Chapter - 43 No Escape...

"Don't! Don't you dare say another lie this time." he looked at her angrily before getting up and pulling her up with him.

"You said you didn't know him that you never met him before this party tonight then what are these pictures?"

He threw the pictures on her and they landed at her feet. Scattered all around her as if mocking her.

"Please listen to me-"

"No." he said raising a hand in a gesture for her to stop.

"Not right now. I trusted you god damn it!" he looked at her angrily and she felt that he would strangle her the next minute but he kept his distance.

" I trusted you. I believed in your words. Huh!"  he laughed sarcastically.

"I was such a fool to think that I know you well. That you would never lie."

"Liam-"

"Did you tell him about our deal?" he asked narrowing his eyes. The scrutiny of his gaze felt like a stab in her heart.

"Tell me how much information have you given him."

"I didn't tell him anything! Not even a single word. How can you even think that?" Eva almost cried at the cruelty of his words.

"Because I saw you and him standing so close to each other. As close as only lovers will stand. When I asked you about it you said it was nothing. You lied to me that you met tonight for the first time then how come you are here in these photographs laughing and smiling at him?"

"Stop it now! It's not what you are thinking. I just went to the balcony to get some fresh air and he followed me there." she shuddered as she remembered how the other man had gotten uncomfortably close to her.

"Tonight, I met him for the second time. These pictures are of the time when I was waiting for you in the lobby and we had to go and meet Mr Wilson. He came himself and sat beside me I had no idea that he was our business rival."

"First you said that you met him tonight now you are saying that you met him yesterday and a minute later your answer will change again." he said running his hand through his hair leaving them in a mess.

" I can't believe I involved someone like you in such an important deal."

Eva looked that his devastatingly handsome yet harsh face and something slammed into her consciousness. He was like a god on a pedestal...untouchable...out of everyone's reach. And the likes of her who came from the modest sections of society were nothing to him.

He had allowed her to come this close to him only because she was the perfect shield he could use and dispose off easily. He made her act as his fake girlfriend and now when his purpose was served there was no use left of her. And it simply meant that it was time for her to leave. She gasped audibily and her hand went to her chest as if trying to stop the pain which felt like would squeeze every drop of her blood. She had fallen for this man. All the while trying her best to stay away from him she had finally fallen for his charms. All the colour drained from her face.

"What is it?" Liam frowned.

"So it's time."

"Time for what?"

"Time for me to leave. Of course your purpose is served. Your grandmother now believes in our facade and after I leave you can act as a heartbroken boyfriend." she said smiling bitterly.

He didn't said a word and that only confirmed her suspicion. She took a step back and almost faltered.

"Eva-"

"No." Her word made him stop where he was standing and she continued.

"My role is over now. The curtain has fallen and now the characters need to go their own way. As for your deal I didn't say even a single word of it to anyone. The reason I didn't tell you about that morning because I really had no idea who he was until you yourself told me about him and that scene from the party which you saw is not anything like you believe. He was drunk and he came to me. I didn't tell you anything because in case you got angry Mr Wilson's party would have been spoiled and I am sure he would not appreciate a man who would ruin his celebration."

She raised her chin defiantly. ''Tomorrow I'll leave after you sign the deal. I'll handover my resignation letter and we will never have to see each other anymore."

She turned and walked to the door and slipped out. Liam slumped into the couch behind him and kept staring at the door. They were kissing a minute ago, sharing a passion he had experienced for the first time. She was the first woman to make his heart beat wildly as if he were a love sick boy in his teenage years.

She was wrong. It wasn't just a facade or a pretence anymore. Hell! he himself had forgotten that he had suggested a thing like pretend lovers.

"Dammit!" he ran his long fingers through his silky hair leaving them in a  messy state.

"But she lied. She lied about Jack. She had met him before."

His mind was confused and he couldn't decide what to think anymore. But if she had been guilty she would never have jumped to the conclusion that she had. But he had just seen her together with Jack and the photographs... his mind had divided into two parts. While the one side was speaking for Eva the other side was voting against her. His head started hurting.

"SHE LIED TO ME DAMN IT!!''

Picking up the small vase from the table he threw it in the air and it hit the wall before landing on the floor and scattering into tiny pieces.

His life which had always been even and controlled like still water had turned into a roller coaster ride. A ride of emotions he had never acknowledged ever before.

