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1.87% The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot / Chapter 4: Someone Special

Chapter 4: Someone Special

"No!" Elias's voice broke through the chaos, distant yet desperate amidst the screams and cries. The gunshot echoed in her ears, and Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut, ready to take the hit.

But before she could feel the searing pain of the bullet, a strong hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her urgently. She collided with a firm, warm body, the mild scent of sandalwood awakening her paralyzed senses.

The bullet that was fired in her direction hit the clock on the wall by the counter. Nearby customers screamed and ducked for cover, as did Elias, his terror-filled eyes fixed on Evelyn.

"Are you alright?" Zevian's deep, husky voice breathed new life into her, shaking her out of her daze. Evelyn opened her eyes, confused and breathless.

Before she could process what was happening, Zevian pulled her even closer, shielding her with his body as he ducked. They squatted down as the attackers continued firing, and the man guarding Kiana instinctively pushed their table up, using it as a makeshift barrier against the barrage of bullets.

"Daddy!" Kiana's cries grew louder as she looked at Zevian. Freeing herself from John, her bodyguard/chauffeur's arms, she moved closer to Zevian, who quickly pulled her into a protective hug with his other free hand.

Evelyn's eyes quickly searched for Elias in the chaos, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw him ducked beneath a table with two other refugees.

"I won't skip school again!" Kiana murmured, her words accompanied by choking sobs. She finally understood the danger John always warned about when she sneaked out alone and swore never to do it again.

Zevian kissed the top of her head and patted her back, attempting to comfort her. He couldn't be angry, not when her sneaking out this time had given him a chance to meet someone again, someone special in such a filmy way. He thought, his eyes softening as they fell on Evelyn beside him.

"John and I will fight them. Stay with her, okay?" he said, ushering Kiana toward Evelyn. Evelyn quickly embraced the little girl as the two men stood up.

Evelyn rubbed Kiana's back and comforted her as the trembling little lamb clung closer to her. 'So that's why she looked familiar,' Evelyn thought, hoping Zevian would be safe. She knew he was a great fighter and had witnessed it during one of their dates years ago, but her heart still pounded hard, the sound of guns bringing back her agonizing childhood memories.

Zevian's gentle demeanor shattered the moment he got up, his expression darkening like that of a devil. One of the shooters stumbled back as he saw him, fully aware of who he was. His mates' expressions also changed, shock filling their eyes as Zevian calmly rolled up his sleeves and walked in their direction.

"Why the fuck is he here?" one of them grumbled, his hand trembling in panic. He pointed the gun at Zevian but couldn't dare to pull the trigger. Only a fool would shoot the richest man in the country, one whose connections spread far and wide in the underworld.

John quickly fought the other two attackers who had marched at him, his strong hands twisting their wrists, forcing them to drop their guns. Unlike him, Zevian took his sweet time to stand right in front of the other attacker, one who had fired at Evelyn earlier. He stopped just a few inches away from the gun, his hands casually tucked inside his pockets as if being kind enough to let the man shoot him.

Zevian extended his palm, demanding the attacker hand over the gun with his eyes. The man gulped, his mind racing, unsure if he should just shoot himself or allow Zevian to do the deed. But as Zevian's expression darkened, he quickly passed the gun.

"Who sent you here?" Zevian inquired, checking the last bullet left in the pistol.

"We were on our own! We attacked for money!" the young mob lied, almost pissing his pants when Zevian suddenly pointed the gun at his head.

Zevian raised an eyebrow and placed his forefinger on the trigger. "You should do a background check on your targets before blindly falling for money." 

His words left the man gasping in shock. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not expecting this devil to catch it in the chaos. He glanced at the table behind which their target was hiding, his mind forming theories before his eyes popped wide in realization.

No way! Did they just attack Zevian's secret woman? He wondered, wide-eyed, recalling how Zevian had pulled that woman when all he was trying to do was bruise her shoulder and scare her as per the orders.

"W-we were sent just to scare her, sir! Please leave us! Please!" One of his mates, suffering under John's kicks, answered instead, his wrenching cry following as John kicked him hard in the stomach.

