“Hum, just like that… I was just shocked when I realised that Athena has betrayed you in such a way… I mean – all those lies. That's just too much of hypocrisy, ” Greg tried to explain himself.
However, Eva felt that there was something dubious. Greg’s aura was suspicious and he seemed frightened, but frightened by what? The emerald necklace around her neck shone brightly, blinding both Greg and Eva for some seconds. Eva got a blurred vision – Greg and Athena were flirting amorously. This revelation shattered Eva’s soul in seconds. It was neither rape nor was Dave the father. From the beginning, it was Greg, her so-called ‘ideal fiancée'. That was a complete disillusionment. Eva’s whole body shivered as she abruptly got up and made a step back away from Greg.
Greg was confused and made a step forward.
“Stay away from me!! Scoundrel!! You are such a rogue, ” Eva exclaimed with tears erupting from her eyes as she continued to step backwards.
“Hey, babe,” Greg tried to calm her down while trying to seize Eva's arm.
“Do not call me so! I know the truth!!” Eva shouted hysterically.
“Which truth?” Greg asked boldly.
“You are the father of Athena's baby!! You have deceived me in the worst way! You have played such a dirty game! I was so blindly in love with you!! I tried to seek comfort in your arms...But you?? You cheated on me, lied to me and still…you kept doing everything to make me fall so much in love with you! I hate you! I detest you, Greg!!” Eva shouted while running away from Greg’s place.
“Hey!! Wait!! Stay here!” Greg shouted angrily.
Without looking back, Eva jumped into her car and drove away. Greg tried to stop Eva with his Stentor’s voice, but it was in vain. He immediately rushed into his garage and got into his Lamborghini.
With droplets of tears erupting from her eyes, Eva took a deserted shortcut to the mansion. She was panic-stricken, and her hands were trembling on the steering wheel that she could barely handle. While driving in a hurry, Eva noticed that a vehicle was following her, it was Greg. She relentlessly kept looking in the rear-view mirror of the car without paying attention to the route.
∞∞∞
Chapter 9
Corrupted minds
Eva immediately stopped the car as she nearly crashed against the fountain of the mansion. As Eva got out of the car in a swift, she realised that Greg was no more following her, but the fear was still stuck in her heart.
Eva ran in and pant heavily as her body collapsed on the floor in despair and grief. Crisilinda ran to help her, but Eva's soul was too weak for her to stand on her own legs.
"Hey! What happened, princess?"
Mr Robert ran down the stairs on seeing her daughter in such an agony.
Seeing her dad, Eva exclaimed while crying, "Dad!"
Mr Robert took her in his arms and helped her to get up before hugging her tightly. He then asked Crisilinda to get Eva something to drink. Mr Robert then sat on the couch with his arm around her daughter: the apple of his eyes.
"Greg...He cheated on me," Eva then said after some seconds.
"What?" Mr Robert exclaimed with anger, "What has this fellow done?"
"He is the father of Athena's baby..."
"Scoundrel!! How did he downgrade from my perfect daughter to such a...? Grrr!!"
"Forget about him, I know it’s difficult, but if he could not realise your worth – he is not worthy of you mourning over him. I promise I will make sure that he pays every tear and pain he inflicted on you," Mr Robert exclaimed with anger and a hint of determination.
"I detest him, papa," Eva said.
"I cognize," he replied while sending daggers at Greg in his psyche. He then held his crying daughter's face in his palms and added, "There's a cocktail party tomorrow night. Let's go and hunt for a real prince charming for my lovely princess."
Eva let out a subtle laugh at her father's sense of humour. "I don't believe in prince charming because, in the end, they turn out to be the real frogs."
"Please, give a round of applause for our prominent face, a man who is promised to victory for the millennials to come – Mr Robert Gallagher!"
All the powerful figures of the worlds were present – celebrating their own eminence.
