by Linda Verji
He offered her a wide-eyed look. “What?”
“I need you to take photos of my face,” she said calmly. One never knew with these swellings. It might turn into a black eye tomorrow or just fade away into nothingness. Either way, she wanted proof of the assault while there was still evidence.
Silently, Carter trained his phone on her face then took pictures. “Do you have any other injuries?”
“He kicked me in the side of my stomach but I don’t know if it shows.” She lifted her t-shirt and the camisole underneath to check. Unfortunately, her skin was too tan to show anything and it wasn’t even that swollen. She heaved a disappointed sigh. “Maybe it will show tomorrow.”
It was only when she raised her eyes again that she noticed that the fury was back in Carter’s eyes. His anger turned his blue eyes almost violet as he demanded, “Who is he?”
Of course Eve didn’t answer that question. He was too riled up right now and would probably do something stupid. Besides, by tomorrow he’d have the answer to that question anyway. By then he should’ve cooled down enough to think rationally and understand that there were more satisfying ways to take out Peralta without getting himself arrested.
Instead of answering his question, she changed the subject, “I can’t sleep here. I’ll have to move to a hotel.”
Thankfully, Carter didn’t call her out on the subject change. He simply said, “Pack a bag. I’ll take you there.”
CHAPTER 18
Carter had never realized just how single-minded his wife could be. After suffering an assault, most people would be licking their wounds and resting. But Eve wasn’t most people. She was all about getting back at the people who’d hurt her. Not only had she taken pictures of her injuries and her destroyed house, she’d also made him stop by the security office to get CCTV footage of the cops arriving at her place. It was for her lawsuit, she said.
He wasn’t sure whether to applaud her or to tell her to take a deep breath. However, what he was sure of was that he wanted to know how his mother was involved in all this. The moment he’d heard that Eve was in jail, any ‘ifs’ about his mother’s involvement had disappeared. Now he just wanted to know how deep her sins went.
“We’re here,” Eve cut into his thoughts.
“Oh!” He immediately sat up to look out the window.
They were parked outside one of the premier hotels in the city. Given that it was four in the morning there were no other cars around. However, the employees were still at work. A bell-boy rushed to Eve’s side of the cab and opened the door. After paying the cab driver and grabbing Eve’s luggage from the trunk, they headed into the hotel.
A blond, slender, uniformed clerk was manning the front-desk. He looked dead on his feet which wasn’t surprising considering the time. However, he straightened to his full height when he saw Carter and Eve heading his way. An automatic smile lifted his lips. That smile dropped the moment his eyes landed on Eve’s swollen face. When his gaze swung to Carter, it was filled with recrimination as if he thought Carter was the one who’d done it.
When the clerk spoke, it was to Eve. “Hello. Welcome to the Bishop Hotel.”
“Thank you.” Eve offered him a smile.
The clerk smiled back. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes.” Carter cut in. “I called about an hour ago to make a reservation.”
Carter had never seen an expression change so fast. The clerk’s expression went from welcoming to hostile in the blink of an eye. He glowered at Carter for an uncomfortably long while as if trying to decide whether to serve him or not before mumbling, “Okay, fine. What’s your name?”
“Carter Welling.”
“Hold on, Mr. Welling,” the clerk returned grumpily. “I’ll check your details.”
The rest of the check-in process was quite standard if one ignored the ‘I want to punch you’ glares the clerk kept shooting at Carter. To top it all off, the guy went ahead to sneak Eve his personal number and tell her to call him if she needed help. Though it annoyed Carter, he let it go. The man was just trying to be helpful.
Their suite was quite large; almost as big as a decent-sized apartment. It had its own sitting area complete with white, luxurious leather sofas, a light wood coffee-table and a large TV hang high above the fireplace. The bedroom was separated from the sitting area by an archway and held a bed large enough to hold a basketball team. The white duvet and white carpet gave the room a light, bright, airy ambience while the sky-blue covered pillows were the perfect complement to the sky-blue drapes that lined the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“This is nice,” Eve commented as she walked around the room.
“It is,” Carter agreed, but his attention wasn’t on the room. It was on her. He was watching her and waiting for an opportunity to have a real conversation.
After showering, they ate what was supposed to be dinner but was more accurately breakfast given that it was now close to six a.m.. Carter got into bed first and waited for her. When she did get into bed, he noted that she kept a good distance between them. It was almost as if they’d reverted back to the time when they were a married couple only in name.
He gave her a few minutes to settle in before he sat up then started off with, “Eve!”
Eve, who was facing away from him, mumbled, “Hmm?”
“Can we talk for a minute?”
She visibly stiffened and the tension quotient in the room rose by several notches. After a long silence, she slowly turned to face him. Her expression was blank as she met his eyes. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Sit up first,” he ordered.
Something flashed in her eyes, but she did what he asked anyway then repeated, “What do you want to talk about?
“Everything.” He paused for a beat then said, “I want to know what’s going on.”
“What’s going on with what?”
“Why did you go after my mother?” he asked. She opened her mouth, but he cut in before she could speak with, “And don’t give me any of that ‘I did it because I wanted to’ crap.”
