Falling
Later that night, Damian sat alone at home. He pushed his barely touched dinner aside, climbed into bed, and pulled the sheets over his head.
He lay in bed, the silence of the room amplified by his unrest. He pulled the sheet over his head in a weak attempt to shut out his thoughts, but it didn't work. After a few restless minutes, he flung the sheet down and turned from side to side, sighing deeply for what felt like the hundredth time.
Sleep refused to come.
And then, like a cruel whisper, her voice replayed in his head:
"It's your fault I'm being humiliated today, babe... and I'll make sure you pay for what you just did, my love."
His heart clenched at the memory of Vic's bruising grip on Eva's delicate arm. He remembered the pale terror in her eyes... and that cold, retreating back of Victor. It gnawed at him, like a fever he couldn't shake.
He couldn't ignore it.
With a frustrated growl, Damian grabbed his phone and dialed.
"Eric. Send me Eva's number. Now."
He didn't wait for a response before hanging up.
Seconds later, a chime buzzed on his phone. As soon as he saw her number, he dialed immediately.
One ring.
Two.
Three...
Just when he thought she wouldn't answer, a sleepy voice came on the line.
"Hello..."
And in that instant, he was transported back two years. Back to the night he had called Tyler. Eva's groggy voice echoed so hauntingly similar.
"Damian Lopez speaking," he said, his voice low but firm.
Eva sat upright in bed, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Her heart skipped at the mention of his name.
"H-Hi… hello sir. I-Is everything alright? It's past midnight. Are you okay, sir?" she stammered, her voice flustered.
Eva stammered as she stumbled over her words and Damien reminded quite, he knew it was wrong for him to call his employee at such odd hours, especially with the cloud of rumors surrounding them. But he was worried for her. He kept picturing that guy hitting her. Eva looked too fragile and he just couldn't accept just the thought alone.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," he finally said, his voice tighter now. "Are you okay?"
He said in a strong emotionless voice and Eva scratched her head not knowing how to respond as she finds the whole call thing very awkward as she try to make sense of the strange, intimate moment.
"Erh, yes I am sir,"
"Then good night."
And just like that, the line went dead.
Eva stared at her screen in disbelief.
"Did he just... call to ask if I was okay?" she murmured aloud, confused. Sleep left her completely.
Meanwhile, Damian dropped the phone, but he was still restless. He tried to lie still. Tried to breathe. But no use.
He picked up the phone again, his thumbs hovering over the keyboard.
"If you're being abused, don't be so stupid to stay quiet_"
Deleted.
"If that idiot boyfriend of yours touches you, call me_"
Deleted.
"Are you sure you're really okay? Did he hit you_"
Deleted.
With a frustrated groan, he threw the phone across the room and yanked the covers over his head, swearing to himself that he wouldn't get involved.
Except... he already was.
The next morning, Eva sat at her desk, typing away, her brows furrowed in concentration. Across the building, inside the executive suite, Damian wasn't reading contracts or reports.
He was seriously focused on a laptop but who would have believed that what he was watching with rapt attention was CCtv footage of Eva.
He was watching her.
The CCTV footage streamed live on his laptop screen. His eyes scanned her every move. She looked fine. No bruises. No signs of fear. She was smiling at something on her screen. Probably an email.
Still, he didn't feel at ease.
A knock interrupted his focus.
"Come in."
Cathy stepped inside, her tone cheerful.
"Good morning, sir. You sent for me?"
Damian leaned back in his chair, his gaze unreadable.
"Yes. I need a favor. And I need you to be very discreet about it"
And Cathy almost died of happiness, her ever tough boss is actually asking her for a favor. Her eyes lit up, ready to do anything.
"You can count on me for anything sir"
"It's Eva," he began carefully. "Your colleague, I suspect she might be in an abusive relationship. I use to have an employee, a very good one, but we lost her due to domestic violence, I don't the same happening with Eva, I realize you guys are quite close, I need you to find out for me, if she is okay"
Cathy nearly swooned.
"Awwn, boss, you are so kind, you pay your employees so well and still watch out for them. You're not just the best boss, you're the most caring boss in the world. You are absolutely amazing "
Cathy started to sing his praises and Damian blinked, bored already. He just wanted her to go out there and find out for him if that idiot had hit Eva, and instead of getting on with it, she is here wasting time saying what?
"Please just find out. Quietly."
"Yes, sir! I understand. I'll get the job done. I'll even go the extra mile!"
"Thank you. That'll be all."
He dismissed her with a cold wave of his hand, irritation bubbling under his skin.
As Cathy exited, practically glowing with pride, Damian rubbed his temples. He had completely fabricated the story about the ex-employee, a white lie, just to push Cathy into action. He then secretly prayed he was just overreacting.
