CHAPTER 3

Eva Brooks:

"Are you serious?" I asked Ethan in shock, and he nodded, his lips curled in a smile.

"Yeah. How much do you want me to pay you? But you must abide by my rules and work as my secretary only," he said. I gulped hard.

"I haven't been a secretary before. I just graduated with a degree in software engineering, and I want to be a software developer. I applied at Almond Tech and they offered for me to start work by Monday," I replied. His brows furrowed.

"I will pay you 2 million dollars. If you accept, you can come to work in my company by Monday. Failure to show up, then you lose, as I am in need of a new secretary." I gulped hard and accepted his card.

"Fine. How about the medicine you want me to take?" I asked, as he had almost forgotten the contraceptive pill in his hands.

"Oh, here it is." Ethan gave me the bottle. I took two pills and gulped them down with the bottle of water he gave me.

"Don't forget. By Monday. If you fail to show up, I will get a replacement. I will be expecting you. What's your name?" Ethan paused, turning to walk away.

Lowering my head and avoiding his green eyes, I replied, "Eva Brooks."

"Alright, Eva. I will be looking forward to meeting you again. Take your things and leave. The hotel staff will be here to clean the room." After saying that, Ethan turned and walked out.

My eyes fell on the red blood stain on his pristine white bedsheet. Looking at the blue card in my hand, I shook my head and went to reach for my handbag. I put the card away and took out my phone. I saw four missed calls from my mother.

"Hello, Mom," I answered, and she yelled at me.

"Eva, what did you do to provoke Jacob? He has cancelled his partnership with your father and called off your engagement. How can you cheat on him at a time like this, when he is planning to marry you? What came over you?" Mom yelled, and I felt guilty.

"Mom, I am sorry. Layla set me up," I tried to explain, but Mom cut me off.

"Shut up. Layla didn't set you up. You went to the man and cheated on Jacob. How can you do this to us? We disown you as our daughter. Don't bring your shameful self home to us again." Before I could explain, the call ended.

Shaking my head, I stood in the hotel room and sighed. Gripping my phone tightly, I tried to call Jacob one last time to explain that it was all a mistake and I would never cheat on him. The phone rang and he ended it. When I tried to contact him again, I heard, "Sorry, the number you are trying to call does not exist."

"What?" My brows furrowed upon realising Jacob has blocked me. Did five years of our relationship mean nothing to him? I knew Jacob had always wanted to have sex with me, but I stopped him and told him we should wait until marriage. Now, I cheated.

Wiping my sobs away, I wore my black bra and pant, then reached for my green dress and wore it. After that, I wore my black shoes and adjusted my hair, taking a final glance at the room to ensure I didn't forget anything. I walked out while the hotel staff waiting went in to clean it.

I made my way to the elevator and rode down to the last floor. When I walked out, I felt the peer of eyes on me, but no one stopped me. The impressive luxury hotel was filled with different calibre of people entering and going out. I exited the premises, recalling I wouldn't have come to this hotel if not for Layla's insistence.

Hailing a taxi, I went home even though my mother had warned me not to return. I knew I had no one to go to. Jacob had broken up with me and I couldn't go to his place. Not just that, my relatives would be furious with me. It was through Jacob that my father's small loan company could soar higher. Now Jacob had withdrawn his support and demanded I repay him for all the money he had spent on me. I knew none of my family members would want to help me at this point.

When I arrived home and paid the cab, I walked up nervously to the huge black gate of the bungalow house where my parents live. My father owned this house; he bought it after Jacob and I started dating. Reaching the gate, I knocked and the security man pulled it open.

"Miss Eva, you are not allowed into the house," he said. My brows furrowed.

"Why? This is my father's house. I want to see him and explain." I begged the security man, Tom, but he shook his head.

"Your mother said if I let you in, I will lose my job. I don't want to lose my job, madam." Tom went back inside and locked the gate on me.

"Wait, Tom." I knocked again, but he wouldn't answer. Sighing, I paced about the gate, thinking of what to do. I cannot believe my family would abandon me at a time like this. Was this how people fall from grace to grass?

I tried calling my mother, but the number she used to call me wasn't connecting. Calling my older brother, Cruz, he demanded, "Eva, how could you cheat on Jacob at a time like this, when we are looking forward to having you both become married?"

"Cruz, I was set up. I didn't mean to cheat on Jacob. Believe me, Layla set me up." My older brother sighed.

"I warned you to stay away from Layla. That girl is a snitch and you didn't listen to me. She is not from our place, and her parents are richer than ours," Cruz fumed. I sobbed.

"I am sorry. I should have listened to you," I replied.

"It's fine. Where are you now? Mum and Dad are angry and they don't want to see you. Jacob is also demanding compensation and saying you never let him touch you, so you didn't do anything for him in the five years you both dated," Cruz said, sighing in frustration.

"Cruz, can I come over to your place?" I asked, knowing he'd gotten married.

"Sure, but you know Maddison and you don't get along. Don't worry, I will talk to her to understand." Cruz's words brought relief, and I sighed heavily.

Layla's betrayal still stung and I couldn't call any of my female friends again.

I went back to the road, hailed another cab and went to my older brother's house.