The Diamonds

Episode Seven

#Morning…

Eva had gone to get herself a glass of water from the kitchen when she paused at the entrance, surprised by the amount of activity going on in the space.

The maids were bustling around,really busy as bees.

And the counters ,they were crowded with ingredients and fancy dishes, and the atmosphere felt tense yet purposeful.

No one had the time to chat.

Were The Crystals really that important to provoke this kind of preparation?

Eva wondered silently, with her eyebrows slightly arched and curious eyes being fed on the ongoing activity.

Without asking further questions to feed her curiosity, Eva turned and made her way back to her room.

Well, she had already decided to stay out of the way.

all

After all, Miguel, who was their so-called leader, didn't even seem to like her presence in the first place.

♦>>>>♦

Four flashy cars drove smoothly into the grand premises.

The Diamonds were already outside waiting to welcome their highly anticipated guests.

Well, all except Miguel,who was nowhere to be found at that point in time.

The cars came to a halt, one right after the other, and the doors opened with grace.

Out stepped the girls.

Elegant, confident, and beautiful as always.

They approached the guys with wide toothy smiles across their faces, complimented to perfection with their popping lip gloss.

The guys began welcoming them with warmth and familiarity.

Andrew pulled Ruby into a warm hug, Daniel greeted Tess with his charming smile, and Jerad gave Dayne a hug with a cheek kiss to follow.

They weren’t dating the girls, but it was clear that the Crystals felt something for each of the members of the Diamonds.

"Where’s Miguel?" Cassandra asked, scanning the area with narrowed eyes.

Andrew shrugged casually.

“Who knows. He stepped out,” he replied, noticing the flicker of visible disappointment on her face.

That reaction alone made him grin subtly to himself.

Classic Miguel style of leaving Cassandra a frustrated mess.

“He does know we’re coming over, right?” Cassandra asked as they headed inside.

“Yeah. He does,” Daniel confirmed, and she let out an exasperated breath.

**. **

They were having the time of their lives.

Laughter echoed through the walls, music played faintly in the background, and the energy was vibrant.

Andrew, however, couldn’t help but notice that Eva hadn’t come downstairs all day.

It was now lunchtime, and the guests were being ushered to the grand dining table.

Specially prepared for them.

Miguel had returned by then, and despite Cassandra’s numerous attempts to spark up a conversation with him, he remained unbothered,coldly brushing her off every single time she tried popping up a discussion.

“What’s she up to?” Jerad leaned in to ask Andrew quietly who furrowed his brows at him and Jerad gave him a knowing look.

“Oh.." Andrew muttered and shrugged slightly.

“Who’s she?” Cassandra butted in, catching their discreet exchange.

The guys exchanged brief glances.

“Letting her join us for lunch isn’t such a bad idea, is it?” Daniel said, looking directly at Miguel.

Miguel didn’t say a word.

He only spared Daniel a short look before rolling his eyes as he looked away.

Andrew understood.

That was an agreement.

“I’ll be back,” he said, rising from his seat and excusing himself.

Cassandra scoffed watching Andrew leave then faced the rest.

“What's going on?" She quriered but Daniel and Jerad only smiled.

**

Eva heard the knock on her door and quietly got off the bed, placing her book down.

“Come in…” she responded ahe door opened, with Andrew walking in.

“Hey…” he said gently, standing before her with his usual charming smile and Eva smiled back at him faintly.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked.

She shook her head gently.

“Not yet. Maybe later,” she replied calmly.

Andrew scoffed softly.

“I know you’re trying to avoid the table,” he said knowingly.

“I get it. You’ve never really been allowed to roam freely, but things are about to change, Eva. Come on,The Crystals are here.”

Eva stared at him blankly for a moment, unsure.

**. **

Eventually, she agreed.

They both stepped out of the room, and as they descended the stairs together, Eva’s eyes widened at the scene before her.

Gosh.

There were more people than she expected at the table.

What's more..

The Crystals were actually there!

Four of or them.

All elegant and intimidating,seated comfortably at the table.

And to her horror, amongst them was the same lady who had almost run her over days ago.

Their eyes met instantly.

Cassandra’s face twisted in shock and disdain.

"You!?" she scoffed, rising to her feet as Andrew and Eva drew close.

Huh?

All eyes turned toward them.

