When jewelry Felt Like a Chain.
Bob and Victor sat comfortably in the living room, the faint hum of the AC mixing with their laughter. Shopping bags lined the walls, and the keys to the Porsche sat proudly on the table between them.
"Big bro," Bob said, grinning, "how did you know that was my dream car?"
Victor leaned back with a smirk, arms casually spread across the couch.
"I mean, it's me_Victor. I always know things."
Bob chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Man... that car must've cost a fortune. And all those expensive things you bought for my sister_whew."
Victor waved a dismissive hand.
"It's nothing. Not even a scratch on what you all are worth to me."
Bob's smile faded a little, replaced by something deeper. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.
"I just want to say thank you," he said sincerely. "Thanks for always being there for us. For giving me and Mom food when Dexter locked us in that cage, starving us for days."
Victor's expression softened.
"Thanks for helping Ana escape the Lopez family," Bob continued, voice lower now. "For finding that discreet surgeon, for getting her a new face, a new identity. For the house. For everything. The gifts. The protection. The second chance at life."
His voice cracked slightly.
"I don't even know how to show my appreciation. I mean it, Victor. You saved us."
Victor's jaw tightened, emotion flickering behind his calm gaze. He gave Bob a light punch on the arm and smiled.
"Come on, Bob, it's no big deal," Victor said, brushing it off casually. "Actually... I got the car for you, yes_but I was hoping you could drive Ana to work every morning before heading to school. Think you can handle that?"
Bob grinned. "Of course! That's easy. But, you must really love my sister."
At that exact moment, Ana walked into the room. Victor's eyes widened and he quickly shushed Bob with a sharp gesture.
Ana didn't say a word. She strode in, grabbed the remote from the coffee table, and walked right back out_treating Victor like he didn't even exist. The tension in the room spiked the second she entered, and hung in the air even after she was gone.
Victor blinked and leaned toward Bob, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Okay… what's going on with your sister? I swear, something's different. I can feel this heavy tension around her. Did something happen?"
Bob let out a soft sigh and nodded.
"You've got sharp eyes, big bro. I'll give you that. Because, truth is... she's not okay."
Victor's smile vanished. His expression turned serious.
"What do you mean? What happened to her?"
"You won't believe who the real boss of Ana's company is," Bob said in a hushed, gossiping tone, leaning in like he was sharing a forbidden secret. "It's none other than Damien."
Victor's brow creased immediately.
"Damien? Who's Damien?"
Then his expression shifted_his eyes narrowing with dawning horror.
"Wait... You don't mean_Lopez?"
Bob nodded slowly.
"Exactly. Damien Lopez. The same guy Ana stole the codes from. The one she's been hiding from all this time."
"What?!" Victor shot up from the couch, visibly shaken.
"Yeah," Bob said more seriously now. "She totally freaked out when she saw him. Wanted us to pack up and relocate again. But I managed to calm her down. I mean... come on, Victor. After that surgery? Even I, her own brother, barely recognize her face now. No way anyone else could. Right?"
He gave a nervous little laugh.
Victor didn't laugh. Instead, his entire demeanor shifted_stiff, urgent, cold sweat suddenly on his brow.
"What? No way, Bob!" Victor snapped, his voice rising. "You should've called me the moment she saw him! You should never have convinced her to stay there."
Bob looked confused. "But_"
"Do you even realize what's at stake?" Victor cut in, stepping closer, his tone sharper now. "The Lopez family isn't just some threat you can wave off. They are Dexter's worst nightmare. He hates them_hates everything they stand for. Just hearing their name is enough to set him off."
Bob's expression turned uncertain. "I didn't think it was that serious_"
"You don't get it!" Victor hissed, pointing a finger at him. "Dexter came this close to wiping out your entire family once, Bob. Not because of you. Not even because of Ana. But to protect himself from the Lopez. That's how far he'll go."
Bob swallowed hard, the weight of Victor's words sinking in.
"If Dexter finds out that any of you_especially Ana_are within breathing distance of Damien Lopez," Victor continued, eyes flashing with urgency, "he'll assume you're switching sides. That you're about to betray him. And you know what he does to traitors, don't you?"
He paused, letting the silence speak.
"He won't ask questions. He won't care about reasons. He'll come for you. All of you. And he won't stop until there's nothing left."
"Calm down, big bro. He doesn't even recognize her," Bob said, trying to steady the tension in the room.
But Victor shook his head, his voice tight with dread.
"You can't be so sure, Bob. The Lopez family, they're not ordinary people. They're geniuses. Calculating. Obsessive. If Damien starts digging, if he even catches the slightest thread of familiarity..."
He turned to Bob, eyes burning with urgency.
