The President's Daring Wife

Spice Things Up

Lunch was already prepared by the time Eve got home and she ate her food dejectedly. Wishing that Ethan would come back home with her was like asking for the impossible. 

Their relationship was so sour that he rarely spent his days at home and he spent most of his nights at the company. 

"M–Ms. Maxwell— I mean, Madam, Isn't the food to your liking?" Elena said, looking worried. 

Eve looked sideways at the house stewardess. She could also see fear in the woman's eyes. Blowing out a sigh, she shook her head. "The food is great, Elena, thank you. And when will you start calling me by my name? Do you want me to remind you again and again?"

"My apologies, M–Ms. — Madam. I'll do whatever you say."

"Oh, don't force yourself." Eve finished her food and sighed again. "You can call me by my name whenever you're comfortable with it. But from now on, you can't call me Ms. Maxwell."

Without waiting for the woman's reply, she left the dining area and wandered all day at home. 

Her fears came true in the evening, because Ethan did not return home. Eve's anxiety increased. If this continued happening, would there be any progress in their marriage? 

She woke up the next morning and after getting ready for the day and eating breakfast, she stood on the balcony and stared at the gates. 

Not long after, a car horn sounded from the outside and the security came out and opened the gates. 

Eve's heart pounded with anticipation. She left the balcony and was about to hurry to the parking lot, but the sight of the car that just drove in made her halt instantly. 

The red car belonged to no one else but Mia. Eve wasn't even surprised. Although only a handful of people could visit the Villa, Mia came whenever she wanted. All because Eve had allowed that. 

Seeing the red car now, Eve deeply regretted giving it to Mia after her grandfather gifted it to her on her birthday. 

But either it was her grandfather or her parents, whatever they gifted her ended up in Mia's hands. Eve had always thought that giving Mia everything she had would make up for the fact that Mia was supposed to be in her place right now if her grandfather hadn't found out the truth many years ago. 

Unknowingly, Mia had always bore a deep resentment towards her due to that incident. And she'd been scheming the perfect plan since then to bring Eve down. 

"Hey, Eve. Look at you. For someone that got assaulted by her own husband, you look more normal than I'd anticipated to see you." Mia walked toward her, smiling widely. 
"We should have come up with a better plan, Eve. I think you've made a mistake somehow that's why our plan backfired. However, it's nothing to worry about. Since I'm here, we'll sort things out." She gave Eve a brief hug before making her way into the house. 

Eve's eyes followed Mia's back. In her past life, Mia did say the same words, however, she said it during the phone call which Eve had rejected. 

Now that Mia was here in person and had said the same things, did that mean things that occurred in the past were bound to repeat themselves? 
Eve shook her head, evading those thoughts. That was never going to happen. 

She followed Mia into the house and met the girl sitting on the living room couch. Mia had already made herself comfortable. She was even ordering the maids around. 

"Are you deaf or what!? I asked for apple juice, not orange juice!" She yelled at the maid that just served her. 

"I'm so sorry, Ma'am. There's no apple juice left as Ms. Maxwell– I mean, Madam is allergic to it." The maid dropped to her knees, her voice shaking. 

"Well, you should get me one this instant!" Mia kicked the maid. "Because I'm thirsty, and I won't drink anything else but apple juice!" 

"A–Alright, Ma'am." The maid trembled with fear and she scrambled to her feet. 

Eve stood in a corner with both hands folded across her chest. She not only humiliated the servants in the past but also allowed Mia to do as she pleased with them. 

Seeing this inhuman treatment now, Eve's heart sank in guilt more than feeling anger toward Mia.
 
"Just go to the kitchen and resume your work, Camila," she said to the maid as the girl was about to leave through the living room door. 

Mia hadn't heard them because she was now engrossed in whatever she was doing with her phone. 

The maid looked surprised before nodding obediently. "Y–Yes, thank you, M–Madam."

Eve dismissed the maid and she approached Mia and sat on a couch opposite her. 

"What took you so long out there?" Mia glanced up from her phone. She checked Eve's expression out then shook her head, putting on a sympathetic look. 

"Come on, Eve. Don't tell me you're so shaken by what he did to you that you've turned into a mute. You haven't spoken anything since I arrived, is something else bothering you?" 

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine." Eve forced a small smile. 

"Perfect!" Mia dropped her phone and came to sit beside her. "Look at me, Eve. Don't think too much about that. As long as you don't relent to him, things will be fine. Let's just keep it a secret from Cole. You know he won't be pleased to know about it."

Cole wouldn't be pleased. 

That was why in Eve's past life, she'd readily agreed with Mia's advice to take the baby out the moment she found out that she was pregnant. 

"Now, cheer up." Mia laughed, a not-so-pleasant laugh. "Since this plan has failed, let me think of something else. How about I get Cole here to spice things up? I bet it will be the last pull to get that stubborn man off your back."

Eve parted her lips, her eyes widening. 

Get Cole here to spice things up. Mia only suggested this when she wanted to bring Cole to the house. Their plan had been to pretend that she was having an affair with Cole, but in reality, that was the day they tried to elope. 

That occurrence didn't get Ethan off her back. When he caught them, he beat Cole senseless, and for her, he became less caring towards her. 

"Mia," Eve called out calmly. "I know what happened many years ago still haunts you to this day. When we were accidentally swapped at birth, it was no one's fault. And thirteen years later when my grandfather found out the truth and took me back, no one can blame him for doing that, right?"

Eve grew up in the province, thinking Mia's parents were her real parents, while Mia grew up here in the city with Eve's real parents. Then one day, the truth came out. It was said that her grandfather decided to do a DNA test for all his children and grandchildren, and Mia turned out not to be among his bloodline. That was how they investigated and found Eve. 

"You know you could have stayed back because even Mum and Dad didn't want you to leave. Even though Grandpa was adamant to take me back, your parents weren't thinking the same. We could have grown up as sisters if you hadn't left."

Mia's smile faltered as Eve continued speaking. And when Eve was done, she cleared her throat. 

"Why did you bring that up all of a sudden?" She tried to force a smile. "It isn't like I'm complaining. Come on, Eve. Stop trying to change the topic and let's find you a way to leave this stupid place as soon as possible." 

As Mia spoke on, footsteps came from the doorway and there was Ethan, taking in the scene with an irritated look on his face.