“You know her?” Andrew asked, confused.

“Of course I do,” Cassandra snapped, her eyes never leaving Eva’s face for once.

How the hell did the Diamonds even get involved with someone like her?

Cassandra wondered bitterly.

Eva couldn't be completely sure, but something about Cassandra,her commanding presence, and the way others referred to her made Eva suspect that she might be the leader of the Crystals.

“She almost committed suicide with my car, only to start saying lots of trash to me!” Cassandra shouted, and Eva gasped as everyone equally turned to look at her.

“That’s.. that’s not true. You know it,” Eva said to Cassandra ,her voice soft but steady.

“So I’m lying now, right?” Cassandra asked with a really mean glare and Eva didn’t respond.

“Of course you wouldn’t be able to answer,” Cassandra snapped, and Eva flinched slightly.

“That’s enough, Cassandra!” Andrew’s voice rang out sharply, cutting through the tension and she looked at him in disbelief.

“Enough of this,” he said more firmly and face Eva with a sigh.

“Look, Eva… I’m so sorry. I apologize on her behalf,” Andrew said, and Eva caught the stunned expressions on the Crystals’ faces.

Most especially on Cassandra’s.

Eva sighed and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

*

The Crystals stared in disbelief as Andrew, Jerad, and Daniel made Eva sit between them right before they personally began serving her lunch.

What the hell?!

Who the fvck was she?

Ruby's mind screamed the question as she stared at Eva in disbelief.

She stole a glance at Cassandra, who looked like she was about to explode with rage.

Ruby instantly knew that the new girl was going to get it hot from Cassandra.

Real soon.

“Alright now, let’s have a peaceful lunch now can we,” Daniel said in a pleading tone.

Eva glanced at Cassandra, only to catch her glaring hard.

Hmm.

They all began to eat.

Strangely, there was silence.

A deafening silence among the girls.

Only the boys chatted.

And among the Crystals,there was nothing but an icy quiet.

And that was when Eva noticed.

Miguel was absent at the table!.

But why?

**

Later, Eva found herself in the kitchen, unsure of how to return to her room without bumping into anyone.

She sat by the island, watching the maids carry on with their tasks.

Gosh.

She was terribly bored.

*

Meanwhile, Cassandra still couldn’t believe how much respect that girl was getting from the Diamonds.

Seriously?!

That was beyond insulting.

She was definitely going to teach her a lesson she’d never forget.

**. **.

Eva finally got the chance to sneak back to her room after everyone had left for the garden.

It had been hours, and she was now beginning to miss home again.

She missed Nigeria terribly.

She missed her nanny.

She missed everything familiar.

Eva rose from her bed and walked to the wardrobe.

She opened it, searching.

And then she found it.

A photo.

Her smile spread slowly across her lips as she touched it gently with the tip of her fingers.

It was a picture of her and her late parents.

Her last treasured memory of them.

Her dad and mum were still so young.

Too too young to be gone.

Only heaven knew why they had been taken from her so soon.

Just then, a knock on the door startled her.

Followed by a familiar voice.

Andrew.

Quickly, she tucked the picture back into the wardrobe and shut it, heading over to the door.

She opened it to see Andrew smiling at her.

He was wearing beach shorts, a towel slung around his neck.

Mehn! He looked casually hot.

“Hey!” he grinned.

“We’re heading to the pool for some swimming. Wanna join us?”

“No,” Eva answered almost instantly, and he raised a surprised brow.

“Whoa! You sure? Cassandra’s not going to hurt you, I promise,” Andrew assured.

“It’s not about her. I’m just not interested,” Eva said.

Well,that wasn’t entirely true.

She just wanted to avoid drama.

“Alright, if you say so,” Andrew shrugged.

“Take care,” he added before walking away.

Eva exhaled deeply and shut the door.

She moved to the balcony and could now hear the loud music and laughter from the pool area.

They were obviously having a blast.

It was past 5 p.m.

Were they not leaving anytime soon?

Their presence made her uneasy.

Feeling thirsty, Eva stepped back inside and decided to head out of the room.

She figured everyone was outside swimming, so the house should be quiet.

And come to think of it Miguel hadn’t even shown up during lunch.

Hmm…

In the kitchen, she found only one maid lazing around.

The maid quickly straightened up when she noticed Eva.

