Evania, a driven editor, finds her world upended when a desperate lie by her formidable boss, Jonathan Walter, thrusts her into the glittering facade of a fake relationship. Their charade is a desperate gambit to thwart a strategic marriage between Jonathan and the powerful Yelena Starkov, daughter of a Russian oligarch, a union that promises to reshape their media empire. But as the lines between pretense and passion blur, a devastating betrayal leaves Evania with a secret that will forever bind her to Jonathan. Years later, a chance encounter reveals a truth that shatters Jonathan's carefully constructed world, forcing him to confront the consequences of his ambition. Can a love born of deception survive the venomous machinations of a scorned heiress and the ghosts of a broken past? Will Jonathan find redemption, and can Evania ever truly forgive the man who broke her heart, even as he fights for their future?
View More"Who in the bloody hell is responsible for this?" Jonathan yelled, slamming his phone atop a pile of files on the rack. His face marked with rage, teeth grinding as he stared at Mrs. Garvey.
"Sir, it’s the editor, Ms. Evania," Mrs. Garvey replied, her voice shaking, as she walked toward the polished brown door.
"Get me that damn waif in here now," Jonathan commanded,sinking back into his ergonomic chair, his fingers drumming an impatient rhythm.
Mrs. Garvey hurried into the hallway, where she met Evania, who had just arrived. Evania froze mid-step, her face filled with dread, her legs trembling as she approached the stern, white-haired secretary.
"The top floor demands your presence, Evania," Mrs. Garvey said.
"What? Is it serious?" Evania asked, her voice a mix of politeness and regret, holding a bulky brown envelope.
"Not serious—catastrophic. How could you forget the approval form for a project you spent weeks on?" Mrs. Garvey replied.
"Oh, goodness! That little witch Becky! I thought she submitted everything, but I just found it buried in my handbag," Evania gasped, rushing toward the elevator. She pulled the helms of her tight blue dress as the doors closed, the elevator was packed with workers from various departments.
When it halted, on the fifteenth floor, she walked out, her heart pounding, cold sweat running down her back, her long brown legs shaking. She reached for the doorknob but hesitated, knocking instead. After a shaky breath, she knocked, fingers fidgeting with the envelope.
"It better be you, Evania Taylor,"Jonathan yelled, Evania opened the door. The squeak faded as she stepped inside.
"You have no idea the mess your 6recklessness has dragged us into," Jonathan shouted, rising from his seat.
"Sir, there's a mix up with one of my colleagues," she stammered, her voice barely audible.
"Oh! Rough night with your boyfriend, so you forgot to deliver the damn paper to Garvey? Is that your excuse?" Jonathan asked, leaning over the crystal-glass table, his eyes blazing.
"Sir, I’m so sorry. This will never happen again," Evania murmured, sliding the envelope forward.
"Speak for yourself, lady. The damage is already done," Jonathan shot back, his tone dripping with disdain.
Silence filled the air, her heart beating fast against her chest. The clock ticked to nine, breaking the suspense. Evania brought out two documents from the envelope and laid them before him.
"Sir, this won't ever happen again. I got carried away by the madness, I-I'm truly sorry and will bear all the consequences," she stuttered.
"Clumsy! You really have got some nerves in you." Jonathan barked, standing to grab a white mug from the table. "Do you even grasp what you’ve admitted? ‘A lot’ means I’m missing a complete file because a distracted employee left it at her lover’s flat." He shook his head in disgust.
"It’s been a brutal week, sir. I’m drowning in work and struggling to keep up," Evania defended, her voice rising.
"Blimey! It’s your job. You’re paid to do it—work should be your obsession," Jonathan argued, stepping closer, his tall figure closing in on her.
"Here it is, all complete," she said, lifting one of the white sheets.
"And the other one?" he pressed.
"Oh, sorry, that’s mine, this shouldn't be…" she fumbled, trying to stuff it back.
"I’m not a fool," he interrupted sharply.
