Chapter 04
1370 Words
Eva finally found the restroom and pushed the door open quickly. The bright lights hit her eyes for a second.
She walked straight to the sink, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on her face. Once. Twice. Three times.
Her breathing was uneven.
She lifted her head slowly and looked at herself in the mirror.
“What did you get yourself into…” she whispered under her breath.
Her pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Jane’s number.
Jane picked on the first ring.
“Well?” Jane’s voice came through. “How’s the date going? Are you alive or emotionally damaged already?”
Eva didn’t laugh.
Her voice came out low, almost a whisper.
“You remember I told you I applied to work at Leighton Jewelry…?”
There was a small pause.
“Yes… why are you bringing that up now?” Jane asked, confusion creeping into her tone.
Eva closed her eyes briefly, then said it.
“The date… is the CEO of that company.”
Silence.
Pure silence.
Then...
“What?” Jane’s voice dropped. Sharp. Disbelieving. “Wait… Damon Leighton?”
Eva opened her eyes and stared at her reflection.
“You know him?” she asked quietly.
Jane exhaled slowly on the other end.
“Know him? Eva, who doesn’t know Damon Leighton? The man is a billionaire. Untouchable. Cold. Private. Powerful.” She paused, then added, “I’ve never met him personally, but his reputation speaks for itself. People say his heart is made of stone.”
Eva swallowed.
“This is your fault, Jane,” she said softly, anger and fear mixing in her voice.
Jane exhaled slowly. “I know. I’m really sorry, Eva. I didn’t expect it to be him. Just… try to leave the date. Quietly. Don’t cause a scene.”
“Whatever,” Eva muttered, exhausted already.
She ended the call.
For a moment, she stood there, staring into space, her mind heavy and confused. Then she turned and walked out of the restroom.
When she returned to the private room, Damon was already eating, calm and undisturbed, like nothing in the world could shake him.
Eva sat down slowly.
She picked up the table water, opened it, and drank— gulp after gulp — trying to steady her breathing.
Her fingers trembled as she placed the bottle back on the table.
She looked at him.
He didn’t look at her immediately.
How was she supposed to say it?
How do you tell a man like him that you want to leave?
Her heart beat harder with every passing second.
Then...
A knock sounded on the door.
Damon closed his bottle calmly. “Come in,” he said.
The door opened and a man stepped inside. “Good evening, Mr. Leighton,” he said respectfully.
Damon wiped his hands slowly with a napkin, his expression cold. Then he spoke. “Take her away.”
Eva blinked. “What?”
Her voice came out small, confused. “Take me away? What did I do?”
The man began walking toward her.
Eva pushed her chair back slightly, fear rising fast inside her. “What is going on?”
Then she saw it, the handcuffs hanging from his belt.
Police.
Her breath caught sharply.
She turned to Damon, panic flooding her chest. “Mr. Damon… what did I do? Why did you call the police on me?”
And then it hit her.
No way.
Did he find out… that she wasn’t Jane?
Damon’s face did not change. His voice remained cold. Final.
“Take her away. Now.”
The officer grabbed her wrist.
Eva’s heart was beating fast, panic rising in her chest.
“Mr. Damon… it’s not what you think,” she said quickly, her voice shaking.
But Damon did not respond. He didn’t even look at her.
The officer held her wrist firmly dragging her away, Eva almost lost her balance as he dragged her toward the door.
“Wait… please listen to me...” she tried again, her voice trembling, but no one answered her.
The door opened.
And she was taken out.
Outside, Jane leaned against her car, eyes fixed on the hotel entrance, waiting.
She checked her watch again and frowned.
“I told her to leave already… what is keeping this girl?” she murmured under her breath.
Then she saw movement.
Someone was being dragged out of the hotel.
Jane squinted, trying to see clearly.
“Wait… is that—”
Her heart dropped.
It was Eva.
“EVA?!”
Before she could even think, the officer shoved Eva into the back seat of the police car. The door slammed shut, and the car sped away.
For a moment, Jane just stood there, frozen.
Then panic snapped her back.
“Oh God… Eva…”
She rushed into her car, started the engine with shaking hands, and sped off after the police car.
********************
The station was lively, officers moving around in different directions, some carrying files, others speaking quietly to each other. Phones rang from time to time, footsteps echoed, and the low hum of activity filled the air like the place never truly slept.
Eva sat across from the police officer, the handcuffs resting around her wrists, not too tight but impossible to ignore.
The station smelled of paper and old files. Her heartbeat had slowed, though her mind was still unsettled.
The officer looked at her, pen ready, voice neutral. “Can you explain why you went there pretending to be someone else?”
Eva let out a small breath.
“You don’t understand,” she said, calmer now. “My friend didn’t want to go, so she asked me to go in her place.”
The officer paused, then lifted his eyes to hers.
“So you knowingly pretended to be Miss Jane Davenport?”
Eva shifted slightly in her seat, but kept her voice steady.
“I didn’t think it would turn into something serious,” she said. “It was only supposed to be dinner. Nothing more.”
“Mr. Damon is not the type to overlook something like this,” the officer said, watching her closely. “Do you even realize the trouble you’ve put yourself in?”
Eva leaned back in the chair, exhaling slowly, trying not to look as tired as she felt.
Then....
“Evaaa!”
The voice came rushing in before the person did.
Eva’s head snapped toward the entrance.
Jane.
She hurried in, slightly out of breath, eyes searching— until they landed on Eva, she walked to her until her eyes landed on the handcuffs.
Jane froze for half a second. “Why are you in cuffs?” she asked, grabbing Eva’s hands, staring at the metal around her wrists.
Eva stood up quickly and leaned closer. “Jane, please. Just take responsibility and get me out of here. Mr. Damon already knows I’m not you.”
Jane blinked. “What? How?” she whispered.
Eva shook her head faintly. “I don’t know,” she whispered back.
Jane drew in a breath, then straightened.
Without another word, she walked past Eva and stopped in front of the officer.
“Officer, this is a misunderstanding. My friend should be released immediately. She didn’t mean any harm.”
The officer said nothing. His face did not change.
Then his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and answered. “Yes, Mr. Leighton… yes, she is here… understood.”
There was a short pause.
“Oh… you want her kept in a cell for a few days? Alright.”
Jane’s eyes widened.
Eva’s breath caught.
“What?” they both said at the same time.
“A few days?” Eva’s voice shook now. “I have to stay in a cell for days?”
Jane quickly reached for the phone and pulled it from the officer’s hand.
“Hello? Mr. Damon, listen...” she started, her voice tight with anger.
The line went dead.
Jane slowly lowered the phone and stared at it in disbelief.
Her jaw tightened.
“Did that i***t just hang up on me?” she said under her breath, shock turning into pure irritation.
- Writer