“Good day, miss,” the maid greeted with a bow.

“Yeah.” Eva mumbled a response.

" Um..please, I’d like to have something cold to drink,” Eva requested.

“Oh! Okay, miss,” she said and got to work as Eva sat down on a nearby stool

*

“Um…” Eva said softly, drawing the maid’s attention.

“Yes, miss?” she responded with another bow.

Eva chuckled lightly.

“Please, just call me Eva, not ‘miss’ or ‘ma’am.’ It feels weird.”

The maid nodded shyly.

“Now that you know my name, what’s yours?” Eva asked, a bit excited.

“Yoo Na,” the girl replied with another bow.

“Please excuse me, Miss Eva. I have work to do,” she added and Eva nodded sadly as the girl left.

Gosh.

Just when she thought she had made a new friend.

She left her juice unfinished and walked out of the kitchen.

That’s when she heard a bark and she froze.

Not again!

Her eyes darted upward to the stairs and there he was.

Miguel.

Her heart dropped down to her stomach as their eyes met and he began descending the stairs with his white pet dog by his side.

Eva’s breath hitched as he drew closer.

So close that she almost forgot how to breathe properly.

“Why do I always get to see you first and here?”

"Huh?” Miguel asked coldly, and she cringed.

Huh?

“Are you that snoopy that you can’t even stay put?” he sneered, and Eva felt every strand of hair on her body rise.

She was close to tears as she gulped heavily.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps, followed by chattering and a girl's laughter which seized immediately.

Uh oh.

Cassandra stood in the living room with her friends,stunned.

What the hell were her eyes seeing?

Right before them was Eva standing so close to Miguel.

And he wasn’t even pulling away.

And the nerves the girl had to even look him in the eyes?!

No..

Cassandra just wanted to believe that she was seeing things.

“Miguel?” she called,completely shocked.

Miguel and Eva both looked to see them and Eva quickly stepped away from him as Miguel’s gaze moved from Cassandra back to Eva.

Eva just wanted the ground to open and consumed her asap because ugh!

He looked at her like she was something that kept annoying him.

And then he walked away without saying another word, his dog loyally at his side.

Eva let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

It's always that way around him.

Andrew, Daniel, and Jerad quickly rushed over to her.

“What happened, Eva?” Daniel asked.

“Nothing really.” Eva said softly, biting her lower lip.

“How can you say that when it was clear how intense you were staring at him?” Cassandra snapped and Eva sighed heavily.

“Quit it already, Cassandra!” Andrew barked, clearly fed up but Cassandra didn't move her glare off Eva.

“Come on, Eva.” he urged, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.

**

Eva sighed sadly.

She still couldn’t understand why Miguel was so cold towards her.

What exactly has she done to him?

Why did he hate her so much?

And then there was Cassandra,the so-called leader of the Crystals who clearly hated her too.

What had she ever done to deserve this?

Andrew sat beside her on the bed and gently took her hand.

“Look, Eva. I’m really sorry about the way Miguel and Cassandra are acting towards you. Please, accept my apology,” Andrew said softly.

Eva sighed.

“I just wish I knew what I did to Miguel. I try my best to stay away from him, but it doesn’t seem to be enough,” she said, frustrated.

Andrew released her hand and gently cupped her face.

“Look at me, Eva…”he urged and she did, reluctantly.

“Don’t worry about all of this. You have me. I’ve got your back, always. No one’s going to hurt you.” he assured and Eva slowly nodded.

“Gimme a smile,” he said, and Eva didn’t know how to react to that request.

He dropped his hands off her face, and gently tucked her hair behind her ear, and then leaned in.

Gently.

“An..Andrew?” she whispered, her heart thumping wildly.

Was he..?

And then, just like a dream,his lips touched hers.

Soft.

Warm.

Sweet.

Eva froze.

Then she melted.

Her eyes shut, and he moved his lips gently against hers, holding her close with one arm around her waist.

She felt her breath slowly slipping until he finally pulled away.

He gazed at her, and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks.

Ugh!

She was beautiful.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly and she nodded, biting her lower lip.

“I’ll see you around,” Andrew said, flashing a killer smile at Eva before stepping out, leaving Eva who laid back on the bed, completely lost in her new daydream.

Andrew just kissed her!?

••••𝓣𝓑𝓒