Dear Ex-husband, I'm back for revenge

(Evelyn pov)

I dressed up for work and took one of Damien's cars, the one with mirror tint. I was meeting Sophia at a café near the estate.

She was already waiting when I walked in. We hugged tight.

"Look at you," she teased. "Rolling up in Damien's car like a mafia wife. Should I start calling you Mrs. Power-Trip now?"

"Shut up," I said, laughing as I slid into the seat across from her. "It was just parked there. Convenient."

She raised a brow. "Convenient, my ass. You love the drama. Admit it."

I stirred my coffee with unnecessary focus. "Drama follows me. I don't chase it."

"Uh-huh." Sophia leaned closer, eyes sparkling with mischief. "So? How was day one and two with the infamous Mr. Damien? Give me the tea, Evie. No holding back."

"Don't get me started." I sank into the chair.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm already started. Spill."

I leaned in, lowering my voice. "You won't believe what happened this morning."

She grinned. "Try me."

"I made him breakfast."

Her jaw dropped. "You cooked? For Damien?"

I gave a flat look. "Listen first. I made eggs, potatoes, toast... you know, the whole thing. Only-" I sighed. "I delibrately put way too much salt in the eggs."

Sophia slapped the table, already laughing. "Evie! No, you didn't."

"I did. And I served it like it was some royal feast."

She covered her mouth, shaking with laughter. "Wait, wait, wait. Don't tell me he actually ate it."

I nodded, dead serious.

That set her off. She laughed so hard she nearly slid off her chair. "No way! That man sat there and swallowed salty eggs? Evie, stop lying."

"I'm not lying. He ate every single bite. Calm, straight face, like nothing was wrong."

Sophia gasped for air between laughs. "Oh my God. He's crazy. He would rather risk a stroke than admit you got him."

I frowned, remembering the look in his eyes. "He didn't even crack. Not once. But I saw it-the first bite. He felt it. He just buried it so fast I almost thought I imagined it."

Sophia wiped her eyes, still giggling. "Evie, that's legendary. First blood, babe. You salted the king."

I leaned back, lips tight. "It was supposed to be small, a start. But if he can swallow that and still walk away like nothing happened... then I need to change the game."

Her smile faded into curiosity. "What do you mean?"

I lowered my voice. "Petty tricks won't break Damien. I'm going to make him fall in love with me. And when he does, I'll shatter him."

Sophia blinked. "You're serious."

"Dead serious."

She stared, then gave a slow, wicked smile. "Damn, Evie. Remind me never to get on your bad side."

We clinked our coffee cups, and I let my new strategy settle like smoke between us.

Sophia smirked again, leaning back in her chair. "But Evie..."

"What?"

Her grin widened. "What if you end up falling for him instead?"

I froze. Just for a breath. Then I forced a laugh, sharp and quick.

"Not in this lifetime."

But even as I said it, something uneasy stirred at the back of my mind.

She didn't look convinced. That's when she changed the subject, the way friends do when they want to pry but don't want to be cruel. "Why here, though? Why meet me at this dump? You being dramatic isn't new, but meeting me like this-are you being followed?"

I pushed my cup away and said it flat. "I'm being monitored."

"Monitored by who?" Her voice dropped; the tease left it.

"By who else if not Damien?" I answered. The words came out colder than I expected. "Everything I do now is a mask. He knows how to pretend. He knows how to look like the man who never hurts anyone. So I'll pretend right back. I'll be the woman he fell in love with. I'll let him fall in love again. Then I'll take back what he stole-his trust, his future, his name. That's the plan."

She stared at me, spoon frozen halfway to her mouth. "That's too much, Evie."

"That's why I took the tinted car." I smiled without humor. "We're heading to your place now. I've got an urgent meeting to handle and I don't want to be followed. Damien thinks he's wise."

She studied me, brow pinched. "You're serious about this."

"Dead serious." I slid from the chair, my coffee forgotten, the caffeine buzzing like nervous energy. "Come on. Let's go."

She rose, grabbed her bag, and we left. The tint swallowed us whole when I climbed into his car. The city blurred past in clean lines: stoplights, shopfronts, then the sparseness near Sophia's compound. The air tightened around the car like a held breath.

We pulled up to her gate. The guard nodded. The gate whirred open and then, sensible, clicked shut behind us. The lock sounded sharp, final enough to mean something.

I stepped out and stretched like I was shaking off a small weight. "Now I can have a safe space," I said to Sophia as she led the way inside.

We stepped inside and a little voice cut the air.

"Mummy!"

A small girl barreled forward. I scooped her up without thinking.

"My baby girl, how are you?" she asked, pressing a quick kiss to the child's hair.

"I'm fine, Mom. Nanny Rita is taking care of me. And Sister Sophia," Aveille announced solemnly.

"Did you thank them?"

"Yes, Mom. I thank them every day."

"That's my baby girl." I held her up and smiled. "Mom brought you snacks. Give Mum a kiss."

Aveille leaned in and planted a sticky, earnest kiss on my cheek.

Just then Nanny Rita appeared in the doorway. "Bye, Mom. I won't disturb you. I'm off to play." She bent to kiss me, then straightened and gave me a quick, respectful nod.

I waved back, still smiling. Sophia watched, amusement softening her face. "That's cute. She's more like her father-always making things easy for you."

My smile went cold. I shot Sophia a look that was all teeth. "Avielle is not his daughter."

Sophia raised a brow. "Oh, I hear you. Never knew you were the next Mary. Keep deceiving yourself."

"Sophia," I snapped, cutting the teasing off. My voice dropped to business. "Answer and distract that monitoring spirit. I need to be at Aveille & Co."

Sophia nodded, pulling out her phone. "And what's the first order of business, CEO?"

A slow, cold smile touched my lips. "It's time Damien's beloved company learned what it's like to be poisoned from the inside out." I adjusted my sleeve, my voice dropping even further. "Consider it the first love letter in a courtship he'll wish had killed him."