CHAPTER 2

After leaving the two – her ex-fiancé and so-called sister – back at the apartment with as much dignity and composure as she could, she ran to her car the moment she stepped out of the posh elevator. Her fists were balled at her sides tightly as she strode over to her car. She was so upset at their betrayal that her hands shook even as she gripped the handle of the door on the driver's side. After sliding herself behind the wheel, and pressing on the central lock button to lockdown her car doors, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. 

After her breathing returned to normal, she revved the engine and stepped on the accelerator, sending her car speeding out of the place that she never wanted to step into ever again. 

Eva sped up her car once she hit the highway. Biting her trembling lips, her fingers gripped the wheel so hard that her knuckles turned white. Although she tried to forget it, the ugly scenes continued replaying in her head, of her fiancé f**king another woman.

'Why? Why did you do this? Why must you betray me too?' Eva screamed this out within the confines of her own mind. 

Then her grandfather's disgusted face flashed in her mind next as she remembered how he had looked at her. Those eyes… so condemning and cold. She shuddered a little even thinking about it.

"How could you have cast me away so easily like this? Didn't I do everything a good granddaughter should have done despite all the cold treatment you have shown me all this while?" she wailed, gritting her teeth as another memory flashed in her mind. 

It was a picture of herself when she was young and already being neglected while she watched her parents shower her sister with so much love. She remembered her young self being ignored as she held her perfect score test papers, intending to show them to her parents. However, what she ended up with was watching her parents hug and gift toys to her little sister while ignoring her, who was standing to the side. 

'Why did everything turn out this way? How could all of them do this to me? Can anyone tell me? Why?!' Her internal monologue went on and on. Her mind was screaming and hoping for a release…someway or somehow.

Suddenly, she jammed both her feet on the breaks. Her car screeched to a halt in front of a bar along the highway called 'Devils' Den'.

Eva desperately drew in deep breaths. Her breathing was short and laboured, the lack of oxygen to her brain causing her vision to swim before her dangerously. She knew she had to calm down. She needed to calm down! 

After regulating her erratic breathing and getting herself under control, Eva then stepped out and entered the bar. It was a normal bar common people visit, so the place was quite packed.

Leaning against the counter, Eva decided to get something stronger than her normal Pina Colada or Blue Hawaiian. She then proceeded to order a Long Island Iced Tea – with a request for it to be extra strong – and then began to drink silently. She winced at the taste of the alcohol as it burned a fiery trail down her throat. However, she relished the sharpness and the sting that the drink brought her.

The bartender eyed her as she sipped on her drink. "Seems that this is your first time drinking strong alcohol, eh, miss? Would you prefer to order something milder that most ladies drink instead? I can whip it up for you quickly." The bartender offered kindly.

Eva smiled wryly at the bartender's offer. "No, thanks. I'm alright. This drink is fine. Anyway, I am here to get drunk to my heart's content for the first time in my life tonight!" Eva laughed bitterly as she thought how ironic her life was. Thinking of how her life has turned out so far, she snorted in mockery at her current situation, and gulped her drink down in one go.

After a while…she signalled the bartender to hit her with another glass of the same drink. Staring at her new glass of drink, Eva shook her head and smirked. Her eyes now looked a little unfocussed.

Eva was  starting to get really drunk. And she started having an engaging conversation with her glass.

She pointed emphatically at the innocent glass sitting before her. "Now look at you. You have worked so hard and for so many long years. You have never experienced these kinds of things…" She then glanced a little enviously at the ladies recklessly dancing on the dance floor like they had no problem whatsoever in their lives. 

"All these normal things people usually enjoy." She added before she returned her gaze to her glass and continued scolding it. "Why? Because all you thought and cared about for your entire life up till now is that damned company which you thought was going to be yours forever. You never had a normal childhood and teenage life… all because of your ridiculous dedication to earn as many degrees as possible, just so you could please and hope to impress your so-called family. And then you worked your ass off, giving your all. For what? Just to save the damn company, even going to the extent of sleeping in your office for countless nights all alone. It still ended up not being yours! You never even had the time to pay attention to care for yourself and now look at you… nobody values or cares about anything that you have done. Now your so-called family, that never actually considered you as their own, are even demoting you from your hard-earned position, so their beloved daughter can now take over. Even your fiancé threw you away as well. He must have likened you to some toy. Haha. What a dramatic life you have Evangeline Yo…" She droned on in a drunken state, not realising nor caring that she was looking so silly talking to a glass. Her smile faded and she gulped down another mouthful of her drink again.

"That's right, you're not actually a Young. You are not even related to them by blood! They never even considered you as their real family. You were just a pawn to them all along. Keep that in mind from now on. Make them all pay for casting you away, for treating you like some slave they could easily cast away whenever they wanted… once they are done using you! Make them regret… all of them…" Eva shouted out in anger, slamming her fists on the counter. Damn her image. She did not care about it anymore.

"And how are you going to make them regret what they did to you?" A deep and mellow voice suddenly spoke.

Eva's head snapped to her right and saw a man sitting next to her, looking so deliciously tempting in a black suit. He was not looking directly at her but kept staring at his glass. She realised that even his side profile is so breathtaking. 

"I… umm…" Eva did not know how to answer.

 "Do you have enough money and power to bring them all down?" The man finally glanced over at her. And she was momentarily struck. His eyes were as dark as a moonless night framed with enviable thick lashes and his face… he was just too gorgeous to be real.

Eva shook her head and instead of gaping at the gorgeous creature, she frowned at him.

"I… I…" she stammered and all of the sudden, she jumped from her seat and suddenly grabbed onto the man's collar. "I don't have enough money or power right now, but I will definitely find a way to bring them all to their knees! I'll make them all beg!" She hissed, shaking with anger and frustration. "I will do everything, anything… to make them all regret… even if I have to sell my soul to the devil!" She said with determination flashing in her beautiful eyes.

The man smirked. He lifted his fingers and tucked some errant strands of her slightly mussed up hair behind her ear. "Be careful what you wish for, Miss. A certain devil here might really fulfil your wish and claim your soul in exchange."

"If that devil is really here, do introduce him to me, handsome. I would like to make a deal with him." Eva drawled out, smirking back at him.

The man chuckled shortly. His eyes gleaming wickedly as if he's looking at something very interesting. "How brave… but I guess it's because you're drunk right now. You might want to wait until you are more sober, miss." His smile faded even as his eyes sparkled intensely. "Because once I introduce him to you, there would be no more turning back. It would be too late to regret."  

But Eva insisted loudly, "I am not drunk! Where is he? Tell me. And don't worry… even if he asks me to go to hell with him, I'll gladly follow. As long as he can give me all that I want."

He only smiled. But then, he stood in a swift move and towered over her.

Leaning over her face, he pinched her chin gently and tilted her face up to his before his deep and sexy voice echoed in her ears. "Alright, your wish is my command. I will gladly introduce you to him."