"Do you know what that means? We're all finished. You. Me. Ana. Even Dexter. And your mother? She won't be spared either."
Bob's face lost color. Before he could respond_
Ding-dong.
The sound of the doorbell sliced through the air like a gunshot.
Victor's body went rigid.
He turned sharply toward the door, posture alert, hand instinctively reaching under his jacket like he expected trouble.
"Are you expecting someone?"
Bob frowned.
"No. We don't even have friends."
Without hesitation, Victor crossed the room in long, urgent strides and flung the door open... Only to freeze.
His breath hitched.
His eyes narrowed with recognition.
And then his jaw clenched. Clearly petrified by who he saw waiting at the door.
Eric POV
Over at Damien's luxurious Swiss villa, Eric had been running around like a man on fire since the day before. Nothing was normal anymore.
First, Damien had drunk himself into a stupor the previous night, on an empty stomach. No dinner, no conversation, just a bottle and silence. Then came the weekend morning, when he flat-out refused to get out of bed. He didn't open the curtains, didn't step outside his room, didn't even answer calls. He was buried beneath his sheets like a man hiding from the world.
Eric had knocked gently before pushing the bedroom door open.
"Sir, you have an appointment with Mr. Jasper after your volleyball routine today."
"Cancel."
That was all Damien said, his voice muffled, clipped, and hollow. He didn't even look up.
Evening came, and Eric returned, more insistent this time.
"Sir, you should eat something. You've barely had anything since yesterday. You know how this kind of starvation triggers your gastric condition."
Damien didn't respond. He didn't flinch. Just silence.
"Sir, please..."
"Leave me alone, Eric."
That was all he said. And it cut deeper than a scream would have.
Eric stepped out of the room, his chest tightening with helpless frustration. Something was truly wrong. Damien had spiraled like this once before, after Tyler. And now it was happening again. That woman had left a scar so deep, Eric doubted even time could heal it.
Was it the fact that Eva looked so much like Tyler? Was it that Damien had seen her with a man, handsome, rich, confident? Was his boss falling again... falling for someone he couldn't have?
The resemblance was uncanny. Same height. Same slender frame. Same thick, dark hair. Even their voices shared a softness that clung to the air. And their eyes, those eyes, Eva's gaze mirrored Tyler's in a way that was unsettling.
Eric was no fool. Damien was falling again, and it was tearing him apart from the inside out.
He remembered what had happened last time. After Tyler left, Damien had nearly drunk himself to death. He refused food until he started coughing blood from severe ulcers. He was hospitalized for days, his body weak, his mind shattered.
Eric knew one thing for sure, that couldn't happen again. Not on his watch. Not here in Switzerland. He had to take responsibility. And that meant getting Damien to eat... even if it meant bending the rules.
And so, he made a decision.
He would go to Eva.
It wasn't professional. It wasn't ethical. But damn it, it was necessary. If she was the key to pulling Damien out of this darkness, then formality could wait.
A quick search and some discreet digging later, Eric had Eva's home address. He drove down, his heart thudding with urgency.
The house was small but elegant, tucked in a quiet neighborhood. Whoever Eva really was, she had built a stable life. She had moved on.
But when the door opened, Eric froze.
It was him.
That same muscular, tattooed man he'd seen with Eva before, standing shirtless in the doorway, radiating silent power. Eric's throat tightened.
What the hell was going on between them?
"What do you want?" the man snapped, instantly recognizing him as one of Damien's men.
Eric tried to keep calm.
"Actually, Miss Eva's attention is needed at the company. It's urgent."
"On a weekend?" The man scoffed. "She's not on call. What kind of company sends people to her home to ruin her peace?"
Before he could say more, Eva appeared behind him, stepping past the man with visible surprise.
"Eric? Is everything okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm sorry for this intrusion, Miss Eva," Eric said, bowing his head slightly. "But your help is urgently needed. I'll make sure you're very much compensated for this inconvenience"
"She's not going anywhere," the man cut in sharply. "She doesn't need your money. Why should she give up her weekend because your company can't handle itself?"
Eva turned back and walked inside without a word. The man stood smugly, arms folded.
""And she is absolutely not interested on your extra pay. She is not lacking money okay. How would you tell her to jeopardize her weekend for you? Don't you want her to have any alone time for herself? She is not interested please. What kind of company goes to people's house on a weekend to disturb their peace? Is this how you treat your employee? Please leave at once."
"Shall we?" Eva reappeared, dressed and holding her purse, cutting him off. She took Eric's hand, brushing past Victor like he didn't exist.
The man gnashed his teeth as the door slammed shut behind her.
Eric didn't say a word. He just opened the car door and drove.