INICIAR SESIÓN~ EVANGELINE'S POV ~I woke up to Marty sitting at the edge of my bed, phone in hand, wearing the expression he reserved for news he found genuinely satisfying.“You need to see this.”What the hell is he doing in my room?“What are you doing in my room? Who let you in?”“Come on, Eva. Are you serious right now?” I stared at him long enough to make it clear that I was.He sighed. “Damien let me in. Stop being a knucklehead. I brought good news.”He pulled me up, and I sat there while he held the screen out to me. I took the phone and began to read.The article was about James Boldwin, brother of Jessica Boldwin, who had recently sat beside her at the judges’ table and helped place me last in a round I had not even been given the time to properly compete in.According to what was now spreading across every major publication, James had been Jason’s secret lover throughout our entire marriage.There were explicit chats and photos, and even worse were the records of financial transfers sp
~ DAMIEN'S POV ~Since the competition ended, I had not seen Eva.She had walked back to the hotel ahead of me, and by the time I reached the suite, her door and the adjoining door between us were both shut.I knocked once but got no answer. I stood there for a while, not knowing what to say or do. Eventually, I stepped back and left her alone.That had been about three hours ago.I sat at the bar now, my jacket draped over the stool beside me, a glass of scotch in my hand that I had barely touched.The bar was quiet. There were not many people, and I preferred it that way. I had told Roman that the only reason I would come was if he could clear the place out.He made sure no new reservations were allowed, but those who had already booked were still permitted to come in.I was furious. My hands itched to bloody someone’s face. I downed the glass of scotch in one go.“Easy, man. That must burn,” Jackson said, watching me with concern.I ignored him and waved to the bartender for anothe
~ EVANGELINE'S POV ~The morning of Round Two started with chaos that had nothing to do with me.I was walking toward the main hall when I heard a woman's voice, loud and panting, breaking through the corridor in a way that made people stop and turn.I turned as well, and before us was Claude Beaumont on her knees in front of Isabelle, both hands gripping the hem of Isabelle's jacket, her composure and the proud look she wore four days ago entirely gone."Please." Her voice cracked on the word. "You have to speak on my behalf. After everything I did for you, you owe me this much."Isabelle stepped back sharply, her face arranged in blankness."Security," she said in an unbothered tone. "I don't know this woman. Please get her away from me. She is scaring me.”"Isabelle, how could you say that?""I said I don't know her," she repeated.Four guards appeared within seconds and grabbed Claude by the arms. She screamed as they pulled her away, her voice echoing down the corridor.She screa
~ EVANGELINE'S POV ~I didn’t like her. I don’t even know her, and I already disliked her.The thought of hating someone because of Damien unsettled me. Why would I dislike her because of him?I stood there, watching as she held onto Damien’s arm like it was hers to hold.Anyone with functioning eyes could see she had done it a thousand times before and fully intended to keep doing it.“Come on, don’t be like this. You owe me coffee. I haven’t seen you in years.”“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Damien repeated, declining once again.He was still trying to free his arm. But she wasn’t letting him.I noticed that. And it irritated me more than it should have.Why was I even paying attention to something so small? Why was he occupying my mind like this?“Damien…” she pouted, pulling on his shirt sleeve. “You can’t just show up in Paris and pretend I don’t exist,” she whined, tilting her head at him.Eww… was she a child?“I’m not pretending anything,” he replied, pulling his hand fro
~ DAMIEN’S POV ~I did not sleep. I chose not to.Evangeline was lying on the couch where I had left her, one arm tucked slightly beneath her head, her breathing slow and steady.She was snoring softly in such a quiet, endearing way that I could not help myself, so I leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead before straightening again.I stayed where I was for a long time, watching her.Seeing her this peaceful and unguarded around me did something to me I wasn’t entirely comfortable admitting.She had pushed herself too far for this competition. I know how much she wants to win, just so she can escape me, but I will prove to her that I am far too useful for her to discard.It bothered me more than I cared to admit that she wasn’t using me to my full potential and that she was always trying to handle everything alone as if I wasn’t right here.My jaw tightened slightly.That was going to change.I just didn’t know how yet.I stood up quietly and stepped into the adjoining r
~ EVANGELINE’S POV ~By the time we got back to the hotel, I could barely feel my legs.The adrenaline that had carried me through the last few hours was gone, leaving behind nothing but exhaustion and a deep, throbbing ache that made every step I took feel heavier than the last.I tried to walk normally when we stepped out of the car, but the second my feet touched the ground, my knees almost buckled.Damien noticed immediately.Before I could steady myself, his hand was already on my arm, holding me in place.“Careful,” he said softly, his eyes scanning my face.“I’m fine,” I insisted, even though I clearly wasn’t.He didn’t argue. Instead, he stepped closer, his grip tightening slightly as if making a decision.Eventually, without warning, he picked me up. A small gasp left my lips as my hands instinctively went to his shoulders.“Damien…”“You’re not walking like this,” he replied softly, as if it wasn’t even up for discussion.“I can manage…”“No, you can’t.”There was no irritat
~ EVANGELINE’S POV~ "Stop!" I froze with my sketch held up for the cameras. One of the judges stood up. She walked to where I was. When she got closer, I saw she was an older woman. She looked familiar and on closer inspection of her face, I remembered her. She was Lomero, the no-nonsense judg
~ EVANGELINE ~ I was sketching when the tears began to fall. I didn’t even realize I was crying until a tear splashed onto my sketchbook, smudging the charcoal lines. I wiped it away quickly, but more tears followed. I didn’t want to break down, but somehow I just couldn’t hold it in. I felt bad
~ DAMIEN’S POV~ "I am of the opinion that you persuade your wife not to accept that live challenge hosted by Veronica. She might have plotted something else," Jackson said, swirling his wine glass. Even Roman nodded in agreement but the thing is, if Eva wanted it then I wasn't going to stop her.
~ DAMIEN'S POV~ The Blackwood estate was packed with people and their drivers arriving in droves. Cars lined the driveway for half a mile. Photographers crowded the entrance. Security guards checked invitations and the people without invitations were turned away. I was right. This wasn't just a







