"You know someone's keeping an eye on you… and you're okay with that?" Hades asked, disbelief coating his voice. "I thought your privacy was important to you."
Evadne raised an eyebrow, calm and unbothered.
"My privacy is open to the people I care about," she replied smoothly. "And why wouldn't I be okay with someone watching over me? It makes me feel safe, knowing someone's out there making sure I'm protected. I don't do anything wrong, and I don't have anything to hide."
She didn't need to guess what he was thinking, she could hear it. His thoughts were bitter. Violated. Angry. His pride was bruised.
"No wonder you're miserable," she murmured, almost to herself.
"What did you say?" Hades asked, the forced smile he'd been wearing all morning vanishing.
"I said, no wonder you're miserable," she repeated, her voice still low, but this time with a faint smirk playing on her lips. "Just by looking at you, it's obvious you don't appreciate being watched over. You think it's a violation, a lack of respect. But if you treat every act of care like it's an attack, no wonder you're so… empty."
"I'm not miserable," Hades shot back, his tone hardening.
"Are you sure?" Evadne leaned back, tilting her head as she looked at him. "You look pretty miserable to me."
"You know nothing about me," he said through clenched teeth.
Evadne's smirk deepened. "I said smile, didn't I?"
Her voice lowered as she leaned in, just enough for him to feel the chill beneath her words.
"There's a reason you're trying so hard to please me today, Hades. And I've already pointed it out, we're being watched... Dad and Mom always talking about your accomplishments. Always telling me how brilliant you are. But right now… I don't think you're the sharpest nail in the shed."
She folded her arms, her tone sharpening.
"I don't need to know everything about you. But I know enough. I know you hate me. And guess what? The feeling's mutual. I also know you and your friends tried to isolate me yesterday. From the moment you picked me up late, I knew exactly what was going on. I just didn't say anything. I let you all play your little game because frankly, I was bored."
Hades sat frozen in his seat. He had no comeback, not one she couldn't dismantle.
"And if you think you understand me just because your parents fed you curated pieces of me, what colors I like, what food I eat, the books I read or the music I play, you're wrong. You may know my preferences. But you don't know what I'm capable of."
Her voice dropped, eyes locked on him.
"I'm bipolar, Hades, remember? My mind doesn't work like everyone else's. But let me tell you something very simple, I give back what people give me, ten times harder. Treat me like shit, and I'll treat you worse than shit."
Just then, their waiter arrived with the food, interrupting the intensity. Evadne's expression shifted instantly to a bright, polished smile.
"Slice them into bite-sized cuts," as the waiter walked away, she placed the perfectly cooked steak down in front of Hades with deliberate grace. "And don't forget to keep that charming smile."
Then she smiled again, and he saw it clearly.
The sharp edge behind her pretty face. The glint in her eye that warned of storms ahead.
"The reason I wanted to talk to you today," she said softly, "was to put you in your place after what you and your friends tried to pull yesterday. But judging by how hard you're trying today… I'm guessing Dad already did that last night."
Hades froze.
Evadne's eyes narrowed, her voice a whisper meant only for him.
"He's not pushing the engagement anymore, is he? You're panicking now. Because you're scared. Scared he'll actually go through with it. That he'll disown you."
She tilted her head, her voice like honey laced with arsenic.
"You're afraid you'll be nothing again."
Despite the polite smile he wore, Hades couldn't stop his fists from clenching.
"I know why you did what you did yesterday," Evadne said smoothly. "You were hoping I'd be the one to reject the engagement. Because you know our parents would never force it if I said no."
She leaned back, folding her arms.
"But Hades, this isn't just about you and me. If you were truly intelligent, you'd understand that this, this arrangement, is actually about Ceres and Zeus. Our parents want us to live the life that should've belonged to them… if they hadn't died."
Her eyes gleamed with a sharp clarity.
"I don't like you, Hades. Let's be very clear about that. But I won't be the reason the Monteverde-Falcon union fails. Our parents have given me so much. And if the only way I can repay that, if the only thing they ask of me, is to marry you… then I will."
She offered a bitter smile.
"And I'll do it smiling."
The weight of her words settled like ice between them.
"I've already made peace with that fate. But I'm not the kind of person who forces herself on someone who doesn't want her. So let's make a deal."
"A deal?" Hades asked warily.
Evadne gestured toward the plate in front of him.
"Put the steak here."
Confused, Hades slid the plate across the table.
"We're still young. The most I'm willing to promise is this, I'll tell them I want to get married at thirty. That gives you time. Time to grow a spine. Time to stand up for what you want. For who you want."
Her voice remained calm, and her eyes were steady.
