Chapter 18



𝔸 𝕕𝕚𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖

Eve's POV (𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥)

"Mum!" I screamed as I made my way to our gigantic parlour. I couldn't believe they'd do this to me. I couldn't understand why she would even agree to this? Haven't I been a meek enough daughter? I stumped into the sitting room and found my mum perched on the laps of my dad. Her sweet voice vibrating in a hearty laugh as my dad whispered sweet nothings into her ears.

From the look of things, they were oblivious to my presence or the fact that I've been calling out to them at the top of my voice. Or maybe they knew and just ignored me. I clenched the newspapers in my hands, trying to breathe through my anger before I lost it completely. I couldn't believe they were busy fraternizing with each other when they just sealed my fate. A fate I had begged them not to seal.

Yep. They've just destroyed your life.

I marched over to them and slammed the rumpled newspaper on the glass table. They both turned to gape at me. Finally, I got their attention.

"How could you do this to me?" I wailed, voice shaking with untamed emotions. "How could you concede to this mum?" I implored, eyes red with unshed tears.

She got up from my father's lap and picked up the papers. Taking a glance at it, she turned to her husband. "I thought we agreed to talk to her first before sending it to the press?"

My father shrugged. "Well, they wanted it done quickly. Moreover, we've already told her what's coming. It's her duty as a Russell to continue the-"

"Duty? Duty? How is-" My mum stopped me before I could say something disrespectful. Right now I didn't care. They were acting as if they haven't disrespected me before. They made it a habit to do so every day. Perhaps it was time to return the favour. And if standing up for myself counted as insolence, then so be it.

"John. You know your daughter is fragile, you should have waited. You should have let me talk to her. This isn't right. You know that she hasn't met-"

"Hasn't met? Henry Boluva is practically a ghost! No one has ever seen him. No one knows his age or where he comes from! All we know is that he runs the Boluva refinery.

Turning to my dad, I fired, "Have you ever seen him at all?" He just stared away from me. His countenance, static. "What about you mum?" When she didn't respond I puffed, "Do you guys even know-"

"Control your tongue Evelyn, we are still your parents." My mum snarled, her other side coming out to play. We only saw this side of her whenever we became extraordinarily naughty. But I was pissed too. And I had every right to be. It was just that whenever I was pissed, I tended to act without thinking.

And right now, I wasn't thinking.

I snatched up the new paper and started reading. "Russell heiress set to marry the mysterious Henry Boluva next fall. What will Ms Evelyn meet on her wedding day? A prince charming or a frog-" My mum grabbed the paper and tore it to pieces.

"What has come over you, Evelyn? You've always been a thoughtful and gentle girl. Why can't you understand that what we have done is to secure your future?" My mum said as she began to gradually walk towards me.

She wrapped her arms around my midriff and I broke down, burying my face into the curve of her shoulder. "See what being meek has caused me?" I sobbed as tears began to fall from my eyes. "A personal headline on the front page of The Times. Please don't do this dad, " I pleaded, raising my head to look at him. "Please don't marry me off like a slave."

My dad stayed silent, completely avoiding my gaze. After a moment he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and made for the stairs. "John!" My mum called and he whipped around in fury.

"What? What Gina? Why am I the only one feeling the heat, when this was all your idea in the first place?" My eyes widened, settling on mom in disbelief. I moved away from her.

"Is this true?" I whispered, my voice breaking.

She swallowed. "Yes, but it was for your good-"

I whipped around and ran past my dad, heading away from them. From all the plots and lies and pain. "Princess..." My dad started as he stretched his hand to grab me. I pushed his hands away and continued up the stairs, into my room. Locking the door, I collapsed on the bed, face down. Then grabbed one of my pillows and screamed. Screamed till my throat became too hoarse to begin again. Then finally broke down in a silent whimper.

I had no idea how long I had been like that, by the time I finally came to, It was already dark outside. I sat up in my bed and looked around the room. A photo frame of the three of us as a family sat on my dresser and as my eyes caught it, I huffed in renewed anger. I got up to go slam it face down when I caught a piece of paper sitting beside it.

Ignoring the frame, I picked up the paper and on the edge of the bed, my lips spreading into a slow smile as I recalled my fight with the stranger in the coffee shop.

How had I gone a week without calling him? Maybe it was fate. Maybe the universe was trying to tell me something. I had been meek and good and all it brought me was an unwanted marriage. Maybe I needed to be different. Maybe there was a way to salvage the situation after all.

And I think all I'll have to do, will be to make this handsome stranger fall in love with me. Picking up my cellphone from the bedside table, I dialled his number.

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Lucas POV (𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥)

She had called me and the animosity of it all weighed on me like a wall. I was angry with myself. With life. And with anything that had any semblance of control.

I had prayed to God, prayed to the universe, to anything that could hear me, for her not to call me. But it seemed the devil was on my heel for not only did she call, but she also fixed a date.

It seemed i was stuck with this dilemma alone after all.

The sound of my heartbeat, echoing loudly beneath my chest, as I adjusted myself behind the garden of the Russell's, helped to drown out the voice of my silly friend. Maybe I was a coward. But who wouldn't be when the life of your loved one was involved?

As I positioned myself on a hidden ledge, I couldn't help but grin. This ledge brought lots of good memories. Memories I wouldn't trade for the world.

My eyes glanced over the garden to the house next door, and fresh pain sliced through my chest as my brain began to recall events of that night. I shut my eyes tightly and squeezed my fist. Trying to breathe through the pain like it was yesterday and not ten years.

If not for her, I wouldn't be here right now. It was because of her I had taken this deal. I needed to save her. I needed to save my sister. There was no way I was going to let her die. I couldn't. I just couldn't. Not after everything we had gone through.

I took the pictures from the angle that had the best lighting, then made my way out of the estate through the tunnel I had come in from. We had discovered this tunnel. I and Evelyn. It had been our hangout, our haven as we played as kids. Our parents couldn't understand the connection a 10 and 8-year-old could form. They had always laughed off our bond as mere childish infatuation.

So when my parents had died in the fire, with I and Lydia barely making it out, the Russell had moved on without a backward glance. We had been nothing but neighbours to them after all. So why morn people you didn't know? But Evelyn had been different. I saw it in her eyes the night of the fire. The night where she had run to hug me, gripping me so tightly it felt like she never wanted to let me go. I saw it in the tears streaming down her innocent blue eyes. I saw it all.

She was pure. She was kind. She was true. And I was in love with her.

I sighed and got into my Cadillac. I had to find a way to get my sister back without hurting Evelyn. For what I was about to do, would destroy her. Along with her entire family.