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  "See you, then." I waved goodbye and started my engine. I kept thinking about her suggestion on training with Mason again.

  Chapter 7

  Good Bye

  Eva

  "Wake up sleeping beauty. Come and have some breakfast." I shouted from kitchen and started cooking eggs. I heard Chloe entering the kitchen and then suddenly she hugged me from behind.

  "Err, go away, lady" I pushed her back. "Don't you see I 'm making eggs"

  When I turned back to face her I noticed that she was wearing just a long shirt. "I see Martin was here last night."

  "At last." Chloe moaned. "He came here after almost a month."

  "What?" I shouted.

  "We fought, and then we fought and then we fought again. And we forgot about sex. But finally, yesterday, I broke my dry spell of a month."

  "Thank God things are working with you guys." I hugged her. I wanted them to be happy with each other, but lately they only fought.

  "Let’s hope so." She exhaled.

  I took a deep breath. I was going to tell her the news I had hidden from her. "I have some bad news for you."

  "What?"

  "I'm moving out of the apartment."

  "Did he ask you to move in?"

  "No."

  "Why? I thought chocolate boy would ask you any day to marry him," she teased.

  I blushed. "We've just met, Chloe. Moving in would be something I could dream about. First ,I want to know him better."

  "Then what have you been doing for the last few months?"

  "months?" I didn't understand her.

  "Nothing. Holy crap, you guys have wasted so much time getting to know each other. I thought the reason behind his keeping a distance with you, was the 'knowing you' thing."

  "Yes, that's true. But..." I tried to explain to her, but I couldn't. I certainly saw a future with Nathan, but it was too early to think about all that.

  "I thought you love each other."

  "Yes, we do."

  "And he is crazy for you."

  "He is."

  I breathed heavily. "I'm moving out, but only for a month. My mother is coming for a month and she wants me to stay with her."

  "What?" Her face twisted in shock. She waved her hands in frustration. "Are you leaving me alone here? When and Martin and I are on the verge of breaking up?"

  "I am so sorry, Chloe. I should have told you about this earlier. But I didn't believe that she would actually come. I thought she was lying about it." .

  "Calm down, babe. It's okay, I can handle this. It would have been better if you were around. But..." She tried to smile. "I will handle. This don't worry."

  "Thank God, Chloe. You are just awesome." I hugged her tightly. But inside, I was crying. Leaving her in that situation was tearing me apart. She needed me, but my mother was there and I had no other choice. "And I'm sorry."

  "One thing, Eva." She touched my cheek. "Are you sure? You really want to live with her, considering her manipulative nature?"

  "What other option do I have, Chloe?"

  "Stand up to her." She gave a straight answer, but I couldn't do that. Standing up to her was only possible in my head. In the last few years, whenever I stood up to my mother, my eyes went down automatically and my heart filled with panic.

  "If only it was easy as it sounds," I whispered.

  "It won't be until you try." She touched me. "Have you told Nathan? I think only he can encourage you to face your mother."

  "Yes, he knows about my mother. Only a little, though."

  "Does he know about her attitude? Does he know that she is a female version of Hitler?"

  "He knows that my mother is coming."

  "Does he know about the Hitler part?" she repeated.

  "No, he doesn't." I looked down. I feared that her furious eyes would burn mine..

  "He should know this, Eva. And you have to arrange a meeting between them."

  "I don't know if it's a good idea. I don't see my mom bonding with Nathan. And I wouldn't like her tearing Nathan apart."

  "Sweetie, he would pass that test." She patted me my back. "Let me help you pack." She walked in my room. She cared for me a lot, I knew. It was only because of her that I had survived all these years.

  ***

  I waited restlessly at the airport. The flight was delayed by fifteen minutes. My stomach was getting a weird feeling because of the delay. I knew my mother would be pissed off, and talking about anything important with her in that mood would be a terrible mistake. But I had no other option. Finally, the flight landed and my mother came out of the waiting area.