"You'll have enough time to choose Cieryl. But in exchange, until the day you can say no to your parents, let's give them what they want. Let them see in us the fantasy of Ceres and Zeus. We don't have to like each other. But we don't have to be hostile either."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Wouldn't it be smarter if we worked together instead? We can cover for each other. Be each other's alibi. You want to take Cieryl out? Fine. I'll cover for you. All I ask is respect, and that you keep your people in check. I'll do the same."
A long silence fell between them.
Hades chewed slowly, his mind racing. He could still feel the eyes of his father's people discreetly watching them from across the restaurant. So, he forced a smile toward Evadne.
"And what makes you so sure this'll work?" he asked, voice low. "Dad's got eyes on both of us."
"They can't follow us everywhere," she said simply. "They can't monitor every classroom, every hallway in school. That'll be your freedom. You and Cieryl can play whatever game you want there. So can I."
She held her glass delicately, eyes fixed on his.
"But outside? In public? You'll need to play the role. Be the devoted fiancé they want to see."
She smiled again, more amused now.
"We can even set a schedule. A candlelight dinner every Friday. A movie date every second Sunday. Two vacations a year. We'll give them just enough to keep them satisfied."
Her voice dipped lower, smooth, controlled, and edged with steel.
"If you give Dad what he wants, he'll eventually let you go."
Hades fell silent, the thought weighing heavy on him.
She wasn't wrong.
Instead of fighting her, they could use each other. Work together. If his parents saw that he and Evadne were getting along, maybe, just maybe, they'd start seeing him as their son.
He could do it.
But a nagging doubt tugged at him.
What if she changed her mind?
As if reading him, Evadne leaned back, unfazed.
"Hades, if you want to loosen the leash people have on you, you need to give them what they want. Let them think they're in control. The more you struggle, the tighter they'll pull. You won't be able to breathe."
Her tone remained unbothered. Firm.
"That's the deal I'm offering. It's up to you whether you want to accept it or not. But let's not pretend you don't know the truth, if you want Mom and Dad's approval, holding my hand, even if it makes your skin crawl, is still your best bet."
Hades didn't answer right away.
And Evadne noticed.
Her eyebrow arched. "Don't tell me… you're still thinking?"
There was a sharp smirk on her lips, mocking, but not cruel.
"Between the two of us, I have nothing to lose. And yet I'm offering a lot. You? You haven't even made a counteroffer. And here you are, dragging your feet with 'what ifs.'"
She didn't say it to hurt him. It wasn't even laced with insult. It was just… truth.
"Casadin was right. You really are ungrateful."
"I'm not ungrateful," Hades said quickly. "I'm just being cautious. What if..."
"What if I throw you under the bus? What if I stab you in the back? What if I take it all back?" she cut him off with a grin, her voice dropping to a velvety whisper.
"Then your only job… is to make sure I don't."
She speared a piece of steak with her fork and raised it toward his lips, her smile deceptively sweet.
"I can even play the doting, loving fiancée in front of the public if you want."
And as if on cue, Hades noticed one of his father's people glancing discreetly at them.
Left with no other option, he leaned forward and let Evadne feed him.
Her smile deepened.
Satisfied.
And the two continued eating in silence, an unspoken truce forged over blood-tipped charm and perfectly rare steak.
After lunch, they made their way to the high-end shopping district. And just like Evadne said… they were being followed.
The man and woman. Subtle but not invisible. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed them before.
The deal wasn't even official, and yet Evadne was already playing the part.
Her hand slipped around his arm as they walked. She leaned close, whispering near his ear in a mock-sweet tone, though all she was doing was telling him to use his credit card to pay for her school needs.
Then came the phone store.
She bought a new phone and, with a grin, made him save her contact under "Wife", while she saved his as "Husband."
She even snapped a picture of the two of them looking like a real couple and set it as the contact photo.
Now, Hades sat waiting on a plush leather couch inside a luxury boutique while Evadne tried on outfits in the dressing room.
His phone rang.
He stiffened at the name flashing across the screen, Dad.
"Sir?" he answered, voice tight.
"Where are you?" Jupiter asked, though Hades could tell he already knew the answer.
"I'm with Vee, sir. She needed a few things for school. She's trying on some clothes right now."
There was a pause, then, "Use your black card to pay for anything she wants. I had it reactivated."
"Yes, sir."
And just like that, the line went dead.
But the message was clear.
Evadne was right.
If he wanted his father's approval, if he wanted any shot at reclaiming his place, then all he had to do… was hold Evadne's hand and play the part of the doting fiancé.
And make them believe it.