The neon lights of Arise City flickered through the rain-streaked window of the restaurant, but Evelyn was focused on the digital screen across the street.
On the massive LED display, the Thorn International press conference was in full swing. Michael Thorn looked every bit the corporate king in a charcoal suit, but it was the woman clinging to his arm that drew the cameras' attention.
Erica Jones wore a smile so sweet it masked the venom underneath.
Reporters surrounded the stage, their questions raining down like sharp knives.
"Mr. Thorn, are the rumors of you and Miss Jones true?"
"Miss Jones, we heard you've been recovering at Michael's private villa. Is Arise City your permanent home now?"
Michael remained silent, while Erica offered coy smiles that gave the tabloids exactly what they wanted. Before the tension could snap, Michael stepped to the mic. "Today is about the new face of Thorn International's luxury line. Please welcome our Global Ambassador George Sin."
The crowd erupted into cheers.
George sin the world-renowned Actor strode onto the stage. His eyes dark and charming, sending ripples of screams through the fans gathered outside the restaurant.
Inside, Jade gasped, looking between the screen and her friend. "Evelyn, that guy, That calculating smile, he looks exactly like you when you smile that way! And... wait, are you sure he is not by any way related to you?"
Evelyn was speechless.
She stared at the young boy on the screen who looked at least twenty, but her mind refused to come to together. "I'm not sure, Jade. She muttered lowly. "George spends all his time in Germany. Could it really be that coincidental?"
'And wait,' she muttered in her mind. 'was he and Julian Sin in anyway related?'
She raised her eyes to the the screen and looked at the actor smiling, while charming all the people around. She avoided looking at Michael as, each time she saw him, a knife was being stabbed into her chest.
"Where are you heading next?" Jade asked, shaking off the image of Michael and Erica. "I'm not letting you go back to that villa tonight."
"Let's see a movie," Evelyn said, a cold spark returning to her eyes. "And then," she paused and muttered to herself. "To where ever, I need to find the old Evelyn again."
"But your recovery..." Jade bit her lip, worried about the toll on Evelyn's body after the loss of the baby.
"I don't know about that!!" Evelyn replied indifferently.
Jade spent the afternoon trying to cheer Evelyn up. They went strolling around the City, and later, went to see the movies. By evening, they strolled into a club, and Evelyn dived straight into drinking.
"You've been missing for weeks!" Jade shouted over the music, her face red. She took a photo of Evelyn and sent it to her phone. "Drink less, Evelyn. I don't want to be murdered by your husband's glare."
"Husband?" Evelyn let out a bitter, alcohol-laced laugh. "He's dead to me."
"So you're a widow now?" Jade joked, now tipsy, only to earn a sharp smack on the head from Evelyn.
As the night wore on, the two of them spiraled into a series of chaotic selfies. Evelyn scrolled through the photos, her thumb hovering over a shot Jade had taken of her looking defiant, surrounded by empty bottles.
She opened her social media account and posted it with a caption that set the internet on fire:
"This castle shall not fall. You will always be nothing but a third-party and a mistres.''
Within minutes, Thousands of people and keyboard warriors went into a frenzy.
Netizen 1: "Absolute Queen behavior!"
*Evelyn's Reply: "Flattery will get you everywhere."
Hater1: "Wait, I thought she was married? Is she calling herself a mistress?"
Evelyn's Reply: "I'm the wife. The other one is the 'mistress' who can't stop clinging to someone's husband."
Paparazzi: "What about the CEO? @MichaelThorn"
Evelyn's Reply: "Draining in her 'beauty,' haha. He's drowning in her act. I'll probably die for posting this, haha."
Feeling the buzz of the alcohol, Evelyn excused herself to the restroom. As she exited a stall, a man stepped out of a private VIP suite across the hall. It was Leo Sin, followed closely by his manager.
Through the open door behind him, Evelyn's blood turned to ice. She saw Michael Thorn and Erica Jones sitting intimately with several company executives.
"Miss Meyers!" The manager gasped, the room falling into a deafening silence. Every executive turned to look at Erica, who was leaning into Michael's side. The atmosphere turned suffocatingly awkward.
Evelyn didn't flinch. She gave a curt nod to the man and turned away. "I was Just heading to the restroom."
She ducked inside, splashed cold water on her face, and tried to steady her breathing. When she stepped back out, George was leaning against the wall, watching her.
"Hey," the boy said, his voice rhythmic and curious. "Have I seen you somewhere before? You look... incredibly familiar."
