglasses.I gave up, feeling completely and utterly impressed.âĶThe next morning, I got up early and changed into a tailored women's suit, adding a pair of non-prescription glasses for good measure.Nerves kicked in as I paced around the house.Miles took one look at me and smiled slightly. âYouâve got this.âI swallowed hard. âDonât say thatâyouâre making me more nervous.âHands in his pocket, he took a step back to check my outfit, then came closer to smooth down a few strands of my hair.I stammered, âWhat should I say when I get there?âMiles replied calmly, âKeep it short and listen more. James and Ian will handle the talking.âI grabbed his hand. âAre you sure this will work?âHis smile didnât waver. âOf course. But if youâre really uncomfortable with it, we can always go the legal route with Moore Group. Either way, weâll get results.âI shook my head.James ha