Eva's POV:

Arriving at the White Estate gate where Cruz lived, the taxi pulled to a stop in front of the entrance. My only brother, Cruz, married Maddison Brooklyn, a rich man's daughter. She was too pompous and proud, and she got along with my older sister, Elora.

Sighing, I walked up to the gate to meet the estate security man.

"Yes, who are you here to see?" the tough-looking security man in black asked me.

"Um, I am here to see my older brother, Cruz Brooks. He lives in the estate," I said, already exhausted. On a Saturday morning like this, I should have been at home resting. But here I stood in front of an estate gate.

"Call him," the security man replied, before ordering me to stand aside. I knew he wouldn't let me enter the estate without permission.

Pulling out my phone, I called my older brother, Cruz.

However, I froze when I saw a black Rolls Royce driving into the estate gate. The White Estate was known to house many wealthy billionaires in Dominic City. Gulping, I froze again when my gaze locked with Ethan Owen—the same man I had a one-night stand with a few hours ago.

*What was he doing here? Did he live inside this White Estate too?* I pondered and immediately looked away from Ethan, pretending I didn't know him. But his gaze bored into me, and I could feel the intensity of his stare.

Another security man pulled the magnificent white gate open, and Ethan's car drove in. Not just his car alone—I noticed the bodyguards in another black convoy following behind him. I sighed and released the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Hello, Cruz, I am at the white estate gate now," I said to my brother on the call. He replied, "I will be there now."

The call ended, and I took out my white handkerchief from my bag and wiped the sweat off my forehead.

A few minutes later, my brother arrived in a red sports car and parked. The security man finally let me enter the gate.

"Eva, take a look at your face and neck. What the heck?" Cruz gasped, and I froze. I hadn't looked at myself in the mirror.

"What happened to me? What do you mean?" I asked my older brother, laughing nervously. I walked up to his car and peered at my reflection in the mirror.

I was shocked by the sight that beheld me. My cheek was painted red, and hickeys covered my neck.

"What?" I gasped, embarrassed by my own state.

"I didn't know I looked this bad. I am sorry," I said, and my brother shook his head, still laughing at my embarrassment.

"Eva, this is enough for Jacob Stone to break up with you. Who did you get laid with?" Cruz asked, his large blue eyes peering at mine. I lowered my head as my cheeks flushed.

"It's not important to talk about the man. It was a one-night stand," I said, my voice trembling as my older brother towered above me.

"A one-night stand, and he painted you this red? Do you happen to know him?"

"No… I… I mean, I don't know him," I replied, my voice quivering.

"Cruz, can you take me to your house and stop asking me questions?" I said, wanting to escape my brother's inquiry. He peered at me with a calculated gaze.

"Eva, why do I feel like you're lying to me and you know the man you spent the night with? Well, in case you aren't aware, Jacob cancelled the engagement, and he is demanding the sum of $10,000,000 as compensation for all the money he spent on you," Cruz stated as he moved to pull his car door open for me.

"What? $10,000,000? When did Jacob spend such a huge amount on me? The university cost only $800,000 per year—times four years, plus a few more expenses. Let's say a total of $4,000,000. When did Jacob ever spend up to $10,000,000 on me? Even the money he spent on me isn't up to $4,000,000," I said, my voice sharp. Cruz exhaled.

"Well, that's what Jacob is demanding as compensation for you cheating on him. As for Dad, he broke off the partnership and demands that Dad pays him $5,000,000 as his support fee. So that's a total of $15,000,000 that we have to pay Jacob now," Cruz said with a calm voice as I sat in his car.

"I will not pay that amount. We dated, and I don't owe Jacob anything. Where is it written that you have to pay compensation for a breakup? I didn't intend to cheat on him. Layla set me up, and I ought to have her arrested. How can Jacob not understand? Instead, he blocked me from contacting him," I ranted, wanting to visit Jacob and Layla, only I looked too flushed at the moment.

"Hmm," my brother exhaled and said, "That's why you should have kept your guard up. You already made the mistake, and Jacob caught you. But how about the man you slept with? Did he see Jacob and you? If he could afford a room at the Owen's luxury five-star hotel, then he must be a big shot," Cruz said, his gaze calculating.

