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Chapter 313: To Forgive or To Not Forgive

Jackson eyed the twins. Eri returned his gaze. They shared a silent staredown while the rest waited for what would happen. Eve hugged Ede tighter. The longer the quiet ensued, the more nervous she became. No doubt the outcome would affect her younger sisters as well. 

And they had lived in Hathaway Manor for more than a month.

The trust they had built with Jackson Hathaway could be shattered like his trust on Eve and on Evangeline. She had been distracted by her sudden engagement, any preparations she thought of flew out of her mind.

With his advanced analytical skills, Jackson connected the pieces together. His teal eyes darted among the Hart sisters. He recalled how the twins addressed Evangelinefrom nickname to full name. Eri had mentioned their mother who shared the model's namesake. 

Then, Evangeline opened a topic about stage names.

His stare lingered on Eve. He stepped closer and paused, waiting for how she'd react. Then, he resumed his walk. Eri moved out of his way without a word. The temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees. 

Jackson only had one goal in mind and it reflected as the flecks in his eyes gradually darkened.

Eve gulped. 

She discreetly nudged Ede out of the way. Avery stayed close by, ready to jump in if things escalated badly. Eve squared her shoulders and faced Jackson head-on. Whatever came next, she would get through it. 

"Eve," Jackson spoke after the long pause.

She opened her mouth to greet him, deciding to switch to how she addressed him when she was a secretary. Her hands folded over her abdomen and Eve said, "Chairman."

Jackson clenched his jaw. His voice hardened and lowered an octave. "Your eyes are brown."

"They had always been, Chairman," Eve replied. "I wore contacts in the beginning for any event related to modelling. Please know I had made sure that this didn't hinder my job as a secretary."

He didn't seem convinced. "Weren't there five rules to follow for your job as a secretary?"

At this, Eve had gone cold. Water from the melted icebergs flowed into her veins. It froze anything it touched, including skin. Her lipsthough pale whitemoved at their own accord. 

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The rules flashed in her mind as if engraved on a rock she had tucked away to a corner.

"Don't draw meaningless attention,"

"Speak only when spoken to,"

"Avoid unnecessary affiliation with the boss," she choked at her own spit. This rule had been broken the moment she accepted that contract from the madam. The next one didn't sound good either. "Never interfere with his personal matters"

Eve exhaled out of her mouth. Her voice grew small. "And always follow his orders"

She felt like crying now. Things had been going so well. She forgot how her decision affected other parties. Avery came to her side and rubbed her upper arms. The madam wasn't sure what happened but 

Ambryan also reacted from the couch. He scrunched his eyebrows at the back of his father's head. "Father, those were my rules to make and mine to amend as I saw fit. They are irrelevant now."

Jackson turned towards him, his nostrils flaring. "The purpose of those rules was for your secretary to not attempt to establish a personal relationship with you. Not only had Eve broken it but she had done so by creating a second identity. How can you trust that she has good intentions?"

"It was my fault, Jackson," Avery intervened. She stepped forward and pulled her husband's elbow to get his attention. "It was my idea for Eve to create a new identity and join the dating website I had told you about. Ambryan picked her. He knows she's Eve. Now, they're engaged."

Jackson whirled his head in her direction. The crease lines on his forehead deepened. The madam stood her ground and persisted. "Those things are in the past now. Their story even inspired the script for that Venus Investment"

"Oh, so they're using company resources to fix the issues they'd have with the public?"

"You know that's not true, Jackson Bennet," Avery hissed. She rose to her toes and returned his glare. "That script will bring in a large income for the company and you know it. It would face different kinds of publicity and they're both prepared for that just to keep this company on top."

His rationality amazed Avery at timeswhenever she needed a clear mind to calm her erratic one. Then, there were moments like these where he wouldn't let things slide despite how the parties involved felt. The kids were in love! That's what mattered the most. 

They had revealed everything to each other. 

Now, they were ready to spend the rest of their lives together.

"Uncle Jackson" Eri whispered. She kicked the floor, playing with her hands. Everyone looked at her but her almond-shaped eyes only stared up at Jackson. "We know what Eve did was a bad thing but she only did it for me and Ede. Wouldn't you also do anything for your family?"

