Chapter 9: Purchase hurdle

A few days had passed since that day.

On a bright morning, birds chirped and sang a sweet melody. Evie sat on the second-floor balcony overlooking the hustle and bustle below. Beside her was a steaming mug of black coffee.

Knock Knock! 

Martha alerted Evie with a soft knock and stood silently beside her. Her temporary position at the company was finally overtaken by Heir Demir's personnel. With her duties relieved, she could continue with her primary job, accompanying Evie.

With her qualifications, working as a major company manager was within her limits. However, Martha only opted to be Evie's private secretary.

Within the few years, she had known Evie, she came to view her as her very own child. Regardless, Martha maintained the required standard of respect.

"Is it done?" Evie asked, her eyes half-closed as she savored the rich taste of the coffee beans. She didn't need to look back to know who it was.

"Yes, Miss. The handover of L.A is finalized. I will take over here, Miss." Martha spoke with her usual bland monotone voice.

Evie wore a gratified smile.

"Thank you. I will leave it to you, Martha," She seemed to have thought of something and added. "Help me contact a renovation company. Switch out all the furniture and fix up the basement. Leave the fencing to these guys. I hope this is done as soon as possible." 

Evie took a sip of the black liquid. The bitter yet rich taste lingered in her tongue. 

Her piercing gaze remained trained on the workers, her mind, however, was elsewhere.

'Should I contact him?' Evie mulled over this question many times over.

She had run out of options and she was desperate for results, soon. The only other option was using her connections, however, only one person fits the bill. 

This was all a result of an unsuccessful purchase. Evie loathed not getting what she wanted, much less what she needed. It could be surmised that her mood wasn't the best. That added to her now increasing sleepless nights. 

Evie's foul mood was evident with her increasing caffeine intake and dark lines under her eyes. 

Martha having observed this sighed promising herself to do her utmost best. Make sure her Mistress didn't have to stress over such trivial matters. It could be said Martha knew Evie's preferences and could read in between her unspecified instructions.

Two women on the balcony made up their minds, one young and rational and the other older and seasoned, their thoughts a mystery to the other.

…

Groans of pain and torment echoed in the dark room. Muffled and strained cries and silent groans mixed in the night. The heart-wrenching pain and unspeakable torment was laced in the soft and restrained voice. It was both sensual and sinister on this cold night.

It made one sympathize with the person, in many ways.

Long raven hair like countless streams was sprawled across the pillow of the bewitchingly beautiful lady on the bed. 

Although her face was distorted with agony and discomfort, it managed to bring forth a strange allure; Coquettish, wicked, and captivating.

Beads of sweat and unshed tears hang from her eyelashes. Her hands grasped on the bedsheets while breathing roughly. Strands of hair stuck to her face pale.

Evie was experiencing yet another night of nightmares.

Gasp!

Evie sat up frighted, breathless and bewildered. Her mind had yet to register reality as she glanced around. One could observe a crimson gleam in her eyes that quickly faded like an illusion.

It took a good few minutes to collect herself. Evie was glad that she wasn't the type to scream in terror or else she could imagine Martha overlooking her with her typical stoic face.

She chuckled at the thought, it eased up the tension in her body.

This was not a rare occurrence anymore. It simply happened more frequently. Ever since she saw that day and time, it was as if a dam broke loose. However, unlike before, she couldn't remember her dreams. This both vexed and confused Evie. 

She could feel subtle changes after every night however, she had never been able to pinpoint what was going on. Such as today, she was aware of everything in her dark room for a short while before that fleeting feeling vanished.

It was 3:00 AM.

There was no way she was waking up this early. She could hardly keep herself awake during the day due to fatigue and lack of sleep. Evie could care less about freshening up in the middle of the night, she could only hope that the latter half of her sleep was serene.

…

Evie hung up on the last contact number on her list. She lifted her head to see the sun high in the sky. Her calm violet gem-like eyes reflected a chilling coldness. 

For the first time in her life, as long as she could remember, she experienced the frustration that came with not being able to purchase what she wanted.

This wasn't an issue that could be solved with money. Whoever said that with enough money one could buy anything was mistaken. 

Evie lacked both authority level and adequate licensing. If not those, then the screening time was either too long, nor could she afford to be closely monitored these few months. This left Evie in a dilemma.

She had tried to bypass these restrictions but it seemed she had underestimated the control the government had on these things.

The problem stemmed from the fact that she was purchasing them in bulk as an individual rather than a company. 

This rule could be bypassed easily if one had connections. However, other than stone-based networking, Evie was never one to put effort into socializing.

This was also because she didn't ask Martha for help, Martha was resourceful but without justifiable reason, it was risky. This perfectly capable secretary held her own secrets that she didn't want to pry.

Evie fiddled with her phone before resolving herself. She scrolled to an encrypted number and pressed the call button.