Drunk Eva
But Seraphina staggered back as if stabbed, her chest caving under the weight of jealousy, envy, and the terrifying fear of being abandoned.
"Get back here, Eric! You dare not enter into any relationship!"
Eric stopped, his shoulders shaking with a bitter laugh.
"You really do need help, Sera. You're in no position to tell me anything. And hear this clearly..." he turned, his eyes cutting into her like a blade "...you are nothing to me."
Her heart cracked open. Tears gushed down her cheeks as her voice quivered.
"Nothing? I'm nothing to you?"
Her words choked into a sob.
"Did you ever even bother to ask me if I liked someone? Eric, it's you. It's you I like. Everything Damian does to me, all his rejections, they don't hurt half as much as watching you kiss another woman."
Eric shook his head, his face stern.
"I'm sorry, Sera. But I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't know what?" she whispered hoarsely, before suddenly marching toward him. Her hands clutched his face, and then her lips crashed against his.
Eric stiffened, trying to resist, his hands gripping her shoulders, fighting to push her away, but Seraphina was relentless and suffocating in her need as she clung to him with a desperate persistence that made his resolve waver. Against his better judgment, for a fleeting moment, he gave in.
And that was when he heard it.
Then...
A sound. A gasp.
The faint sound of a stifled gasp. Eric's heart slammed against his ribs as his instincts screamed. The image of Damien walking in on them flashed like lightning in his mind, and he shoved Seraphina back with urgency.
He spun toward the doorway, only to freeze in shock.
It wasn't Damien.
It was Cathy.
She stood there, framed by the doorway, her eyes wide with disbelief as tears streamed down her face. The sight was like a knife twisting in Eric's chest.
"Cathy..." he whispered, his throat dry.
Her voice cracked like broken glass.
"Mr. Eric... were you just kissing the boss's woman?!"
"It's not what you think,"
"W-what I think?" Cathy's voice shook, trembling with betrayal. She backed away slowly in horror.
"Cathy!" Eric called her pleadingly.
Her lips trembled, but no words came out, only a broken sob as she turned away bolting out the door.
Eric's heart plummeted as he dragged a hand over his face, groaning in despair. "Damn it... Cathy, wait,"
She ran into the ladies' restroom, locking herself inside a cubicle. Eric barged into the empty bathroom, desperation clawing at his chest and he was thankful there was no one in there.
"Cathy, listen to me! It's complicated, things aren't as they seem!"
Her muffled voice came from behind the locked door.
"Mr Eric I must inform the boss ASAP so he knows the kind of person you really are, it is dangerous for him to have a betrayal as a right hand man, and if anything happens to the boss I'll tell the police to start investigation from your end. I used to love you Mr Eric, really love you, but I don't love you anymore. I am disappointed in you. That was supposed to be your boss's wife"
"She is NOT his wife!" Eric pressed his hand against the cubicle door, his voice breaking. "Cathy, please. Just hear me out. I swear it's not what you think."
A pause. Then, her lock clicked. Cathy stepped out, her face still red with tears.
"Fine," she said coldly. "I'm listening."
"Can we go to my office to talk?" Eric asked cautiously.
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"No. I've seen too many movies. Secrets like this get people killed plus I'm not stepping into the same office where you just... committed adultery."
Eric groaned, feeling ten years older at that moment.
Minutes later, they sat across from each other in a restaurant near the company. Cathy had ordered enough food for three, and Eric, drained and guilt-ridden, paid without protest. She ate happily while he sat, restless and heavy-hearted.
"So," she said sweetly, licking sauce from her finger, "you can actually sit down with me like this, even buy me food? When I confessed to you, you rejected me without mercy. But now look at you... all calm and gentle."
Eric dropped his gaze, shame weighing on him like chains.
"So, let's hear it then," Cathy said, arching a brow as she toyed with her fork.
"Seraphina isn't the boss's wife," Eric began quietly.
Mmm, was what escaped her mouth, she already very much suspected that, so she wasn't surprised to hear that.
"Damian feels nothing for her. There's nothing between them."
"But she's still there, and they are very much together," Cathy snapped. "Which means you're coveting someone else's woman, and betraying your boss."
"No," Eric protested quickly. "I swear I'm not. What happened between me and Seraphina… was a mistake. A terrible one. A moment of weakness. A-and there's really nothing between Seraphina and my boss".
"That's a lie Mr Eric, just the other day at the party everyone saw them kissing!"
"It's not as it seems. Its... complicated." Eric said, sounding more confused.
Cathy leaned closer, eyes sharp.
"One question. Is the boss aware you have that kind of relationship with his woman? Tell me the truth, honestly"
Eric swallowed hard. "No."
Cathy threw her hands up dramatically.
"Then that's it. I'm going straight to tell him!" She pushed back her chair.
Eric panicked, grabbing her wrist.
"Cathy, wait! What do I have to do for you to keep this between us? Anything" Eric suddenly said.
A slow smile curled her lips. This was exactly the trap she'd been leading him into.
"Anything?" She asked, feigning surprise.
"Yes, anything" Eric said desperately.
"Simple then," she purred. "Be my man. Agree to date me, and your secret stays sealed."
Eric stared at her in disbelief.
"Are you blackmailing me, Cathy?"
"Blackmail?" she gasped theatrically. "How could you even say that?" She stood up as if to leave again, but Eric caught her hand once more.
"Fine!" he growled. "You win. I'll be whatever you want me to be. Anything at all, but you must promise me that this doesn't get out."
Cathy's smile blossomed like a rose, sweet, victorious, dangerous.
"I promise. And one more thing..." Her tone sharpened. "That nonsense with Seraphina? It must never, ever happen again. Do you understand?"
