Jason.
"Alice.." I said the moment I saw who called my name.
"Jason." Her father said approaching us both.
"Nice to meet you again sir." I said, extending my hands to shake him and he took them and we shook hands.
"I've always thought you would end up with my daughter but after seeing your wife today, I realised that was going to be impossible." The older man said in a gruff voice.
I didn't know what to say.
Okay? I'm sorry? None of them were the right words.
"Dad, do you mean I'm not as pretty as she is?" Alice huffed.
" Not at all my pumpkin, I'm just saying I noticed how he was all over her today being possessive and all." The older man said laughing and Alice hissed.
"You know what, I'll leave you both to talk." He said to me,
"Meet me in the car." He said to Alice before walking away.
"Jason." Alice called the moment her father was gone.
"Yes." I answered.
"Do you love your wife?" She asked and I looked at her stunned by her question.
"I.. I.." I stuttered. Jason! Why are you stuttering?
She looked at me expectantly.
"That's absurd Alice." I finally found the words to say.
"You didn't deny it." She said with a hurtful expression.
"There's no need to deny it if it's not true." I said but it felt wrong. Like I was lying. What is wrong with me?
"So you don't love your wife?" She asked hopefully.
I nodded, unable to say the words.
I don't love my wife. Do I love my wife?
Well, I don't hate Eve, I've just been constantly rude to her because I don't want her to think all this is real.
"If you don't love your wife then it's fine with me." She said laughing now.
"What's with the sudden turn around?" I thought as I looked at her as if she had gone bonkers.
"Alice, you know that what's between us is strictly business. No feelings attached." I said, reminding her.
"I know Jason." She said quietly.
"You don't need to remind me everytime." She mumbled.
"Then it's all good then, I've got to go." I said turning to leave.
"Wait." She said holding me back.
"Is there something you'll like to add?" I asked.
"Why don't we spend the night together?" She whispered and I shrugged.
"No, I'm tired." I said walking away before she could say anything else.
What exactly was I doing?
I always have sex with Alice to relieve stress and today has been a really stressful day. Why was I turning down her offer?
I walked out of the building straight to the car park where Clinton was waiting with Eve in the backseat.
I knocked on the window and he winded down the window.
"You're here sir." Clinton said opening the back seat door so I could enter before closing the window back.
I sat down and looked at Eve that was beside me, already asleep in the back seat. She looked very tired and she was frowning in her sleep.
I moved closer to her and put her head on my shoulders since she looked uncomfortable.
"Drive." I said and Clinton ignited the engine. I glanced at Eve at intervals. She looked so peaceful yet she was frowning. Who frowns in their sleep?
I chuckled at my own thoughts before looking out the window through the tinted glasses.
My thoughts were consumed by what Alice asked me earlier.
Do you love your wife?
Do I love my wife?
Why couldn't I answer?
I wanted to answer but I felt a lump in my throat the moment I was going to say that I didn't love my wife.
I don't hate Eve that's for sure, but I don't love her either. But why was that so hard for me to answer?
Is it because I like her?
Do I like my wife?
I heard Eve groan as she moved closer so she could be comfortable on my shoulders. I smiled. I couldn't only wonder what was on her mind right now?
The moment she felt comfortable, she smiled. What a strange person!
We soon arrived at home and I carefully moved Eve from my shoulder and rested her on the chair.
I tapped her to wake her up after making sure that when she woke up, she wouldn't suspect a thing.
She soon woke up and rubbed her eyes while I kept looking at her.
"Get out." I said, maintaining my usual cold demeanour, then I got out of the car. She came out too and followed me into the house.
There, Grandma Nini and Mom were waiting for us in the living room.
"Oh Eve, I'm glad you're okay." My mom said and went to hug her.
Ugh! So extra.
"I'm sorry for making you all worry about me." Eve apologised.
"It's fine child, it's understandable that you need a moment to yourself where you're in that type of gathering." Grandma Nini said joining the hug.
"But don't ever run away like that." Grandma Nini said, smacking her lightly and they all smiled.
"Follow me." I said as I went up the stairs and she looked at me and nodded before following me to my room.
I opened the door down and she entered. Then I entered after her and closed the door behind me.
We both stood there in silence.
I didn't know what to say or how to start. Why was I suddenly nervous beside Eve?
What did I even want to say to her?
Why did she run away?
Why didn't she stay put like I asked her to?
Why did she fight with Eve?
Am I trying to express concern or am I pissed off by what she did?
Why was she in the emergency staircase with Kendall?
Is something going on with them?
Does she know him from somewhere?
