CHAPTER TWO

Evelina's POV

The cold night air rushed past me as I rode home. Usually, riding helped clear my head. Tonight, it did absolutely nothing.

Two weeks without pay. The words kept replaying in my mind like a broken record.

"Great," I muttered into the wind. "Just great."

The motorcycle rumbled beneath me as I tightened my grip on the handlebars. I couldn't afford to fall apart.

Twenty minutes later, I pulled into the small driveway of our house. At least the one thing I didn't have to worry about was rent.

Dad had worked himself half to death to finish paying for this place before he passed away. It wasn't fancy. The roof creaked when it rained and the paint was peeling in different places,but it was ours.

I parked the motorcycle and headed inside. The house felt too quiet without Mum. I tossed my helmet onto the couch and immediately grabbed my phone. I wanted to talk to Caleb, my best friend from childhood.

Me: You awake?

The reply came almost instantly.

Caleb: For you? Always.

I rolled my eyes.

Me: I got suspended for two weeks... no pay.

Caleb: Shit! What happened??

I spent the next few minutes explaining everything while going into my room. The messages kept coming as I showered. As I changed into an oversized polo shirt and sleep shorts. I threw together the saddest late-night meal known to mankind.

I checked my phone again to respond to messages.

Caleb: Want me to come over?

Me: It's midnight, genius.

The three dots appeared, disappeared

Caleb: So?

Me: Normal people are asleep.

Then, I tossed the phone aside and focused on eating. Eventually, the messages reduced. The exhaustion hit me all at once.

I dragged myself to bed, just as I was about to fall into a deep sleep...

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

I jolted up. The sound came from the front gate. My eyes immediately snapped to the clock. 1:00 a.m.

Every horror movie I'd ever watched suddenly played in my memory. Slowly, I reached beneath my bed. My fingers wrapped around the baseball bat hidden there. Then my phone rang.

I nearly launched the bat through the ceiling.

"Jesus!" My heart was trying to escape my chest.

The caller ID flashed across the screen. Caleb. I answered immediately. "Are you crazy?!"

His laughter came through the speaker. "Good evening to you too."

"Did you look at the time? It's one in the morning, Caleb! People are trying to sleep!"

"Chill tiger..."

I groaned.

"Just let me in. Since I'm already here."

I stared at the phone. Then back at the bat in my hand. "Fine... just this once."

I hung up before he could get smug about it. A few minutes later, I was unlocking the gate, still holding the bat.

Caleb's face immediately turned pale. "Geez..." His eyes widened. "Were you planning on hitting me with that?" He pointed.

"If necessary."

"I came here with food." He followed me inside. The familiar smell of engine oil clung to him. Probably from spending all day at Ryder Motors. The company his father owned. The company my father had spent years working for.

"Caleb, you really shouldn't be here." I locked the door. "Bianca is probably losing her mind right now."

"Oh please..." He rolled his eyes. "Leave my mother out of this."

I snorted. "Impossible." Then I asked him. "What do you want?"

His jaw dropped. "What do you mean what do I want?" He held up a paper bag. "I brought food."

"I already ate."

Caleb just stared at me for a moment and shook his head. Then he placed the bag on the kitchen counter and turned back to me. His gaze softened.

"Our families have been friends since we were kids."

"Except your mother."

He sighed, pressing his fingers to his forehead, "Eve..."

"You know it's the truth."

"Fine... How's Clara doing?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

The question made me look away. "She's getting better." The lie made my chest tighten.

Caleb stared at me for a long moment.

"What?"

"I know that look. You're pretending everything is fine."

I folded my arms. "I'm not pretending."

"You are." Then he stepped forward and tried to touch my face. "Let me help you."

I immediately stepped back and shook my head. "I'm tired, Caleb. And I don't want Bianca's drama."

His shoulders slumped. "Why do you bring my mother into every conversation?"

I stared at him, ignoring the hurt in his eyes. "Because she has made it her life's mission to remind me that my family isn't good enough."

He looked away first. Then he pulled me into a brief hug. "Come here… I'll find those idiots who put their filthy hands on you. They're lucky I wasn't there."

"Relax... it's over." I gave a small smile.

Before he could argue, his phone started ringing. He kept ignoring it. By the tenth ring, I was annoyed.

"You should answer that."

The phone rang again. Caleb groaned. "It's just my mum."

"Exactly why you should answer it."

The moment he finally accepted the call, Bianca Ryder's voice exploded through the speaker.

"CALEB!"

I winced. Good Lord.

"Mother..."

"Where are you?! Have you been kidnapped?!"

I buried my face in my hands.

"Do I need to call the police??"

"Mum please... just calm down."

"No! Don't tell me to calm down!"

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. Then, a familiar voice screamed somewhere in the background.

It was Genevieve Kingsley, the billionaire's spoilt brat who is apparently Caleb's fiancée. Genevieve was having another meltdown.

She laughed wildly, then screamed, "Don't touch me!"

Bianca sounded like she was going to break down into tears any moment from now, " Oh! you reek of alcohol darling... Caleb come back and contain her right now!"

Caleb sighed and pressed his fingers to his forehead.

"You should go home and babysit your girlfriend." I told him.

A few minutes later, he finally stood. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I walked him to the door. "Thanks for checking on me."

A genuine smile crossed his face. "Always. Call me if you need anything."

"Don't worry, I'll survive."

His jaw tightened for a second. "That's not the point."

"Whatever."

He left, and I watched his taillights disappear down the street. By the time I checked the clock again, it was almost four in the morning. Sleep was pointless now as I had deliveries to make.