Never Again
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“Rewinding time is not possible, but 'do-over' is, sometimes we get another chance to do something right the second time that we got it wrong the first time.”
~•~
•E V E L Y N•
|FIVE YEARS AGO|
"You're not supposed to sell your daughter! How could you do this to me, Dad?!" I screamed at him, throwing the vase that was placed in the nightstand. The veins in my head were palpating because of the rage that I was feeling, and was seconds away from killing someone.
"Please Eve, just listen to me for once." He tried to calm me by rubbing my arm but my rage didn't fade away.
"Listen to you? I'm not listening to your bullshit! And keep me the hell away from your business."I almost growled, trying my best to keep my demeanor in check.
"Evelyn!" Marcus, my elder brother yelled at me as he stood at the entrance of my room, looking at me with disappointment.
He never raised his voice at me, and today was the first time in the eighteen years of my life that he has ever yelled at me.
"Dad, leave. I'll talk to her." Marcus said to Dad.
Dad left the room after glancing at me, his eyes told me the desperation that he had right now as if my whole future was at stake. I wasn't going to be emotionally blackmailed by him.
Collapsing on my bed, I hid my face in the pillow. If Marcus thought that he could convince me, he could try. Because no matter how hard they try to persuade me, I would never marry a stranger.
"Eve, look at me." Marcus dashed towards me and sat in front of me in the bed.
Marcus could never watch me cry, and when I lifted my head to look at him, his eyes immediately softened.
My elder brother immediately wiped the tears off of my face, "Why are you crying, princess?" He asked.
"B-Because Dad wants me to marry a stranger." I hiccuped as he gave me a small smile but I could see the sadness hidden in his smile.
"Correction, he wants you to meet him, just for once." He said, while tucking the strands of my hair behind my ear.
"Meet him? And then what? We'll eventually get married to each other." I said.
"Eve, your elder brother is here. And I'll not allow you to marry someone that you don't like."
"I know, Marc. I know. But it wasn't supposed to go like this, I was supposed to finish high school, graduate college, get a job, find love and then get married, not the other way around." I said, my voice laced with grief.
"I know, Eve. But trust me, Xavier is a very good friend of mine. He'll take good care of you." Marc explained.
"But, why did I have to marry him? Why not someone else? And I'm not even an adult yet." I questioned.
Before he could explain anything further, I asked, "Tell me the truth, Marcus. The truth, please?"
"Our grandfather, Andrew Williams and his grandfather Steven Knight had an agreement signed between them." He mumbled.
"What agreement?" I asked in concern.
"Ten years ago, our company was in huge debt and our grandfather couldn't do anything to save it. But, Steven Knight offered to pay our debt on one condition that you need to marry his grandson for that. At that time, you were only eight and he was twelve years old." He said and his eyes lowered to the ground as guilt covered his face.
Tears pricked the back of my eyes as I hid my face in between my hands, "What kind of twisted psychology is it? And what if I don't marry his grandson?"
"Knight Empire will take over Williams Industries." He answered.
"How can Steven Knight be so selfish?" I hissed in contempt. Steven Knight was grandpa's old friend and I don't know why he had put that condition in front of grandpa.
"I don't want any of this to happen to you, Eve. Trust me. I'm so sorry." Marcus apologised.
Why was everything so complicated?
"I don't know what to say." I said, rubbing my temples with my fingers. My head was going to explode with all the information Marcus was bombarding me with.
"We're not forcing you, Eve. Think about it and remember I'm having your back in every decision." His voice was exhausted, and I know Marcus was trying his best to call off the agreement, and he'll always be there for me. I felt really bad for putting him in such a situation.
I know how hard it was for him to share the news with me. He had never hidden anything from me, not when our mother died. He just came into my room, hugged me tightly, saying, 'Our mother became an angel, princess. And she'll be our guardian angel.' And we cried our hearts out that day in each other's embrace.
Marcus worked day and night on his projects, elevating our Industries from ground to sky. I know how tense he would be, after knowing the truth.
After he left my room, I hugged my knees and rested my head over them. My mind was a tangled mess at this moment. There was a lot at stake now and my decision could change everything. If I reject him completely, we might lose our shares, and If I accept, I would be stuck in a loveless marriage with a stranger.
After taking a shower, I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were red and puffy because of all the crying. Once this issue would be over, I would be spending a day pampering myself, probably a nice massage and facial.
Once I dried my hair, I pinned them up in a high pony. Applying a little make-up to hide my puffy eyes and left the room.
At the dinner table, both Dad and Marcus exchanged a few glances at each other. Now that I know the truth and tension that it had given us, I noticed bags under Dad's eyes and he looked a little older than his age, due to all the stress. I felt really bad, because at one side, it was his daughter's future and at the other side, it was our family business.
When I couldn't take the silence anymore, I informed them about my decision, "I would like to meet Xavier Knight."
Dad and Marcus looked at each other as Dad asked, "Are you sure?" Leaving the spoon in his plate.
"Yes. I'll meet him and will tell you my decision after that."
Smile appeared on my Dad's face, but Marcus looked worried, but pride flashed in his eyes.
