Chapter 15. I didn't betray you...

Ana trembled with anguish watching the ire in her aunt's eyes, but she was convinced that she had done well. If Mrs. Eva was a witch, she had to warn everyone. They were still in time to catch her. It was better to save their life than to steal some dollars.

But it seemed that her aunt did not understand her good intentions. 

Ana vowed that she would prove it to everyone.

Mrs. Roberts had everyone gathered in the drawing room again. 

"The inspectors will interrogate everyone again…" she said glaring at Anna. "Before they start digging more, you two…" she signaled two of the youngest servants. Two male servants with strong looks. "Go fetch Eva from the school, and don't let her talk with the inspectors. Also, give her my note…"

She wanted to see if that idiot didn't dare to come after reading the note.

"You will go with them," she instructed Ana also, "and you will bring her here to me before the officers find something, or you will face the consequences."

"But..." Ana had wanted to search the room for evidence of Eva's witchcraft again. This time she would record everything with her phone, but it seemed that she won't be able to.

"No complaints, you started it, now you fix it!"

Mrs. Roberts turned around and the two servants, along with Ana, had no choice but to take the car and go to the city. They should bring Eva back before the police questioned her.

***

Eva, on the other hand, had already changed her clothes. No more cheap and plain jeans and hoodies. She now wore a forest green mini dress, cross halter neck, which suited her spectacularly. 

It highlighted her curves and exposed her mid-back. It was impossible not to appreciate her beauty when she was walking with that impressive confidence as she was a goddess. Even the horrible saleswomen who didn't want to assist her in the beginning were dumbstruck. 

"This is what modern people wear these days," she chuckled. She had lived through so many times and there were always different styles, though it was not difficult to choose between a style. However, in this era, she felt she couldn't pick from the immense variety of designs and fabrics that were available. It was certainly too much. 

At the moment, she only bought a few pieces. Later she will add many more to her collection. Now she just had to find a good place to live.

She walked over to a small Real Estate company that she had found online. The place was said to be discreet, with not many requirements, also it had good places at a fair price. 

The company was in a lonely street, with no big announcements of its business, and a mysterious and dangerous aura. However, Eva, couldn't feel any murderous intent around. Maybe that façade was made to drive away unwanted customers. 

She entered the place and a lovely woman with a trained smile led her into one of the offices with no names on the glass door. To her surprise, the man seated behind the desk was the same as the night before. As always, he seemed a bit bored as he watched the clock on the desk. 

"Excuse me," Eva addressed with a big smile. That mint scent the man exuded was refreshing. 

The man turned to see her with a raised eyebrow. Until a few moments ago he was asleep with his eyes open. His face looked exhausted, with a hint of dark circles around his eyes too.

"Do you want to buy or rent a house or apartment, miss?" he said with a dragging tone of voice. "We have some beautiful villas open to purchase and some apartments near the coast. They are available at any moment."

Eva smiled. "Do you not recognize me?"

The man blinked his tired eyes for a couple of times and watched her better. The day before he had drunk too much, and that morning he had taken a potion that his lovely wife had concocted for him. It seemed that he was drunk on moonlight. 

His senses were overwhelmed, and didn't remember many things the night before. "You are..."

He frowned and stared for a long time, then he recalled the young woman in the middle of the night. That girl and the woman before him have the same strange aura. "You're the 100-dollar girl!"

Eva stopped smiling. Indeed, the man had given her one hundred dollars the night before. She still had some in her purse after paying the taxi's fare, but the obnoxious man made it sound like it was something else. The people outside the office may have heard them.

"Sorry..." the man said apologetically, "I didn't mean to imply that..."

Eva let it pass and sat in the chair across from him. "I want to buy an apartment."

"Okay... where would you like it to be? Do you have a preferred zone?"

"Near BlackRose College, but not a place with many neighbors. Dark and be quiet. Though, ample with more than four rooms, maybe a basement…"

Anyone would have thought that the woman was crazy or that she wanted the place to do illegal activities. But the man just nodded. He knew people like her, with special tastes and weird specifications. Those kinds of people were always wealthy freaks, or rather, with an important clan behind them. 

