Chapter Four: The Lurking Past

~Eve Pov~

Logan is probably every woman’s dream man, he is tall with a muscular body and chiseled chest, his jet black hair, his eyes are catching too, not to mention his eyes— they are ocean-like, but I wasn’t that thrilled that I would be getting married to him, I just got out of a marriage, which almost cost me my life— marriage now seemed like a nightmare to me. 

I called Arthur aside and asked him what was going on, he said he brought me along with him so I could say no to them myself, because he doesn’t have the gut to reject them by himself—after all they are the Maxwells. 

“What if I say no?” I asked him, hoping there were none of his business deals on the line. 

“It’s a marriage of convenience, and I don’t know how you'll feel about it. But there’s a lot at stake for me and them too. We need a solid reason to merge our hotels together to prevent them from running out of business as one of our subsidiaries, and marriage is just the perfect plan.” He explained, adjusting his tie. 

“Okay, let me speak with Logan first. I need to know how he feels about this.” I told him, knowing I didn’t have a choice but to agree at that point. 

We went back inside, and took our seat as we continued eating. I could see Logan glancing at me from his seat. It was a round table and we were a few metres apart. 

“So have you explained the situation to her, Arthur?” Gabriel asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. 

“Yes, she would like to discuss with Logan first before she gives an answer.” He responded, smiling at Gabriel to assure him everything was under control. 

Gabriel smiled back at him, and I noticed Logan was looking at me again, but I didn’t acknowledge him. After we were done eating, everyone left, except Logan. 

“Hey.” Logan said, making me stop checking emails on my phone. 

“Hi, Logan.” I replied, placing my phone in my bag. 

“So, you wanna get married?” I loved his accent. 

I smiled, “You don’t find it strange?” 

“Strange?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Marrying a stranger. Besides, you know I was adopted.” I stated, giving him reasons to reconsider.

“You saw my dad and my mom, right?” He asked, and I nodded. “They had an arranged marriage but it’s hard to tell, because it was like they’ve always been meant for each other.” He smiled, walking over to take a seat close to me. 

“So you really want to do this?” I asked him, feeling skeptical about everything. It must be PTSD. 

“Yes. For my family, and for myself. Arthur had said a lot about you.” He said, taking a sip from the champagne he poured into his glass earlier. 

“Okay, for now I’ll do it for Arthur, but if love blooms along the line, I’ll embrace it.” I said and we both clicked our glasses. 

*****

I had gone on a series of dates with Logan, and there was no time he didn’t sweep me off my feet each time. I told him not to ask too many questions about me, because I love my new life as Eve Craig and I was glad he didn’t press any further. He was the real definition of a gentleman, I was afraid I had fallen for him sooner than I anticipated already. 

It was two weeks to our marriage and our families didn’t take the publicity as a joke—it was all over the news; Loeve2024 .

It was probably from the publicity Brian saw me on the posters, because I was surprised when he suddenly appeared in front of me, asking for forgiveness. 

“What do you think you are doing Brian?” I asked him, furious that he had the gut to show his face in front of me. 

“You know it was Morgan that orchestrated everything. I’ve always loved you and I still actually love you.” He begged, and I could feel the sincerity in his voice. 

“Yeah, you almost killed me, but it’s all thanks to you I’m here today, so I have nothing against you.” I stood up, taking my bag to leave. 

“Please invest in my company! You have money now, and my company is currently undergoing a bad wave. Consider our past relationship and help me.” He begged, desperately holding my leg. 

“Get off!” I pushed him and walked away. I can’t believe he has the gut to come over to beg me shamelessly like that. Was it because I let what they did to me slide? Now, I couldn’t think of anything but to get back at them which I  did. 

Three days after Brian showed his pathetic face in front of me, I started digging up dirt on his sister, Tesie. Two days later, I sent the evidence of her drug abuse to the police and she was arrested. 

While I was thinking of how to deal with Brian’s mother before I moved to Morgan, a rumor was spreading at the company already. It said I was a whore who cheated on my ex-husband. I didn’t take the rumor as a big deal, so I kept doing what I do best— working and drafting my revenge plan until Logan came. 

He barged into my office without knocking, and the look on his face was something I had never seen before. 

“So, you were married?” He asked, losing his tie a bit. “Was that why you keep telling me, you’ll tell me when you are certain you love me? Or were you planning to tell me when you are certain I am already head over heels for you?” He asked, rounding up my desk and facing me directly. 

I stood up slowly, “What if I was married Logan? You should be asking me why I left my marriage.” I pointed out to him, folding my arms over each other. 

He laughed sarcastically, rubbing his palm over his face. “You are indeed a shameless whore, huh? I can’t believe I pictured a future with you.” He said, his tone downcast and full of sadness. 

“Are you regretting it now? You won’t even give me a chance to explain?” I asked, trying to reach for his hand. 

He snapped his hand away from mine, “What does the daughter of an arsonist have to explain?” His blue eyes are now filled with tears that are begging to drop, but he was using all his might to hold it in. 

“How did you know about my father?” I asked, my heart beating fast in my chest, afraid that the past I hid with every effort in me had finally caught up with me. 

He picked the envelope he dropped on the table earlier, took out the content in it, and spread it in the air. My hand caught a torn piece of a newspaper with the heading “The First Child Of The Rising Billionaire, Mr Maxwell, Owner Of Maxwell Groups Of Company, Died In A Fire Incident Caused By The Arsonist, Steve Cole.” 20-01-2009. 

“Because he killed my brother!”