The wine-colour of the dress accentuated Eva's femininity – she knew it as she could read the minds of the young and the wrinkled men complimenting her gorgeousness. Yet, she was just like a lost soul in this unknown world. Eva got a place adjacent to her father at the Darois' table. Mr Whisk Darois used to be Mr Robert partner, but they had finally decided to part ways to establish their individual realm.
"How are you, my dear old friend?" Mr Whisk asked.
"I'm good and what about you?"
"Good. It's been a long time though!"
"Yes!"
"Your daughter has grown a lot since the last time I've seen her," Mr Whisk commented. He then added, "She is as gorgeous as her mother used to be."
"Yes, indeed – she is exactly like her mother!"
"Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if you are her real father! She does not resemble you at all," Mr Whisk added while laughing.
Mr Gallagher stared at him without stating a word, quite embarrassed by this mortifying comment.
Sat at the table, inundated by the jabbers – Eva was busy focusing on the discourses of their minds. The envy and hypocrisy of Mr Darois were speaking louder than the praises with which he was bedecking Mr Gallagher. Last year, during an interview, Mr Whisk said that he was very sad that his partnership with Mr Gallagher had come to an end. Yet, Eva clearly understood that Mr Darois was beyond pleased when it happened as he considered Mr Gallagher as his rival – not to mention that Mr Darois was the one who sold information about her father's business strategy to a competitor some years ago. What a world! People amicably shake your hand and then backstab you in their mind, Eva thought to herself.
Eva then got up as she was no more able to witness the wicked side of his father's friend. She took a seat at the cocktail bar.
"Disgusting and immature," Eva thought to herself as Mr Victor Reed was reminiscing about the night he spent with Daisy – the highest paid model in the country. Eva remembered herself praising Daisy's talents some days ago during a conversation with Athena. Eva thought it was Daisy's skills which brought her up the social ladder until she realised that the hunger for fame and wealth, has induced Daisy to bribe her boss (Mr Victor) with her body – a man who was nearly thrice her age.
"Blinded by the desire of the worldly things, people are ready to risk their salvation," Eva murmured to herself. The cocktail party seemed just like a congregation of the most corrupted minds in the universe. Eva did not want to get associated with such minds, so she made her way to the bathroom.
Eva took an ample portion of water in her hands and splashed her face, hoping to sweep the disgusting revelations off her mind. As soon as she lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror, she saw Greg behind her. She immediately turned towards him and stepped back until she banged against the edge of the sink.
"What are you doing here? Leave me alone," Eva said in a trembling voice while staring at Greg's fierce look.
"Don't be so bad-mannered. Don't you know that you should always amicably greet people?"
"Just be a good father for your unborn child and teach the latter the good manners," Eva said boldly.
"Eva, Eva, Eva. Do you think that I will just let you go from my life without doing anything?"
"You don't have any choice," Eva answered.
"We'll see," Greg stated.
Eva then approached him and gave him a resonating slap. Angered, Greg exclaimed, "How dare you!?"
He then attempted to forcibly seize Eva, but the latter immediately ran out of the bathroom and went downstairs.
Greg followed her until they found themselves in the underground parking. Eva then realised that the party was upstairs, not downstairs. She was so panic-stricken that she got confused. Eva immediately hid behin
d a car as she heard Greg's steps approaching.
"Where are you, darling?"
Eva was nearly breathless and apprehensive. She looked for her car's keys in her clutch without making a noise. Once she found the keys, she dialled her father as she really needed a hero to save her from this petrifying labyrinth as she sneaked between the cars. There was no response. So, she made her way to her car silently while the sounds of Greg's steps seemed to get closer and closer.
Suddenly, her phone rang – it was her father. This alerted Greg who immediately patrolled around the cars which were near to Eva. Eva immediately jumped into her car and drove away without losing any second. Greg tried to stop her, "Wait! Come here!"
Subsequently, Greg got in his car too and followed Eva. Eva noticed that a car was following her. She constantly kept a watch at her rear-view mirror without paying attention to her route.