"No, sir, this is," she began.
"Is that some sort of court document, has the law caught you offguard too? You're really something young lady," he said, an ironic smile playing on his lips.
Jonathan held the upper hand—Walter Media bent to his will. Evania, like the rest, was a mere disposable employee. Though her week had been rough, his focus remained on dominating the media scene at all costs.
Evania, however, experienced life beyond work. This close encounter with her formidable boss was unusual territory, yet she’d managed him her way—until now. The court order demanding her presence at 8 a.m. at Guildford was the only valid excuse to save her sorry ass from the angry boss. She spread it on the table, the red seal with its crown catching his eye.
“Do you think that's a valid reason to mess up the project?" He groaned.
"Yes, it’s a court order—8 a.m. today at Guildford," she confirmed.
"Doesn’t erase the losses I’ve incurred pulling strings to keep this contract alive," he responded.
"I had to be there or else my brother would be in bigger trouble,"
"For all I care, I set the rules here. This isn’t some random courthouse like Staines or Guildford where old useless men sit to debate obvious cases," he cut in.
"At least spare me this once. I’ll make it up to you, sir," Evania pleaded, her eyes blinking and searching the tall, dark-haired figure before her, a few strays of her curled hair blowing in her face, her stomach etched sensing danger. Clearing his throat with a commanding tone, Jonathan declared:
"You’re suspended. Use the break to pull yourself together, or you’re out."
"But sir,it's just a little mix up,you can't do this to me," Evania pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.
"This conversation is over. See you next week—if the universe still tolerates you,” Jonathan bragged, his voice a scary roar tearing through the very walls of the office.
"Sir, you can't do this to me right, I worked myself off for this project, I still have..." Evania’s plea fell on deaf ears, her eyes wide with boiling anger as the weight of his words became more evident to her.
"This conversation is over," he confirmed, turning away with an unapologetic look. "See you next week—if the universe still puts up with you, and if you finally wake up to your senses." His gaze fixed on her before he dashed to the window, staring out at the London skyline as if it carried the answers to all his questions. The room suddenly turned into a silent graveyard of suspense and unspoken tension.
“Sir! Gloria just called, she said, “You have less than twenty four hours.” Her voice shot through the silence.
Jonathan clenched his teeth, hitting the table with his fists, Mrs. Garvey trembled, her wrinkled face frowned.
As the city skyline appeared visibly clearer in the fading fog, so did Evania’s relentless thirst for Marcus's freedom. Her zeal to meet Thomas’ associate drove her punctuality to its peak. She's already at Wendy's, a small coffee shop by the road, sipping her usual latte as she scrolled through her phone as early as seven a.m.The young man arrived later on, dressed in a sleek white cotton shirt and black fitted trousers. His hair fell back and his broad chest stretched the cotton shirt to its limit. He looked around the balcony where a few green umbrellas harboured the coffee drinkers, his eyes searched the entire place then finally landed on Evania, the radiant and friendly look prompted him to approach without hesitation.“Glad to finally meet, I'm Graham Foster.” He said, sitting on the other end of the black vanished wooden table.“You know who I am, so I'll just be straight…” She responded, throwing her phone back in her handbag and taking her final sip before covering the cup
“Sleeping on your job is punishable by company law,” Becky teased, her voice a contrast to the quiet lonely apartment.Evania having dozed off, awoke to the pile of newspapers and magazines dominating the table, next to a pile of printed articles. It was late__past midnight but she wasn't ready to face Jonathan’s wrath again. Becky her only company had stayed the night to help her compile the report on Yelena’s online newsletter.“You're really going this far to impress a spoiled rich-ass big boy, huh?” Becky wondered, her tone tinged with a layer of sarcasm.“What's wrong with that anyway, you know I have to get Marcus out of Wandsworth,” Evania replied, her voice a low hiss in the silence of night.“Well, then stop dozing and finish up,” Becky advised.Evania gazed at the phone, already midnight, her squinting eyes turned to the laptop screen, she began to type again as the clatter of the keys instantly filled the quiet night air.“Why is he so consumed by the Russian girl? I know t
