Chapter 29 Nicholas's Betrayal
Alyssa drove home, deep in thought, wondering how Nicholas behaved like a perfect gentleman tonight. She was uselessly getting worked up. In fact, she enjoyed herself more at his house than on her own. Sighing, she parked her car but her eyes popped out, seeing her stepdad’s car parked a few feet away. So she was right after all! Daniel Van Every was here to blast her!
She dreaded going up to her apartment, but what choice did she have? Unlocking the door, she went inside and looked around. Her stepdad wasn’t there. So maybe he had gone over to Alexander’s apartment instead of hers. Relieved, she changed for bed and went to the kitchen to get some water when the main door clicked open and Alexander stormed inside, followed by his dad. Alyssa was immediately on high alert and walked out of the kitchen towards the door.
“Alyssa! Where the hell had you been? I went to your office, but you left three hours ago,” Alexander demanded angrily. Alyssa stared at her brother, surprised to know that he had visited her office. She had expected him to blast her, but she hadn’t expected him to go to her workplace.
“What exactly were you doing at my workplace, Alexander?” she asked while her stepdad tried to intervene.
“Look, we can talk amicably instead of yelling at one another in this manner,” he said, but Alexander was burning with a crazy fury, knowing that despite everything, she was still with Nicholas.
“No, dad. She has to answer me what she was doing at Nicholas’s house for three hours,” asked Alexander, his hands clenched into fists. Eva walked in at that point from her hospital and her face clouded seeing the familiar scene.
“It’s none of your business where I had been, Alexander. If you have anything else to say, do so, else leave me alone. I have to go to work tomorrow,” said Alyssa, tired of the same topic.
“You don’t. I’ve asked Maxwell to terminate your employment at his firm or else I would bring his business down. How could you take favors from Nicholas knowing his true nature? Do you know who gave you away? Do you know how I came to know where you were for the last three hours?” he demanded angrily, while Alyssa stood like a statue, too shocked to move. Who could have informed her brother that she had gone to visit Nicholas? Was it his best friend, Maxwell?
“Drop it, Alex. Go home,” said her stepdad with a gloomy expression on his face.
“No, dad. She needs to realize that she is making herself a laughingstock here. She needs to know that Nicholas is playing with her as well as reserving the last laugh for himself,” yelled a distraught Alexander. Alyssa stood stunned, the color drained from her face.
“She needs to know that it was Nicholas who sent me pictures of her tonight to prove that he was with her,” said Alexander, as a gasp of surprise escaped Alyssa. She couldn’t believe Alexander at all. How could Nicholas do this to her?
“I don’t believe you,” she whispered, too shocked to say anything else. Her throat felt choked, and she felt betrayed. Alexander laughed while his dad tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen. Eva stood in one corner, ignored by both Daniel Van Every and his son, her heart going out to her best friend.
“No, dad. Don’t stop me now. She needs to know the reality before it’s too late,” said Alexander, taking out his mobile phone and opening the application where Nicholas had supposedly sent the photographs. “Here, take a look.” He handed his phone to Alyssa to check. Puzzled, Alyssa looked at the two photographs that had been sent to her brother. Shocked would be an understatement for what she was feeling after seeing them. Both were taken at the dining table when she was engrossed in the food and his charming speeches! What a traitor! Was this why he had invited her in the first place? How could she be so foolish? It could once be a coincidence, but not twice. This was a calculated move to anger her brother and take revenge on him in some way.
“You both are horrible. Do you know that?” she whispered as a few teardrops fell from her eyes and she rushed to go inside her room to deal with the betrayal. She was very disappointed in Nicholas, and this time no amount of apologies or excuses could save him. She had seen right through him.
“You shouldn’t have broken her heart, Alex,” said Daniel Van Every, but Alexander felt a strange satisfaction to have successfully incited her against Nicholas Donnelly.
“She doesn’t need that ashole in her life, dad,” said Alexander, giving Eva a pointed look. Eva tried to be as insignificant as possible, knowing how much Daniel Van Every hated her.
“Shouldn’t you be comforting your friend instead of enjoying the drama?” Daniel Van Every said, giving Eva a spiteful look. Eva’s eyes widened, and she came out of her panicked state and dashed off towards Alyssa’s room, but she clearly overheard Alexander’s dad’s remark.
“I don’t know what Alyssa sees in that beggar girl! She’s clearly taking advantage of Alyssa’s kindness, for giving a roof over her head, paying for her food, and sharing her stuff with her. Such people only know how to take. They can’t give anything in return.”
“Let’s go, dad. Mom should be waiting for you,” said Alexander, leading his dad away. Tears crept into Eva’s eyes as the words pierced her innocent heart. It wasn’t Daniel Van Every’s words that affected her more. She knew he hated her! It was Alexander’s behavior that hurt her. How could he not correct his father? She had never taken advantage of Alyssa, and neither was she a beggar girl. Her grandpa had left her some money that took care of her education while the rest she saved for an emergency. She shared their food and electricity expenses equally with Alyssa. Surely Alexander could have told him that?
She walked over to Alyssa, who sat at her bay window, staring at the darkness outside. “I’m sorry that you had to face that, Eva,” she said as Eva sat quietly beside her.
“I know he hates me. It’s nothing new but Alexander could have defended me,” said Eva, wiping her eyes with a forced smile on her face.
“Did you expect him to? Move on, Eva, he feels nothing for you,” said Alyssa, staring at her friend who sat like a statue, gazing out into the darkness.
“Maxwell Clyborne has asked me out and I think I’ll accept,” said Eva, making Alyssa’s eyes pop out with shock. She remembered how her former boss hadn’t returned Eva’s resume. “I do not know where he got my number from.” Alyssa looked at her guiltily and cleared her throat to admit to her crime.
“It might have something to do with me,” she said, making Eva’s jaws drop with surprise.
“What did you do? Wait, wasn’t Maxwell, your boss with whom Alexander had a fight tonight? Ah! Now I get it,” said Eva as the realization hit her. Alexander might have found out about Maxwell’s interest in her and gone to confront him.
“By mistake, I submitted your resume to him instead of mine, and he hasn’t returned yours yet,” said Alyssa. Eva sighed and the two friends shared a look, knowing what was going to happen once Eva went out with Maxwell.
“I’m with you on this, Eva. It’s no use wasting your life on Alex. He and my stepdad will never see your worth. Maxwell is a nice person, although his best friend is an ashole,” said Alyssa, feeling angry now at Nicholas.
“There might be a misunderstanding, Alyssa. I’m sure Alexander is exaggerating a trivial matter,” said Eva.
“No, those pictures are actual. I was with Nicholas and he took my pictures without my permission and sent them to my brother. It’s some game of revenge going on between them and I’m the one at stake, Eva. I’m tired of it,” said Alyssa.
“Why don’t you confront Nicholas?” she suggested, but Alyssa shook her head.
“No, I won’t have anything to do with that sly fox. He has the capability of charming me every time and I refuse to be used again and again.”
Eva smiled, but in her heart, she knew the time had come to use the rest of her grandpa’s inheritance and buy a small apartment of her own. With a place of her own, she could live with her head held high for the rest of her life.
“Maybe we should be firm in our resolves this time. I’m tired, I think I’ll hit the bed. I have my duty a little late tomorrow and we can make breakfast together like we used to,” said Eva, trying to lighten the mood. Alyssa sighed and looked at her friend.
“I don’t have a job anymore,” she said brokenly. As she lay on her bed, she thought hard about the life she was leading. She wanted to go far away from her family and live freely. It was time for her to leave this apartment and her brother for good!