Anyway, he will get a huge commission out of this one and was happy. At least, he will give his wife a good surprise after the huge scolding he received the night before for gifting one hundred dollars. 

"I have a spot available; I think you will find the place fine," he looked through the database. "Do you want to go see it today, miss...?"

"Eva Reed".

The man frowned. He had never heard that last name in any of the clans' descendants, maybe the woman came to the city on an undercover project but it wasn't his business to ask. He just needed to close the deal and not ask questions. 

"Okay… Miss Eva Reed. We can go now if you want to visit the place."

"Excellent..." Eva stood up with a smile. "Let's go."

The man, taller than her, in a slightly worn suit, with an athletic and strong appearance, led her outside.

"Excuse me, would you prefer to take my car or yours?"

Eva looked at the car that she had stolen from the thugs and smiled. "Yours, but I have to take my stuff with me. Is that okay?"

They loaded the shopping bags into the man's car and drove away.

"What is your name, sir...?" Eva asked as she saw the man.

"Oh, I am sorry," he was not, "I didn't introduce myself. My name is Asher Colbin," he said, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "You can call me whatever you like, Asher, Mr. Colbin, whatever you like," the man still kept his gaze impassive. 

He was so serene and passive that it was scary. But Eva loved that attitude even more. A man like him who wasn't interested in her pheromones was a breath of fresh air.

"Okay, I'll call you Asher then."

When they arrived at the building, it was in a very nice and luxurious corner of the city. As expected of the buildings near BlackRose College. They were highly sought after and expensive, they also had sufficient and spacious amenities, just like what Eva needed. 

They were also private and had good security, something that did not sit well with Eva. She would have to be careful with those security guards.

"The apartment is in the second tower," Asher told her. "It doesn't get much sun thanks to the interference from the first tower, plus it has automatic panels that cover the sunlight from entering through the windows. There are only two apartments per floor, so it's a private place. You don't have to care about the security guards, they are trained and used to special situations."

Eva smiled, she was liking this man more and more. Somehow, she felt that he knew what she was. "Perfect."

They got into one elevator at the same time two men got out of the next elevator.

"Sir," Emiliano held up his tablet with the schedule for the day. "Today you have a meeting with the Constantine City project managers. They want your approval for the preparation of the next event in Elliot Island."

"Okay, tell them to get ready, I want everything perfect."

Kian said as he walked forward, but some strange aroma made him frown for a brief moment and stop. He turned around suddenly. There was a scent, a familiar perfume that hit his nose and mind. It was as if he recognized this scent, and missed it. 

'What is going on?' He had to adjust his tie to breathe easier.

"Sir?" Emiliano asked stopping a few steps from him.

Kian looked back but there was no one behind them. The building reception was empty. "It's nothing, let's continue."

He adjusted his jacket and walked to the car. However, he still felt the strange sensation in his nose, lungs, and heart. 

Emiliano opened the door for him and got into the front seat.

"It also looks like the police will be questioning the employees again, sir."

Kian frowned as he sat in the back with his eyes closed. "What's happening?"

"Some employees weren't telling the truth, and the officers want to gather more evidence."

"Evidence of what? A homicide?"

"I don't know, sir. They haven't given us enough information yet."

Kian leaned back in his seat. He didn't want to hear problems related to that place anymore. "Fine, let them do what they want."

For a few minutes, the car drove through the streets of the city until it reached the office. It was the usual road, and the same buildings, but something was different. Before getting out of the car, a strange headache overwhelmed Kian's mind again. He could hear the sound of a woman screaming, crying, then that scent. It was overwhelming. 

"Sir!"

Kian could barely breathe and stand up. Again, the painful scream echoed in his mind, again the woman from the dream.

"Take us to the hospital immediately!" Emiliano ordered the driver and the man pressed the pedal after Emiliano led Kian to the car.

Kian touched his head and drops of blood ran from his nose. "I didn't betray you, I didn't."

Then he passed out.