Evania had just stepped out of a meeting when her phone rang. As she reached for it, she found Elizabeth outside the meeting room. Elizabeth was visibly upset, her face folded, she called out to Evania before she could answer the call.“Evania! The boss wants to see you right now,” Elizabeth exclaimed, her voice sharp with urgency.“I’m in the middle of a meeting. W-what does he want?” Evania stammered, pressing the phone back to her left ear.“I wonder why he’s so inclined toward you,” Elizabeth mused, her tone tinged with curiosity.“Seriously, Elizabeth, you of all people should know I’m not in his good books,” Evania retorted.Meanwhile, Jonathan sat in his office, scrolling through his tablet. On the screen was a photo of a tall, red-haired woman with sharp, inviting eyes. His mind drifted to the past as he gazed at the image.Suddenly, Geoffrey opened the door and signaled to Evania, who entered the room. Jonathan quickly put away the tablet.“Please, have a seat,” he said. Evan
Evania took a deep breath as the morning air swept over her face, manifesting a fresh start.She walked right through the main entrance and headed to the lift. As the doors opened, her eyes met with a group of men dressed in black suits, Jonathan stood in the middle wearing a red tie. “Are you coming in or are you waiting for the next shift?” Jonathan inquired as the two other men stared at her.“I-I’m heading for the s-stairs,” Evania stammered, turning away.“Get in, these two gentlemen have daughters too, they cannot harm you, right Geoffrey?”Jonathan said, his eyes fixed on Geoffrey.Evania walked in and stood beside Jonathan as the lift cruised upstairs. On the seventh floor where she worked, the morning rush had caught up with everyone, phone calls and the chiming sound of machinery filled the entire space. Evania walked to her cubicle, opposite Becky's. “Keep coming late and soon we shall all be back in Camden selling fruits,” Becky whispered, her eyes wide open“Becky p
The employees and their superiors stormed the famous La Casa, a renowned Italian restaurant on Hoe street, all of them dressed in sleek and corporate attire. The restaurant had hosted an exclusive dinner party celebrating a hard-won contract.Unexpectedly, Evania, the project editor was invited too.Elegant wooden chairs encircled the dinner tables, their arrangement a blend of intimacy and sophistication that prompted connections. Evania found herself seated beside the imposing figure of Jonathan, the blue-suited CEO, his presence a quiet storm. Elizabeth, the managing director, rose gracefully, an empty wine glass in hand, tapping it with a teaspoon. She hit the glass with the teaspoon and sent a chiming sound throughout the room.“First, let me welcome you all to this extraordinary staff dinner—and most importantly, our esteemed CEO, Mr. Jonathan Walter,” she said, as a wave of applause erupted from the crowd, swallowing her words.“…as you all know, we are all here to celebrate.
A yellow taxi parked beside the prison walls of Wandsworth on Heathfield Road, Evania came out and walked through the prison gates. She was late but that didn't deter her from seeing her brother.Mr. Thomas sat outside the legal interview room waiting for her, his bald head shone under the dim light.“Time waits for no man, Evania,” he whispered, as she sat beside him.She gasped. “I’m trying, Thomas. God knows I’m trying.”He shook his head, eyes sharp with doubt. “Are you sure, or it's getting worse?”“No, I'm good,” she replied, her voice cracking.Thomas leaned in,“Becky told me about your suspension. Is it true?”“Yeah, it is,” she said, her voice barely heard, almost a plea. “The drugs do help with the pain, but it’s still there.”“I know anxiety isn't easy to deal with,” Thomas conceded, a bitter edge to his smile.“What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, old man.” Evania chuckled, taking in a deep breath.Thomas Moore,a long term family friend and Marcus’s lawyer, was a
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