Chapter 12 The Photograph
Was this supposed to comfort her or serve as a warning? The gesture felt over the top, almost like someone was trying to claim her.
Derek would never send her flowers. Was Adrian trying to make her feel safe, or was someone else using this gesture to send a warning?
'Be careful, Eva, you might never know who is watching you.' Derek's warning popped into her head.
She thought of all the possibilities, and each one made her heart beat faster.
Eva walked over slowly, feeling her heart race with every step.
A small card was tucked between the stems.
She pulled it out and read the neat handwriting:
"Thinking of you. – A"
A?
Adrian.
Eva stared at the card, feeling a rush of emotions tighten her chest.
Part of her wanted to be angry. He had no right to send her gifts or show up in her life after seven years of silence.
She still remembered that night, when she woke up alone, when he walked away without a word, running from responsibilities she never understood, leaving her to explain his absence to everyone.
He was a stranger now. He might be the father of her children, but he was still a stranger.
But another part of her, small and hard to trust, liked the attention even though she knew she shouldn't.
Warmth filled her body.
No one had sent her flowers in years. Derek certainly never had. Her marriage was always missing romance. It was a cold, practical deal that helped everyone except her.
Now this wealthy, handsome man was sending her roses. Maybe it meant he wanted to be part of her life, maybe even protect her.
It didn't feel real.
Eva pressed her fingers to her chest, noticing the way her breath caught, shallow and quick.
For a moment, warmth slipped through the cracks of her caution—a flicker of hope she could not quite trust.
But anxiety coiled in her stomach, making her palms damp, her shoulders tense.
Every possibility seemed to tangle together inside her, leaving her standing motionless, heart pounding with both longing and unease.
Or maybe it was all just a trap.
Eva set the card down and clenched her jaw.
She couldn't let herself get distracted. Not now. Adrian's message might be a trap or a real offer of help, and she had too much at stake.
She pulled out her phone and typed a quick message to the number on Adrian's business card:
"I don't need flowers, Adrian. Why did you send them to me? What I need are answers."
The reply came almost instantly:
"I'll give you both. Dinner tonight at 7 PM. I'll send a car."
Eva's fingers paused above the keyboard.
Every instinct told her this was reckless. She barely knew him. Trusting him felt like stepping off a cliff with her eyes closed. For all she knew, he could be as dangerous as Derek, maybe even worse.
But she needed information.
She needed allies. Badly.
Right now, Adrian Cavanaugh was the only person offering both.
She typed her reply:
"Fine. But I choose the place."
There was a pause. Then:
"As you wish."
Across town, Derek Lawson was having a very different morning.
He woke up in Reena's penthouse, a fancy apartment secretly paid for with Eva's money. He knew it was ironic. Being with Reena always reminded him that his wife's money paid for his cheating.
And he liked it.
"You're up early." Reena emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a silk robe that left little to the imagination. Her damp, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Derek watched her appreciatively. "Yeah, I have things to handle."
"Things?" Reena raised an eyebrow, sliding onto the bed beside him. "Or is it people?"
He pulled her onto the bed. "Both." Derek's expression darkened. "Eva is becoming a problem."
"Is she still going on about divorce?" Reena laughed, cold and sharp.
"She is."
"Don't worry, she doesn't have the guts to see it through."
"Don't underestimate her." Derek grabbed his phone from the nightstand. "She's not the same naive girl she was seven years ago. Something is different now."
"Changed how?"
"I don't know yet. But I plan to find out." He scrolled through his messages, frowning when he saw nothing from Vivian Chen. The private investigator should have sent him an update by now. "I've hired someone to dig into her past. If she's hiding anything, I'll find it."
Reena's smile turned sharp. "And then?"
"And then I'll use it to ruin her." Derek's voice was cold. "This is about destroying her. She will lose everything: the divorce, her children, her reputation, and her family's support. I'll get everything."
For Derek, it was not just about money or revenge.
He was afraid of feeling powerless again, the way he had felt years ago when Eva's family looked down on him, making him feel small and insignificant in their grand house.
He needed to prove he was in control now, that no one could ever treat him as if he didn't matter.
"God, you're so sexy when you're ruthless." Reena leaned in and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "But don't forget our deal."
"I haven't forgotten."
The deal.
It had been Reena's idea from the beginning. Seven years ago, when she drugged Eva at that birthday party, her intention was simple: ruin Eva's reputation, force her into a bad marriage, and ensure her family's wealth would be siphoned away.
Reena never forgot the way Eva's family had embarrassed her when she was younger, making her feel invisible at every event, their whispers always filled with dislike.
Eva took what should have been hers. That birthday party had been her chance to finally change things, to get into the Francis family.
But things had spiraled further than even Reena expected.
After the scandal, Eva's friendships were shattered, and her standing in the community never returned to the same level.
What started as payback for old insults had grown into a need to see Eva lose everything, little by little.
And Derek had been the perfect instrument.
He was a handsome man from a good family, but he owed more money than he owned. He needed money. Reena wanted revenge. Together, they set the perfect trap.
And Eva had walked right into it.
"Once you've dealt with her," Reena continued, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest, "I expect what was promised. I always wanted half of everything Eva owns."
"And you'll get it."
"I'd better." Her eyes turned cold, and her lips pressed thin for just a moment. "I've waited seven years for this, Derek. Don't disappoint me."
Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door.
Reena frowned. "I'm not expecting anyone."
"Really. Who might it be then?" Derek climbed out of bed, pulling on a robe. "Stay here. I'll go check."
He walked to the front door and opened it, but no one was there.
Just an envelope, lying on the welcome mat.
Derek picked it up, his brow furrowing. There was no address, no stamp, no indication of who had left it.
He tore it open.
Inside was a single photograph.