"I don't want to talk about the man. He said I owe him for taking advantage of him," I replied, and my brother burst out laughing.

"The man took advantage of you, and he blames you for taking advantage of him? Well, I would say let him go. But if you happen to know him, you could have made him explain to Jacob that it was a setup," Cruz said, but I shook my head.

"Just take me home. I will confront Layla and Jacob later," I said, exhausted. My brother closed the car door, walked over to the driver's seat, got in, and fastened his seatbelt.

"About my wife," Cruz said, and I knew Maddison and I didn't get along.

"You have to put up with her tantrums and not argue with her," he reminded me, and I sighed.

"Why does Maddison have to control you? You didn't marry her for her money. If you hadn't helped in her father's company, Almond Tech wouldn't have grown to the height it is today," I said, knowing my brother worked for Maddison's father before he married her. But she controlled him to the point that she didn't allow their baby to take my brother's surname. Her baby is Chris Brooklyn, instead of Chris Brooks.

"It doesn't change anything, so long as we love each other," Cruz replied, but I didn't have the time to advise him. He was thirty years old and old enough to make his own decisions. I sat silently, watching the road as Cruz drove his red sports car down the White Estate road. He finally arrived at a white gate and parked.

Eva's POV:

Arriving at the white gate, Cruz parked the red sports car at the frontage, and I asked him, "How about the other houses? Are all the houses the same?"

"No. Houses in this White Estate are expensive. Only billionaires can afford to live here," Cruz replied calmly as he waited for the gate man to pull the gate open for him.

"So your wife is a billionaire? Then tell her to pay Jacob Stone for us?" I asked my brother, and he laughed.

"It's easier said than done. Maddison is not really a billionaire. Moreover, you incurred the debt. You should think of how to earn money to pay Jacob off, before he comes to arrest you," Cruz said as he ignited the car and drove into the compound.

"Why would Jacob come to arrest me? I didn't steal from him or intentionally cheat on him. Moreover, where do I find a job that will pay me enough to cover a ten million dollar debt? At Almond Tech, they offered me a job with a salary of two hundred thousand dollars. How many months will I work to be able to pay Jacob?" I said, not wanting to mention Ethan Owen to my brother.

"You should have thought about all this. If you cannot pay Jacob, you should go back and beg him. I am sure he will forgive you and take you back. Moreover, he loves you very much," Cruz advised, and I sighed as he turned off his car.

"Jacob did so much for you, Eva. Try to reach out to him and ask for forgiveness. I am sure he will forgive you. Also, I cannot ask Maddison. It's enough that I helped you get a job at Almond Tech. I don't think she will want to get involved in your scandal," Cruz said, and I nodded.

"It's fine. I will find a way to reach out to Jacob later," I replied. My brother nodded and reminded me, "That reminds me. Maddison's younger brother, Noah, is at home. You shouldn't get on their wrong side." Cruz advised me before he unlocked his side door, and I got out of the car.

The sunny wind hit my head and blew against my slim body as I stepped out in my green midi dress and looked at the white duplex that loomed in front of me. The last time I was here was one year ago, when Cruz and Maddison had just welcomed their son. Now, I was here again. I knew how Maddison looked down on my family because she felt we were poor, but because Cruz loved her, he condoned her silly behavior.

Ringing the doorbell, Cruz waited for someone to pull the door open, even though it was his own house.

The entrance door swung open, and a tall young man wearing a blue top and black jeans stood there and peered at us. His eyes fell on me, and he smiled as Cruz and I entered the living room. The young guy resembled Maddison, and I didn't need anyone to tell me who he was.

"Welcome, brother-in-law," he said as Cruz and I entered the living room.

"Yeah. Noah, this is my sister, Eva," Cruz introduced us, and I smiled at Noah. I had seen him once on the day of Cruz and Maddison's wedding.

"I know, brother-in-law. You don't have to introduce us," Noah replied, his tone playful as his brown eyes shamelessly raked over my body. Unable to hide his curiosity, he asked, "Why does Eva have hickeys all over her body? Or is it an allergy?"

"Noah." Cruz's expression hardened as he disapproved of Noah mocking me.

Maddison strode downstairs, her steps slow as she peered at me.

