"Well, all these things aside, it seems you're doing well enough already. So, I'll get to the main topic I ca here for."
Liora paused, seemingly studying Eva's expression, and noticing this, Eva gave her a radiant smile, prompting her to continue.
"I ca this ti because of a decision made by the family."
"Due to your recent unexpected behavior, there were so voices suggesting we interfere… but in the end, it wasn't approved, though."
"But while we will not interfere…" Liora gave her a fake sad expression, one that couldn't have been more obvious, before finally delivering the verdict. "You will be disowned! You will no longer be considered a mber of the Ashvale family, and no matter what happens to you, we will not interfere. You'll need to solve your problem with Damian, or his father, on your own."
'So, I was previously considered a mber of the Ashvale family?' Eva couldn't help but think, struck by the shocking… no, ridiculous statent.
Not only had they never given her their surna or allowed her to call herself Ashvale, but she'd also been sold and forced to marry against her will. She had only been able to slip out of it by due to the crossed interest with this cousin in front of her, not by their help, after all.
While Eva tried not to vent her feeling, she couldn't help but ask in a curious tone, "So, what will change?"
She watched as Liora stayed silent, seemingly stumbling to find an answer, and waited patiently, a smile on her face, as if saying, 'See?'
"At least I interfered before, but now, even I can't do anything anymore."
'You an that ti when all you did was interfere for your own benefit?' Eva thought, her ridiculing smile growing bigger as she heard the the content of Liora's words.
And finding it an eyesore, Liora added, "Don't think your little play with how you manipulated Damian went unnoticed. It was known, but despite that, they closed their eyes for YOUR sake."
'You an how they just didn't want to bother involving themselves, right?' Eva felt the urge to voice her thoughts in this absurd conversation, but she held herself back once again.
And Liora not finding herself shaless continued, offering all kinds of excuses… feigning care at one point, then doing the opposite later. In this strange conversation, Eva started feeling tired just from listening to her, without even saying much.
Finally, Liora seeming to have reached the end of her speech. With the softest expression she could muster, thinking she was delivering care, concern, and kindness, she said, "Well, anyway, I also want to say sothing rather irrelevant. I could even be intruding, as it's not my business, but please don't drag Olivia into the deep hole you're throwing yourself into. She has a bright future, unlike you."
"She is my precious niece, that I…"
Hearing her continue to speak, seemingly not ending anyti soon, Eva felt her already poor opinion of her cousin reach an all-ti low. She also couldn't help but wonder… were those really her genuine thoughts?
In the end, the answer beca clear. Looking at her expression, filled with hypocrisy, Eva knew it was not.
"I will do my best not to let Olivia get involved with , so don't worry." Eva interrupted, unable to bear her cousin any longer.
'Well, I hope you'll pull her away, though. Hopefully, the both of you will self-destruct on your own,' And Liora, with her unvoiced thoughts, finally, stood up, said a few more words, again feigning concern, before excusing herself.
Looking at her maid, who entered the living room as soon as Liora left, Eva, still feeling weary, and exhausted from the earlier conversation, sighed and asked, "Did Olivia go back already?"
"Yes, she already left, saying she'll be waiting for you."
Sighing once again at the answer, Eva, knowing that she needed to go to her house anyway, decided to comnt on her behavior later, and asked, "You brought so clothes for , right?"
"Yes, should I bring them?"
Nodding to her, Eva looked at the new entrant, who shared her weary expression, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"You know, I thought she would really say sothing important," Christian said, slumping onto the sofa beside her. Then added, "But it turned out, she's just a fucking clown!"
Christian buried his head in Eva's neck, brushing past her soft, silky hair and inhaling her scent, which seed to soothe his tired nerves. It lasted for a few monts before he finally spoke. "Previously, even when you talked about your past and ntioned how you were grateful for your cousin, I still couldn't understand it. I just thought she was an opportunistic person who couldn't be liked. But after hearing that conversation, her image in my head has turned into just a hateful person, no different from anyone else in this Ashvale family."
Christian continued to grumble, and Eva, covering her mouth and laughing, felt more refreshed as he voiced all her complaints. She waited until he finished before replying, "Well, you said it yourself… grateful. I was grateful, even if her intention wasn't to help . But that doesn't an I like her."
Despite not liking her cousin before, Eva didn't actually hate her either, but that had naturally changed now. "Not to ntion, she really wasn't this obnoxious before."
"Well, it seems she doesn't see any benefit in pretending to be nicer anymore."
Eva shook her head, not even wanting to talk about her cousin much longer. Then asked, "Anyway, why didn't you tell she was coming?"
Christian, finally hearing this question, looked at her with a smile and said, "Had you asked or Iris, you would've gotten the answer. But you didn't. Why?"
"Until when would you keep this kind of reservation toward ?" Eva couldn't find an answer to Christian's question. Despite how she was becoming more comfortable with him, with each passing minute... with each second, it seed it still wasn't enough.
"Actually, I even said it explicitly yesterday; Iris is currently eavesdropping on many people, so had you asked, you would've known more exact details." Christian pressed.
"Okay, it's my fault," Eva admitted, not wanting to hear him talk about this embarrassing subject anymore. "It's just that there were so many things I wanted to look into, or get Iris's help with, that I didn't have the ti for this particular subject yesterday."
"In the first place, why did she need to co here herself? She could have just said all that bullshit over the phone!" Christian, not pressing further, asked. While he had an inkling of the reason from the little bit of information he had and his own thoughts, he still wanted to hear Eva's opinion, after all.
"Isn't it obvious?" Eva replied. "It's for Olivia, hoping they'd earn so baronies with this little act!"
'Well, looking at her behavior, that's probably the Ashvale family's thinking, not hers.'
While he got confirmation for his suspicions, Christian, still feeling like it didn't make sense, said, "But isn't that counterproductive? After all, they're technically abandoning you."
Eva smiled at his naivety and replied, "You're thinking like ordinary people… or more like normal people. But do you really think those ancient families think the sa?"
"People who were fine with abandoning and selling their daughter, would they really be able to understand your current point of view?"
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"Still, I'm relieved by her visit, as it ans Olivia is that important to them, and she should pretty much be safe."
Unable to respond to that, as what she said couldn't have been more accurate, Christian watched as Eva took the prepared clothes from Sophia, who had already arrived, and went to another room to change.
With just the two of them in the living room, Christian stared at Sophia with a probing gaze, trying to understand where her loyalty ca from, or where Eva's trust in her stemd, making her unable to leave. And like that, ti passed.
Gracing him with her presence and saving Sophia from his probing gaze, Eva entered the room in her new outfit, a beige double-breasted blazer paired with matching slim-fit trousers. Her sleek low bun was neatly pulled back, creating a clean, polished look, complented by a sparkling earring.
With her new outfit, purse in hand, and the way she conducted herself, Eva exuded a kind of professionalism and elegance he had never seen in her before.
Staring at her... no, srized by her appearance, Christian understood the true aning of elegance for the first ti in his life. And noticing his expression, Eva couldn't help but feel smug, her heart swelling with elation.
"Kuhm," Brought back to his senses by Eva's cough, Christian, still drawn to his professional, businesswoman lover, stood up and moved toward her. He pushed her against the wall, not caring that her purse fell to the ground. Then, holding both her hands above her head with one hand, he placed the other on her neck, pulling her in for a kiss.
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