Trust on Trial
When Damien got to the office, his mind was a battlefield of Eva's laughter, her fiery words at breakfast, and the memory of her soft hands fixing his tie. Every thought was her, until the sharp click of his office door broke the fragile calm. Eric strode in, his face grim, carrying a truth that felt like poison.
"Sir," Eric began, voice steady but laced with urgency. "I did my findings, and I hate to break this to you, but it may interest you to know, it was your wife, Eva Myles, who sabotaged our contract. She stole the files and handed them over to her ex, Victor Lawson."
The words hit like bullets, but Damien didn't flinch. He leaned back in his chair, face unreadable, eyes shadowed.
When Eric finished, expecting an explosion, all he got was Damien's cool, flat reply.
"I know."
That was it. Two words, delivered with such calm finality it made Eric blink.
"You... know?" Eric stammered, disbelief etched across his face. "And that's all you'll say?"
Damien's silence was heavy, almost suffocating. His fingers drummed once against the desk, then stilled.
Eric's voice rose, frustration boiling over. "I don't understand you, sir! Yet again, you've brought a thief into your life. Do you realize what this is? Eva Myles is another Tyler Ross in disguise! How many times will history repeat itself before you see it?"
Damien's jaw tightened, but he didn't speak. His silence was more terrifying than rage.
Eric pressed on, his words cutting sharper, his loyalty battling with anger. "Just the other day I warned you! I told you it was madness to stop a wedding only to marry the bride yourself. But you wouldn't listen. And now, look! It's out in the open, she still loves her ex, Victor. That's why she did it, sir. And yet... you keep her under your roof?!"
Eric ruffles his hair, his voice shaking. "No, sir. That is unacceptable. You're not just risking your company, you're letting her destroy you."
Eric's voice shook with fury as he paced the room like a caged animal clearly frustrated. His words were sharp, each one landing like a dagger.
He couldn't believe it. Couldn't wrap his head around it. Eva Myles, the woman his boss had brought home, trusted, even cherished, was the very one who sabotaged their report.
He clenched his fists. How many times must this man bleed because of women?
Eric chest tight with disbelief. Eva Myles? The thought rattled in his skull like a cruel echo. She was the one who sabotaged their report? His stomach turned. How much betrayal could one man endure?
His boss, Damien Lopez, was brilliant, powerful, untouchable in the world of code, yet in love, he was cursed. Nobody had ever truly loved him. Not Tyler, who had only faked affection to steal his genius. Not Seraphina, who was drawn only to the title and the glittering position at his side. And now Eva_ Eva, who had seemed so different, so real, someone he was secretly rooting for, hoping from one corner of his heart that he was wrong about her, yet, she had crushed that illusion too.
Eric's jaw clenched as anger burned hot in his chest. Why is it always him? Why do they all play him like this? His hands curled into fists, trembling with helpless fury. He didn't know whether to shout, to smash something, or to drag Damien away from the wreckage of yet another broken trust.
His rage was raw, almost personal, but Damien sat there unmoving, rubbing his temple as though Eric's storm was nothing but background noise.
Damian, without thinking, his fingers slid into his suit pocket, brushing against something soft and folded. A piece of paper. He pulled it out absentmindedly, remembering, Eva had slipped it in when she kissed him goodbye. For a brief moment, his chest tightened with longing. He thought it would be some playful note, maybe a sweet reminder of her affection.
But when his eyes scanned the scribbled lines, his entire body went still.
It wasn't a love note.
It was a code.
His lips parted, breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in disbelief as the numbers and algorithms burned into his mind. Impossible. The scribbles were raw but genius. The kind of code that could shake industries, shatter limits, break records.
A chill ran down his spine. His heart thudded hard against his ribs. Eva, wrote this?
Eric noticed his silence and pressed harder, his tone almost desperate.
"Sir, are you even listening? You need to divorce Eva immediately. Cut her off before she destroys you completely. A woman like that around you is a time bomb. She's dangerous. Yes, she's beautiful. I'll admit that. Brilliant, too. But beauty and everything that she is, means nothing when poison runs deeper. Don't let yourself be ruined a second time, sir. Don't let her in any deeper. Don't get carried away, not with her face, not even with her intelligence..."