Never Again 🌷 “Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breath, and have faith that everything will work out for the best.” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• The day wasn't peaceful for Xavier Knight as the faded memories of my betrayal were floating right in front of him. He masked the anger on his face gracefully as he averted his eyes from my face. By losing the extra pounds gave him a more chiselled face than before, that was what you first noticed about him: a hard, chiselled face, like that of some ancient Greek statue. The way his white shirt had covered his forearms was telling me that he had spent his share of time in the gym. And, then, finally, there was his eyes…. His forest green eyes that horrified me in the last five years. They were dark pools of immeasurable depth, pools of agony that you could drown yourself in and never again come up for air. Once messy dusty brown hair was now perfectly blended in gel to his right side, an
Never Again 🌷 “Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• "Are you two hundred percent sure it was him?" Kat asked the same question for the tenth time and I narrowed my eyes at her. "Yes Kat. I'm definitely sure." Rolling my eyes at her as I thought even if I hadn't heard his name, I'd still recognise those alluring eyes anywhere. Whenever my situation got worse, it would be his face that would appear in front of my eyes, telling me that Karma was definitely biting my ass off. "I ain't getting the job, right?" I sighed, eating the last slice of pizza left. "Lying is against my morals, darling." She said, amusement dancing in her eyes, but as she looked at my face, Kat got equally worried. Kat had always been my constant support since the day I met her, and I can't pay her back, at least not in this lifetime. But now, I desperately need a job. To regain my self-respect, my personality, to be independent. "Eve, look at
Never Again 🌷 “Hate is a terrible thing. It's a wasteful, stupid emotion. You can hate someone with all your heart, but it'll never do them a bit of harm. The only person it hurts is you. You can spend your days hating, letting it eat away at you, and the person you hate will go on living just the same. So, what's the point?” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• Sitting outside the office of Mr Walker, I waited for him to arrive. Despite my protests, Kat didn't let me wear my old clothes as I was dressed in her floral color pencil skirt and black button-up shirt, I looked really decent and professional. And finally the heels, which she stubbornly made me wear. I applied some natural makeup on my face and let my strawberry hair down so they reached my waist in light waves. It was already fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do and where to go. Time passed as it was exact nine in the morning, when I watched Mr Walker walking out of the private elevator
Never Again 🌷 “The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger but in wisdom, understanding and love.” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• “If it was up to me, I would not even let you work in any of the companies in New York, let alone my office.” Those painful words kept ringing in my ears, stealing me of my peace of mind. I was already swimming in the pool of guilt, hearing those words from his mouth had left me in a puddle of misery. For years, I have been running from my past, facing the difficulties, but his face has brought me back to the place from where I started. To zero! "Damn! Babe!" Kat's yelling pulled me out of the trance. Turning my face towards her, only to find har staring at her laptop's screen with 'puppy- dog eyes'. "Why the hell didn't you tell me your Xavier Knight is the living Greek god?" "He's not mine, and secondly why on earth are y
Never Again 🌷 “We each begin in innocence. We all become guilty.” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• Quickly turning away from the sight, I followed Kat through the crowd, hoping that he didn't see me. Not knowing why, but I looked back and we locked gazes. I couldn't look away, he was staring at me intently like a lion watching his prey. Feeling a tug just as I lost my focus on Xavier. Kat was already pulling me with her. We then arrived at our booth, so I could take a seat. "You wait here. I'll locate Mason and will get our drinks." I nodded and she strutted off. As she left, I observed the crowd was dividing itself into half and was dispersing to their respective sides, making a void in the middle of the stage. A handsome man walked down the aisle with a drink in his left hand, looking right into my eyes. And to my surprise, the man was none other than Xavier Knight himself. What was he trying to do? I thought. Xavier was standing in the middle of the stage, while the DJ announced, "Ladi
Never Again 🌷 “Sometimes life has a cruel sense of humor, giving you the thing you always wanted at the worst time possible.” Lisa Kleypas ~•~ •X A V I E R• Would you call it bad luck or the worst timing, if you end up working with the same person you spent five years hating? Evelyn Rose Williams, the girl that I loved with every nerve fibre in my being. But now, I despise her the most. Immature, materialistic narcissist who just cared about herself, who played with each and every person's emotions as they were pawns in her life. The girl who could stoop down to the lowest, if it benefited her in any way. The girl once ruined my life, and I'd never let that happen again. After five years of messing with my head, why the hell was she back? Why couldn't she just leave me alone?! The frustration that was stirring inside me was driving me damn crazy. I saw her getting appointed as my secretary, all thanks to Chris. And after getting appointed as the secretary of the CEO of a mult
Never Again 🌷 “True love will triumph in the end-which may or may not be a lie, but if it is a lie, it's the most beautiful lie we have.” John Green ~•~ •E V E L Y N• Wishing that Sunday didn't happen because unfortunately, I had to face Xavier today at work. It was a Monday and I planned to avoid him like the plague. I wasn't going to indulge myself in his business until he apologized for his behaviour the other night. If he even remembered, I thought. I arrived at work at an earlier time, so I started to sort out all the files that needed to be signed and reviewed by Xavier. Engrossed in work, I didn't even notice him entering the office. He didn't usually bother addressing my presence, so today was no different. After a while, my phone started ringing. Looking up from what I was doing, answered the unknown number. Before I could even greet the person on the other end, I heard, "In my office, along with all the important files." And then he cut the call. Way too quick, M
Never Again 🌷 “Just ask how I'm feeling, I want to say. Just ask and I may tell you. But no one does.” Melina Marchetta ~•~ ~FIVE YEARS AGO~ •E V E L Y N• Ever since I knew about the dreaded agreement between Williams and Knight, I had cried myself to bed every night. Seeing as Marc wasn't here to comfort and change my mood, I was left on my own. After I ate, I took a nice warm bath and retired to bed early. Never had I ever imagined that for the rest of the week after I agreed to meet Xavier, I would have to handle a lot of my school work to complete it early. As Xavier Knight would arrive from New York to here in California on Monday, I also had to finish off my school work for the next few weeks. Trying to smooth out everything by myself and by Friday night, I finally let out a breath I didn't know I was holding all week. My weekend flew by so fast. I didn't even get the chance to relax my nerves. I had to divert my mind from him as I kept dreading for Monday. Waking up a