Run, Eva, Run
Eva burst through the door, her heart racing. She locked every bolt, pulled the curtains shut, and paced for a moment before collapsing onto her bed. But not before turning to her brother with a firm warning.
"Don't step outside, Bob. Promise me," she said breathlessly.
The next morning, her sleep was shattered by the sound of Bob's voice calling from the living room.
"Sis! Come quick. There are men outside... in suits. They look like bodyguards or something!"
Eva's heart slammed against her ribcage. Panic surged through her as she leapt from the bed and raced to the window. Peeking through the curtain, she saw them, tall, imposing men in black suits, standing like statues outside their gate.
Bob turned to her, confused. "What's going on? Who are they? Should I go confront them?"
"No! Don't go please," she snapped, grabbing his arm.
He looked at her, startled by the fear in her voice. "Eva, what's the matter? Why are you acting this way? Do you know those men? Because you are really starting to scare me"
Her lips trembled. "Bob, I made a mistake. A huge one. I think I just screwed everything up," she choked out, tears spilling from her eyes.
Bob's expression softened with concern. "Hey, hey... calm down. What happened?"
"I_ I think I just... I mistakenly got married Bob." she stammered.
Bob blinked. "Mistakenly got married? Is there even such thing as mistakenly getting married? How do you mean?"
"I don't know! It happened so fast. I didn't even know what I was doing. I feel like I was hypnotized or drugged or something, I can't explain it! Bob, what do I do? I feel I just made the worse mistake. Oh God help me" she said agitated
Bob stared at her like she'd just confessed to murder. "Eva... Am still in the dark. Did someone force you? Were you threatened? Held at gunpoint?! A-and who is this person?"
She hesitated, her voice barely a whisper. "Damien."
Bob's jaw dropped. "Damien... Damien Lopez? Your boss? Are you serious right now?! You married him?! What? H-how come? I can't even start to imagine all of this, you actually got married to him? How could you sis? What about bro Vic? This is bad. Real bad. What are we going to do?"
Eva couldn't meet his gaze. "I don't know. It wasn't supposed to happen. I just knew I wasn't supposed to stay anywhere around him, I have always known. That was why I told you to let us run away the moment I realized who he was..."
"I only suggested you work at his company and stay hidden, not get married!"
Bob clutched his head in disbelief. "This is insane. Sis, this is bad. What about Victor? He was risking everything for you. Now you're married to the one man you were supposed to avoid at all costs? Do you even realize what you just got yourself into? Bro Vic will never sit still for this. And if word gets out, thats trouble , big trouble. Plus you could be exposed and that's going to be super crazy, you could even go to jail. How can you even allow this?"
"I know!" she cried. "I messed up. I know I did. God... what do I do now?"
Bob sat down heavily, stunned into silence. Outside, the suited men remained still, as if waiting for a command.
Bob's voice trembled with panic. "Right now i am short of words ana. You're one of the smartest people I know, you'd never make such a reckless move. What exactly went down?"
"I know, right?" Ana whispered, her voice shaky. "But I feel so stupid every time I'm around him. I don't even know how it happened. I just, signed the damn marriage papers. I was only trying to thank him, for paying for Mom's surgery. I never thought it would turn into this."
Bob's eyes widened. "Wait... you mean... he married you in exchange for the money?"
"Technically," she said, looking away.
"Oh no. This is bad. This is really bad." Bob ran a hand through his hair, pacing. "Bro Vic caused this, this whole mess. And I played a part too. If he hadn't pressured me to scare you, if I hadn't called, you wouldn't have fainted. Your boss wouldn't have stepped in. Oh my goodness. So, what do we do now?"
"I don't know," she confessed, biting her lip. "I don't know. I, I just ran, but now there's men outside, am sure they are his men, I don't know what he's going to do next. I'm scared, Bob. Really scared."
"Wow." Bob shut his eyes for a second, thinking. Then he opened them slowly, watching her. "But... come to think of it, you're actually married to Damian Lopez? One of the richest men alive? The Lopez name is like, a fantasy. And he chose to marry you?"
Ana frowned. "Are you trying to insult me right now?"
"No, no, I mean, you're beautiful, you even became prettier, especially after the surgery and all. But still... Damian Lopez? He could've had anyone. I just don't get it. It had to be you? But what if this is a blessing in disguise? I mean, maybe this isn't so bad. Sis, can't you just accept it and, be his wife?"
"What?" she gasped, eyes wide. "Are you out of your mind, Bob? I can't! And you know why."
""So what do we do then? What's the plan?"
"We have to do the exact thing I have been suggesting from day one, we run!"
"Run?" Bob blinked.
"Yes. We leave everything behind. We've done it before, we can do it again. This is too much for me, Bob. I don't have the strength or energy to face this. We have to go. Now."
"And Mom?"
"The surgery's done. She's still unconscious, but according to the doctor she'll wake up soon. We'll leave a letter, explain everything. When she wakes, she'll come find us. Somehow."
"You think that'll work?"
"It has to."
