Chapter 18 :THE WOMAN WHO KNEW HIS SECRETS
The elevator doors slid shut with a soft hiss, sealing Eva and Derek inside the cold glass capsule.
But Eva barely noticed the view of the city glowing beneath them.
All she could focus on was Derek's hand still gripping her waist—strong, protective, claiming without words.
Her pulse hammered in her throat.
"Who was that man?" she asked, her voice barely steady.
Derek didn't answer right away. His jaw was locked, eyes narrowed, thoughts spinning too fast and too dark for her to read.
"Someone I don't want near you," he finally said.
That wasn't an answer.
But it was enough to make her skin prickle.
Enough to confirm what she already suspected…
Derek lived in a world with shadows and enemies—and they were starting to crawl closer.
---
When the elevator opened onto the private parking level, Eva expected Derek to lead her straight to the car.
Instead, he froze.
A woman leaned casually against his sleek black SUV.
Tall. Elegant. Wrapped in a deep red dress that clung to her curves like it was painted on.
Dark hair spilling over her shoulders.
Eyes sharp enough to cut glass.
She held a cigarette between her fingers, though the cigarette wasn't lit.
A dramatic habit, not an actual one.
And she smiled.
"Derek."
Her voice was smooth, warm, unhurried.
Dangerously familiar.
Eva felt her stomach twist.
Not with fear.
With something worse.
Jealousy.
Derek's body went rigid beside her. "Isabella."
Ah.
A name sharp enough to hurt.
The woman pushed off the car lightly. "It's been a long time."
"Not long enough," Derek replied.
Eva had never heard his voice sound like that—cold, restrained, edged with anger he didn't bother to hide.
Isabella ignored his mood completely.
Her gaze slid to Eva, assessing, dissecting, amused.
"And who's this?" she asked.
Not kindly.
Derek stepped forward slightly, blocking part of Eva from view.
That alone ignited something hot inside Eva's chest.
"Someone who doesn't concern you," Derek said.
Isabella tilted her head, lips curving. "Everything you do concerns me. Or have you forgotten?"
"I haven't," Derek said. "That's why this conversation ends now."
Eva's breath caught.
What exactly had Isabella been to him?
Ex-lover? Partner? Rival?
The kind of woman who still had claims on him?
The kind of woman who made Eva feel small and inexperienced by just existing?
Isabella stepped closer, heels clicking elegantly on the concrete.
Her perfume drifted past—a heavy, intoxicating scent that made Eva feel even more painfully aware of her own simplicity.
"Relax," Isabella said. "I'm not here for drama."
Derek's jaw tightened. "Then walk away."
Her eyes glinted. "I came to warn you."
Of course she did.
This was Derek's world—warnings dressed as flirtation, danger wrapped in silk.
"Warn me about what?" Derek asked, voice low.
Isabella flicked him a look. "Your little stalker."
Eva stiffened. "You mean the man from the lounge?"
Isabella blinked slowly, like she hadn't expected Eva to speak.
Derek shot her a quick glance—warning her not to say too much.
But Isabella laughed softly.
A seductive, mocking sound.
"Oh, so she knows things," she said. "You never let me know anything."
That stab of jealousy pierced deeper.
Eva felt it.
Derek definitely felt it.
His hand brushed Eva's lower back—subtle, but grounding.
Possessive.
"Leave her out of this," Derek said.
Isabella smirked. "You can't leave someone out when they've already become the reason."
Eva sucked in a breath.
"What reason?" she asked.
Isabella's eyes softened—not kindly, but knowingly.
"You have no idea who he is, do you?" she murmured.
"Isabella," Derek snapped.
She ignored him.
"Has he told you why he keeps getting followed? Has he told you who he used to be?"
A slow, cruel smile formed.
"Has he told you who he belonged to?"
Eva's heart pounded painfully.
Derek's past.
His danger.
His secrets.
She had been touching the edges of them for days.
Now someone else was peeling back the veil too fast.
Derek stepped between them fully this time, shielding Eva.
"That's enough. Leave."
Isabella exhaled sharply, annoyed. "You and your damn walls. They were exhausting then, and they're exhausting now."
Then her gaze met Eva's again—calmer this time.
Almost sympathetic.
"He feels something for you," she said simply.
Derek stiffened.
Eva's breath caught.
"And that," Isabella added, "is exactly why he's in more danger than you."
She turned gracefully, opened the passenger door of a sleek red sports car, and paused.
"Oh, and Derek?" she said without looking back.
His silence was answer enough.
"Your enemy has already figured out her name."
Eva froze.
Ice pooled in her stomach.
Isabella slid into the car, heels gleaming under the harsh lights.
"One more thing," she added through the open door.
Her eyes met Eva's again—sharp, assessing, almost pitying.
"Be careful. Men like him don't get happy endings."
The door slammed shut.
Her engine roared to life.
And she was gone.
---
The garage fell painfully silent.
Eva could barely move.
"Derek…" she whispered.
He remained still. Tense. Coiled with fury and something like fear—not for himself.
For her.
When he finally turned to her, his eyes were dark and unreadable.
"You're not safe anymore," he said quietly.
Her breath trembled.
"And neither am I."
His hand lifted to her cheek—hesitant, like he wasn't sure he had the right.
But Eva leaned into it without thinking.
Jealousy, attraction, fear, desire—they all tangled together inside her until she couldn't separate one from the other.
"I'm not leaving," she whispered.
His thumb brushed her skin.
"Even after tonight?" he asked.
"Especially after tonight."
Something in him broke.
Or surrendered.
He stepped closer, body heat pressing into her space, making her breath stutter.
Not touching her fully—but close enough to make her nerves spark.
"Eva," he said, voice husky with emotion he rarely let slip.
"You have no idea what you're risking."
She lifted her chin. "Then show me."
His breath caught.
Her pulse raced.
For a moment—one long, suspended moment—they stood inches apart, the air thick with heat and danger and something deeper than either wanted to admit.
Then—
A sharp metallic clang echoed from across the garage.
Both of them whipped around.
The sound came from the shadows.
The same place Isabella had vanished minutes before.
Eva felt her skin prickle.
Someone else was still here.
Watching.
Waiting.
Derek moved instantly, pulling her behind him.
The danger wasn't gone.
In fact… it was getting closer.