Eve spaced out, and she had the urge to touch him again to make sure he was real.
There was a stark difference between his current appearance compared to the last days of their marriage. Because she had caused him so much trouble, Ethan had a hard time focusing on his business affairs despite his resilient attitude. Slowly, he changed from a fine gentleman whom everyone admired to a grumpy drunk whom everyone was afraid to go near. "Eve!" He seemed to be calling out her name for quite a while now because his voice got louder, snapping her out of her reverie. "I said get ready, we're going to the ancestral mansion."His anger had cooled off because he even addressed her the usual way he did. Without waiting for her reply, Ethan walked into the closet. The ancestral mansion....The memory was as clear as day in Eve's mind. That time when she drugged Ethan, he'd asked her to follow him to the ancestral mansion the next morning, to apologize to his grandfather for leaving the party without letting him know.And what did she do? She yelled and protested that she wasn't going to follow him anywhere. She even broke things in the house, until she remembered...She remembered the kind of gift she'd presented to his grandfather. 'Oh, no!' Eve's eyes widened at the remembrance of the gift. She couldn't let his grandfather see that gift, otherwise, what happened in her past life might repeat itself. Hopefully, she wasn't too late. Eve jumped out of bed and darted into the bathroom, forgetting the ache in her body. After taking her bath and getting ready, she left the bedroom and bumped into the house stewardess in the hallway. "G–Good morning, Ms. Maxwell, I hope you slept well," Elena stammered while trying to hide the fabric in her hands behind her. That was Eve's dress. The one Ethan had ripped off last night. Seeing the Stewardess's expression, Eve's heart twisted in guilt. Not only did she make Ethan's life difficult, she also made his servants miserable. At that time when she saw her dress in the Stewardess's hands, she was reminded of the night before and that made her punish the poor woman by asking her to kneel outside from dawn till sunset. Smiling, she stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder. "Sure, I hope you slept well too, Elena. And can you please stop calling me Ms. Maxwell? After all, I'm Ethan's wife and bearing his surname.""Huh?" The stewardess blinked at her. "In fact, just call me Eve. Let there be no formalities between us."After saying that, Eve hurried off. She still hoped Ethan's grandfather hadn't opened her gift yet. In the past, she'd strictly warned all the servants to only address her by her family's surname, Evan included. So none dared to call her Mrs. Anderson, or Madam, or even Young Miss. Her phone rang and she brought it out of her purse to see Mia's name displayed on the screen. Eve's fingers curled around her phone and she gritted her teeth. Mia had surely called to feed her more lies and heartbreaking words to make her feel more miserable. Eve rejected the call and turned off her phone. Ethan was already at the dining table, waiting for her. The breakfast was already served and steaming hot."Eve."As Eve gobbled up her food, Ethan called out to her, his brows creasing together. "It's not like we're in a rush," he said coldly. "Don't injure yourself."Even though his expression didn't hold any warmth, Eve was now sane enough to know that he was genuinely worried that she could hurt herself. She flashed him a smile and slowed down her pace, and that made the frown on Ethan's forehead deepen. Eve sighed inside. She could swear that she'd never even smiled at him before. Her obvious agreement to go with him and obliging to his silent command must have taken him by surprise. She just hoped she would be able to stop those calamities from happening again and free herself of the guilt in her heart. Suddenly losing her appetite, she dropped the teacup in her hand and said, "Erhm, Ethan... Can we set off now? I want us to be there as soon as possible." "You seem to be in a hurry." The confusion in his eyes increased and he dropped his spoon. "Eve, what are you—""Please please please." She cut him off, cupping her palms together. "Please let's go now, Ethan. Besides, we're stopping by the antique store, so we must set out early in order to reach the mansion before the sun comes out." She stood up and went to his side then pulled him up. "The antique store?" Ethan asked and she quickly nodded. "What are you going to do there?""To buy Grandpa another gift." She gave him a desperate look. Ethan stared at her as if she'd grown two horns. "But you already gave him a birthday present."Eve shut her eyes, biting her lips. That present was going to land them both in huge trouble. And she wouldn't dare to tell Ethan about it. She opened her eyes and curled up her lips, giving him her sweetest smile. "I– I just feel like I should give him another present. We left his place last night without bidding him goodbye, definitely, he must be mad. My gift will, in no doubt, pacify his heart." Ethan gave her an incredulous look. The more she spoke, the more skeptical he appeared. "So I must buy a very nice gift and I'll present it to him. You know grandfather loves antique collection. It will make him happy and we won't have to apologize for long."She didn't give Ethan the chance to speak and she went on pulling him toward the entrance. When they got to the parking lot, she rushed the driver to get the car ready. As they sat in the backseat, Ethan didn't take his eyes off her.The car was just about to leave the villa's gates when he said to the driver, "Stop the car."Eve's lips parted in shock and her eyes snapped to him. "Eve." Ethan held her chin, staring into her eyes. "What exactly are you up to?"