Jackson exhaled sharply, pulling his arm back. Avery let him go and stepped back to Eve's side. The corners of his lips frowned at Eri. "It still doesn't excuse that what she did was wrong."

"But" Ede joined in. She grabbed her twin's hand, saying, "It's true. She had done it for us. If anyone deserves to be punished it should be me and Eri."

"Ede!" Eve scolded. Shaking her head, she propelled herself towards her younger sisters but the madam held her back. "Girls, this doesn't involve you. It was my decision. It was my choice. It should be my consequences."

"You've always done things for us, Eve," Eri defended and squeezed the hand in hers. "Now is our time to do something for you. Let us help you too. Don't take everything."

Ede shifted her attention back on Jackson. "Uncle Jackson, our sister had nothing but good intentions. She and Ambryan agreed to fake their relationship in the beginning. They both didn't expect this to happen. Tell us what we have to do for you to forgive her."

"Yeah!" Her twin backed up immediately. "We want Eve to be happy too. Challenge us to anything and we'll defeat you! We'll show you how much she deserves to be forgiven!"

Jackson raised his eyebrows. Two little girls stared back with determined eyes. They steeled their resolve and refused to avert their gaze first. They had to protect Eve and her happiness like she had done a million times for them.

"Are you saying that you'd also do anything for your sister?" He asked.

"Jackson!" Avery protested. An ominous feeling trickled down her spine. He wouldn't do anything rash, right? He had grown fond of the twins. He should know they were innocent in this and dismiss their request for a challenge.

"Alright."

"Jackson!"

He ignored his wife's complaints and knelt before the twins. One finger up, he told them his terms. "If you win, I'll let what happened go and Eve can marry Ambryan. But, if you lose"

Then, he glanced over his shoulder and met Eve's aghast face. "Their engagement will be off."

Ambryan rose to his feet. "Father."

"Stay out of this," Jackson dismissed before his son could say anything else. He faced the twins once more and waited for their answer. "Well?"

Eri and Ede exchanged looks, mouthing their conversation. They discussed the risks. If it would be too much, they were confident that Avery or Eve would step in. If it was too easy, that wasn't their fault but that didn't mean their victory was fake either.

"It's a deal," they told Jackson and held up their hands for a shake.

Jackson nodded his head, grabbing both hands. "Deal."

That day marked another turning point in Eve's life. She pulled the twins aside once Jackson left the room. She trapped them in her arms and squeezed the life out of them. They had always stood up for what they believed in since young. Her emotions went rampant between pride and anger. 

What did she do to deserve such sisters?

Her heart could literally explode from their touching performance. 

"You don't need to do this," she nearly cried on their shoulders. 

"Eve" Ede sighed, patting her older sister's back. "Come on, we're cute kids. We have a better chance at earning his forgiveness than you. We're not stupid. If we were a little older, we might not have gotten away with it."

"Like what Ede said." Eri nodded. "Don't worry. It will all be fine. We have mom's blood in our veins, right? And she's the strongest person we know."

Eve managed a chuckle through her clogged nose. She leaned back and smiled at her younger sisters. "That's right. Mom's the best. Her blood has magic which protects us."

"And since Ede and I are twins, we have twice the magic!"

"What did Jackson challenge you two?" Eve asked, wiping her nose.

"Bowling."

That afternoon Eve found herself in the same bowling alley as when she met Jackson for the first time. They headed for the same lanes as they had used from that time as well. 

The twins bolted for the bowling balls, wearing matching pink polo shirts. Both wore their cinnamon hair up in high ponytails. Giggles flowed out of their lips at the pretty colors each ball had. 

Eve crouched behind them and began to fuss. "Is it too heavy? You can always change your mind. I won't be mad. I'm sure Jackson would also understand"

They glared at her. "EVE!"

She raised her hands in surrender. Then, proceeded to back away. She slumped beside Ambryan, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him the stink eye. "How are you okay with this?"

"It was a collective decision."

Huffing, Eve buried herself deeper into the couch. "Do you think your father really will break off the engagement if the twins lose? It would break their hearts."

He arched a brow at that. "And yours won't?"

"That's notI'm the least of my problems now. My sisters come first. If this ends badly, I wouldn't know what to do."