Blood and Business
Eva stood frozen, watching the black cars roll up the long driveway. A shiver ran down her spine.
Something about them felt… wrong.
Alexander's entire demeanor had shifted. The easy arrogance he usually carried was gone, replaced by something colder, deadlier. He didn't look like the man who had saved her from James. He looked like the king of a world she didn't understand.
He turned to her, his voice sharp. "Go inside, Eva. Now."
She hesitated. "Who are they?"
Alexander didn't answer. His gaze flicked to one of his men, who immediately stepped toward her. "Miss Eva, let's go."
Panic flared in her chest. She hated being controlled, hated not knowing what was happening. But she also knew better than to argue.
She turned and hurried back into the mansion.
But she didn't go to her room.
Instead, she slipped behind a large curtain near the entrance, peeking through a crack in the fabric.
Outside, Alexander stood tall as the car doors opened.
Three men stepped out. The first was tall and broad, with graying hair and sharp eyes that screamed authority. The second was younger, maybe in his late twenties, with slicked-back hair and a cocky smirk.
But it was the third person that made Eva's blood run cold.
A woman.
Not just any woman.
Olivia.
Eva didn't need anyone to tell her who she was. She had heard Alexander mention her name once before, and now, seeing her in person, she understood everything.
She was beautiful—raven-black hair cascading down her back, dark red lips curved into a knowing smile. But there was something cruel in her eyes. Something dangerous.
Alexander's ex-wife.
The woman he had once loved.
The woman who, from the way she looked at him now, was here for war.
Eva's heart pounded as she watched Olivia step closer to Alexander, her smile never faltering.
"Hello, darling," Olivia purred. "Did you miss me?"
Alexander's jaw clenched. "What do you want, Olivia?"
She pouted. "What, no warm welcome for your wife?"
"I don't have a wife," he growled.
Olivia's smile turned razor-sharp. "Oh, but you do. Legally, at least. Or did you forget that little detail?"
Eva's stomach twisted. They were still married?
Alexander took a step closer, his presence menacing. "Cut the bullshit. You didn't come here to reminisce. Say what you want and leave."
The older man beside Olivia—her father, Eva realized—finally spoke. His voice was deep, authoritative. "You seem to have forgotten the deal we made, Alexander."
Alexander's eyes darkened. "I didn't forget. I just don't give a damn anymore."
Olivia let out a soft laugh. "Oh, darling. You should." She leaned in, her voice dripping with poison. "Because if you think I'm going to stand by while you replace me with that little whore inside, you're mistaken."
Eva's breath caught in her throat.
She knew.
She knew about her.
Alexander didn't flinch. "Eva isn't your concern."
Olivia's expression turned cold. "Everything in your life is my concern, Alexander. And if you think I'm going to let some nobody take my place, you don't know me at all."
Alexander's fists clenched at his sides. "This is your final warning, Olivia. Walk away."
Olivia smirked. "Or what? You'll kill me?"
The silence was suffocating.
Then, Olivia reached out, tracing a single finger down Alexander's chest. He didn't react, but Eva saw the tension in his body.
"You used to love me," Olivia whispered. "I carried your child."
A flicker of something passed through Alexander's eyes—pain, maybe. But it was gone just as quickly.
"You lost that child," he said coldly. "And then you lost me."
For the first time, Olivia's mask cracked. A brief flash of raw emotion flickered across her face before she quickly covered it with another smile.
"Enjoy your new toy while you can," she murmured. "Because I promise you, Alexander—she won't last."
Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and walked back to the car, her father following behind.
Alexander stood still, watching as they drove away.
Eva's heart pounded in her chest.
She had thought she was free from James. That her nightmare had ended.
But now, watching Alexander's world unfold before her eyes, she realized something terrifying.
Her real nightmare was just beginning.