"Speaking of intelligence... Eric, you should see this." Damien's voice was low, almost disbelieving, his eyes wide with shock.
Eric froze. That expression on his boss's face, Damien Lopez, the man who rarely faltered, was enough to make his pulse quicken. He strode to the desk, leaned over, and when his gaze landed on the paper, his breath caught. His frown deepened instantly.
"Sir, is this even possible?"
Damien's fingers brushed the sheet as if it were something fragile, holy. "It is. With enough brainstorming, a day or two, maybe, we could crack it. We definitely can crack it."
Eric's frown carved deeper lines into his face. His voice shook, torn between awe and suspicion. "Sir, where did you get this?
Because if this code is real, if we manage to unlock it, then we're staring at a revolution. This isn't just huge, this is, breathtaking. Earth-shattering. How did you even come up with this?"
Damien blinked, almost dazed. He looked lost for a bit, while running a hand through his hair. "Eva. Eva gave this to me."
Eric's head snapped up. "Miss Eva?" His tone sharpened instantly, laced with alarm. His entire stance shifted, shoulders tensing as if bracing for a blow. "Sir, are you absolutely sure this isn't a trap? Why would she hand you something of this magnitude? It doesn't make sense." His voice dropped, wary. "How could she even crack this? I know she's smart, yes, but this?" He shook his head, baffled. "This is beyond brilliance. This is... terrifying. I mean h-how come?"
Damien, lost in a storm of thoughts, let out a dry scoff and slumped back in his chair.
"I wonder," Damien muttered, his voice low but heavy with suspicion.
"Where is she? I think she needs to explan this. I don't particularly trust her anymore," Eric said sharply, pacing. "For all we know, this could be a death trap she and her dear boyfriend cooked up. Boss let me go get her so that she can explain this to us."
"She said today's her off day," Damien replied quietly.
Oh, that's true. She requested for a leave. So she's not on seat. Eric snapped his fingers, then scoffed. "" I don't know but I don't feel too excited about this in any way, especially when it had her finger wrapped in it. So I say we thread cautiously. I mean if she had an idea this grand she could have just gone ahead and take the glory for herself, but the fact that she had to handover all of this to you... Smells sneaky." Eric said.
"Eric, about Eva... things are not exactly as they appear," Damien said, his tone softer, conflicted.
Eric narrowed his eyes. "How do you mean, sir?"
"Actually, she was manipulated by Victor. He convinced her that I was weak and beneath him, he threatened her the same way just like with the elevator accident. He made her believe he would have killed me if she hadn't been there. She's been living under the illusion that Victor is capable of ending my life at his will. That fear, made her act recklessly, as if she needed to protect me. It was foolish, yes, but not malicious. And for the record, there's nothing between Eva and Victor. She never loved him." Damien's voice cracked at the last words.
Eric's jaw tightened, his disbelief hardening into anger. "Sir, you can't honestly be falling for that cock-and-bull story! It reeks of fabrication. She's manipulating you, and you don't even see it. You're too smart to let emotions cloud your judgment like this."
"I think she isn't lying," Damien said firmly, though doubt flickered in his eyes.
Eric slammed his palm against the desk. "If she doesn't love him then who does she loves? You? Boss, don't do this again! Don't let yourself fall foolishly in love a second time. It's not just unwise, it's dangerous. The red flags are everywhere, and yet you're turning a blind eye. You haven't even started anything with her, and she's already stealing from you? Already deceiving you? What does that say about the future?"
He leaned in, voice sharp with urgency. "She can't make a good wife, not with your history. You know what betrayal has already done to this family. You must wake up before it's too late. Remember the saying, sir; Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
The room went silent, the weight of Eric's words hanging between them like a blade.
Damian couldn't wait for the closing hour, he was practically impatient all day waiting to see Eva, he needed an explanation. What she gave him was too much.
But when he got home what he saw shocked him to the core of his being.