∞∞∞
Chapter 10
The menace
Eva opened her eyes, looked around with her blurred vision – struggling to guess where she was. As she tried to get up from the bed, she realised that her hands had been tied as well as her feet. Eva tried to recall what had happened and how come she ended in this dusty wooden room. All she remembered was that she was driving away from Greg.
“Help! Help!” she shouted.
Suddenly, the door of the wooden house cracked as it opened. A blurred silhouette approached her. That was Greg. From a handsome gentleman, Greg was looking like a serial killer dressed in his black clothes and gloves. Eva was stupefied, her heartbeat was on marathon mode. For sure, Greg’s intention was not clear. The man she was facing had nothing to do with the Greg she used to know.
Greg sarcastically looked at her, “Why do you look so frightened, Honey?”
Eva goggled at him and panicked. She winced on the bed as she tried to undo her hands.
Greg slowly approached her, “Why are you trying to escape, baby? We are more than 50miles far away from people – we are both alone together. Do not worry.”
“Leave me!”
“Okay, I will leave you,” Greg said while turning away.
“Stop! Untie me first!”
“Aha. Come on, do you really think I will let you go? If you can’t be mine… you will not belong to someone else.”
“Why are doing all this? You are the real father of Athena’s baby! Why don’t you just assume your responsibility?”
“Athena was just a tingling in the pants. Nothing more.”
“Bastard!!”
“Shut up.”
“Why have you done such a thing? I really loved you, but you," Eva said in disgust.
“Me? Come on, I loved you… I mean you are so gorgeous and smart, but, your richness and reputation were the things I fell for.”
Eva was shocked, “Do you mean that you did all that for the sake of wealth and fame?!”
“Do you how much I would have to inherit as your husband after your death? Ha-ha.”
Eva was speechless. She was so deceived that all she wanted to do was to sit down and cry her heart out. In fact, the heart has a bad habit of choosing the wrong person, and corrupted by heart – the mind is not sober enough to make a wiser choice.
“I will come back in some hours. I will get you something to eat,” Greg said while turning away.
Greg double-locked the door from the outside and drove away. Hearing that Greg was far away enough, Eva tried to undo her hands with her mouth – she almost broke her teeth. She then looked around trying to find something useful. The lustre of a sharp dagger seized her attention. After some minutes of trying to draw the dagger towards her with her foot, she finally seized its handle with her mouth. Eva then rubbed the sharp edge of the dagger against the rope which was around her wrists. After so much of efforts, she finally freed herself – at least from the rope. Now, she had to find an escape from this wooden house. She looked for an exit around the house.
As Eva roamed around, she found a cupboard on which dust of the last decades seemed to reside. Curious, she opened the unlocked door. A putrid odour propelled in the room and she fell as something fell on her from the cupboard. She immediately closed her eyes to avoid the dust from irritating them. She coughed heavily while opening her eyes. At her horror, she realised that it was a human skeleton which was lying on her. Eva immediately pushed it away and got up. Fear ran through her blood, her mind was puzzled, her heart was racing and her whole body was trembling. As she inspected the mess, it was not a skeleton. Indeed, there were two skeletons and a corpse which was covered with worms.
Eva could barely breathe at this eyesore. She stepped backwards looking around for an exit from this nightmare, but the only exit was the door which was double locked by Greg.
Panicked, Eva ran to the door and tried to break the door using a chair. Instead, it was the chair which got broken. Hopeless, she sat on the bed’s corner and cried. Her whole life was just an illusion, and she finally had to face the dark truths which have been revealed to her. She hoped that she was just living a bad dream and that Greg would wake her up with a kiss. However, she was far from dreaming – her whole life was turned upside down.
As she got lost in her thoughts, she tried to understand why these skeletons and corpse were in this cupboard. Eva got up from the bed and reluctantly returned to the room where the cupboard was. She then relentlessly rummaged through the cupboard. Eva found a little box which was locked. She took the dagger and broke the lock. As she opened it, she found two photos of Greg. On each of them, he was alongside a different girl. Eva could deduce that these girls were those lying in front of her. She went through the mess in the box when suddenly she could hear Greg’s car approaching. She immediately got up, seized the dagger and went back to the bed and do as if she was sleeping.