Zevian sighed, running a hand through his hair, annoyed at being interrupted by the officers. He simply nodded, ordering John to let them handle it from here as he could always find these rats later, even if they escaped the cops.

The crowd that had stopped at the commotion slowly dispersed as the cops started restricting the area, while the people inside the shop heaved long sighs of relief, slowly emerging from their hiding spots.

Many, specifically women, couldn't help but squeal as Zevian walked back with John following him. While a few quickly recognized him, many envied Evelyn holding Kiana for catching such a cool husband.

Elias ran to Evelyn's table, and so did John from the other side. He removed the table shielding his little miss and threw it aside, making room for his boss. Kiana broke from Evelyn's arms and pounced on Zevian as he squatted down to check on them.

"Are you okay?" Both Elias and Zevian asked in unison, their concern directed at Evelyn, who looked like a frightened mess.

"Let me get some water," Elias said, and Evelyn nodded, fighting to stay calm.

Memories of her kidnapping when she was six replayed in Evelyn's mind, her mother's petite figure being shot with bullets by the kidnapper with a jagged scar running across his right cheek. The pain, the cries, all flooded back in a torrent, making it hard to breathe. Her chest tightened, her vision blurred, and she felt the familiar, suffocating grip of a panic attack closing in on her.

Zevian's face darkened with worry as he watched Evelyn's expression turn paler. Her breaths came in short, rapid gasps, her eyes brimming with tears. "Evelyn?" he called softly, his voice breaking through her spiraling chaos.

She looked up at him, her eyes unfocused, the monsters in her head growing stronger and more brutal. Tears slowly streamed down her, and she moved closer, seeking solace in his arms, the only place that felt safe.

"Get me out of here. Please!" Evelyn begged, her voice barely audible as she buried her face into the crook of his shoulder, her tears soaking into his shirt.

Without hesitation, Zevian instinctively picked her up in his arms. "Bring Dr. Mike to my home." He ordered to John before walking out of the mess.

"Did we finally find my mommy?" Kiana wondered, looking at John who was equally stunned to see his boss carry a woman. "I think we did!" Kiana mused, her face lighting up with a smile.


Chapter 5: Stupid But Rich

Evelyn woke with a gasp, her breath ragged and her eyes wide with tears. Blinking against the dim light, confusion etched on her face before her gaze fell on Zevian sitting right beside her.

Memories of her earlier breakdown and their current proximity made heat race to her cheeks. She abruptly sat up, but her attempt to distance herself only brought them even closer, almost face to face, locking eyes with each other.

"Feeling better?" Zevian asked, his hand instinctively reaching to hold and caress hers. She had fallen unconscious in his arms in the car, and though Mike had assured him she was fine, he had stayed beside her for more than three hours, restless and concerned.

Stunned by his gesture, Evelyn didn't know how to react. His warm gaze and the gentleness in his tone teleported her back to when they were dating, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions. She quickly averted her eyes and nodded, her cheeks blushing beet red.

A sigh escaped her lips as Zevian stood up and shifted to the chair before the bed. He filled a glass of water and handed it to her, his stoic expression hiding the similar emotions he was experiencing, unlike her obvious awkwardness.

"Thank you," Evelyn murmured, accepting the glass, and took a sip. The last time she had seen him was in the hospital, unconscious and covered in bandages following his wife Katherine's death in a tragic accident. He looked better now, but the memories still stung.

"Goodness! You're finally up!" A woman's voice broke the silence between them. They both looked up to see Avery Cartwell, Zevian's maternal cousin and also Evelyn's best friend since childhood.

Avery dropped Kiana from her arms and hurried to the bed. Crawling onto the mattress like a child, she reached Evelyn and hugged her tightly. Her embrace instantly filled Evelyn with the warmth she had been craving since last night's drama, and she smiled as Avery grumbled about how worried she had been throughout her nine-hour flight.

"I told you to stick to our plan," Evelyn scolded in a low voice, referring to the crucial business trip Avery had interrupted upon hearing the previous night's news.