Eric's jaw tightened. He nodded once.
Satisfied, Cathy rose gracefully, smoothed her dress, and walked out, leaving Eric hollow and defeated in his chair.
Meanwhile, in Damian's office, another storm was brewing.
Damian placed Eva gently on the sofa before striding to his desk to take an urgent call. But peace was short-lived as Eva wasn't about to sit quietly. She sprang up.
"Damian..." Her singsong voice floated across the room. He glanced up, and nearly cursed. Eva was on her feet again, swaying toward him, her hips moving to music only she could hear. She plopped herself onto his lap, with a mischievous grin. Twisting and wriggling against him, she made his composure slip.
God help him, he almost blurted something reckless into the phone. Then she reached for his tie, tugging him closer until he gasped, her breath warm on his skin. She climbed onto him, scattering his neatly styled hair, pressing little kisses on his nose. He didn't even recognize his own voice when he whispered, "Stop it..." soft, broken, pleading.
The person on the other end of the line stuttered, confused, but before Damian could recover, Eva plucked the phone from his hand, ended the call without hesitation, and hummed like a restless bird as she bounced playfully on him.
"Eva, I said stop." His voice cracked with uncharacteristic softness. "Eva, go to sleep. Now!"
"Nooo, I don't want to sleep," she whined like a stubborn child. She tickled him, making him jolt, utterly stunned. No one dared touch him like this. Ever. And yet her laughter, bright, raw, and unrestrained, made his heart stutter.
After that she suddenly sat up, and then she fanned herself dramatically and complained about how everywhere was boiling like hellfire. The next second, she reached for her blouse as if she was about to strip right there in front of him.
Damien shot up like lightning. "Don't even think about it. This is an office and anyone can walk in here. If you must, go to the bedroom."
Before she could argue, he scooped her up and marched her into his private office bedroom. After tucking her down like a stubborn toddler, he returned to his desk, shaking his head. But barely five minutes later_bam!_Eva reappeared, strutting back into his office wearing nothing but her underwear, as if she were auditioning for trouble.
Damien froze, pinched the bridge of his nose, and facepalmed for what felt like the umpteenth time today. "God, give me strength," he muttered, before rushing over to pick her up again and escorting her right back. This time, he grabbed her discarded clothes himself and started dressing her like she was a misbehaving doll.
"I am going to punish you for this, Eva," he said sternly, trying to keep a straight face. "You know you have zero alcohol tolerance, and yet you drank like a sailor. You'd better behave yourself."
Instead of remorse, Eva's lips wobbled and her eyes filled with big, shiny crocodile tears.
"Why are you crying?" Damien asked, surprised to see his firecracker suddenly crying."You said... you said you'll beat me," she hiccupped and then whimpered with a pout.
Damien nearly choked. "What? Beat you? Do I dare? You know I can't beat you, knucklehead. So quit the drama." His voice softened helplessly, but that only made her switch gears faster than a Ferrari.
Her tears dried instantly, replaced with the most mischievous grin. She crawled onto his lap, holding his face between her palms as she unleashed her chatterbox spree.
"Hubby, don't go okay. Stay with me. I want you to play with me. Hubby, kiss me. Hubby, I love you so so much. Hubby, did you know that marrying you has been my long time biggest dream! Hubby I love you more than my own life. Hubby, I'll take a bullet for you. Hubby, if you don't forgive me, I'll just take my own life and I won't exist anymore. Hubby, I was specially handmade for you! Hubby, how many times have you met me? Three! Hubby I like it when you touch me. Hubby make love to me now! Hubby, do you love me? Tell me now, say it! Say you love me!"
She rattled on and on, bouncing like a hyper squirrel, while Damien could only groan and facepalm again, and he wondered what kind of a storm he had married.
Damian practically couldn't do anything productive that day. Instead of reviewing contracts or running numbers, he spent the whole afternoon babysitting his little drunk wife. First, Eva demanded a milkshake. Two minutes later, she wanted lemonade. Then she wanted ice cream. And when he got it for her she plastered her nose with the ice cream and demanded Damien licks the cream off her nose. And Damian left with no option was forced to do so. Then, after that she suddenly said she doesn't want her clothes anymore, then she started ransacking Damian's wardrobe, after scattering his entire arranged collection of clothes, she finally settled for Damian's crisp white shirt. Then out of nowhere, she tugged his sleeve and said, "Piggyback me."
And the worst part? Damien actually did it.
You can imagine the mighty CEO Lopez, striding around his office with Eva clinging to his back, humming happily like she was at a carnival.
Not long after, she leaned down and whispered, "Hubby, buy me new lingerie. I'll give you a personal show when we get home."
Damien sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and actually placed the order.
Then came chocolate. Damien hated sugar with every fiber of his being, yet there he was, chewing through a sickeningly sweet bar while Eva beamed at him like he was winning husband of the year. The power of a woman, indeed.
As if that wasn't enough, she demanded to be fed, then wandered off to the bed, only to storm back a second later and slapped him across the face.
"That's for bringing Seraphina into my bedroom," she declared, hands on her hips. "I am Mrs. Lopez now. If you ever kiss her again, I'll deal with you."
Damien could only sit there in silence, enduring his fate. He realized with a strange mix of irritation and amusement that Eva, in her drunken glory, was like his nemesis, a karma wrapped in silk, taking revenge on behalf of every woman he had ever mistreated.
By evening, he was utterly drained, too tired to even argue on the ride home. The moment they stepped into their bedroom, Eva walked straight up to him, kissed him hard, and whispered, "Sorry for disturbing you today."
For a split second, Damien almost believed she knew what she was doing, until she collapsed onto the bed the next moment and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep leaving him standing there in stunned silence.