Chapter 27 In news
Eva looked at her hand, which was in a tight grip on Stephan’s warm hand. She tried to pull her hand but feeling her struggle, his grip on his hand got more firm
Eva stopped struggling, as it was only hurting her more. The people present on the ride were screaming and yelling while enjoying the ride, but Eva reacted little as she was feeling already uncomfortable with the companion by her side
After some twenty minutes, the ride halted, and for Eva, it was the worst twenty minutes that she spent on this ride.
As the seat got unlocked, she almost jumped from her seat.
As a result, Stephen had to leave her hand.
Eva breathes a sigh of relief, but she doesn’t know that this relief will stay just for a moment.
As the moment Stephen comes down from the ride, he again holds her hand
“Stephen, leave my hand. Why are you holding my hand?”
“Because I don’t want my mom’s precious daughter lost in this crowd. Then we have to search for you and trust me; it’s a mere waste of time for me."
“I am not a kid; leave me."
Stephen turned by his side to face her and uttered in an icy voice, "You are not. That’s why we have to take special care of you. Now if you have argued with me, then walk.”
Eva gritted her teeth in anger. She was getting frustrated by his behavior. "Jerk," “she muttered in rage, but Stephen heard. then he halted again and looked at her.
“Did you say something?” Listening to his bitter voice, Eva lost the little confidence that they left her with. She didn’t want to get into more trouble. So she just cover it up
“Hmm, I was just praising the ride; awesome ride, that’s what I said."
Stephen gave a nod at her, and soon they reached Richard, who was chatting with a brunette young girl. Eva wanted to rush towards Richard, but the grip on her hand got more firm, which made her halt.
"So, dear, do you like the ride?”
Eva just gave a nod, so Richard smiled at her, and then he introduced his companion.
“Meet her; she is Paula; she is also a hotelier. I mean, her dad is, and she is helping him in his business.”
Paula greeted Eva and Stephen. After chatting for some time, she left.
Richard asked Eva, “So which ride is next?”.
“No… I just want to go back. I’m feeling exhausted already.”
"Exhausted, but we didn’t even cover half of the park."
Stephen meddles in between. “If she is saying that she is tired, then she must be. Why are you pulling the matter?”
"Ooh, ok, never mind. We can come again anytime, so now we should head for one of my restaurants, as I made special arrangements for lunch there."
“I don’t know, but I think we should skip this plan."
“Come on, you are hurting me now. I arranged this for the four of us. It will take hardly an hour and then we can leave for home
Eva agreed half-heartedly; she peeked at the intertwined hands of her and Stephen.
The moment they reached the car, Eva pulled her hand from his hold and mumbled in an irritating tone.
“I think now I am safe."
Stephen just took a deep breath to control his rage. Eva’s ignorant behavior already hurt him. This day was nothing like what he supposed to be
Still, he was expecting some more from the lunch date.; he was sure Richard must have planned something for him and Eva.
When they reached the restaurant, Eva noticed it was a little farther from the city, as they were traveling for more than an hour to reach this place.
She was wondering how Richard’s restaurant must be surviving far away from the city, but the moment she got down and noticed the surroundings, her jaw dropped because it was a lavish restaurant surrounded by natural beauty.
The view from the restaurant was beautiful
Eva kept admiring the surroundings when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Richard who was smiling at her
“So you like it?”
“No, I just loved this."
“Come on, you will love the interior too."
Eva gave a nod and followed his lead. She was eager to witness the interior; her mood got changed after reaching this place
And as she was expecting, the interiors were also magnificent. Soon the staff escorts them to a table that was decorated with beautiful flowers in some beautiful artistic vase.
Richard pulled a chair for Eva, and Stephen got settled in front of Eva. Most of the decorations were done with red roses, as Eva noticed.
So she inquired about Richard
“. Are you sure that this is our table? Don’t mind, it is looking all set for a romantic date."
Richard was not ready for this question, as he didn’t assume Eva to be this smart.
“Oh, come on, girl! Today at this restaurant, they have a red theme. You can see how the tables of others have red tablecloths, and there are flowers on every table at this restaurant.
Eva observed her surroundings and then gave a nod at Richard. Soon, the waiter started serving the dishes, as Richard had already ordered the popular dishes of this restaurant.
Eva felt hungry suddenly, and she started having her food. Some moments later, a ringtone disturbed them. It was Richard’s phone. He excused himself and came back after some minutes.
"Sorry, dear friends, but dad called me in his office to sign some documents. I have to leave as it’s an urgent matter."
Eva left her spoon, and she looked at Richard in sheer horror. Rest of the lunch with Stephen; no way that’s the only thing coming to her mind; she lost her interest in the food. Before she could talk to Richard to drop her at home, she again heard the bitter voice of the devil
“No issues, you should leave; we will also start for home after lunch."
Richard gave a nod to Stephen, bid his goodbyes and left from there
Stephen was on cloud nine as the romantic atmosphere and her lady love were with him
It was like some dream come true for her, but when he noticed a couple entering the restaurant, all his romantic thoughts vanished in the air.
“Eva, listen carefully; a couple is coming towards us to meet us. You just have to agree with whatever I say. Ok “
“But who are they?”
