Hearts at War.
Eva was seated at her desk, working, when Eric walked over to her.
"Good morning, Miss Eva. The boss asked if you could heat something up for him," he said.
"Oh, really?" she replied, surprised. "But I have some documents that need his urgent signature."
"Let your colleagues handle it," Eric said with a small smile.
"Alright then," she nodded.
Eric turned and walked away. But just as Eva was about to stand, her colleagues who had been eyeing her with strange, unreadable looks suddenly reached out and held her down.
"Eva, why are you the one cooking for the boss?" Lovet, the curvy, stunning lady, asked with a sharp look of displeasure.
"That's true," Sophia chimed in. "I've actually been meaning to ask. There's this rumor going around that you were promoted because you're sleeping with the boss."
Another colleague jumped in. "Yeah, someone said they saw you in the company kitchen yesterday during work hours.. cooking. For the boss. Eva, this isn't some casual chore are you two dating?"
Just then, Damien was stepping out of his office when he suddenly paused his hand still on the doorknob as he accidentally overheard the conversation. But it was Eva's next words that made his jaw clench and his teeth grind in barely contained rage.
"What? Date him? Hell no! God forbid. I could never date someone like that!
The room went silent. All eyes were now on Eva, stunned by the disgust written clearly on her face.
"What do you mean, someone like that?" one of them asked cautiously.
Eva scoffed, shaking her head. "You guys don't know him like I do. He's grumpy, completely full of himself, and honestly unbearable. I even heard from a very reliable source that he's into some extreme BDSM stuff, dangerous stuff. They say a girl died from one of his brutal sessions. And worse-off, I was told he's bipolar.
Violent. Apparently, he once ordered his bodyguard to beat up a girl just because she told him she liked him!"
She paused dramatically, looking around the room.
"I seriously don't get what's so special about him. And honestly, I pity whatever woman ends up with a man like that. Even if he were the last man on Earth, I'd still pass."
"So you're saying you're not even a tiny bit attracted to him?" one of the women asked skeptically.
Eva scoffed. "What? Hell no! Believe me when I say he's not even close to my type. I don't just dislike him I absolutely can't stand him."
"Really?" the women exchanged bewildered glances.
"I'm serious. The person who told me all of this is very closed to him, and absolutely knows him very well, and having knowing all that about him just got me really irritated about his whole person. And honestly, I'd rather not work with him at all, or even be anywhere near him. The guy is just.. too much."
From behind the door, Damien could barely believe what he was hearing. His jaw tensed as fury rose in his chest. Without a word, he turned sharply and stormed back into his office, the door shutting hard behind him.
"Wow. Are you for real?" Cathy muttered, shaking her head. "A lot of girls would be heartbroken to hear this. What a disappointment."
"I actually thought you two were a thing," another added. "Especially when he gave you that position. Word around is you weren't exactly qualified but got the role because of some special relationship with him. I was honestly rooting for you.. but if that's who he really is, then I guess you should better just let him go"
"Yeah," another woman said. "Handsome face and money isn't everything."
Eva sat there, lying through her teeth, and the lie seemed completely convincing, until Lovet, dressed in a tight blouse that barely held her chest and a skirt that clung to every curve, stepped forward.
With a smirk, she leaned in. "Well, monster or not, I'd still take my chances with him.. Some of us aren't picky. So, y'all better watch me. because I'm going to make him mine."
Then, with a smug flip of her hair. She flashed a playful 'I don't care gesture, then turned with exaggerated flair, swaying her hips dramatically as she strutted away without shame or hesitation.
"This girl is really something," Sophia muttered, rolling her eyes. "Wasn't she all over Mr. Logan just yesterday? And now that the big boss is around, she wants to jump ship and seduce him too?"
"You said all that on purpose, didn't you?" Cathy asked, raising a brow.
"Absolutely," Eva replied with a smirk. "None of it was true. I just wanted to scare that vulture off and protect my boss. You know how shameless Lovet can be once she sets her sights on a man, she doesn't back down.
Remember Mr. Ben? We all bet she couldn't seduce him, and now he sends her his entire salary every month. I honestly don't know how she pulls it off."
"She's bad news," Sophia added. "And after everything you said, she still looks completely unfazed. It's like her mind's already made up Mr. Lopez is her next target. I actually feel sorry for him."
"I just hope Mr. Lopez is smart enough not to fall for someone like her," Eva said, trying to sound confident, though her voice lacked conviction.
The girls continued to gossip and giggle in the hallway, completely unaware that a storm was silently brewing nearby.one that might sweep them all off their feet.
Damien stormed into his office like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Eric, who had been tidying up some files after Damien stepped out earlier, now looked like a ticking time bomb himself.
"Have you gotten the CCTV footage I asked for?" Damien barked.
"Yes, sir. I have," Eric replied calmly.
"Good. Send it to the chef at home and tell them to recreate that exact recipe."
Eric blinked, slightly taken aback. "Oh, I thought you wanted Eva to prepare the meal. She's in the kitchen right now, cooking."
"I don't care," Damien snapped. "I want nothing to do with that girl. She's an employee, not my personal cook. She shouldn't be anywhere near my food!"
Eric just stared at him, completely baffled. Just minutes ago, Damien had been raving about Eva's cooking, practically drooling at the memory and counting down the seconds until she arrived. Eric doubted he'd even slept last night, considering how restless and impatient he'd been.
And now? After personally sending Eva to the kitchen to prepare his lunch, claiming he would "go see for himself," he was suddenly back, agitated, bitter, and completely contradicting everything he had said.
Eric could only shake his head. This man is a mystery even science would have a hard time explaining, he thought silently.
Eva finished preparing the meal and carried it to Damien's office in a thermos, a soft smile of hope lighting up her face. But her smile quickly vanished when she met Damien's sharp gaze at the door, the glare so hard Eva felt uncomfortable.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly, his piercing eyes instantly making Eva feel small and unwelcome.
She hesitated, caught off guard. "Mr. Eric asked me to warm something up for you, so I_"
"Get out," Damien said, his voice like ice. "You're not my wife. You're not family. You mean nothing to me."
He let his eyes sweep over her slowly, the contempt in his expression unmistakable.
"Someone like you? You're not even close to being fit to prepare my meals. Don't ever overstep your place again. Now leave."
His voice was stern and final.
Stunned, Eva quickly turned and scrambled out of the office, clutching the thermos in confusion. Her mind swirled. But Eric said he liked the food yesterday.. Wasn't that why he asked me to make another one?
Had Damien even tasted the food at all? She started to doubt.
Back in the kitchen, Eva stared at the array of expensive fresh ingredients she'd bought with his money. Her chest tightened. She had bought so many ingredients with the intention of cooking for him when ever he wants it.
What a waste, she thought. If he didn't want the food, why give me that much money in the first place?
She sighed, her voice low with frustration. "He was fine this morning. What could have changed? Maybe he really is bipolar."
She paused, her gaze drifting to the ingredients. Then her lips curled into a small, determined smile.
"Well, rich men and their wastage. But this girl won't waste a thing. I'm shamelessly going to package all of this, and take it home. That gift I bought him cost me my entire monthly allowance and ended up in the trash. At least this food won't suffer the same fate."
Her smile grew as she looked at the thermos in her hand.
"I'll eat this during lunch break, and the rest of the ingredients will feed me and Bob for days. God is good. He knew I needed lunch, so He made provision."
And with that, she cheerfully hummed a tune, slung the thermos over her arm, and walked out of the kitchen, grateful for her small, delicious victory.