Eve’s Nemesis

Chapter One: Choosing Her "Isn't this too fast?" Jex asked Fortune, seated across from him. "I don't think so. What matters is the love and understanding we have for each other," Fortune replied. In all their years of friendship, Jex had known Fortune as someone who loved hard and kept to himself. He rarely talked about women, let alone entertained relationships. Jex remembered trying to set him up during college with girls he thought Fortune might like, but every attempt failed. Now Fortune was marrying someone he'd met only some months ago, and not just anyone, but Eve, daughter of the late mafia boss Mr. Adams, and ex-girlfriend of their worst enemy, Damian. Jex couldn't understand what had drawn his friend to her. She wasn't that special. "Of all the women in the universe, you chose her?!" Jex burst out. "Fortune, this isn't like you. Are you sure? Because I'm really not trusting this process." "Of course I am. This is my choice, trust me, I know exactly what I'm doing," Fortune answered with a confident smile. "Bro, this isn't just any girl. She belongs to Damian. For life," Jex pressed. "Correction!! Damian took her hostage. She doesn't belong to him, and she wasn't 'deployed' to him. He made it look like they had something serious, but they didn't," Fortune countered. "Even so, you know who Damian is. I know we can handle his trouble, but we should avoid clashing with him or taking anything that's his." "Eve isn't his," Fortune cut in. "Look, I need you to understand,” "Jex, I hear you. But there's nothing I can do. I truly love Eve. That's why I want to lock this down now. Please, let me do this. I know what I'm doing, trust me." Jex relented. There was nothing he could do, and if this was what his friend wanted, he'd support him fully. "Okay then. Whatever makes you happy," Jex concluded, taking a sip from his glass. Eve's Pov After shopping at the city's most luxurious clothing store, Eve and her friend Sandra stepped outside. Their bodyguard carried their bags as they walked to the car, discussing recent price hikes. "So where to next?" Sandra asked the moment they got in. "Home, obviously!" Eve shot back, glancing at Sandra as they both broke into laughter. "I already knew that, jerk. Just wanted that reaction," Sandra grinned. "Thought so," Eve murmured. Forty minutes later, they arrived at Eve's house. The bodyguard carried their bags inside while Sandra rushed in, collapsing onto the bed with a deep exhale. "What a day!" she exclaimed. Eve walked in and kicked off her heels. "Oh my God," she sighed, joining Sandra on the bed. She remembered Fortune had asked her to call as soon as she returned. Without hesitation, she grabbed her phone and dialed. "Hey, babe," Fortune answered. "Hey, handsome," she replied, smiling. "You kept me waiting. I've been expecting your call for hours." "Sorry, baby. I had a lot to get through, and I just got back. Hope you didn't miss me too much?" she teased. "Of course I did. Couldn't help it. Been thinking about you for hours. Your charm really got me," he joked. They both laughed. "I'll pick you up later. I want us to hang out tonight. 9 p.m.," he said. "Alright, baby." "I love you." "I love you more," Eve finished. Sandra, who had been listening the whole time, cleared her throat playfully. "Hope you're not forgetting I'm here, young lady?" They burst out laughing. "I'm so excited for you, babe. You're finally free from that nightmare. I hope he rots in jail forever. At least you're settling down with your Mr. Right," Sandra said, looking at Eve with genuine happiness. Eve smiled. Fortune was exactly her type. The kind of man she'd dreamed of for years. "Yeah, me too! I'm really so happy. This is the best time of my life. I'm finally free and settling down after all these years," Eve replied, though her mind drifted to Damian, and every detail of those years came flooding back. After all that frustration, all those years of tears and regret, all that suffering. Being with Damian had been hell. The two years she'd spent with him formed the worst chapter of her life. There was never any romance between them except in public, where he'd force her to pretend everything was fine, deliberately doing nice things so no one would suspect the truth. She remembered covering bruises and injuries with makeup. She remembered him hitting her until she passed out. What else could she expect from someone who had wanted her family dead? She remembered how Eaul, her father's most trusted man, handed her over to Damian after her father's death. Eve had always opposed her father's world. Ever since she'd found him beheading someone in his private warehouse, she'd despised that side of him. Her mother had left when she and her brother were children, driven away by their father's abuse and criminal empire. Eve had watched him hit their mother repeatedly until she finally fled, leaving the children behind. Her father would kill mercilessly over the smallest mistake. As a mafia boss, he was strict and cruel. Damian's father had been his closest friend, until he murdered him during a dispute over power. That death drove Damian to join a notorious cult in the city, seeking revenge and the restoration of what was rightfully his. After three years in the cult, Damian emerged as the most feared and dangerous man in the city, surpassing even the established mafia lords. His name carried an aura of terror. No one heard it without questions, and most preferred not to speak it at all, lest they invite torture or trouble. Once he secured his power and reputation, he pursued his true goal. Executing the plan he'd harbored all along. This was why he'd joined the cult, to avenge his father. The thought that his father had died at the hands of his closest friend, Mr. Adams, had haunted him for years. Luckily for Eve, she wasn't home when Damian and his men attacked. She'd gone to buy a dress for an upcoming picnic, escaping the horror. Damian had taken his time with this revenge. He and his men gunned down all of Mr. Adams's guards, inside and out. They butchered Mr. Adams and his son, placing their severed heads in the living room. He deliberately spared one man, Eaul, Mr. Adams's most trusted associate, forcing him to promise that he'd deliver Eve the moment she returned or forfeit his life. Eaul reluctantly agreed, motivated by fear of death. No one dared defy the city's most feared man unless they wished to be laid to rest immediately. Eaul didn't even wait for Eve to return. He tracked her using his phone. And immediately attacked her when she got out of the boutique. Covering her nose with a chloroform-soaked handkerchief, he made her go unconscious at the spot and carried her into his car. Thirty minutes into the drive, Eve slowly opened her eyes. Finding herself bound, she struggled to break free. She tried to scream for help, but the gag in her mouth stifled her efforts. Eaul saw her struggling in the rearview mirror and tried to ignore it, but her tears and muffled pleas wore on him. He felt like a traitor. He pulled over. At the very least, he owed her an explanation of what had happened to her father and brother. Eve begged to be released, promising to flee far from town and even help him relocate. She knew that going to Damian would mean her death. But Eaul realized he couldn't run from Damian. The man would find him, and he wouldn't stop at killing Eaul, he'd eliminate anyone even remotely connected to him. That sealed his decision. He ignored Eve's pleas and tears. All he wanted was to stay alive.