Watching her storm out, But before he could breathe, the door flung open again, this time with a dramatic gust of perfume and heels.
Seraphina.
And of course, she didn't just walk in, she made an entrance, every move dramatic,
"Damian! You're being unfair to me," Seraphina burst in, her voice trembling with accusation. "How could you take another woman to the gala? I begged you to let me come!"
Damian's jaw clenched. He shut his eyes, already feeling the dull throb of an oncoming headache. Thankfully, Eric walked in behind her, his tone calm but firm.
"Miss Seraphina, my boss didn't ditch you for another woman," Eric said matter-of-factly. "He attended with his PA. It wasn't for pleasure, it was strictly business. Bringing you wouldn't have made sense."
Seraphina turned sharply to Eric. "Don't try to cover for him! I saw the pictures. That woman, she's too beautiful to be just an assistant!"
Eric's lips twitched in amusement, but his voice remained polite. "With all due respect, miss, you wouldn't expect the CEO of Lopez Corp to hire only unattractive staff, would you? And if I may say, constantly obsessing over every woman near him might not be healthy. Mr. Lopez interacts with countless people daily, male and female. Not every picture tells the truth."
Damian continued working like Seraphina wasn't even in the room.
She folded her arms tightly across her chest, her voice rising. ""Don't try to side with him okay, I know there's a woman in his life, just the other day I saw him carry a sick woman into his car worriedly, I am not stupid okay, I know she means more to him than a normal employee."
Eric sighed. ""Oh, you've completely gotten the wrong idea. Miss Eva is an assistant PA. A competent one, which is why she works closely with him. And for the record, she has a boyfriend, a very powerful one. That day you saw him carry her, it was because she got into an accident, and yes, the boss felt guilty, it happened on company grounds. He was concerned about liability, and nothing of what you might have thought."
That seemed to give Seraphina pause. She looked from Eric to Damian, then walked over and sank dramatically into the sofa.
"Well then, I'm staying right here until he's done for the day, or else I'll Inform Mrs Eleanor about everything pertaining to that woman!"
And Damian scoffed under his breath. "Witch," he muttered.
Seraphina didn't move. She remained glued to the sofa all afternoon, growing bored, then hungry, but Damian treated her like she didn't exist. Hours passed until finally, Eva walked into the office, poised and graceful.
"Good evening, sir. I came to inform you of your final appointment for the day. You have a dinner meeting with Mr. Luke your very good friend and business partner at Sweet Lounge. And you have to be on your way right about now sir, since Mr Luke and his wife is already there waiting for you".
Damian rose, grabbed his jacket, and walked past Seraphina without sparing her a glance. Eva moved to fetch his briefcase, but Seraphina snatched it from her with an icy glare and stormed out ahead of them. Eva just smiled politely and followed.
At the Dinner.
Damian, Seraphina, Eric, Mr. Luke, and his wife sat around the table. The men talked business, glasses clinking as the evening wore on.
Seraphina simmered in silence. Every time she tried to chime in, Mrs. Luke redirected the conversation to Eva, treating her like the only woman at the table. Seraphina's face tightened with each polite smile thrown Eva's way.
Eric noticed. He offered her a drink, trying to lighten her mood, but she shot him a deadly glare that shut him up immediately.
As the dinner wrapped up, Damian signaled for a refill. Seraphina, quick to please, jumped up to pour the wine, actually she had been the one filling up his glasses all along, this time she quickly grabbed the wine glass to fill it up for him, but this time, she stealthily brought something out from her bag, and while no one was watching she quickly slipped something white and powdery into the glass, her hand precise, quick, unnoticed.
Or so she thought.
Eva, while appearing engrossed in conversation with Mrs. Luke, caught the whole thing. And just as Damian reached for the glass, Eva stumbled.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," she gasped, knocking the table slightly.
In that quick distraction, she swapped the glasses, Damian's drink with Seraphina's, smooth as a shadow. No one noticed. Not even Seraphina.
Damian glared at Eva when he saw how she tripped but he was quick to look away as he continued to listen to Mr Luke.
Seraphina, on the other hand, sat back smugly, watching Damian drink her wine with a victorious glint in her eyes.
Eva leaned toward Eric, voice low.
"Don't you think he's drinking a little too much?"
Eric chuckled. ""Oh, it's fine for now. The boss has high liquor tolerance and won't certainly get drunk yet. He can handle more than that. I'll stop him before it gets risky."
Five minutes later, Eva returned.
"Still think he's fine?"
Eric nodded. "It's about time." He walked over and whispered something to Damian, who nodded and rose from his seat.