The CEO's Bride
Eva was still deep in dreamland when faint whispers drifted through her half-conscious mind.
"Do you think we should wake her? The boss left for work over an hour ago, she'll be late if we don't," one maid murmured anxiously outside her door.
"No," came Gina's firm reply. "We're not disturbing her. What if her husband doesn't want us to? He owns the company, if she's late, it's no big deal." Her voice carried a note of authority. "No one is allowed to wake her, understood?"
The other maids mumbled their agreement as Gina's footsteps retreated down the hall.
Eva's eyes fluttered open. She stretched like a cat and yawned, realizing she'd overslept.
The princess lifestyle is dangerously addictive, she thought with a sleepy smile. Once you taste it, you never want to lift a finger again. Everything here whispered luxury, the silky bath, the gourmet meals, and above all, the bed. Oh, that bed, fluffy clouds wrapped in velvet. She'd slept like a child without a single care in the world.
After a leisurely bath, Eva opened her cloakroom, and gasped. Yesterday's empty racks had transformed overnight into a personal designer boutique. Dresses, coats, shoes, labels worth more than some cars. She ran her fingers over the fabrics, inhaling that unmistakable "new" scent. Choosing was torture, but eventually she emerged dressed to perfection.
Downstairs, the maids insisted she have breakfast before leaving. She was halfway through a delicate croissant when a voice floated from the kitchen:
"...and the boss didn't even touch his dinner last night. Left this morning without eating again."
Eva froze mid-bite. Her eyes flicked to Gina, who stood quietly at her side.
"Gina... did my_ uh_husband really go to work without eating anything?" she asked.
Gina hesitated, then nodded. "For some time now, the boss hardly eats. Sometimes just a few bites, sometimes nothing at all. It's, obvious he doesn't like the food we make."
"But you're all amazing chefs. The food is perfect," Eva protested.
"Maybe. But he does likes your cooking," Gina said knowingly. She still remembered the first time Eva had come over to the house to prepare a meal for Damien, they had gathered at the entrance of the kitchen, wondering what magic she was going to create to make Damien eat, but somehow Eva did created the magic.
Gina still remembers how he'd cleaned the plate, how his mood had softened. In her heart, she'd suspected from the start that the fiery young woman might someday be Mrs. Lopez. The more reason why she was not surprised when Damien dropped the bombshell about his wife moving in.
"I am not so sure about that, and I can absolutely heat up something for him but I am pretty late for work" Eva said as she bites on her thumb while thinking of what she can do to salvage the situation.
"Okay, erh, I think I'll just prepare noodles for him, it's quicker to make"
Gina tilted her head. "What did you say ma'am?"
"Noodles. They're quick."
Gina nearly choked on her own laughter. "Noodles? Boss Damien hates noodles. In California, it's common knowledge. He calls them junk with zero nutritional value, says it's better to starve than eat them. Even his sister never dares cook them, so I am absolutely sure he would get angry should you prepare such for him."
"Oh," Eva thought about it, but she really can't bring herself to start preparing food that would make her hours-late. So she decided to make the noodles anyway.
Eva blinked, then shrugged with mock defiance. "Well, I don't know what I am supposed to do about that. So I think I'll just make the noodles. If he doesn't like them, then I'll have them for lunch." She harrumphed and marched into the kitchen.
She moved quickly, boiling springy egg noodles in fragrant chicken broth, tossing them with fresh vegetables sautéed in butter. She cracked farm-fresh eggs into a hot pan, whisked with herbs, and folded them into a soft, fluffy scramble. A dash of chili oil for heat, a scatter of chopped scallions for brightness, and a crown of golden fried garlic gave the dish its final flourish. Then she added more protein, her favorite lobster, meat, and a few other stuffs. The air was thick with the scent of spice and comfort.
By the time she finished, the clock read past nine. With a flick of her hair, Eva packaged the dish into a thermos for delivery, then swept into the sleek black car Damien had assigned her, complete with a silent, imposing bodyguard.
She didn't even have time to admire the beautiful car, all her mind was focused on how late she already is.