"But how can I leave you here alone in this mess?!" Avery grumbled, breaking the hug. As if the scandal wasn't enough, her annoying cousin Zevian delivered another shocking blow that Evelyn was attacked, and she needed to rush to his house, leaving her in panic.

"Well, I do have good news for you," Avery said excitedly, ignoring the other person sitting adjacent to them. "Guess what? Mr. Igor wants to continue working with our company and signed us as his exclusive designers for all his upcoming projects."

Evelyn smiled nervously and pressed Avery's hands firmly, trying to stop her from saying too much or worse, revealing her secret identity. But Avery, being Avery, ignored her and continued with a cheeky smile, "And I think he seems to have fallen head over heels for you, Evy! He couldn't stop complaining about your absence."

Zevian's expression hardened at his cousin's words. His hand which was resting casually on his knee, clenched into a fist. Was this crackhead using Evelyn to extort deals off that Italian prince? But why did Evelyn look happy about it? He thought, his fists tightening though he knew he had no right to feel jealous. Not after abandoning Evelyn alone in front of the marriage bureau six years ago.

Even Kiana, who had walked up to her dad and was standing beside him, didn't like what her aunt said. Though she could barely understand grammar, all the fairy tales and dramas had taught her enough to understand what falling for someone meant. And she couldn't let her aunt ruin her plans of making Evelyn her mommy! Not when the kids in her new school kept bullying her because her real mommy was dead and her daddy didn't love her.

Avery, oblivious to the glares pointed at her, continued chatting, her voice a bright contrast to the thick tension around them. Unlike her, Evelyn could read the room clearly, especially Zevian's stare, and decided to zip her best friend's mouth.

"Where's Elias, by the way?" she asked, diverting the topic. Avery's joyous reaction quickly changed to one of dread, recalling how Elias had stormed out of the house just a couple of minutes earlier to confront his father. 

"What's wrong?" Evelyn frowned, her gaze shifting from Avery to Zevian. As their eyes met, she felt something was definitely off.

"Avy, what's wrong? Is he alright?" Evelyn asked again, her voice filled with worry this time. The last thing she wanted was for Elias, her only family, to get hurt because of her.

Avery sighed, realizing all her babbling went in vain. She was just trying to keep Evelyn distracted for some time, unsure if she could handle another blow, but failed miserably. "Steel yourself, okay?" she said, taking out her phone.

Evelyn's heart raced anxiously as Avery opened a news article and passed it to her. Her eyes squinted in confusion before shock overtook them as she read the headline:

[The Wright and Blake family are strengthening their bond through marital ties. Mr. Wright's adopted daughter Evelyn Wright is all set to marry Nicholas Blake, the second largest shareholder of the Blake company this weekend.]

Evelyn's expression was a mix of everything: disappointment, anger, and pain. All she had asked for was a small chance to prove herself, yet her father didn't think she was worthy of it. He simply decided to stab her from the front, right through her heart while the rest of her enemies preferred to attack from the shadows.

Avery sensed her heartbreak and moved closer to pull her into yet another hug. She knew Evelyn's dynamics with her useless father well and quickly tried to console her. "Don't worry. I have the best solution for it."

Even Zevian was curious about how this troublemaker could actually help someone out of trouble. But what Avery said, though it made sense, didn't quite sit well with him, nor was Kiana happy about it.

"Let's call Mr. Igor and explain your situation. Your prince charming will surely save you," Avery joked, breaking the hug. "Maybe he might just ask for your hand in marriage."

"No!" Kiana was the first to refute, even before Evelyn could speak. Taking a step forward, the little girl huffed and continued, "My daddy saved her first! He should be her prince charming!"

Looking at Evelyn, Kiana continued, "You should marry my daddy!" Thinking that Evelyn wasn't impressed by her daddy, she added, "I know he is stoopid, but he is also rich. And... He has lots of cars too! "

Even Zevian was stunned by his daughter's outburst. He never taught her to be this brutally honest!


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