"Cruz, why would you bring your sister here? Her scandal is the talk of the town that she cheated on her fiancé and got disowned by her parents. And yet, you brought her here," Maddison's sharp voice cut through the air, and Cruz turned to face her.

"Babe, Eva didn't deliberately cheat on Jacob. They can still settle their differences. Just let her stay with us for a few days until she can find her way and settle her issues with my parents. Please," Cruz tried to explain to Maddison, even though he was the man of the house.

"No," Maddison said sharply. "What do you want my friends to say? Our family members and business partners? First, your sister cannot work with us at Almond Tech because her scandal is all over the internet—she refused to let her boyfriend touch her, yet she secretly hooks up with any available rich man she can find," Maddison said, glaring at me.

"Babe! Eva is my sister. She is not that type of woman. She didn't intentionally agree to do it. Just let her stay here for a while," Cruz begged his wife on my behalf, but she refused.

"No, Cruz. I don't want your sister here with us. Let her find her way or go back to Jacob. She is not welcome here. Didn't you see the news? That billionaire CEO Jacob Stone is demanding fifteen million dollars from your family. Are you going to help Eva pay for it? Let her leave!" Maddison shouted, and I tried to speak.

"Sister-in-law…"

"Don't call me that. I am not your sister-in-law!" Maddison yelled at me, her eyes shooting daggers my way. "I cannot be sister-in-law with a cheap slut like you. So get out of my house before you corrupt my son or get laid with my brother for money," she accused, and my jaw dropped. I turned speechless.

"What? Big sister, how can you accuse me of such?" Noah said, laughing despite his sister's anger.

"Who knows what Eva is capable of when she doesn't take her eyes off rich guys," Maddison said, her voice cold. Cruz raised his voice at her.

"Babe, Eva is my youngest sister. She is not leaving this house if your brother stays. If you don't want my sister to stay with us, then your brother is leaving here too," Cruz said, refusing to let me leave. But I didn't like that he and his wife were quarreling because of me.

"It's okay, brother. I will go. You don't have to fight with your wife because of me," I said, but my brother shook his head.

"Maddison doesn't allow you or Elora to come here, but she allows her own siblings here. Isn't that partial?" Cruz asked, his voice sad, and I sighed.

"It's fine. I will find a hotel to lodge until I can find an apartment," I replied, wanting to leave, but my brother stopped me.

"No. I said you are not leaving. Let Maddi come and take you out. Let me see," Cruz insisted. Maddison stood there speechless, peering at us.

"Come on, let me show you to the guest room," my brother insisted, but I shook my head.

"Brother, let me go. You don't have to quarrel with your wife because of me," I said, but he shook his head.

"If I do not stand up for you, who will? You are my sister, and just because you made a mistake does not mean I will cast you away. You also helped me in my lowest. So if Maddison wants to end our marriage, it's fine. She can send us out together," Cruz declared, his tone firm. Maddison stood there shocked.

(Eva's POV)

"Cruz, is this what you want? To break up with me because of your slut of a sister?" Maddison shouted, but Cruz stood unfazed.

"Yes, babe. Your brother got kicked out by your parents because of his bad boy lifestyle at college, and you accommodated him. Why can't you accommodate my own sister?" Cruz asked, his tone sharp, and Maddison fumbled to find words.

"Babe, you cannot compare my brother to your sister. Noah's issues are different. Fine, if Eva stays, I don't want to see her anywhere near the company. She's fired!" Maddison declared and turned to go back upstairs. My brother sighed and turned to face me.

"Come on, let me show you to the guest room. Tomorrow, I'll accompany you to go see Mom and Dad when they've calmed down," Cruz spoke softly, and I stood there worriedly.

"I don't want you and your wife to have marital issues because of me," I spoke calmly, but Cruz smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to Maddison," he replied calmly, while I watched Noah sit on the couch, his eyes on me.

"Come on," Cruz led me to the guest room, and I was marveled—the guest room was bigger than my room at home.

"Brother, are you sure you and your wife won't quarrel again because of me?" I asked, my voice filled with concern, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry about Maddison. What would you like to eat? Have you eaten?" Cruz asked, and my stomach growled in hunger at his inquiry.