Evelyn paused, a calculating smile touching her lips. "You must have seen a thousand women. That, all women start to look the same to you?"
She walked past him toward her own room, leaving the superstar standing in the hallway, staring after her with a look of profound confusion.
"What's your name?" George followed Evelyn, his curiosity piqued. He was used to women falling over themselves for his attention, but this one looked at him with a strange, knowing look.
Evelyn stopped and turned. She remembered the man she had met in Germany, Julian Sin. "Do you by any chance have a relative named Julian Sin?"
George blinked, his expression changing for serious to bubbly in a second. The only thing left was for him to grow puppy ears and a tail, so he could jump and wag it. "That's my big brother. Wait, do you know him? Are you my future sister-in-law?"
Evelyn glared at the tall, handsome boy before her, who was surprisingly displaying childish characteristics. "Sister-in-law? Do I look that old to you?"
"No!" George shook his head honestly, though he couldn't deny the uncanny resemblance in their features.
Evelyn's eyes flashed with a sudden, mischievous malice. "Since you're Julian's brother, you can take a hit for him!" Before the boy could react, Evelyn delivered a sharp kick to his backside. George stumbled, nearly face-planting on the plush carpet.
"Tell your brother the next time he plays with people's lives, I'll beat him to death myself!" Evelyn shouted over her shoulder as she sprinted back toward her private room.
George rubbed his rear, staring after her. "Hey! Come back here! My brother is a stiff-necked bore, he doesn't 'play' with anyone!"
Inside the VIP suite of Thorn International, the air was thick with the scent of expensive tobacco. Michael Thorn sat, a cigarette glowing between his fingers, a habit he had picked up only recently, much to the concern of his staff.
Erica Jones sat beside him, clutching her phone. She had seen Evelyn's "mistress" post on Instagram and was vibrating with suppressed rage. "Michael, you shouldn't smoke so much," she whispered, trying to sound like the caring partner, but, Michael didn't respond. He took a long drag, the smoke obscuring his expression. He had seen the post too. His "wife" was publicly declaring war, and the audacity of it was stirring something dark and possessive in his chest.
Meanwhile, in Evelyn's room, she was reaching for the pack of cigarettes she had secretly bought while they were strolling outside at noon in the day.
"Evelyn, are you insane?" Jade snatched the pack away.
"I just want to try one," Evelyn snapped. "They say it helps you forget. Give me one, or I'll go out and buy a carton of it."
Jade sighed, knowing Evelyn's stubbornness.
She reluctantly handed her the cigarette. Evelyn held it with practiced elegance, but the moment she inhaled, she exploded into a violent coughing fit.
"See? Stick to the beer, sister Lyn," Jade grumbled, stubbing it out for her. But Evelyn wasn't finished. By the time they left the club at 10:00 PM, she was clutching a third cigarette she had bullied out of her, unlit, dangling from her lips.
As Evelyn, and Jade stumbled out of the place, they ran headlong into the Thorn International executive group. Michael stood in the center, flanked by George and Erica.
When Michael saw Evelyn clinging onto Jade, a half-burnt cigarette in her hand and a defiant tilt to her chin, his face transformed into a mask of pure fury.
"Dominic," Michael barked. "Send Miss Jones and Mr. Sin back. Now."
Before Evelyn could react, Michael strode over, snatched the cigarette from her fingers, and threw it into a nearby bin. He grabbed her by the waist and hauled her up.
"What are you doing! Let me go!" Evelyn struggled, but Michael's grip was iron. He threw her into the back of his car and sped away, leaving the crowd at the door speechless.
The moment they entered the bedroom at Springfield Villa, Michael threw her onto the oversized bed and slammed the door, locking it with a sharp click.
"Michael Thorn, you sick pervert!" Evelyn scrambled up, her hair a mess, her eyes blazing.
"Smoking?" Michael ignored her blabbing. "Drinking out?" Michael's voice was low, lethal and vibrating as he tore off his suit jacket. "You're doing a great job of proving me right, Evelyn."
"You don't own me! Get out!" Evelyn rushed for the door, but he blocked her path, his tall frame looming over her.
Michael began unbuttoning his white shirt, his eyes never leaving hers. The leather of his belt snapped open, a sound that made Evelyn's heart hammer against her ribs.
"You want to act like a rebel?" Michael hissed, catching her wrist asshe tried to bolt past him. "Then let's see how long you can keep up the act."