I don't know but the thought of her being with Kendall made me a bit jealous. And the next words that came out from my mouth weren't what I wanted to say either.
"Are you stupid?" I found myself asking and she looked at me with a hurtful expression.
"Did you not hear me, Eve? Are you stupid?" I asked again.
"I.." She wanted to say but she paused.
"Are you.." I was about to ask again but she cut me off.
"I'm not stupid Jason." She said but it came out as a whisper.
"Good, then you'll do well to listen to whatever I have to say." I said.
"Okay." She said, still standing there.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" I asked and she left my room.
I slumped on my bed immediately.
Just what did I just do?
I don't know why I felt so jealous of Kendall being in an enclosed place with Eve that I just blurted something so Insensitive to her.
Even when I knew that Kendall was really into women as much as he is into men but it still made me jealous. What is wrong with me really?
Nevertheless, I should apologise. Whatever turmoil that is going through my head is not enough for me to ask her such a question.
I got up from my bed and left my room immediately. I got to her room but her door was slightly opened.
I peeked inside and saw her seated on the floor sobbing with her phone in her palm facing her.
She must be having a video call with someone.
"Oh max, he hates me." She said, wailing loudly.
"He doesn't hate you." I heard Max say through the phone.
"He asked if I was stupid. Do I always appear that way?, Stupid and clumsy." She asked so brokenly that I felt a pang in my chest. Just what did I just do to her? I broke her.
"Eve, listen to me, you're not stupid, you're a beautiful young woman who has gone through alot, just because you weren't born into the right family doesn't mean he has a right to treat you like trash." Max said angrily.
"He's.. he's..." Eve stuttered.
"He doesn't even value you, he's no worse than thugs." Max continued.
"He forcefully made you his wife and then doesn't even respect you in the relationship. More so, he even fools around with someone else? What a scum!" I heard Max say and I huffed.
Was I really this bad?
"You don't need to spell it out to me." I heard Eve mutter.
"But he isn't that bad of a person, he's given me what I could never have." Eve said and I felt hope rise in my heart but it was soon shattered the moment I heard what Max had to say next.
"What?, Money?" Max asked.
"No, not that." She said,
"See Eve, if you want, I could rally round and get some money from you to end this stupid contract with this man, I could even ask Ethan for some money, just how much could the penalty fee possibly be? I could even sell my shop for you to be free of this bondage you're in." Max said and I felt even worse than I did before.
I put her in a bondage?
It sounded like I'm some sort of mafia boss who kidnapped her and took away her freedom.
But isn't that what I did?
I took away her freedom. I bought off her family. Made her lonely and isolated. I didn't even treat her well and I'm jealous that she runs to another. Not jealous. Just bothered.
There was no need to keep eavesdropping on what they were talking about any longer.
I quickly left where I stood and went to my room.
I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling since I couldn't fall asleep.
My mind dates back to when I first met Eve. She didn't want this. I forced her into it. I needed someone to be my wife and so I asked her to marry me the moment I saw that she was vulnerable and had no means of paying for what she had broken.
I used that vulnerability against her. And the next thing I do is show up at her house unannounced and say that I was going to marry her. Who in their right man would refuse such an offer? An offer to escape from the pits of hell and poverty.
Eve has been the one supporting her family from the start, for her mother who barely makes ends meet from the bread she baked nor her father who works a run down mechanic shop or whatever.
She never really had a choice from the beginning. She couldn't choose where she was born into, she couldn't choose where she grew up in but the one thing she could choose was whom she chose to spend the rest of her life with but I took that away from her.
For my own selfish gains. I gave her money but can money really buy happiness?
If you asked me a few months back whether I would be feeling this bad for what I did to Eve then I would have strongly denied it. But now, it's different.
I feel different. I feel these strong emotions that allow me to feel regret for the pain that I have caused her. I can't explain the feeling. It's overwhelming and I don't even know what it is.
But I only feel it when I'm around Eve. I don't know when I fell asleep but it was the sound of my phone ringing that woke me up.
The call cut before I could pick up so I checked the time instead but it was just a few minutes after six so I couldn't understand why my phone was blaring up by this time.
I checked my call logs and I saw a high number of missed calls from a lot of people.
Clinton, my secretary, even some of the shareholders from the party last night. Just what is going on?
My secretary's call came in again and this time, I picked it up.
"Sir.." she said and I knew something bad had happened.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Our server crashed this money and our stocks are dropping." She said and it dawned on me that I was in big trouble.
"Keep me posted Patricia." I said and hung up so I could check the server by myself.
I checked the server and she wasn't lying. The stocks were dropping and fast. We were losing a big amount of money and it is my fault.