She closed her mouth.
“Silence won’t work this time either.” His tone firm, he demanded, “Tell me the truth, Eve.”
She didn’t reply right away, and he could see the wheels spinning frantically in her brain as if she was trying to figure out what to say. When she spoke, it was a halting, “I… I can’t.”
“Why not?”
She bit her lower lip. “I just can’t.”
But this time Carter wasn’t willing to accept a non-answer. He prodded, “Why can’t you tell me the truth?” As usual, she answered with silence. But he persisted, “Is it because of what my mother did to you?”
Surprise clouded Eve’s gaze. “Huh?”
“You heard me.”
She blinked several times before asking, “You know what your mother did to me?”
Of course he didn’t know. But it looked like deceiving Eve was the only way to get a straight answer, so he said, “Yes, I know what she did to you.”
“How…” Eve swallowed. “How do you know?”
“I investigate people for a living, Eve. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out everything?” Before she could ask for specifics, Carter wrestled the conversation back to what he wanted to know. “So is that why you came after her? Because of what she did to you?”
But Eve was still not ready to answer his question. Sounding panicked, she asked, “Does your mother know that you know?”
Something about the anxiety in her gaze left him with the impression that yes was the wrong answer. So he shook his head, “No, she doesn’t know.”
Her voice wavered as she asked, “You haven’t asked her, have you?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Then don’t.” She scooted closer to him and grabbed his upper arm. Desperation in her voice and expression, she pleaded, “Please, Carter. Don’t ask her.”
“If you don’t want me to ask my mother about what’s
going on, then you tell me.” His eyes on her, he posed, “Did you come after her because of what she did to you?”
Rubbing her neck fretfully, Eve watched him for a long silent moment. It was obvious that she was trying to decide if she should tell the truth. Her tongue darted out to sweep over her lips and she exhaled before hedging, “Yes and No.”
“I need a clearer answer, Eve.”
Another long pause then she said, “Her destroying my company and relationship then forcing me to marry you isn’t the only reason why I came after her.”
That statement hit Carter like a ton of bricks and it took everything in him not to let his shock leak into his expression. His first instinct was to deny everything Eve had just said, to demand that she stop lying. But he couldn’t do that. It was obvious that she was telling the truth.
Why would his mother destroy her company? How had she forced Eve to marry him? And why hadn’t Eve told him what was happening? So many questions flooded in, but he knew he couldn’t ask them right now. Not without alerting Eve that he had no idea what the hell she was talking about.
He swallowed furtively to ease the tension that now held his throat before asking, “Then why else did you come after her?”
“It’s many things, Carter. I wish I could tell you.” Eve pulled in a deep breath. “But if I do, your mom will hurt more people.”
“I don’t get it.” Carter frowned. “How does you not telling me anything equate to less people getting hurt by my mom? That doesn’t make sense. If I knew what was going on, then I could stop her.”
“You?” Eve pointed at him. “Stop her?” Her lips crooked into a sardonic half-smile. “I don’t think so. The more likely result is that Sharon will do worse things because she has nothing more to lose. The only reason I still have a leash on her is because you’re my leverage.”
Even as she spoke, Carter’s brain was moving at one hundred miles an hour while processing everything he’d heard. To summarize what he knew now;
One – his mother was behind the whole conditioner incident and Eve’s arrest.
Two – she’d ruined Eve’s relationship with Daniel then forced Eve to marry him, which meant that when Eve had come to beg him it wasn’t her idea. It was his mother’s. No wonder Eve had changed so much and become so hostile to him. How could she not be?
Three – messing with Eve’s life was the least of his mother’s sins. There was a lot more that Eve was still hiding.
It took Herculean strength for Carter to hide his shock and despair as he asked, “I’m your leverage?”
“Yes.” Eve nodded. A second later, she winced. “That sounds bad, doesn’t it? Like I’m using you, right?”
Carter only nodded because speaking had suddenly become much, much harder.
“I’m sorry, Carter.” She worried her bottom lip. “If there was any other way to stop your mother without involving you, I would’ve chosen it. But there was no other way. I had to use you.”
The whirlwind of emotions that were swirling within Carter were indescribable. Confusion, shock, misery, remorse… they all slammed against each other creating a dangerous cocktail that left him feeling dizzy and nauseous. Without a word, he got off the bed and walked to the bathroom.
The moment the door closed behind him, he rushed to the toilet. His nausea only let him sink to his knees before chunks of partially digested food spewed out of his coughing, chocking mouth into the toilet bowl. His stomach kept contracting violently as if it was trying to force everything out of him; the food, the violent emotions and everything he’d heard. Over and over again, he heaved until there was nothing left to get rid of.
Slowly, he stood up but even that little movement felt like extreme effort. His legs had lost their strength and his head was still spinning. After flushing the toilet, he stumbled to the sink. The face that met him in the mirror resembled his but was vastly different from anything he’d ever seen. He was pale yet dripping sweat. His eyes were watery with unshed tears and his expression was that of a broken man.
