Chapter 21 Who Is She
Evelyn’s POV
The day couldn’t have been better. I had managed to slip out of bed without waking Lorenzo. I just wanted fresh air, without him being possessive, as if he owned the very air I breathed.
My legs led me in the same direction where I had first met Patrica. I just needed someone to talk to. If I should be staying here for a whole year, I need to start learning things about this place.
The hallway was a bit brighter today, maybe because the sun had risen higher than the last time. I was hoping to see Patrica when I arrived, but she wasn’t there. So, I decided to enter the study room myself.
I pushed open the door. The spell books, magical items, all of them were still intact, making me wonder if anyone even remembered that there was a place like this around here.
I moved further, taking in every detail of the room, until I saw something strange. My legs froze.
Why would someone have a swimming pool inside his study room?
But that wasn’t even the real problem. The pool didn’t look ordinary, the water kept changing color, shifting from red back to its natural blue.
What could it mean?
Could it be something I should be worried about?
My head snapped to the other side of the room, a shelf filled with ancient books, heavy and dusty. I walked over and pulled out the first one. I turned the pages, but I couldn’t make out any meaning from what was written there, so I decided to try another.
That was when a feminine voice drifted in from the entrance.
“Hey, you.”
The book slipped from my hand and scattered across the floor.
My heart stopped pumping blood. I clasped my trembling fingers behind me, fidgeting uncontrollably before lifting my head to her.
She locked her gaze on me, her heels scraping loudly against the marble floor, hips swaying like a professional model from a TV show.
The closer she came, the clearer her eyes became, dark, unreadable.
I shut my eyes tight. I shouldn’t have come here. Lord, who is she? Will her punishment be heavier than Lorenzo’s?
Finally, she stood directly in front of me. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her assessing my body. She sniffed me, then pulled away with a flash of shock on her face.
“Wait….you’re mortal?”
God. What the hell does she mean by that?
Why does everyone around here keep acting weird, like they aren’t human too? Or could I be mistaken?
Slowly, I lifted my chin and found her eyes blazing with fury. Fists clenched, nose flaring.
“Hello….. miss.” I managed to fumble out the words.
She let out a bitter laugh. “Who are you, and what the fuck are you doing in Lucifer’s study room? Did they send you here as a spy?”
I stepped back a little, shaking my head. “No… no, no. You’re getting it all wrong. I was forced to stay here by Lorenzo.”
She scoffed dryly. “Forced?” Her heel clicked forward, her eyes piercing into mine. “And you even called him by his real name…. so they sent you to seduce him.”
I squirmed. “What? I can never do that.”
She laughed. “You’re smarter than they told me, Eve.” Her lips curled into a dark smirk. “Playing the hard-to-get strategy, huh?”
“What are you trying to say?”
She glanced at me from head to toe, amused. “Pretty face, unyielding gaze, young body.” Her tone dropped to almost a whisper. “I can see why he’s so into you but you’re just a fling, sweetheart.”
She leaned closer, her perfume blocking my nostrils. “The moment he gets what he wants, you’ll just be another name on his list.” A horrid laugh escaped her lips. “But don’t take it too personally, baby girl.”
I didn’t flinch, though her words pierced deeply. I couldn’t show it, it would only make her believe that there was a part of me that wanted Lorenzo. So I remained still, praying and hoping that all this madness would stop soon.
But it didn’t. That was just the beginning.
She straightened up. “I’m Kim, by the way….. the First Lady of this empire.”
I swallowed hard. “Nice to meet you, Kim.” I stretched out my hand as a polite gesture, but she ignored it.
“You know,” she continued, moving to the window’s view, “it’s been years since Lucifer brought any woman to this place.”
Her head turned back to me. “I was shocked when Gideon messaged me that there was another lady here who wasn’t a house staff. So, I rushed back, but the least I expected was to see a mere mortal.”
She started walking back to me, heels clicking louder with every step. “A fucking human. A young one, for that matter.”
She reached out for the oversized shirt I was wearing which belonged to Lorenzo. That was all I could find when I woke up.
Kim’s finger trailed along the fabric, drawing an unseen line. “I have been in this house for years. I have worshipped him like a god, done everything possible to make him notice me. But he never once allowed me to get this close….wear his clothes, or worse, sleep in the same space with him, let alone the same bed.”
I stood watching her without uttering a word. I could see the pain in her face, how she wanted to rip off the buttons and maybe wash off Lorenzo’s scent from my skin.
“When I was told that you slept in the same room with Lucifer, I thought it was another joke from Gideon. But standing here…” She picked a small piece of the shirt with her fingers. “Seeing you in his clothes…..”
“Oh, God.” Kim’s hands flew to my neck, her fingers digging into my skin. “I feel like ending you right here, right now!”
I raised my hands, pleading. “You’re hurting me.” I fought to steady my breathing, my voice barely holding itself together. “Kim…. please.”
Her grip only tightened. I could feel my pulse throbbing beneath her fingers.
“That’s what I want, little witch,” she whispered, eyes blazing with a pain that went deeper than anger. “At least you’ll know your place here, rather than whoring yourself around him.”
My eyes flew open. “You’ve got it all wrong.” My breathing turned uneven, every word trembling on my lips. “Nothing happened between me and Lorenzo.”
She hissed, yanking my hair backward as though she meant to rip the strands out with a single pull.
I recoiled, begging for my life, and that was when a strong voice broke through the room.
“Kim, stop that!”
My head snapped toward the direction of the voice and found Gideon rushing toward us. He pushed Kim away, eyes searching mine.
“Ms. Martins, are you okay?”
I nodded, dragging my fingers along my sore throat, rubbing the spot where Kim had been holding me.
Kim stood up from the ground and rushed toward me again. “Gideon, permit me to teach this tiny slut her place!”
I lowered myself slightly, holding up my hands to block her from hitting me again. Before I could raise my head, Gideon was already holding her back.
“What has come over you, Kim?” Gideon shoved her harder.
Kim stood still, her chest rising and falling. Her lips pressed into a tense pout, anger trembling beneath the surface. She shot me one last sharp glare, eyes burning with everything she refused to say. Then made a rough growl before she turned and walked out, never once looking back until she disappeared completely from sight.
Finally, the room fell silent, except for my heavy breathing.
Gideon stepped closer. “Ms. Martins, are you okay?”
I gave him a small nod, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
Kim acted like she had a personal affair with Lorenzo, like they had a strong relationship that she couldn’t sit back and watch another woman take away from her.
If that’s true, why does Lorenzo choose to keep me as his mistress?
I saw it in his eyes, beyond the power he claimed I took from him, there was this part of him that always fought itself every time he tried to punish me. And I believed he felt the same way I did.
Could Kim be right?
Does Lorenzo lure women to his bed only to dismiss them after he gets what he wants?
I lifted my head and saw Gideon still standing there, watching me, like he had loads of questions but couldn’t figure out how to ask them.
I didn’t bother asking what he was thinking. I just wanted answers, something to satisfy my growing curiosity.
A lot was happening here, and I felt like there was something I needed to know.
“Gideon,” I called softly.
His eyes didn’t blink, still fixed on me. “Yes?”
“Who……who is she?”
I forced down a lump, praying his answer would prove me wrong.