***

Next morning Liam was signing the papers with Mr Wilson. He had finally won the land he had so badly wanted.

"Congratulations, Mr Liam." said the old man.

Eva looked at Liam and their eyes met. The deal was signed and now her time was up.

Mr Wilson engaged Liam in a conversation and Eva decided to take this opportunity to leave. She picked up her small bag from her room and checked out from the hotel. She got into the cab and her phone started ringing. It was Liam.

A tear escaped from her eye and she quickly wiped it away. There was nothing more to talk. He had just used her as a shield while she had started falling for him deeply. That guy even doubted her loyalty. To save what was left of her heart she needed to get away from this man.

She switched off her phone and closed her eyes.

***

It had been two weeks since that fateful day. She came back to New York and the first thing she did was to give her resignation letter the very next morning of her arrival. Liam had still not returned from London.

"We can extend the contract and you can keep working for us." Alex had said.

"Uh..No. The contract is over and I want to leave."

"Why?" he had asked looking concerned.

"I - I had always wanted to work in a publishing firm and now that I am getting an opportunity I want to join there." she had lied.

Sighing Alex had agreed to her demand. She hadn't talked to her friends about resigning because she knew that at the moment she wasn't strong enough to answer their hundred and one questions. And she had no desire to let them know that she had committed the stupid act of falling for the boss.

She had applied for a job in a publishing firm and luckily this time there was a vacancy. Three days later she was called for the interview and was selected.

It was a small publishing firm. Though the pay wasn't that great but people here were nice and the plus point was that there was no Liam Richardson here. No one to order coffee after every 2 hours, no one to smile arrogantly at her, no one to give orders and no one to tease her, she smiled wryly as she closed the apartment door behind her and headed for the bus stop.

She was trying her best to bring her life back on track. Though they were never really in a committed relationship but still she had never really thought that a heartbreak would be so hurting.

She had never thought that her first love would be unrequited, one-sided and would end even before it started.

People say that first love is always hard to forget. Will she be able to forget him, she questioned herself.

She had cried to herself for nights. Even waking up everyday and coming to work all the while trying her best to maintain her composure felt like a war. A war with her own self but then again her grandmother used to tell her if a man doesn't love you, trust you and respect you then there is no use of staying with him.

Eva had waited for so many years of her life to fall in love and when she had finally fallen for someone that guy lacked all these three qualities which her grandmother had considered to be of utmost importance, she sighed at her fate.

Just as she entered the building of her new workplace she frowned,"Why is everyone looking so lively today?" she muttered to herself as she watched people walking with files, another girl  decorating the small vase which was ignored till date and other two of her colleagues in a deep discussion.

"Hey Sara." she called out her new friend.

"What's going on?"

"Oh yeah I was coming to tell you yesterday but you were so busy with the drafts so I thought I would tell you later but then I forgot."

"And what did you forget?"

"As you know our firm is small and we are unable to attract good writers so Mr Hudson decided to sell it."

"But isn't that too sudden?" Eva frowned.

"Yeah, it is but he got a handsome offer very recently and he decided to go for it."

"Who is the buyer?"

"I don't know."

"And what about our jobs? Are we going to lose it?"

Sara sighed. "I have no idea what will happen. I am worried too but this buyer is..." her voice trailed off and then she exclaimed as her eyes focused on something.

"Holy lord!"

Frowning, Eva turned around to see what had caught Sara's attention and their he was...Liam Richardson, standing right in front of her. Looking at her with his piercing blue green gaze. She felt her feet froze to the ground.

'It can't be him. hy would he be here? Am I imagining him?'

"Hello, Mr Liam." Eva saw her new boss, Mr Hudson rush towards the man who had just entered the building. So it wasn't her imagination. Liam Richardson is here.

'But what does he want?' She wondered.

"You are early but it's alright we can discuss this deal in my office."

"My secretary, Alex will accompany you and till then I would like to take a look around this building." said Liam.

"Alright. My assistant Sara will-"

" I want that girl to show me around." said Liam pointing his chin in Eva's direction.

"But-"

"You have some problem with that?" Liam gave the man a cold look that was enough to bring chills to anyone's bones.

"It's alright she will accompany you then. Eva-''

Her new boss hadn't even completed his sentence when Liam moved forward and caught Eva by her elbow and said...

"Show me around."

Special thanks to "_Marae_" who named this  chapter. 🥰