War in Paradise.
Damian parked his sleek Maybach, his pulse quickening with anticipation. That sheet she had slipped into his pocket lingered in his thoughts, that idea, everything.
But the moment he stepped through the door, his train of thought shattered.
"Hubby!"
Eva's delighted screech echoed down the hall as she ran, no flew down the long golden staircase, her dress trailing like she was an overjoyed princess running to her happily-ever-after. Before he could even take a breath, she launched herself into his arms with the enthusiasm of a child finally seeing her mother after a long school day.
Damian caught her effortlessly, steadying her with strong arms, and despite himself, a helpless smile curved his lips. God, she had a way of melting every wall inside him.
"I missed you so, so much, hubby!" she chirped breathlessly, her words tumbling over each other in a rush. "I was counting the hours. I don't ever want to be apart from you again. I want to go to work with you every day as your PA, then come home with you every night as your wife. Always, always by your side!"
She peppered his face with frantic little kisses, squeaking happily like a parrot set free, while Damian could only stand there, both exasperated and enchanted, helpless under the storm of her Deep down, he felt it, an affection and warmth only she could ignite.
"Staying with me all day could be very addictive, I hope you do know that wifey"
But then...
A sudden chill swept through the air.
Eva froze. Her laughter died in her throat as her gaze darted past Damian's shoulder. The sparkle in her eyes dimmed in an instant, replaced by sheer dread.
Damian frowned, following her line of sight. He turned, slowly, cautiously, only for his own expression to harden.
Standing in the hallway, like shadows waiting to pounce, was his mother. Eleanor Lopez.
Her face was a storm of fury, her glare sharp enough to burn holes through them both. At her side stood Seraphina, lips curved into a smug, poisonous smile as her perfectly styled hair framed a face full of triumph. And just behind them, two massive travel cases rested on the floor. A declaration in itself.
They weren't visiting.It was more like...
They were moving in.
The silence in the house turned suffocating. Eva's hand instinctively tightened on Damian's shirt, her knuckles white as though she could hide inside him, vanish into his very skin.
Damian felt her trembling and instinctively drew her closer, his protective instincts roaring to life.
Seraphina gave a sharp little scoff, tossing her bag aside as she collapsed gracefully onto the couch, inspecting her freshly manicured nails like they mattered more than the tension crackling in the air.
Meanwhile, Eleanor remained standing, her posture regal and unyielding, her stare pinned on Eva with the force of a verdict already delivered.
Eva's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, her eyes darting down, unable to meet Eleanor's piercing gaze.
Eleanor had not wasted a second the moment the whispers reached her ears. At first, she had dismissed the online chatter she saw in the company's forum, rumors could be fabricated, headlines could be twisted. But then the story bled into the national outlets, her son's name tied to the girl clinging to him now. Even then, she might have waited. Might have believed in her son's judgment.
Until Seraphina had called.
Tearful. Broken. Painting herself as the abandoned woman betrayed by the very man she loved.
That was the push Eleanor needed. Within forty-eight hours, she was on a flight to Switzerland, Seraphina by her side, her fury sharpened into resolve.
Now, here she stood, in her son's home, staring down the woman daring to claim him.
Eleanor could hardly believe what her own eyes were showing her. The rumor was no mere gossip, it was true. Damien Lopez, her brilliant, careful, calculated son, seemed to be married to some girl. The little spectacle she had walked in on just minutes ago still burned in her mind: the girl, Eva, throwing herself into Damien's arms, peppering his face with kisses like an overexcited child, while Damien had stood there, indulging her without the faintest trace of resistance.
When Eleanor's sharp eyes settled on the girl, her breath caught. The resemblance to Tyler Ross was unmistakable. A copy. A ghost dragged from the past. She almost laughed at how predictable her son was, too blind, too weak, too desperate for love. Clearly, he had been ensnared by a familiar face, mistaking resemblance for substance.
Eleanor stood in the doorway, cloaked in elegance that dripped with menace. Dark designer shades hid her calculating eyes, an Armani jacket fell perfectly across her shoulders, and a striped silk scarf wound about her neck like a serpent. She looked every inch a wicked she-devil descending upon her prey.
Her gaze raked over Eva with icy disdain before she scoffed, her lips curling into a contemptuous sneer.
"So it's true," she spat, her voice low and venomous. "You married some lowly, social-climbing nobody."
Eva's fingers trembled where they clutched Damien's jacket. She pulled closer to him, her palm slick with sweat.
Damien stiffened. A sharp gasp escaped him, anger simmering beneath his calm exterior. He turned to Eva, gentling his voice, though the storm in his eyes betrayed him.
"Go upstairs for a while, Eva. I'll join you soon."