"You've been acting weird since you woke up, unlike your usual self. Tell me, have you developed a new way to achieve your divorce goal?" Eve swallowed and let out a nervous laugh. "Who said I wanted a divorce?" Eve flashed him her sweetest smile. "You're my darling husband, and my only goal is to make you happy. And to achieve that, I must make your family happy, especially your grandfather." Ethan looked more confused than ever. His pupils expanded and he looked as if he was going to have a heart attack. The driver lost control and the car almost slammed into the gates. Eve was thrown off balance and the impact made her collide with Ethan's body who wrapped both arms around her protectively. Her heart hammered against her chest and she could also feel Ethan's heartbeat. "Do you want to lose your job?" Ethan said darkly to the driver who had already regained control of the wheel. "I– I am so sorry, Young Master. Please forgive my mistake," the driver apologized profusely
On hearing the voice, Eve was stunned for a few seconds. The burly man's hand stopped mid-air. "I should believe that you're not trying to harass this lady. Otherwise, I'll be forced to get the authorities," that voice continued. It was none other than Cole. Eve gulped and slowly turned around, her gaze landing on the young man with a gentle smile on his face. The last expression she'd seen on Cole's face was an evil smile as he and Mia revealed all their plans to her before leaving her to her misery. Seeing him now, Eve was forced to recall that memory. "It is not what you are thinking, Sir." Taking in Cole's appearance, the attendant's bitter expression transformed into a friendly smile. "You see, this lady here is a scam. She entered this store not with the intention of buying anything, but to waste our time and make a scene. That is why we are dealing with her." "How much is the painting?" Cole smiled, slipping both hands into his pockets. "Ahh, are you trying to save
The car arrived at the ancestral mansion and Eve jumped out with the painting in her hands. Ethan also left the car and a servant approached them. After greeting them, the servant told them Ethan's grandfather was in the garden behind the mansion, soaking up the morning's atmosphere. "The garden is this way, where are you going?" As Eve was about to dash into the house, Ethan said in confusion. Eve stopped walking and held tight to the painting. She must replace this gift with the one she'd presented last night fast. As the mansion seemed calm and the servants worked in harmony, it meant the old man hadn't opened her gift yet. "Ethan, Darling." She turned around and put on her best smile, holding her stomach. "You can go see Grandpa first. I'm pressed and must use the washroom immediately." Ethan frowned and glanced at the painting. "I'll hold it for you. Be fast." "N–No no no." Eve shooked her head. "Since this gift is from me to Grandpa, I must give it to him hand to hand.
Eve's lips twitched slightly. She released his arm and sighed inside. If she could remember correctly in her past life, Matt and his other bad friends would end up in jail just a few months from now. They would be caught by the authorities in drug trafficking and money laundering. That incident made headlines in the city, tainting the family's name and bringing down its reputation. Although Matt had always been a troublemaker, no one expected that he'd go to that extreme. It was also at that time that the family found out he hung out with bad company. However, it was too late as the authorities didn't take the situation lightly. No amount of money and connection could bail him out. The incident affected his grandfather so much that he ended up on his deathbed earlier than anticipated. Matt confessed that he was manipulated into the act by his friends due to his rich background and wild ways. He'd always lived in his brother's shadows and felt useless in the family. All his ac
Lunch was already prepared by the time Eve got home and she ate her food dejectedly. Wishing that Ethan would come back home with her was like asking for the impossible. Their relationship was so sour that he rarely spent his days at home and he spent most of his nights at the company. "M–Ms. Maxwell— I mean, Madam, Isn't the food to your liking?" Elena said, looking worried. Eve looked sideways at the house stewardess. She could also see fear in the woman's eyes. Blowing out a sigh, she shook her head. "The food is great, Elena, thank you. And when will you start calling me by my name? Do you want me to remind you again and again?""My apologies, M–Ms. — Madam. I'll do whatever you say.""Oh, don't force yourself." Eve finished her food and sighed again. "You can call me by my name whenever you're comfortable with it. But from now on, you can't call me Ms. Maxwell."Without waiting for the woman's reply, she left the dining area and wandered all day at home. Her fears came true in
Eve sprang to her feet, the earlier anticipation returning to her heart."Ethan." She hurried up to him. "Ethan, you're back. How could you spend the night at the company? Don't you know that you're making me feel like a bad wife?" The irritation on Ethan's face when he saw Mia disappeared, and now he was studying Eve like a foreign object. "Eve! What is the meaning of this!?" Mia was almost yelling at her. She looked more confused than Ethan. In fact, she looked lost. "Have you lost your head, Eve? The person standing in front of you Isn't Cole but Ethan Anderson.""So what if he's Ethan?" Eve gave her a furtive glance before returning her eyes to Ethan. "Isn't he my husband? Why do you look so surprised, Mia?""Eve!" From the corner of her eyes, Eve could see Mia's fists clenching. "Are you even alright, have you lost your mind? Why are you acting weird?"Eve could feel Ethan's anger like the smoke of boiling lava. She could feel his anger toward Mia. And she knew he was only hold
Ethan was already out of his bedroom by the time Eve decided to join him upstairs. He was now in his study room, and Eve knew better not to disturb him. In the past, she would use this opportunity to interrupt his work and rain insults on him all day. Those were some of the few times she'd seen Ethan's real anger. If there was something Ethan was most punctual about, it literally was his work. And Eve never stopped angering him whenever he was home. She had a strong feeling that she was the reason why Ethan became so disoriented that he even lost his company in her past life. At that time, his brother was already arrested, and his grandfather was on his deathbed. The family fell apart and so was the family's fortune. Eve turned around and headed back downstairs. There was not much to do in the house, she also never interacted much with the servants. And now she regretted it. Eve was already thirteen when her grandfather found her and brought her to the city. While she was growin
That night, Eve was slightly mad at Ethan. She paced in her room, wondering what she would have to do to make him believe her. Ethan didn't even come down for dinner, and this time, Eve didn't pressure the Stewardess to let her take the food to him. She was afraid Ethan would not eat the food, just like he did with lunch. The next morning, she looked around the house and Ethan was nowhere to be found. She checked his study room, his bedroom, and everywhere she could think of. It was still the weekend. Was he avoiding her so much that he would just slip away? Why had the tables turned? "Please get me the telephone and dial the ancestral mansion," Eve ordered one of the maids. Even if she still had her phone with her, Ethan might probably not pick up her calls with his current attitude. "Here it is, Madam." The servants had gotten comfortable with calling her Madam, and that made her happy. She placed the telephone on her ear and after ringing for a while, the call disconnected.