Betrayal (I)

The soft hum of the city buzzed outside the towering glass windows of the upscale apartment. Inside, the atmosphere was heavy with an unspoken tension. The living room, furnished with muted elegance, housed two occupants.

A man in his late twenties sat on the plush leather couch, his brow furrowed in confusion. Across from him, Gwen stood as soon as the door swung open, her gaze flickering toward the woman who had just entered.

Eve moved with an effortless grace, the subtle click of her heels punctuating the silence. She took a seat directly across from the man, her sharp gaze never wavering.

"Mr. Calam,I'm Evelyn Rayner" she began, her voice cool and measured, "I assume you're wondering why you've been brought here."

Calam straightened, instantly recognizing the name. Evelyn Rayner. A woman of power. Influence. It was impossible not to know who she was. But why she had summoned him, that's remained a mystery.

His throat felt dry as he answered, "Yes, ma'am. I have no idea why I'm here."

Eve nodded, sliding a thick file across the glass table toward him. "Take a look inside. I believe you'll recognize it."

With hesitant fingers, Calam opened the file. The moment his eyes landed on the first page, his breath caught. Zelius Project. His project. His life's work. For three years, he had toiled over this, perfecting an AI model that would surpass anything the world had ever seen. He had pitched it to investors, only to be met with rejection at every turn. And yet, here it was, in her hands.

His heart pounded with cautious excitement. But then, as he turned the pages, his gaze fell upon a name that sent a cold shiver down his spine. Lucas Thornton.

A sickening wave of dread washed over him. His fingers trembled as he flipped through the remaining pages, his jaw tightening with each word. By the time he reached the last page, his hands were clenched into fists. Calam had met Lucas Thornton through a mutual college friend. At the time, he had been at his lowest, exhausted from the endless cycle of rejection. But then Lucas had come along, showing genuine interest in his work.

During their early meetings, Lucas had expressed enthusiasm, but with one condition, he couldn't fund it alone. The risk was too great. He needed a co-investor.

Desperate and with nowhere else to turn, Calam had agreed.

Months passed, and Lucas had no updates on investors. Instead, he provided something else; assistance, in ways Calam never expected.

First, Lucas had pulled strings to get Calam's son who was just seven years old into one of the most prestigious schools in S City. Then, a month later, he had paid off Calam's entire house loan in one transaction.

Grateful yet not wanting anymore help, Calam had confronted him. "You've done too much already. I can't accept more. Why are you doing this?"

Lucas had waved it off with a casual smile. "You don't owe me anything. I can't invest in Zelius yet, but I want to show my appreciation for the trust you've placed in me."

Calam, ever the pragmatist, had hesitated. He had always believed in standing on his own two feet. But Lucas had reassured him.

And so, he had waited.

Lucas continued to visit sporadically over the next eight months. Twice, he had claimed to have found an investor. Twice, he had returned with the same story, "They think it's too risky."

Calam, having spent a year facing the same rejection, understood. He had no reason to doubt Lucas. No reason to suspect that the man he trusted was slowly orchestrating his downfall.

Now, staring at Lucas's name on the file, all that gratitude twisted into bitter betrayal.

Calam exhaled sharply, struggling to contain the fury bubbling within him. He finally looked up at Eve, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Madam… is there a mistake here? Is Mr. Lucas really trying to sell my project to you?"

Eve regarded him with quiet intensity, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes.

Two months before what should have been the happiest day of her life, Eve Rayner had been drowning in blissful ignorance.

She had waited nearly half a decade for this wedding. Lucas Thornton. The love of her life. The man who had been her anchor through the darkest of times.

And yet, something felt off. A lingering sadness gnawed at her. Her family wouldn't be there to celebrate with her. Pushing aside the ache in her chest, she had decided to visit the greenhouse, a serene escape, to select the flowers for her wedding.

The greenhouse was owned by her best friend, Rose. Though it wasn't a scheduled visit, Eve had made her way there, hoping to clear her mind.

As she neared the entrance, her phone buzzed. The name flashing on the screen made her scowl. Adrian.

She hesitated before picking up, irritation evident in her voice. "Adrian, can you stop calling me? Why are you doing this? Can't you just be happy for me?"

Adrian had been by her side since childhood. From the halls of their boarding school to the bustling streets of S City, he had been her closest confidant. He had known her dreams, her fears, her ambitions. He had witnessed her struggles when she lost her family, when the weight of Eve Corp and the family business had fallen on her shoulders.

Since her childhood, she had leaned on him. But Adrian had never approved of Lucas since the day she has introduced him. Over the years she tried but things just went worse and worse and now she was just done with Adrian and his arrogance.

The voice on the other end was desperate. Almost Pleading.

"Eve, please don't marry him. Lucas isn't who you think he is. He's using you. Everything about him is really fishy"

"Irritating," she said sharply. "Adrian, I've waited so many years for this wedding. If not for what happened to my family, I wouldn't have waited so long.Can't you see how lucas was the one who helped me through my toughest times. Why can't you be happy for me?"

"Eve," Adrian interrupted urgently, "Uncle Jade told me you've already transferred your family business to Lucas and it's going public in three days. Tell me that isn't true."

Eve stiffened. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"How dare you?" she snapped. "Are you spying on me? And why shouldn't I transfer the shares? Lucas has helped me manage it for the last five years. This isn't any of your business. Or wait—like Lucas said the last time you barged into my office shouting like a crazy person, are you really after my family business? Is that why you called? Is that why your mother keeps reaching out to me?"

Her voice rose, anger laced with deep-seated betrayal.

"My parents treated you like their own son! Was your family just waiting for them to die so you could take over what they built?"

For a moment, there was only silence on the other end of the line. Then, Adrian let out a dry, humorless laugh, his tone ice-cold.

"You've really lost it, Eve. I've put up with your reckless accusations before, but this? This is a new low. Go ahead. Marry him. Give him everything your family business or Eve Corp, I won't care now. If something happens,don't you dare come looking for me."

The call disconnected. Eve sat in silence, her hands trembling. Guilt gnawed at her for a brief moment before she hardened herself. Adrian was wrong. He had to be.

She shoved her phone aside and stepped into the greenhouse, unaware that she was about to walk into the cruelest truth of her life.