MasukIsabella POVGerald watched the short clip with confusion on his face.“Wait? Is this not Adrian’s mom’s party? I remembered seeing Evelyn walking away, and Adrian following suit. So, this is what…”“Exactly,” I cut him short, fighting the tightness in my chest. “They’re still madly in love with each other, and all of these are lovers’ quarrels. If they weren’t still into each other, why is Adrian still her emergency contact?”“Yeah!” Gerald nodded. “I was told Adrian was contacted first.”“Exactly. So, I’m sure, she wouldn’t mind.”Gerald was quiet for a moment, then nodded slowly. "That's... actually not a bad idea."~~~Lilian Hart was next. She was younger, more progressive, but also more ambitious. I approached her differently."I'm worried about Evelyn," I told her over coffee at a trendy café. "The woman has been through so much. The bombing, the recovery, the stress of running a company. What if she burns out? What if the trauma causes her to make poor decisions?"Lilian stare
Isabella POVI sighed in relish as the masseuse found a stress point and slathered oil on it, then gently rubbed his hands.I could feel all my stress evaporating from his touch.“You’re so good, Dave!” I murmured, sinking further into the softness of the bed.After weeks of planning, I deserved this at least.I figured that I couldn’t stop the growing attraction between Adrian and Evelyn, especially from Adrian’s side. Although I already had Adrian’s mom slowly warming up to me, I still needed to make sure that Evelyn would never be able to return Adrian’s feelings.This time around, for every action I take, I must make sure there is a motive.For Evelyn, in the past few weeks, she has been working non-stop to ensure her father’s company doesn’t go under, and things were looking good now, which was a perfect opportunity for me to step in.First, I had to cripple Evelyn and to do that, what better candidate than her estranged fiancé?My phone suddenly rang, pulling me out of my though
Evelyn POV“Let’s begin with the data,” he said. “We’ll start with stock volatility.”A chart lit up behind him, showing peaks and dips over the past six weeks.Gerald leaned forward, folding his hands.“Miss Bennett, since the announcement of your leadership transition, the company’s stock has shown extreme sensitivity.”I frowned slightly. “Sensitivity isn’t the same as instability.”Gerald nodded. “True. But perception drives markets more than reality.”Lilian chimed in, her voice calm but firm.“In the last month alone, your stock has dropped eight per cent, rebounded twelve, then dipped again within forty-eight hours.”“That rebound was due to the Green Valley Project,” I said. “Which I secured.”“And we acknowledge that,” the Chairman said quickly. “But investors are reacting emotionally. Every headline about you causes fluctuations.”“So the issue is not performance?” I scoffed.Lucas sighed.“Yes, markets don’t wait for emotions to calm down, Evelyn. They punish uncertainty.”
Evelyn POVBy the time I reached the office, my heart was already racing.I barely made it past the revolving doors before I saw Grace standing rigid at the reception desk, her tablet clutched to her chest like a shield. She looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack.Instantly, I knew something was wrong.“Grace,” I said, quickening my steps. “What’s going on?”"Thank God you're here," she said, grabbing my arm.That alone made my stomach sink.“What happened?” I asked.She leaned in, lowering her voice. "The board arrived almost an hour ago.” I blinked. “What?”“They came in without notice. There was no memo, or schedule update, nothing. I thought I’d missed an email, but no, they didn’t send anything. I don't know why they came early or why they didn't call to warn you. They went straight into the fifth-floor conference hall and locked it down. They haven't answered my greetings and rejected my offer of refreshment. Something is very wrong."I felt the blood drain from my
Gabriel POVI stood and watched until Evelyn’s car disappeared from my sight.I was so hard.It had taken me all the restraints I could muster not to unleash my want on Evelyn. I wanted her to come to me, not the other way around, and everyone knows I do not force women. Yet, I was desperate to get to the bottom of what was going on.I sighed and walked back to the private room, taking my position on the chair in the corner. I picked up my phone, stared at the picture Evelyn had spent time staring at, and placed it on my thigh.It was Rowan’s picture.I’d seen the way recognition had flashed through her eyes when she saw the picture. And then this uncanny resemblance between I and Rowan. This wasn’t the first time.Whenever I meet random people, the first thing they always ask is whether we're brothers. For years, I’d dismissed it with a chuckle or a joke about how Rowan was my soul mate, but recently, people began mentioning it more often.Two people could look alike, but their habit
Evelyn POVI followed Gabriel to the private room like a sheep to a slaughterhouse.At this point, my brain was jumping with anticipation at the promise of whatever Gabriel had mentioned, and I could barely function. There was no part of me telling me to turn back, too. I wanted to experience it all.When we got to the private room, my heart raced with anticipation as we stepped inside and he closed the door behind us. I heard the soft click of the lock, and my anticipation grew.The room was dimly lit, and I could barely make out the shape of the furniture. Gabriel flicked on a small lamp on a nightstand, illuminating the space enough for me to see. It was cosy, with a large bed that took up most of the floor space. I watched as Gabriel leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on me.For a moment, we stared at each other, the tension between us palpable. Then, he stepped forward and began to undo the buttons on my blouse. My breath hitched as he exposed more of my skin to the cool air