The door opened. Greg entered the room with his sarcastic smile, but soon his face expression changed as he could smell the stale odour of the decaying bodies which were supposed to be in the cupboard. Soon, he understood that Eva was not sleeping and that she had seen the remains of the three girls. However, he pretended that he knew nothing.
Greg supposed that Eva might be armed and might have set up a trap for him, he stood far from the bed. He then said, “Got food for you!”
“Oh, thank you… I was starving. Please feed me.”
Greg made two steps forward, but still – he remained far from her. Eva was confused about the latter’s behaviour. She could then read in his mind – she understood that Greg knew that she saw the putrid eyesore, and he even doubted that she was trying to get him trapped. Eva swallowed back her saliva out of despair.
“What have you done, baby? Tell me,” Greg said calmly.
“I know you know what I’ve done,” Eva replied.
“I am starting to feel that you are not crazy and that those powers are real,” Greg said.
Eva then boldly asked, “Why have you killed them?”
“Who told you that I killed them? I can be innocent.”
“I can read and feel it in your dark mind,” Eva said with her eyes getting drowned in tears – the tears of disillusionment.
Greg then noticed the dagger that Eva was hiding behind her back. “If you don’t want to end up like them, I suggest you give me this dagger politely. Else, you can consider yourself dead,” Greg said.
Afraid, Eva put the dagger on the floor and swept it with her foot towards Greg. Greg took the dagger and then took a chair while approaching Eva. He then sat in front of her.
Eva then repeat her question, “Why have you killed them?”
Greg took a deep breath and smiled. He then caressed Eva’s cheek with the dagger. Eva’s pulse was beating heavily, but then Greg smiled again and threw away the dagger. “Five years ago, I met Rebecca. She was so beautiful and so kind… She had that sense of humour and that laugh which could turn anyone crazily in love… and I… I fell in love, deeply in love. I was still a young adolescent; my heart was racing on seeing her, my mind was drunk i
n her smile and my soul desired her the most. I had eyes only for her,” Greg stated in a low voice.
Eva could feel that Greg really meant every word he was saying. She knew that Greg was genuinely in love with Rebecca.
Greg then laughed and added, “But, you know – to fall in love is like suicide. You already know that your heart is on the verge of getting broken.”
Eva looked at him. She could feel a wave of devastating anger and grief engulfing him. Greg abruptly stood up and continued, “Rebecca had told me that she loved me, and I was a fool in love. So, I believed her, but soon I got to know that she was just playing with me. She was already engaged to a rich crap. She just wanted to have some time with me, and behind my back, she was mocking at me for being poor since it was Stephen inherited most of our parent's patrimony! I was totally deceived and broken… If she could not be mine, she could not be another man’s wife. So, I killed her.”
Despite being in such a situation, Eva could not help herself from feeling pity for Greg. She could feel that Greg was feeling remorseful, but at that time – the latter was so blinded by his emotions that he had committed the irreparable.
“I am really sorry for you,” Eva said in a low voice.
“Aha. No need to feel so. I have grown up strong enough now,” Greg exclaimed.
“What about the other two girls?”
“After Rebecca, I understood that wealth makes a man’s charm. So, I pretended to be from a rich family and got married to Brooke, an aristocrat. I did not love her. Then, I killed her and said that she disappeared while we were in a rainforest. After one month of looking for her, the authority has declared that she must have been devoured by a wild animal. So, you guess who has inherited from her fortune? – Me.”
At this moment, Eva could not feel an ounce of regret from Greg’s aura. He killed Brooke with no pity. Eva started to wonder whether she was on Greg’s list of victims too, or not. She remained speechless. Idle, her mind was wandering in the world of revelations and deceptions.
Revealed Page 4