  "Hi, Mom." I waved my hand when I spotted her from far away.

  "Don't shout, Eva. Didn't I teach you some manners?" she hissed quietly.

  "Sorry, Mom." I looked down.

  "Where is your car?" she asked me.

  "I don't have one," I replied in a low voice.

  "What? I transferred fifty grand to your account last month to buy a Mercedes for yourself. And you couldn’t manage to buy one small Audi?."

  "I don't use cars that much, Mom."

  "I don't care. You are the daughter of the Mrs. Clark. You better learn to live like this." Her beautiful face crumpled.

  "Sorry, Mother."

  "I hope you called the hotel car, at least. We can buy a new one tomorrow."

  "Yes." I took her luggage and started walking outside.

  We settled inside the limousine sent by the hotel. "I heard you won the gully race?" The first question.

  "It wasn't a gully race. I competed against other college athletes."

  "Oh, come on, Eva. College students? You competed with them and think you’re a player now? And before that, you were injured badly," she said with a sarcastic tone. "I told you not to waste your time running. There are a hundred better things to do in this world and you are wasting your valuable time here."

  "But, it is my passion, Mother." I tried to protest.

  "Whatever, Eva. At the end of the road you are joining the business. I sent you to New York to learn fashion design in depth, not for running and injuring yourself." She took her small mirror out of the makeup kit she carried with her. She looked at herself and applied a small layer of powder over her face. "Anyway, I'm here to make things right, with business and with you..."

  She closed her eyes for the rest of the trip. I wanted to cry. I remembered the way she had always shown me her judgment. I craved her love, but I only got some lecture or wisdom. When I expected a pat on the back, she told me her plans for me. When I wanted a hug, she gave me a new lesson in marketing. She was totally opposite of whatever I wanted her to be.

  A few hours had passed. We were having dinner in my room at the hotel. Silence was biting me from inside. I wanted to tell her about my sports career plans, but the thought of saying that to her was dreadful. Fear of her erupting on me kept my lips sealed. But I had to tell her my decision. This was the only chance I had. "Mother..." I cleared my throat." I want to tell you something..."

  "One thing, Eva." She cut me off. "If you are planning to tell me about your sport dream, then don't waste your words. I have heard enough and I am more concerned about your performance in college. Sports and running are only good as a hobby, they are not career choices." She turned her face to look into my eyes. "That doesn't earn you money. I earn money for you. Those shoes you are wearing to run, those cost two thousand dollars. Where do you think that money came from?"

  "But, Mom..."

  "Your father and I have spent our entire lives building this empire. You remember the car you wrecked with your boyfriend five years ago?"

  "He wasn't my boyfriend."

  "What about the bad publicity your boyfriend gave us?" she hit the table with her spoon." What was his name? Oh, yes, Jacob."

  "I'm sorry for that, Mom." I didn't have any choice but to shut up. She held so much against me that I didn't have any courage left to say what I thought.

  "Mrs. Cooper called me few days ago. She told me t
hat your performance has suffered these days."

  "No, Mother."

  "I want an 'A' from you Eva. I know it doesn't matter even if you don't get the degree, but I want an A from you. And then you will join the business right away."

  I stormed out. I couldn't handle her anymore.

  Chapter 8

  Stood Up

  Nathan

  Damn, it's so low. I was checking my bank balance. I hadn't expected that. I knew it would be low, but this little? I was left with the amount I had received from Eva's college. That wouldn't get me by for more than three months. I was walking across my hall, thinking about my finances. From the day the Japanese stood me up, I had no real project, other than Eva's college. I did that project for Eva. I had wanted to get closer to her.

  Reality started to bite me. I started some instant coffee on the stove. My other accounts? I checked the other accounts, but nothing was there. "What the hell?" I punched the table. I smelled something burning, and I remembered I had left the coffee on the burner. "Shit." I ran inside the kitchen. The water was completely gone and coffee powder was burning inside the pan. I put it inside the dish washer. Without my morning coffee, I started checking my emails.