But she only gripped his sleeve tighter, her wide eyes begging him not to let go. Terror rolled off her in waves, and Damien's heart twisted at the sight. He cupped her hand in his, guiding her gently toward the stairs.
"Go," he whispered.
Reluctantly, Eva obeyed, her steps quick, almost frantic, as if she longed not just to leave the room but to vanish from existence.
Eleanor's scoff sliced through the silence. She folded her arms across her chest, her voice dripping with disdain.
"So, this is what you've become? So indulgent that she can't even walk away on her own. And you, my son, reduced to coddling like a servant. I never imagined you could be this, soft."
Damien pressed his temples, the beginnings of a throbbing headache building behind his eyes. His voice came out sharp, clipped.
"What do you want, Mom?" he said, the word like iron.
"Explanation, Damien! How dare you step into something as serious as marriage behind my back? What gave you the right to just go ahead and marry some bimbo?"
Damien's eyes darkened, his voice firm, unflinching.
"Mom," Damien's voice dropped, steel under restraint. "I am not a child."
"Not a child? And yet you let yourself get fooled by a nobody, the very kind of woman who already cost me my husband!"
The words landed like knives. She did it again. That same accusation she always pulled out like a weapon every time to guilt-trip him. It hit the same wound. Damien felt his chest tighten, the old guilt coiling around him like chains. He hated how weak it made him.
"If you think for a single second that I'm going to sit back and watch you ruin everything again, you're mistaken." Eleanor's eyes gleamed with fury. "Never again. Who knows, maybe this sly little fox is just another Tyler Ross in disguise, waiting to destroy us all!"
"Mom!" His voice cracked louder now. "It was a one-time mistake! Can you stop dragging that back into every conversation?"
""It was a one time mistake, yes, but a life was lost" she snapped, her voice trembling with rage. "And I will keep bringing it up if you continue walking down paths that remind me of it. Damien, you have always been my son, my golden boy, perfect in every way. I thanked the heavens for you every single day, for giving me a godlike son. But now," she shook her head bitterly, "now I've seen your weakness. Your heart. It wavers too easily. And with an empire to protect, do you expect me not to watch every move you make?"
Damien's fists clenched at his side. ""We all agree you come here to get over Tyler, and all you can do was to dealt me a bigger blow. You were supposed to be recovering and viola you are married? Is that how things are done?
Eleanor's lips curled in disbelief. "Well it may interest you to know that, In the history of the Lopez family, this has never happened before! A Lopez marrying a nobody? Do you know what that means? It taints everything!"
"Yet Dad married you," Damien fired back.
Her eyes flashed. "Mine was an exception! I was pregnant with you at that time, and your grandmother was excited to welcome her grandson. But do you have any idea the hell I endured from the Lopez family? The scorn? The insults? I didn't belong in their circle, Damien, and I bled for it!"
"And now you want to repeat the same cruelty? On someone who reflects you?"
"I don't wish that pain on anyone. Which is why I learned, Damien. I learned the rules. The etiquette. The iron laws of being a Lopez. And rule number one: never let a nobody through those doors. This family must grow in strength, in power, not dilute itself with weakness."
Her tone dropped, sharp as glass. "So if you think you can marry just like that, without my blessing, then you thought wrong. Damien, if I mean anything to you, you will divorce that girl before sunrise. Do you hear me? Before sunrise!"
Damien exhaled slowly. His jaw locked. "That won't be happening."
"Oh yes, it will!" Eleanor's hands trembled, her composure cracking. "What in God's name is wrong with you? Why are you hell-bent on throwing your life away? You're a Lopez, not some street boy who picks up trash and calls it treasure! Marriage is not a game, it goes beyond a pretty face or, whatever childish obsession you're clinging to. Don't you know that much?"
"If Dad could marry you, a housekeeper, then I can marry Eva," Damien shot back, his words cutting like whips.
"Shut up!" Eleanor's voice broke into a shriek, her cheeks burning red. She wanted to slap him, anything to silence the sting of his words.
"You don't know the story," she hissed. "Yes, I was a housekeeper, but your father loved me. Despite the doctor's reports that he was infertile, he got me pregnant. A miracle. That's why I was accepted. Because I gave him something no other woman could. And above all," her voice trembled now, heavy with pride and shame tangled together, "your father cherished me, he loved me."
Damien's eyes softened, but only for a breath. "And what if I love her too?"
"Liar!" Eleanor's finger jabbed at him. "Don't you dare feed me that. You think I can't see it? She looks like Tyler. Same height. Same figure. Same smile. Don't insult me, I know the only reason you're drawn to her is because she's a mirror of what you lost. And a marriage built on a ghost," she sneered, "is unacceptable."
"That is not true!" Damien roared.