“Just some old business associates of dad, and I cannot upset them so please behave appropriately, OK? “
Eva gave a nod at him for the first time, talking to her in a nervous tone
“Stephen, oh my God, I never thought that we would meet you here, boy, so how are you and how are William and Rose doing? So you are here. suddenly that middle-aged man noticed Eva, and he nudged his wife to notice her too
“Who is the young lady? My mistake was that I didn’t introduce myself. I am Harold White, and she is my beautiful wife, Monika White.”
Eva gave a nod at both. She heard both of these names before, but she is just not recalling where. Still, she greeted them with a smile
“Eva Johnson “
"Well, lovely name for a lovely girl.” “
Suddenly Monica gasped, gazing at the decorations on the table, whereas Stephen was trying to assume what was coming up
"Stephen, my boy, I am thrilled for you. You know Rose used to always be worried for you, but I am so glad that she doesn’t have to worry anymore. “
“What are you talking about?” Harold White inquired as he was also trying to assume the reason behind the sudden cheerfulness of the lady
“Come on, Harold, didn’t you notice this restaurant is a little away from the city? Look at the arrangements. Stephen Smith, the most desired bachelor, is having his lunch in this romantic atmosphere with a beautiful girl. What does it mean to you?”
Harold gave a teasing smile to Stephen, but the two souls were shocked and froze in their places as they also got the meaning of Monica’s words
“So you are dating each other? That's a wonderful young man. We are thrilled for you."
"At last Stephen got his perfect girl."
Eva wanted to refuse, but Stephen reached beside her and pulled her close by her waist.
“Yes, you are right. She is the one for whom my soul was searching. Eva Johnson”
Eva looked at him for a second. It shocked her to notice his words. For a minute, she thought that he stating the facts in his firm voice
“Oh, you both are so adorable. God bless you both; now we will not disturb you more. Enjoy your date. We are leaving."
Stephen and Eva gave a nod at them, and soon they left for the first floor of the restaurant
Eva got slumped in her seat, and Stephen got worried for her. He passed her water, which she drank quietly
"What did you do? You must have cleared their doubt."
"And you think they would have believed me as we both are sitting surrounded by these red flowers in a restaurant far away from the city? Trust me Eva, I know them no matter how much I must have denied it but they should have never believed“
“ Still you did
"Ok, we will see to it later. You need something more. I mean, what should I order for you?"
“ No… Just leave from here; I want to go home."
“Ok, as you wish."
The moment they step out of the restaurant, they are shocked, as there was a huge amount of media persons present there
The flashlights began, and Eva got so scared of the paparazzi that she held onto Stephen’s arms. Stephen mumbles some swears under his breath and pulls Eva more into him. The guards of the restaurant rushed to them and covered them from all sides. All the way, media people keep asking questions.
Which Stephen ignored and reached the car. The chauffeur was already prepared to start the moment they got settled in the car and the car started towards home.
Eva got settled in her seat. Her hands were still shivering; Stephen held her hand in his. Eva didn’t resist, as she needs some support
The moment they entered the Smith mansion, Stephen again spotted a group of photographers present at their gate. The moment the guard noticed the car, he opened the gate and then quickly locked it.
Still, the photographers took some snaps of them sitting close to each other in the back seat.
The moment the car halted, Stephen supported Eva to enter the mansion
Rose was the first one to rush to them
She quickly took Eva in a hug and patted her back. She started mumbling sweet words to Eva who was sobbing badly
William signaled Rose to take Eva to her room, and he told Stephen to reach into the study room. Stephen follows his dad, and he understands many questions he has to answer now.
The moment they enter the study room, William switches on the TV in which the news channel was running the clips of Stephen and Eva outside the restaurant. At the same moment, Steve also barged into the study room
“What the hell is going on? Where is Eva? I hope she is fine.”
Stephen answered his questions. “ she is fine, just a little scared."
Steve took a deep breath and just took his seat on the adjacent couch.
William got off the screen and started his questions. " Can you please tell me how this happened? “
Stephen narrated all the incidents to his dad. William started, “ no wonder, as Monica white is the owner and chairperson of one of the most influential media houses, so she must have arranged all that.“
"I agree with you, dad, but trust me, I lied because she was already going to make it news; it will be of no use if I had refused her words."
“I can understand that there are no issues. We will handle this soon. You must be exhausted too. Take a rest. “
Stephen nodded and left for his room.
Whereas in Eva’s room, the Rose was consoling Eva, who was still sobbing
"It's ok, dear; you know I must have wondered if no one had noticed you with Stephen or Richard today.”
And don’t worry about these media; William will handle it well. So now I am sending some food for you; just have it and sleep."
“I am not hungry; I just want to sleep."
"Ok then, just take the rest; I will arrange some fruits for you in this room, ok?"
“Hmm?"
Rose kissed her forehead and left for her room
That night Stephen was enjoying his drink while watching the news. After some time, he switched on the news, finished his drink and got laid on the bed
He switched on his mobile phone, which was filled with photos of Eva. He kept scrolling the pictures, then he observed her face in one picture and kissed her picture
“The more you resist me, the more I get fascinated with you, but today you made a mistake by avoiding me, ignoring me for those morons. So you were not willing for my company on that stupid ride. Trust me, I will make sure that now onwards you have no option but to accompany me everywhere, whether it’s an outing or party.
You will be near me, and that’s a promise, sweetheart. "