  Continuously hitting the delete key of the keyboard, I deleted all the unwanted emails. My eyes were looking for something important in my gmail box. One email grabbed my attention.

  On-site developer required for a renowned IT company.

  Job Description: Strong skills in web development.

  Experience: 6+ years of experience required.

  Letter of recommendation required.

  I need to check this one. Excited, I whistled. Shit, it's today only. The interview was scheduled on the same day. How could I have missed this one? It was scheduled at 3:00 p.m. in the New York business center. I had only a few hours left to prepare and give it my best shot. Quickly, I dialed Eva, I wanted to tell her about this.

  My phone buzzed the moment I picked it up. The sweet face of Eva flashed on the screen. I moved the green slider to answer her call.

  "Hi, sweetheart. I have news to tell you."

  "Okay," she replied in an unwelcoming tone.

  "Hey, what happened? Are you all right?"

  "I want to see you now, Nathan." She sounded like she’d been crying all night.

  "Why? What happened? Please tell me."

  "Nothing, I’ll tell you when we meet. Anyway, you were telling me something?"

  "I've an interview scheduled in the evening. I’m getting ready for that."

  "That's good news," she said with an unconvincing voice. "We can meet after that. I don't want to disturb you right now." She sounded low.

  "Are you sure? We can meet for a quick coffee somewhere," I replied. My heart sank because of the sound of her voice. Something had happened to her and she wasn't in her normal mood.

  "No, nothing. Best of luck, sweetheart." She hung up the phone.

  What happened to her? I hoped that it wasn't a very big thing and I would be able to resolve the issue. The important thing for me now was the interview.

  Quickly, I replied to the email to book my appointment. A quick note came mentioning my time. It was 4:30. That's fast.

  6:00 p.m. , your college cafe. I messaged Eva. She just replied with an ‘okay’. My heart was worried about her, and wanted to go and meet her. But my brain advised me to prepare for the interview instead. My brain won, and I started honing my resume with my latest experience.

  ***

  "New York Business Center," I muttered to myself three times before I locked my door. The distance was a forty-five minute drive on a busy day, so I started at 3:15. Half empty, my gas sign flashed when I started my car. I will have to fill it on the way. I didn't want to be late for the interview.

  I took a deep breath when I stood in front of the Business Center. The opportunity came at the right time, and it was a life-saver for me. Getting that opportunity meant a lot for me. I hoped to grab it and salvage some of my financial condition. I wished for the best and stepped inside the center.

  "Fifth floor." The person sitting in the elevator nodded and took me to the fifth floor. The company had booked an interview room there. A few candidates were already present. A pretty girl was sitting at the reception desk. She took my name and asked me to wait for a bit. While waiting for her to get back to me, I looked around at the people who were already there. Mr. Mike Wilson was there; he was a big player in my industry. What was he doing there? He used to outsource large groups of people to big companies. He had a team of ten people working permanently for him and many others on contract. Why does he want this contract?

  I picked up a magazine to pass some time. In a few minutes, the interviews started and I was number four.

  The first person went inside. I looked at the clock and marked the time. I wanted to see how much time each person was spending inside. The first person came in less than five minutes.

  The second one stood up; he was in his forties, much older than me. He held a thick file, and by the looks of it, I could see many certificates and contract papers inside. My stomach felt heavy. I had only few years under my belt. Fear raised up my spine. I thought of getting out of there. I stood up and walked to the door slowly.

  "Mr. Brown. You are next," the receptionist called to me. I decided to turn back and face my fear. I gathered all my courage. "I have to face this," I muttered under my breath.

  "Pardon?" Mr. Wilson asked.

  "Nothing, sir. How are you?" He was a big name in the business.

  "Fine, thank you," he replied and turned his attention back to his file. His file looked bigger than mine, way bigger.

  "Mr. Brown, you can go inside," the receptionist called out to me.

