Chapter 4 Bitter Taste Of Regret

• "I-I need to talk to your boss. Umm... Is T-Tristan Donovan here in his office?" I said the moment that I approach Tristan’s secretary.
• "Yes, Ma'am. May I know your name so I can inform Sir that you want to speak with him?"
• Since I haven’t visited his company before, it wasn’t unusual for his secretary to not know my close relationship with her boss. In fact, if I hadn’t made a mess last night and wanted to be away for my father at least for a while, I do not see myself stepping in here.
• "Ah, yes! Ummm... I-I'm Evelyn Grace Wilson. Please tell him that what we need to discuss is important."
• The secretary nodded and entered Tristan's office. I composed myself, holding back tears. It would be embarrassing for Tristan's employees to see me crying. I decided to reveal my true feelings inside Tristan's office, where only he would witness my vulnerability.
• After a few minutes, Tristan's secretary came out, and I stood up, gripping my sling bag tightly. She smiled at me before speaking.
• "You can enter now, Miss Wilson. Sir is available, and you can talk to him."
• I nodded and entered my friend's office. Once inside, I closed the door behind me and faced Tristan. He was leaning against his desk, looking at me with curiosity. Unable to hold back my emotions, I ran towards him, tightly hugging him. I felt him pause but he didn't push me away. I cried quietly in his embrace. He remained silent, just comforting me with his presence. After a few minutes, I let go of the hug, wiping the tears from my eyes.
• "What was that, Evelyn Grace Wilson? Don't tell me..."
• I wiped my face, looking sadly at Tristan and took a deep breath. I'm so f-cked up! What have I gotten myself into?
• He ran his hand through his hair, turning away from me, as if he already knew what my look meant. I heard him softly curse, then he faced me again.
• "What happened last night, Eve? Didn't your plan work out? I helped you!" he said.
• "The plan happened, Tri," I whispered.
• He furrowed his brows, looking at me. "Then? Why are you crying now, and why do you look troubled? I knew it! I didn't agree with what you wanted to happen, Evelyn!" He said with frustration.
• I bit my lip, knowing he had warned me. Still, I didn't listen because I became desperate. "I went to the wrong condo unit," I said seriously.
• His eyes widened, and he almost lost his balance, but he quickly held onto the edge of his table. "Y-You what?"
• I took a deep breath and explained to Tristan what happened last night.
• "I went to the wrong condo unit, Tri! I didn't end up in Julian's unit but in... in…” shit! Why can't I even mention his name now? I'm too affected by his threat earlier when Daddy said he should marry me. I know, even though he's rich and a well-known devil in the business world, he still can't handle my father. Daddy can do anything, and if he says I'll marry that guy — we will get married, even against my will.
• "What the hell, Evelyn?! I gave you the right floor and number of Julian's unit! Why would you make a mistake? Are you blind?" Tristan angrily shouted at me.
• I glared at him. "I followed your text, asshole! I went to room 456 just like what you texted to me!" I shouted back.
• I saw Tristan blink rapidly, then he stepped closer, holding both my shoulders. I got confused and nervous.
• "T-Tristan?"
• He took a deep breath while still looking at me as if he pitied me. "Eve, It's room 455, not room 456," he softly said.
• I almost collapsed on the floor due to extreme weakness, but Tristan quickly supported me and sat me down on the nearest couch. We faced each other, and I was still in shock, unable to believe what Tristan said. I looked at him again, tears welling up.
• "T-Tristan, please say you made a mistake, that you were the one who made a mistake, not me!" I said frantically.
• He sighed and pulled out his phone. After a few minutes, he faced his cellphone towards me, showing our text conversation. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I glanced at Tristan in confusion.
• "Look what I texted to you, Eve. I never mentioned room 456," he said.
• I took his phone from his hand and scrutinized the conversation. I almost dropped Tristan's phone when I read our conversation last night. He took his phone back, raising an eyebrow.
• Evelyn:
• Tri, I'm outside Moore Apartelle. Please text me the exact room number of Julian's unit. Thank you!
• Tristan:
• Are you really doing this, Evelyn? If you fail, it's not my fault! I warned you!
• Evelyn:
• I know, Tri! Faster! Please send me the number!
• Tristan:
• Fine! It's room 455. Be careful, Evelyn.
• I almost let go of Tristan's phone after reading our conversation last night. He took his phone back and raised an eyebrow at me.
• "Now, tell me which unit you entered? What happened there?" he asked in succession.
• I couldn't help but cry out of sheer shame towards my friend and embarrassment for myself. Stupid! Foolish! Evelyn, you've never done anything right! You're planning, and yet it's still a failure! "H-Hey, stop crying!" he said in a flustered tone and approached me.
• I looked at my friend seriously while continuing to cry.
• "I went to Lucien Marcus Halloway's unit. Something happened between us, and... and Dad saw us this morning. He wants me to marry the jerk," I said softly and broke down. Tristan's mouth hung open, and he blinked rapidly.
• "E-Evelyn—"
• "You know I have no way out of this, Tri! I just wanted to help my sister. I want to help Elie, but... but I made our problem worse. So what's going to happen now? A double wedding?! I hate this! I hate myself! I'm so stupid!" I weakly exclaimed, crying.
• Tristan hugged me and gently stroked my back. He didn't speak, and he didn't scold me. He just embraced me and listened to my rants.
• I don't want to marry Marcus. He's a devil, and he's arrogant! I know that when he says I'm dead, I'm really dead to him, especially if our marriage proceeds.
• Damn! It's all the fault of the alcohol I drank! I will never, ever drink alcohol again! I swear off all the alcohol in the world!
• I will still do everything to prevent my marriage to that devil. I will never marry that man.