"It's fine. I'll send for your meal," Cruz said as he turned and walked out of the room.

Sighing, I moved over to the white couch in the room to sit down. My phone rang, and it was my older sister, Elora, calling. We weren't so close, especially since she had tried to secretly date Jacob Stone, but he didn't spare her a glance and reported to me what she did. Since then, our relationship had been strained.

"Hello, Sister," I said, my voice calm, and Elora's sharp voice resonated in my ear. "Eva, how can you cheat on Jacob? I thought you said you loved him very much and wouldn't cheat on him?"

"It was a mistake. It wasn't intentional," I replied for the umpteenth time, and Elora scoffed.

"What would you have said before? That you didn't willingly cheat on Jacob? Eva, your wedding with Jacob was just three months away, and yet you cheated. I'm ashamed of you. Do you know that Jacob has called off the engagement and ordered us to pay him fifteen million? Where do you want us to get that money from?"

"I'm not going to pay Jacob. I didn't cheat on him willingly, so I'm not the one to be blamed," I said firmly, but Elora snapped.

"Shut up, Eva. If you hadn't captured Jacob's attention before I did—I was the one who invited you to the Elites Club five years ago, and you snatched Jacob before I could even say hi to him," Elora ranted, and I sighed. I knew my sister wanted Jacob, but he didn't like her. He came to meet me instead.

"Sister, I don't want to talk about this. I'll visit Jacob and try to negotiate with him. You don't have to worry about paying him," I replied, my voice calm, but Elora yelled, "How about Dad's company? He lost a lot of clients because he couldn't fund the loan demanded. You need to beg Jacob to take you back. You better go and look for him and beg him." Elora ended the call, and I sighed heavily.

Knock knock.

The sound of someone knocking startled me, and I moved over to the door to find out who was there. When I pulled the door open, I met a young woman standing there like a maid. She carried a tray of steamy food in her hands.

"Hi, I brought your dinner," she said, and I saw Noah walk past her as he went to the next door after mine.

"Alright. Thank you," I replied before collecting the tray and going back into my room. I locked the door and went to set the meal on the table, then sat down to eat the delicious jollof rice and fried chicken. The delicious taste soothed my body and calmed my restless mind. After finishing the food, I drank from the bottle of water, and my mind wandered to Ethan Owen.

I pulled my bag, brought out the blue card that Ethan gave me. He was offering me a job at his company for two million, while Maddison had already fired me from her tech company. Even though I was a software developer, I decided to accept working for Ethan as his personal secretary. After all, the pay was relatively high, and now that I needed to repay Jacob, I knew I could only rely on Ethan's two-million-dollar secretary job.

So I called the number on the card, my hand trembling as I heard the call ringing. Who was going to pick up? Was it Ethan's assistant or customer care? I pondered, as the card had Owen's Group CEO printed on it. Name—Ethan Owen.

The call rang, and there was no response. Trying again, I sat with unease as I called the number once more. A knock on my door startled me, but I was eager to wait for Ethan's call. Unfortunately, Ethan didn't answer. I sighed and moved over to the door to see who was there.

Pulling the door open, I caught Noah standing there.

"What do you want?" I asked him coldly, and he smiled at me.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to know how you're doing and if we can be friends," Noah said, his brown eyes glinting with interest as he peered at my face. He was taller than me and had a well-built body, but he was my age-mate—I was a twenty-five-year-old woman.

Shaking my head, I replied with a stern voice. "No, we cannot be friends. Because your sister accused me some minutes ago that I would sleep with you. So I cannot be close to you. Stay away from me and focus on your life." I turned to go back, but he caught my hand.

"Wait, it's not like you're a kid, or I am. My sister doesn't have the right to control me. I honestly want to be your friend."

"Well, sorry, I don't need your friendship. My best friend betrayed me, and I cannot blindly trust a new friend, whether male or female. I want to be alone at the moment. So shoo away." I walked back into the room and slammed the door in his face.

Exhaling, the sound of my phone ringing caught my attention, and I moved over to the table to grab it quickly before the call ended. I was taken aback to see that Ethan was the one calling me back. My hands trembled as I sat on the chair and answered the call.