Chapter 6

Eva's POV 

Just as I had pushed Ethan off me, my sight began to get blurry.

"Oh no" I mumbled, knowing that the drug Livia had poisoned me with was already kicking in. I rushed to sit on the bed in hopes that it would somehow calm me down but nothing seemed to be working. Before I could stop myself, I had passed out on the bed.

A woman’s scream cut through the air, shrill and panicked, followed by a barrage of pounding against a door so violent it made the frame rattle woke me up the next day. 

For a moment, I didn’t move because I knew that sound. I had lived this moment before. My eyes snapped open, the haze of the drug still clinging stubbornly to my thoughts, but the panic cut through it like a blade. The room spun as I pushed myself upright, my pulse slamming hard against my ribs as I took in my surroundings. I was in a dimly hotel room. And the door—God—the door was shaking under the force of whoever was on the other side.

“Open up! We know you’re in there!”

“Miss Eva! Care to explain what you’re doing in a room with—”

The rest blurred together, but it didn’t matter. I already knew what they were going to say. I knew the angle, the headlines, the scandal they were about to spin. My fingers curled into the sheets beneath me, my nails digging in as the memory crashed over me in full force. In my former life, this was the moment everything began to fall apart. The scandal had spread like wildfire overnight, with photos, rumors, twisted narratives about me sneaking into a man’s room, about my “reckless behavior,” about how unfit I was to inherit anything tied to the company. My credibility had been shredded before I even had the chance to defend myself.

And Adrian, a hollow laugh bubbled up in my throat, sharp and humorless. Adrian had looked at me with disappointment that day, like I had personally betrayed him. Like I was the one who needed to make things right.,I had begged for his trust. I had bent over backwards to regain his favor, sacrificing ideas, handing over projects I had built from nothing, letting Livia “step in” to help while she slowly carved my place out from under me. All of it… was a lie. All of it… was planned.

My jaw tightened as I forced myself to stand, ignoring the lingering weakness in my legs. This time, the pieces fit together too neatly to ignore. They had truly set me up again. Only this time, I wasn’t walking in blind.

My gaze flicked toward the bed, and that was when I noticed Ethan. He was sprawled across the other side, his breathing uneven, his expression tight even in unconsciousness. Even like this, there was something sharp about him, something that made the air around him feel heavier, charged in a way that set my instincts on edge. The “demon prince.”

In my past life, I had only ever heard whispers about him. I heard he was dangerous, unpredictable, someone people avoided rather than crossed. The kind of man you didn’t want to owe anything to. And yet, here he was, in this room. In this moment that had been meant to destroy me.

My lips curved slowly, a plan forming in my mind as the pounding on the door grew louder. Perfect!

If they wanted a scandal… Then I would give them one. Before I could react, I was pushed back against the mattress, a firm grip pinning my wrists above my head as a shadow loomed over me. The movement was fast, precise, leaving no room for resistance. It was none other than ethan.

His eyes were open now, sharp and clear in a way they hadn’t been before, all traces of whatever had been clouding his mind gone. There was nothing disoriented about him anymore. Nothing weak, only suspicion.

“Who sent you?” His voice was low, rough at the edges. I didn’t struggle, there was no point. Instead, I met his gaze evenly, letting a small, unimpressed smile tug at my lips despite the position he had me in.

“That’s a bit of an aggressive way to thank someone who just saved you.” I said to him with a little eye roll

His grip tightened slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to make the message clear. “Answer the question.” he barked at again making me frown.

“Or what?” I tilted my head just enough to study him properly, taking in the tension in his shoulders, the way his gaze flickered briefly as if assessing every possible threat I could pose. “You’ll knock me out again? You already tried that once.”

A flicker of something crossed his expression—annoyance, maybe—but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. “I don’t repeat mistakes.”

“Good.” My smile sharpened, satisfaction threading through my voice. “Then don’t make the mistake of assuming I’m your enemy.”

Silence stretched between us for a moment, thick and deliberate. He didn’t move or loosen his hold.

“Explain yourself now woman. Who are you? What are you doing in my bed? Who sent you here” he sneered at me. He truly had a frightening look on his face, enough to scare anyone but me. I let out a quiet breath, my gaze steady as I spoke.

“I wasn’t sent by anyone. I ended up here because someone tried to set me up, and you just happened to be part of the plan.” My words were calm, measured, each one placed carefully. “You were drugged and I found you. I brought you here so you wouldn’t make things worse for yourself.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “And?”

I arched a brow before speaking “If I had left you out there,” I continued, my voice softly “you would have woken up in a situation you couldn’t control, surrounded by people who were more interested in what they could get from you than your actual well-being. I saved you, and I want my reward”