Act 3

- EVA

"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, and 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 said, and his brows furrowed.

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

"Fine. What about the medicine that 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, and 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, then I will get a replacement for you. I will be expecting you. What's your name?" Ethan asked, pausing as he turned to walk away from me.

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

"Hmm, Eva. I look forward to meeting you again. Take your things and leave. The hotel staff will clean the room," Ethan said. After that, he 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 reached for my handbag. I put the card inside and took out my phone. I saw four missed calls from my mother.

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

"Eva, what did you do to provoke Jacob? He cancelled his partnership with your father and called off your wedding 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," Mom yelled, and 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.

However, when I called, he ended it. When I tried to contact him again, I heard, "Sorry, the number you are trying to call doesn't exist."

"What?" My brows furrowed upon realizing Jacob had blocked me.

'Did five years of our relationship mean nothing to him?' I knew Jacob always wanted to have sex with me, but I stopped him and told him we should wait until marriage. Now I had cheated.

Wiping my sobs away, I put on my lacy black bra and pants, then reached for my green dress and wore it.

After that, I put on my black shoes and adjusted my long hair before taking a final glance at the room to ensure I hadn't forgotten anything.

I walked out of the hotel room while the hotel service staff went in to clean it.

Then I made my way to the elevator and rode down to the last floor.

When I walked out, I felt the stare of eyes on me. But no one stopped me. The impressive luxury hotel was filled with different calibers of people entering and leaving.

Making my way out of the hotel building, I exited the premises, recalling that 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 nowhere else to go.

Jacob had broken up with me, and I couldn't go to his place. Not only that, my relatives would be furious with me because Jacob's support had helped my father's small loan company soar higher.

Now that Jacob had withdrawn his support and demanded I repay him for all the money he had spent on me, none of my family members would help me.

When I arrived home and paid the cab, I walked nervously to the huge black gate of the bungalow house where my parents lived. My father owned this house, as he bought it after Jacob and I started dating.

Reaching the gate, I knocked, and the security man, Tom Howard, pulled it open.

"Miss Eva, you are not allowed into the house," Tom said, and my brows furrowed.

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

"Your mother said that if I let you in, I will lose my job. I don't want to lose my job, madam," Tom said and went back into the house, locking 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, unable to believe my family would abandon me at a time like this.

'Was this how people fell from top to bottom?'

I tried calling my mother's phone, but her number 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 you both getting married?"

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

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

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

"It's fine. Where are you now? Mom and Dad are angry and don't want to see you. Jacob is also demanding compensation and saying that 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 him, knowing he had gotten married.

"Sure, but you know Madison and you don't get along. Don't worry, I will talk to her to make her understand," Cruz said, and I sighed heavily, feeling relief that I could rely on him.

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

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