Was everything he’d heard about his mother true? Surely she wasn’t as morally bankrupt as the stories made her out to be. He’d known her his whole life; he should’ve seen it.
But even as he stewed in his doubt, his brain was working overtime. He’d done documentaries on criminals before. He knew that some of them were so great at what they did, that even the people closest to them weren’t aware of their evil deeds or that they were even capable of those deeds. Was this what was happening here? Was his mother one of those masked monsters?
She couldn’t be, his heart screamed. But his brain knew the truth.
Carter wasn’t sure how long he stayed in that bathroom, but it was a long time. When he finally composed himself and reentered the bedroom, he found Eve lying on her side again. He wasn’t sure if she was sleeping but when he called out her name, she didn’t answer.
It was probably for the best. He needed a little more time to digest everything he’d learnt before taking more hits.
He lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Beside him, Eve slept.
* * * * *
THOUGH EVE SLEPT at around seven a.m., three hours later she was up. Carter, on the other hand, was deep asleep. He didn’t even stir when she slipped off the bed, took his phone and crept to the bathroom. That was a good thing. She wasn’t up to facing him again after the conversation they’d had last night.
Once she was in the bathroom, Eve unlocked Carter’s phone. As soon as it lit up, she saw that he had several missed calls from Sharon. It was obvious that the woman was in a panic. Eve deleted all those calls before getting down to business.
Her first call was to the office to let them know that she wouldn’t be in today. Next was her lawyer to start the process of suing the police. Third in line was Nina. Benisio was the last call, and after letting him know where she was and that she was fine, she updated him on her plans.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Benisio’s concern echoed over the phone line. “Going after Peralta will cause a storm.”
“A storm is exactly what I want to cause for him.” Eve stared at herself in the mirror. “It’s the least he deserves for hitting me.”
With her free hand, she tentatively touched her marred cheek and immediately winced at the pain that streaked through her. It was lucky that she was dark-skinned otherwise she’d be looking like a raccoon right now. Despite the pain, her face didn’t look too bad. A pair of sunglasses and no one would even notice.
What worried her was the twinges on the left side of her body. Whenever she moved, she felt pain. Peralta must’ve bruised a rib when he’d kicked her. She needed to get it checked out. But that was for later. For now, her priority was making him pay for touching her.
“When will Nina start releasing the information on Peralta?” Benisio asked.
“Later today… around four so he can make the evening news.” Eve added, “But before I mess up his world, I need to deal with Sharon.”
Finding out how much Carter knew had scared her. The more he knew, the weaker Eve’s hold on his mother was. Thankfully, he hadn’t confronted Sharon yet. But knowing him, it was only a matter of time before he did. Which meant it was now a race against time. Eve needed to get Sharon to sign away her rights to La Belle as soon as possible. That way even if things blew up, Eve could have something legal to keep her hold on the company.
“When will Saul be done with the papers?” Benisio asked, mentioning her lawyer.
“He says he can get them to me by two.” Eve ordered, “Book a private room for me at Seto Kitchen for four p.m.. Once it’s confirmed send Sharon a message letting her know the time and location.”
“Will do.”
“You’ll need to get a few people to watch the restaurant and make sure Sharon doesn’t bring her cop-henchmen with her.”
“Got it.”
“I’ll be getting a new phone in about an hour, but if you need to contact me before then,
just do it through this phone.”
“That’s Carter’s phone, isn’t it?” Benisio asked. Before Eve could reply, he added, “Is he with us now?”
“No, he’s not with us,” Eve quickly denied. “He just gave me a ride yesterday.”
“Okay.” Without asking for further explanation, Benisio ended the conversation with, “Call me when you get your new number.”
Once the call was over, Eve left the bathroom. She expected Carter to still be asleep, but he wasn’t. He was seated on the bed and rubbing his eyes like he’d just woken up. When she walked into the room, he looked up to meet her eyes.
His eyes were bloodshot and his voice still hoarse with sleep, he murmured, “I was wondering where you were.”
“I needed to make a few phone calls.” She lifted his phone slightly to show him. “You should go back to sleep. You’ve only slept for three hours.”
“I’ll go back to sleep if you come back to bed.”
“Can’t.” She crossed the room to the armchair where her suitcase was. “I have some things I need to do.”
His eyes burned into her back as he asked, “Things like what?”
She rummaged into her suitcase and pulled out a toiletry bag. “Just things!”
It was a cagey response, and she expected him to demand a better explanation. In fact, she could feel his questions vibrating in the air between them. But surprisingly, he didn’t ask any of those questions. He just watched her. Normally, his silence would’ve been a blessing, but today it wasn’t. He’d already proved that he was intent on finding the answers to his questions even if it wasn’t through her.
She turned to meet his eyes. “You’re not going to ask for a better explanation?”
He shrugged. “You won’t answer me anyway so why bother?”
With a sigh, Eve crossed the room to come and sit on the bed next to him. She took his hand. “Carter, it’s not that I don’t want to answer your questions. It’s that I can’t.”
“Yes, I know.” There was no inflection in his voice and his expression was blank as he said, “Because I’m your leverage.”