  I walked slowly to the interview door. "Where is the number three?" I asked with hesitation.

  "He was rejected."

  "Was he?" I pointed to the door. " I mean, he was sitting with me."

  "His profile didn't match," she replied in a chilling voice.

  I pushed the handle, and it opened with a squeaky sound that seemed like a blast in that quiet area.

  "Welcome, Mr. Brown," a female voice said from behind the chair. A lady sat looking outside the window.

  "Hello, ma'am."

  "Call me Martha." She turned her chair to face me. She was in her fifties, but she tried to hide her age with heavy makeup. "I hope you didn't have to wait for long. I was doubtful that you would make it."

  "Pardon, Martha." She confused me.

  "Let's get to your profile." She picked up a large file in front of her. What did she have in that file? "Engineering from a good college, Manhattan University. Won the college kick-boxing tournament. Interesting."

  She had all my information. But what the hell? How had she gathered that info on me? Show was confusing me more and more.

  "Bad reputation, too much alcohol, married but living away from wife. You sound like a player to me. My heart skipped few beats. She flipped through a few more pages. “Wife cheated and moved to another city," she said in deep, eerie voice.

  "What the hell, ma'am." I tried to control my anger."Where did you gather that information?" I bumped my fist on the table. I couldn't believe she had so much personal information on me.

  "Okay, calm down. We will talk about your professional career now." She looked for a specific tab in her binder. "Okay, here it is. Ten projects so far. Good rating on them, but you missed a big opportunity with Mr. Shui from Japan." She looked at me, deep into my eyes. I felt like prey. She was hunting me with her eyes, her dark, black eyes. "Mr. Brown, I hope you understand the importance of prestige and good publicity. Your dear friend, Mr. Shui, has bad-mouthed you very much.” This lady knew everything about me. “He went to remarkable lengths to destroy you. He said too much about you in the open market."

  I looked down as she talked about my faults. "I should go then," I whispered.

  "No, don't worry. Sit down." She waved her hand. She acted like she cont
rolled my life. "You were given the job before I sent you an appointment time."

  I looked up with surprise. "What do you mean? I don't understand a single word you’re saying. What's going on here? You have all my information and now you’re saying I’m hired? Are you from the FBI or something?"

  "I’m offering you three hundred thousand."

  "But for what?" It wasn't the interview I had hoped for. She had offered me a job without talking about my abilities. And strangely, she had all my personal information. Things were not what they looked like. "Is there something you are hiding from me?"

  "The only catch is that you have to work from India." She turned away from me.

  "What? I can't go there. First, tell me who are you. And how did you know about my personal life?" It was time to get straight with this lady. She wasn't who she pretended to be. She had too much information about my life.

  "This is the prize to keep you away from my daughter." She dropped the binder on the table and stood up, looking directly into my eyes.

  "Daughter?" She confused me, big time.

  "Yes, Eva Clark. I'm her mother." She picked up her coffee mug and sipped with a sinister sound. "You know what, Nathan? I know what you will say next."

  “What?” I couldn’t understand what she was talking about.

  “You will say that you didn’t know me. And Eva didn’t tell you that she is daughter of a billionaire businesswoman.” She thumped her coffee mug on the table with such a force that some coffee spilled out of the mug. “But, I know. I know jerks like you very well.”

  "What?" I tried to stand up, but stumbled on the chair. I saved myself with the help of the table. "Are you Eva's mother? Damn." I looked around. I couldn't understand her motive or what she wanted from me, and why she wanted to keep me out of her daughter's life.

  "You are a bad person for her, Mr. Brown. She has suffered a lot in her life. And I don't want her to suffer any more. I can give you one million dollars, anything you want. But you will have to walk away from her life."

  I didn't know what to say. "But why?" Emotions flooded me, buried me under the pressure. I hadn't expected any of this. I didn't expect Eva's mother to be here, giving me an offer to get out of her life.