At the office, every head turned. Her colleagues stared as though they were watching the opening scene of a scandalous drama.
She's dead, one of them thought. The boss is definitely firing her today.
Eric all but stormed into Damien's office, Eva trailing a step behind.
"Sir," Eric began, his voice clipped and brimming with irritation, "I'd like you to address this matter. Miss Eva has been absent for an entire week without a single explanation, and today, of all days, she decides to grace us with her presence at ten o'clock in the morning." He scoffed. "It's laughable. With all due respect, it is absolutely unacceptable. For the sake of discipline, she should face consequences before others start thinking they can get away with such behavior."
Damien's pen stilled. Slowly, he lifted his gaze from the papers on his desk to look at Eva.
She stood there in a fitted jumpsuit that hugged her shape with elegant precision, a tailored jacket draped over her shoulders. Her hair was swept back neatly, she was glowing with a fresh, effortless radiance... and, as he realized with a flicker of private satisfaction, and this time, he was the reason.
He was proud of his good taste in the selection of clothes. Those clothes, shoes? His very choice. That confident air? His doing.
Then he noticed the thermos in her hands. Then his stomach gave a quiet, traitorous growl. He had been running on fumes since yesterday, too happy to feel hunger last night, and too dissatisfied with breakfast this morning to eat more than a bite. Now, all he could think was: Please let that food be for me.
These were the thoughts cascading the mind of Damian but in the face of everyone, he was every inch the stern CEO, eyes sharp as they scrutinized Eva .
"Miss Eva," Eric said evenly, "You have been a great help here, no doubt. But the primary reason for your position cannot be ignored. This company has a legacy to protect. If every employee decided to, indulge themselves the way you have, we'd be finished. That's why you were given documents to sign when you first arrived, rules that bind you as much as anyone else. What you've done can be likened to a breach of contract. And as they say, where there is no law, there is no sin."
His words landed like cold rain, though Eric still lingered expectantly, clearly waiting for a harsher verdict. Damien simply exhaled through his nose, an irritated snort, and waved his hand dismissively toward Eva.
Eric misread the gesture, assuming the boss wanted a private conversation. "Miss Eva, please wait in the secretary's lobby. I'll speak with the boss and then let you know his decision."
Eva dipped her head in meek acknowledgement. But before turning to leave, she stepped closer and extended the thermos toward Eric.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Eric," she said softly, her voice tinged with genuine remorse. "My absence wasn't deliberate. I truly didn't mean to disappoint you." She offered a small, almost shy smile. "I'll wait for your decision... but could you please give this to the boss? I was already very late this morning and didn't have time to prepare something special, so I just... made noodles."
Eric's eyes went wide. "Noodles? You... you made noodles for the boss?" His voice cracked with disbelief.
Eva nodded, completely serious. "Yes. I know he's not a fan, but this one's different. It's good, really good. I think he might actually like it."
Eric just stared at her. This woman's dead. Absolutely finished. He didn't even have the heart to warn her. Let Damien deal with it.
He didn't say it aloud. Instead, he kept his expression neutral, letting the matter rest in Damien's hands. In truth, he was trying to be fair, but fairness wasn't his only motive.
Part of him was acting out of self-preservation, he was doing it for himself, to avoid Mrs. Eleanor's inevitable drama. Another part was pure fear_ fear because of his involvement with that criminal Victor. The name alone was enough to knot his stomach. Victor was notorious in certain circles. After a little digging he got to know that Victor was given that name 'Victor' because he never lost a battle, he's practically undefeated, and now his boss was dangerously close to provoking a sleeping monster.
Then there was Damien himself, Eric could see the man was falling for Eva, and that worried him. He knew how dangerous it could be when his boss's heart overruled his head. To Eric, the cleanest solution was simple: get rid of her. And maybe, just maybe, he was also doing it for Seraphina. She had begged him to help her win Damien's heart. Eric had seen how deeply she loved him, how long she had waited. In his mind, she was the one who deserved to stand by Damien's side after all these years.