Just then, a sudden noise outside drew their attention. They rushed to the window and peeked out, only to see Victor.
Victor Lawson had come again, like he always did. But as he made his way toward the door, he froze, his path blocked by two tall men in black, standing like statues in front of the building.
"Excuse me," Victor said impatiently, "please move out of the way."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to go in, sir," one of the men said calmly.
Victor frowned. "Why not? And who the hell are you?"
"We've got orders from above to guard this premises. No one's allowed inside," one of them said calmly.
Victor blinked in disbelief. "You must be kidding. What stupid order are you talking about?" Then he raised his voice, bellowing like a man losing control. "Eva! Come out now! Do you think these lanky idiots can save you from me? Come out and tell them to back off, or you're not going to like what's coming for you!"
He stormed forward, but the guards stood like statues, barring his path with unwavering strength.
"Please step back, sir. With all due respect, you're not permitted to go near the young miss. I suggest you leave now," the guard said, firm yet polite.
Victor scoffed. "Leave? You think I'm leaving this place without seeing her? What a joke. Do you even know who she is to me?"
"Not at all, " the guard replied without blinking, "but we've confirmed that her only known family are her younger brother and her ill mother. No other visitors are allowed."
Victor let out a cold, dry laugh. "You've got to be joking. She's going to be my wife. So back the hell off!"
His temper snapped. With a growl, he shoved the guard violently. But the man barely budged, only tapping Victor back in the chest with just enough force to halt him. Enraged, Victor lunged, but before he could land a punch, the guard sidestepped swiftly, his hand locking Victor's wrist and twisting it mid-air with expert precision.
Victor flinched. This wasn't normal.
They weren't regular bodyguards.
These were trained operatives.
His instincts flared.
Victor, always the gangster at heart, reached into the back of his jeans and drew a small pistol. He pointed it directly at the guard's head. "Move," he hissed.
But the man didn't even blink.
No fear. No reaction.
The other two guards moved with terrifying speed. In a blink, both had guns cocked and trained on Victor, flawless precision. Simultaneously, Victor noticed a small red dot dancing across his chest.
Sniper.
Hi
A cold chill ran through his spine.
He froze. The weight of his arrogance collapsing into dread. He slowly lowered his gun, then slipped it back into his waistband, muttering curses under his breath.
These weren't just guards. They were elite. Presidential-level.
Someone very powerful had deployed them.
It sure as hell wasn't Eva. She couldn't afford this.
Unless...
Unless someone else was behind it.
Victor's chest heaved with betrayal and fury.
"Eva!" he snarled, screaming toward the house. "You really went and got your billionaire boss involved? Huh?! So this is the game now? You really think you can run behind my back and form an alliance with him? No wonder you were screwing him!"
He laughed bitterly, the sound twisted and ugly.
"You think this scares me? You think I'm threatened by this circus? I will burn the world down before I let you win. Over my dead body, Eva. This is just the beginning. You're not having the last laugh!"
With a final glare, Victor turned and stormed off, leaving chaos and whispers in his wake.
Inside the house, Eva and Bob stared at each other, adrenaline surging.
Eva ran a hand through her hair, visibly shaken. "This is getting out of hand."
Bob nodded grimly. "We need to get out of here. Fast. If he keeps pressing like this, your identity might be exposed."
Eva's lips quivered. "But how? The house is surrounded."
Bob smirked. "Lucky for us, I found something."
She looked at him, brows raised.
"There's a hidden entrance through the basement. I discovered it recently. It leads straight out to the backyard."
Her eyes lit up. "You're serious?"
"As serious as hell."
Eva rushed to the table, scribbled something on a sheet of paper.
"What are you doing?" Bob asked.
"I need to leave a letter for Mom. When she gets better, she'll know where to find us."
They slipped into the basement, down a narrow flight of stairs swallowed in shadows. The path was cold, damp, and eerily silent. Cobwebs clung to the corners as they followed the dark route until it opened into thick shrubbery behind the house.
They didn't stop running. Not even once.
Eva, now disguised in her nurse's uniform, broke off from Bob and rushed straight to DL Hospital. She moved fast, barely breathing, slipping into her mother's ward unnoticed. She carefully slid the letter beneath the pillow, her eyes misting with emotion.
Then she turned and walked away, silent and swift.
At the train station, Bob was already waiting. Together, they boarded the train, no destination written, only escape.
It wasn't until the train had crossed miles and miles of countryside that Eva finally exhaled, her chest rising and falling as the tension began to thaw.
By nightfall, they reached Innsbruck, a quiet Alpine town not far from Zurich but distant enough to lie low. Nestled between mountains and silence, it was the perfect hiding spot.
Exhausted, they checked into a small, nondescript hotel. The room was modest, but warm. Safe.
They collapsed onto the bed, sleep swallowing them fast.
Hourslater...
Eva stirred.
Something didn't feel right.
She opened her eyes slowly, only to see two men in black suits standing beside her bed. Before she could scream, one of them yanked a hood over her head.
Darkness.
Silence.
Gone.