Chapter 3
1608 Words
Evelyn’s POV
I thought quite deeply for a while, feeling this was a trick along the way. I sighed, going back to the message, tapping in anger and deleting it right away.
It’s still early to withdraw from this stranger.
“If you have good intentions, you will let me know you.” I murmured. Slumping on the bed, I was wishing to get a sleep I knew I wouldn't be able to.
Restless for some minutes, I picked up my phone, scrolling to the deleted messages. My finger hovered over the call button, my pulse racing. I could reach out. I could take the first step into a war I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
After all, there's no harm in trying. If I don't try, how do I know if this is real help or not?
Before I could decide, the phone buzzed again. A new message appeared.
Tomorrow. 9 p.m. The Davenport Hotel. Come alone. Or lose your chance forever.
My hand trembled as I stared at the screen. Making this decision now pressed down on me like a weight. If I go, I might be stepping into danger at the hands of some scammer or serial killer. If I stay, I lose everything.
After so much thought, I decided to go. Before going, I'd already alerted the police.
It's gonna be a personal affair, I'll put on a secret tracker app that relays my voice in real time to the station.
“If you don't hear from me, come looking for me.” I gave them the address.
With this, I was good to go.
Thunder rumbled in the sky the moment I stepped out of my car beside the hotel. It began to rain. Somehow, I felt I was stepping into an unknown battle to which I could win or lose.
Rain slammed against the pavement outside the Davenport Hotel, blurring the city lights. My umbrella flipped inside out, useless against the wind. I ran for the entrance, my heels slipping, my heart hammering.
Inside, the lobby glowed with gold and marble. Chandeliers dripped light across polished floors. It was screaming beauty and luxury. A hotel for the elites.
I gave the name at the desk, and the attendant nodded without surprise. “Mr. Davenport is expecting you.” She slid a digital card across the desk over to me.
Mr. Davenport of Davenport Group? Liam’s greatest rival in the business world? New York’s most eligible bachelor?
So he’s the one I messaged?
Not in my wildest dream had I even expected to meet with him one day. I didn’t even take my mind to him, he’s sort of a prominent person every CEO in his industry sees as a rival.
My world was crumbling deep, I stood there aghast, not knowing if I was dreaming or not. How did he even get my number? I wondered.
“What's impossible for the richest CEO in the City?” A little voice spoke across my head.
This would be the right type of man to seek my revenge against Liam. Someone better than him. I heaved, took to my heels.
I've got some serious business.
I rode the elevator to the top floor, each second stretching. My reflection in the mirrored walls looked pale, my eyes dark and hollow. I tried to steady my breathing. I was here for one reason: to destroy Liam Vance. Nothing else.
The doors opened to a private lounge. It smelled of smoke and expensive whiskey, the world of the wealthy. He was there, sitting in an armchair by the window, the city glowing behind him.
Alexander Davenport.
He looked nothing like Liam. Where Liam was flirty and charming, Alexander gave a cold type of beauty, looking strict and reserved. His suit was dark, his posture relaxed but watchful. His eyes lifted to me, cool and assessing, as though he was reading everything about me.
“Mrs. Vance,” he said smoothly. His voice was low, steady. “Or should I call you Evelyn?”
I swallowed. “Evelyn is fine.”
“Good.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit.”
I sat, though every nerve in my body screamed to run. This man possessed such an aura to make me want to melt before him. Handsome, charming in a cold way with eyes grazing every part of my body.
For a moment he studied me in silence. The weight of his gaze made me feel exposed, stripped bare. And do I say, I felt wet.
Finally, he spoke.
“You want to ruin Liam.”
I froze. “How do you—”
He smiled faintly. “I make it my business to know everything about my enemies. And you, Evelyn, are Liam’s greatest weakness.”
His words cut deep. Was I his weakness? Or just another one of his possessions, easily replaced by Chloe?
Alexander leaned forward. “Tell me what you want.”
The answer burned on my tongue. “I want my life back. I want him broken. I want Chloe gone.”
His eyes glinted. “And what are you willing to give for it?”
I hesitated. “What do you mean?” I arched my brow.
He poured a glass of whiskey, the amber liquid catching the light. “I don’t do charity. You want my help? You give me something in return.” His voice resonated with a badboy aura.
I gulped saliva down my throat.
My heart pounded. “What do you want?”
He studied me, his silence steaming across the room with great suspense. “He wants an open marriage, right?” He finally said and I nodded. “You. Publicly. As my lover.”
The words struck me. “What?”
“You heard me well.” His voice was calm, as if he were suggesting the best thing I can ever do in my life.
His answer was clear and cold.
“You. Publicly. As my lover.”
I shook my head. “That would destroy me too.”
“Urghh?” He dropped the glass, leaning across. “Getting Chloe pregnant and bringing her into your marital home does not destroy Liam but I, in your life?”
I hummed, feeling my response so lame. I should have said it will destroy Liam rather.
“I meant–”
“Hummm.”
I no longer knew what to say. He assessed me, then gave a cold grin.
“Don't worry about anything, I will protect you. But it comes with rules.”
I swallowed. “What rules?” Exactly what I was saying. What if this backfires? “Whatever rules it is, first we must have a contract to protect our interest.”
As a lawyer, this was the first thing to come into my mind.
His eyes locked on mine, steadily.
“Fine, we will make a contract.” He agreed.
“Rule one: This is not love. If either of us develops feelings, it ends.”
“Rule two: no betrayal. If you betray me, I destroy you.”
I flinched.
“Rule three: once we start, there is no going back till we achieve our aim.”
I sat frozen, the words echoing inside me.
“You’re asking me to risk everything,” I whispered.
He leaned closer. “You already lost everything. The only thing left is revenge. This way, you win.”
The room grew quiet. Only the rain against the windows filled the silence. I thought of Liam’s cold face. Chloe’s mocking smile. Isabella’s innocent eyes. The life inside me that Liam did not know about.
I lifted my chin. “I want terms of my own.”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “Go on.”
“My baby stays safe,” I said, rubbing my stomach to show I have a baby in there. “Isabella too. They must never be affected badly by what I'm doing.”
He nodded once. “Agreed.”
“And when Liam falls,” I added, “I walk away free. No chains. No debts.”
His smile returned, sharp and thin. “We will put it in writing.”
He pulled a folder from the table. A contract already waited inside. He slid it to me. The papers outlined every detail.
My hand shook as I picked up the pen.
“Are you sure?” Alexander asked.
I met his eyes. “Yes.”
I signed my name. Evelyn Reed Vance.
When the pen left the paper, something inside me shifted. Fear burned into resolve. My weak heart climbing up here turned into a hardened one.
Alexander took the contract and signed his name with a steady hand. Then he leaned back, satisfaction in his eyes.
“It begins now,” he said.
The words sent a chill through me.
I stood, my knees unsteady. “If I regret this—”
“You won’t,” he cut in. His gaze was sharp. Cold. “Because by the time you do, Liam will already be destroyed.”
What does he mean?
I didn't want to believe what was in my mind seeing that mischievous gaze radiating from his eyes.
At least not yet.
I left the lounge with the contract. Outside, the rain had stopped. When I reached my car, my phone buzzed. A new message lit the screen.
I froze. My eyes darted back toward the glowing hotel. The message was from Alexander.
“Now you belong to me too!”
I belonged to a man far more dangerous than Liam.
- Writer
