Eve walked into the magnificent mansion, still mesmerized by the beauty and luxury of the place. Although her heart was still hurt by Arthur's betrayal, this stroke of luck comforted her a little.
The stranger kindly guided Eve into the mansion, giving her a new sense of security and comfort that she needed after the events that shook her. Although still hesitant about the man's true intentions, Eve chose to hold those doubts temporarily and enjoy this opportunity to rest.
"Make this place your home," the stranger said as he nuzzled Eve's hip.
Eve was surprised that the stranger was holding her body. However, she did not resist or rather there was no energy to resist. After all, there was no reason for her to refuse a handsome and rich man like him.
"Thank you. Oh, yes. We haven't had a chance to get acquainted yet. My name is Eve. What's your name?" Eve said as she flashed her enchanting faint smile. The bait she used to flirt with men, both good and bad. Think of it as her form of survival.
"Me? I'm Boy Saksena," he replied, returning Eve's hand.
Eve felt confident that she could attract Boy's attention. Forget about Arthur, there's a replacement for him now. That thought is now running through Eve's brain.
After wandering around, Eve was stunned to see a room with a view of the swimming pool and the gazebo by the pool.
"Can I sleep here?" Eve said sweetly with a hint of helplessness to get Boy's permission.
"Of course you can. Didn't I tell you from the beginning, choose the room as you like," Boy replied, who immediately kissed Eve's cheek without asking for her consent first.
Eve wasn't angry, but her body cringed slightly in horror. After all, Boy was still a strange man to her. But at least Eve became convinced that Boy was attracted to her, either because of her body or her beautiful face.
"Then, I'll leave first. Take a break to calm your heart and mind. If you're feeling better, I'll take you home," Boy said.
"It looks like for the next few days I would like to ask your permission to stay here. Honestly, I don't know where I'm going either. I don't have a place to stay for sure," Eve replied pleadingly.
"Oh, of course. You can stay here until you get bored. Not only that, if you want to stay here forever, I'm much happier." Boy grinned with a hungry look.
Hearing Boy's words, Eve felt a little happy. She had absolutely no suspicion of Boy's kind gesture and words just now.
After taking a short rest in one of the empty rooms provided, Eve felt a little relieved. She still had many questions on her mind, but for now, she chose to calm down and wait for things to improve.
Meanwhile, in the room of the managing director of Great Food Company, Dave was struggling to save his company from total bankruptcy. He doesn't realize that Eve's desperation, which is also his only escape, has brought him to the same place as the woman he once loved.
Dave felt trapped in a complicated situation between love and hate. Although he knows that Eve has committed a great betrayal against him and his company, but part of him still wants to give her a chance to explain or even correct her mistake.
However, Dave is also aware that his mother, Chloe, has a deep grudge against Eve. He knew that if he didn't comply with her request, it might cause more conflict between them.
'Why did you betray me, Eve! This matter has become even more complicated. If I could hate you the way Mom hates you, I wouldn't be in this kind of trouble.' Dave grumbled sadly as he looked at the beautiful photo of Eve that was still displayed as a wallpaper on his cell phone.
Dave had never been faithful when he was with Eve. But at a time like this he even seemed like a person who so glorified love.
Dave is increasingly feeling overwhelmed by the conflicting feelings inside him. On the one hand, he wanted to find and bring Eve back, give her a chance to make amends and maybe restart their relationship. However, on the other hand, he also felt he had to fulfill the expectations and demands of his mother, who wanted a fitting punishment for the woman.
Just as she was thinking about her conflicted feelings, Chloe called Dave on the phone.
"Yes, ma'am. What's wrong?" asked Dave frustratedly.
"Has there been any word on the whereabouts of that sneaky woman?" Chloe always called Eve bad names. Although Dave's heart ached to hear what his mother said about Eve, Dave didn't blame his mother's frustration for his fiancée.
"Mom, can you just call her names without badmouthing her?" Again Dave was still defending Eve in front of his mom.
"Open your eyes, Dave, she betrayed you. She also bankrupted our company. Love does blind your heart. Where is the Dave you know who is cruel, arrogant and stubborn. How could that woman's love turn you into such a fool?" Chloe again threw a spray of hot words to realize Dave's naivety.
Dave could only sigh. "Yes, ma'am," he replied softly.
"Back then, you always called Arthur out for being stupid in love. But why are you falling for it now? You have to remember what you promised Mom. When we find that damn woman, you have to finish her off with your own hands. If you can't do it, I will!" Chloe's tone was rising. She sounded seriously threatening.
Saying yes to everything Chloe said was all Dave could do. To argue against it would be to provoke his mother's anger. In fact, Chloe could have secretly hired someone to kill Eve without his knowledge.
In this quandary, Dave decided to hide his good intentions to find and bring Eve back. He knew that if he revealed his feelings to his mother, it would only cause further conflict between them.
With a heavy heart, Dave told his mother that he would do as she asked, even though in his heart he still harbored hopes of finding and giving Eve a chance.
After the phone line was disconnected, Dave again contacted one by one his men whom he had assigned to look for Eve.
"Is there still no further progress on the search for Eve?" Dave, who usually spoke up, this time said softly and powerlessly.
"Not yet, sir. I believe Miss Eve is hiding with the help of someone. How could we have searched all over the country, but no one knows her whereabouts," explained Dave's messenger.
"If you find Eve's whereabouts, let me know first. And, don't let my mom know about it."
"Yes, sir. Are there any more tasks you want to give me?"
Without another word, Dave disconnected the call. For the first time, Dave, the hard-hearted and notorious man, had tears in his eyes.
"Why are you doing this to me, Eve?" muttered Dave looking back at Eve's picture.
Dave looked devastated by the situation he was in. It felt like he really loved Eve and his sadness could be seen in his rare crying.
As Dave looked at Eve's picture, he pondered deeply, thinking of what he could do next. Despite his broken heart, he still tried to stay strong and focused on his mission to find Eve.
In the midst of his despair, Dave convinced himself not to give up. Even though the situation was difficult and losing Eve was so painful for him, he was determined to keep looking for her. With strong determination, he regained his strength and led his team to continue the search with more persistence and intensity.