Alexander glared at his sister, planning to drill some sense into her head right away. Although he seethed at the sight of Eva acting all innocent in front of him, he couldn’t confront her in front of his dad.
“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.
“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 end 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 father and 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, 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 of 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.
“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 as*hole in her life, dad,” said Alexander, giving Eva a pointed look, desperate to punish her for what she did. Unaware of what was going on inside his head, 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 toward 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 by 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. He didn’t like the way his dad always insulted Eva for no fault of hers, but he was tongue-tied today. His father wasn’t well, and he didn’t want another argument over Eva. Somehow, the mention of her name brought out the worst in his dad. He didn’t want his dad’s health to deteriorate further.
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? After everything they shared, she had thought he loved her. Shouldn’t he have stood up for the one he loved?
Didn’t he know 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 he 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 as*hole,” said Alyssa.
Eva sighed, knowing that 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.
“I’m tired. I think I’ll hit the bed. I have 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.
Eva lay on her bed and this time, she couldn’t control the tears anymore. Ever since she returned from Paris, she noted how much Alexander had changed. It seemed as if the moment she shared with him there were all a figment of her imagination! What could be the meaning of this? Did he agree to listen to his parents and be with Beatrix for life? Maybe yes. He might have chosen Beatrix over her! More tears spilled from her eyes, remembering his angry look. What had she ever done to him to make him so angry with her?
“God! please. I don’t want love. It’s too painful.” She sobbed into her pillow, remembering all his promises, his kisses, his confessions. They were lost forever. She would have to face the reality and see him getting married to Beatrix now. No, she had to escape from here!