Chapter 2

• Sudden calamity
• Evelyn’s P.O.V.
• “It’s an emergency
• My sister, Jade’s short message sucked the very breath from my mouth, panicking me. I rushed back to check on my family. As the elder daughter of the house, I was taking care of my mom and little sister in my dad’s absence. He traveled a lot for work as a truck driver.
• Climbing the stairs, I was exhausted after reaching home. The already unlocked door trembled my heart in my chest as I barged inside desperately.
• “Jade? Mom? Where are you?”
• I found Jade, sitting on the sofa with my laptop. She cried out to see me.
• “Sister, we are done. I am feeling so humiliated!”
• She gave me the laptop, pointing at the content of the email. “Read it. You will find out the truth!”
• “Application closed. We are looking for a fast-paced story, an exciting plot with multiple cliffhangers. Revise your work and submit it again. Thanks for your hard work.”
• Bloody hell!
• “Are you out of your mind, Jade?” I placed my laptop on the table and slapped her head. Her melodrama scared the hell out of me.
• “It’s just a rejection email for my novel. Why are you making a big deal out of it?”
• “I am making a big deal?” Jade dodged my slap and hissed back at me. “This is your third rejection, sister. I have told my friends that you are a leading romance author, thriving in your career.
• Now they will laugh at me when your novel won’t be on the app.”
• In addition to my job, I was struggling to convert my dreams into reality, applying for exclusive contracts on different writing platforms. Being a famous romance author was my biggest desire.
• However, the back-to-back rejections made it seem impossible. Even so, it wasn’t such a disaster that she sent me a disturbing message.
• Fighting with my sister, I was hitting her with a cushion when my mom came out of her room. Our loud voices jolted her awake.
• “What happened? Why are you two fighting?”
• As usual, Jade hid behind mom, using her as a shield. “See, mom. Sister is mean. She is bullying me.”
• Her white lie grew my body hotter, I spat out. “We should be mean to irresponsible girls like you. And you are my foster sister. We adopted you from a trash yard!”
• “Mom!” Jade begged mom for help, shedding fake tears. My mom laughed at our cat fight and said.
• “Hey, no one is adoptive here. And Jade, why are you annoying your sister? She just came back from work. Give her water.”
• She sent Jade away, giving me a moment to catch my breath. A great piece of news rejuvenated my soul as she told me.
• “Your dad is coming home today, Eve. He is on his way.”
• Hurray!
• My dad’s visits were like Christmas holidays for us as he worked in other cities, sacrificing his time and health to provide for us. He was growing old, so I wanted to earn enough money for him to retire and spend the rest of his life with us in peace. It was my duty to never let him feel the absence of a responsible son in his family.
• As he was coming after a long time, I had a lot to discuss with him. So, after a quick shower, I slipped into my night pajamas and slept with Jade for a much-needed nap.
• …
• “Eve, Eve. Get up.”
• “Five more minutes, mom.”
• I was hell tired after that night duty, my body was begging for a long, peaceful sleep. But my mom’s panicked voice flew my eyes open.
• “Eve, your dad…”
• “What happened to dad?”
• I shot up, my mom’s tears-streaked face forced me out of that dreamy haze.
• “Your father’s truck has met with an accident. I got a call from the hospital. His situation is critical.”
• My mom told me the whole story between anguished sobs. But my mind was racing in every possible direction to join the dots of this sudden incident.
• “How, why, when?”
• These different questions caused a short circuit, the emitting sparks burned my soul. I was at a loss for words after hearing about this disaster.
• As Jade and mom were crying profusely, my survival instincts kicked in while thinking about the worst-case scenarios. I dialled the last received number on my mom’s cell phone and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
• My dad’s friend informed me,
• “Doctors have taken Harold to the trauma ward. He needs surgery.”
• Uncle Smith was with dad, it relaxed me a bit. I inquired in a firm tone.
• “How much money is required?”
• “Fifty thousand dollars.”
• “What?”
• My head flew at the price of medical procedures. The cost of this surgery was out of our budget, but it wasn’t the time to discuss the inflation and alarming bills. So, I asked.
• “Please send me the address of the hospital, uncle.”
• As that call was on speakerphone, mom had heard about the cost. She held my hand.
• “We don’t have such money, Eve. How will we arrange it?”
• She got up and searched her cupboard, the savings of two thousand dollars were enough to start the procedure.
• “I’ll apply for the loan from the office, mom. Take care.”
• Mom and Jade ordered an online taxi and left with a heavy heart. I called Mr. Bruce and requested a loan, it was off due to Sunday.
• “My dad is sick, Bruce. I need the support fund as swiftly as you can.”
• I almost cried while asking for money, the self-respect that we kept intact for years shattered with a single blow of calamity.
• “I am sorry, Evelyn. But your application cannot be processed. President Scott is busy, today is his wedding.”
• His apologetic tone destroyed my hope’s castle, darkening my world. This unannounced wedding removed every possibility of seeing President Zuriel today.
• I searched my secret stash and bank account, only two thousand bucks was my total savings along with my last night’s bonus. Our extended family was the same as us, there was no one who would give us this huge sum of money.
• I was feeling hopeless when Brad’s name popped into my mind, showing me hope. His boss was a kind man, he can apply for a loan as well.
• My next destination was Brad’s apartment, the one who could help me in this situation. My boyfriend was living alone on the third floor of our building, his family was away due to vacation. As he was also on night duty yesterday, I unlocked the front door with the spare key under the mat and stepped in.
• “Ahh!”
• A woman’s soft moan crept into my ears, followed by the sounds of flesh slapping. The first thought that flashed in my mind was absurd, making me feel a pit in my stomach.
• No, it had to be wrong!
• But as I moved forward, the voices became clear, a female begged in breathy moans.
• “Harder... Baby... Fuck!”
• In the living room, Brad was balls deep inside my neighbor, Sara, pounding her raw and hard. A sharp tingle ran across my body as for a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
• “Y-you...?”
• My hand flew to my mouth to muffle a scream of horror as my heart shattered into countless pieces, crushing my soul instantly. Brad maintained eye contact with me while slamming his length inside her, his guttural groans were the slaps of reality on my face.
• “As you can see, I am a man, Evelyn. Go and find a monk for yourself.”
• His Sara screamed her orgasm and laughed at me, circling her arms around his neck.
• “Get out, Evelyn. Brad loves me!”
• An icy chill descended over me as if a bucket of cold water was thrown at me suddenly. I stood there frozen, with my mouth open in disbelief. It took me a moment to compose myself.
• After gathering every ounce of my strength, I moved forward and used my slipper to slap him on his face.
• “You are an animal, Brad. Go to hell with your fake masculinity.”
• My world was overturned after my boyfriend’s betrayal, that vile man wasn’t concerned about our relationship and set my world on fire. We were together for two fucking years, and he crushed my loyal soul in a split second.
• But I could ponder over this heartbreak as my dad was on deathbed. I had more important matters on my hand to deal with. This setback in love life couldn’t defeat the strength of a filial daughter!
• Rubbing my teary eyes mercilessly, I was on my way to my apartment, thinking about the methods to earn quick bucks. That was when the lady’s offer resonated in my ears.
• “Will you sleep with a man for one million dollars?”
• Yes! This could solve my problem!
• I rushed to my room and searched for her card. Thankfully, it was safe in my jeans pocket. With my heart hammering against my chest, I dialed Madam Carla’s number with trembling hands.
• “I am ready to take your offer!”