A Billion Dollar Exchange

''Easy playboy, I'm not running, ha-ha.''

Eva teased as she chewed on her gum, causing it to make annoyingly smacking sounds.

''Eva, can you please explain what you mean by what you just said?''

Jin Yue asked confusedly and Eva laughed again, she was enjoying what she was doing to him, how he looked shattered, tattered and battered. Just looking at him gave her an inexplicable joy. She twirled around on the seat for a brief moment before she spoke,

''I'll explain everything to you, if you answer me one question, truthfully.''

''What is it?''

Eva stared at him for a moment before leaning closer, placing her hands on the table.

''How do you feel now? ''

Jin Yue did not understand her question.

''What do you mean?''

''Wasn't my question clear enough? How are you feeling now that she has left you? And remember, I said you must answer me truthfully.''

Jin Yue stared at the woman opposite him for a while, his head slumped as he thought for a while.

''Broken, I feel broken.''

There was quietness in the room for a moment before Eva broke into a victorious laughter.

''That's so good, Jin Yue, so good. Now that I'm happy, I'll tell you what happened.''

She smiled and made a blow of her gum which almost covered her whole face.

Jin Yue was quiet; he waited patiently for her to speak.

''You see, I just wanted you to have a taste of your own medicine. You hurt me and I wanted you to know what it felt like to be hurt. You know Jin Yue, Xin Yong thought of me as your niece and that man in those pictures as my husband.''

She paused for a moment to take in his reaction; she was so pleased at what she was seeing. Jin Yue's eyes were wide at this point, he was so shocked that his lips moved but no words could come out.

Eva laughed briefly before she continued.

''All she wanted to do was to surprise her darling husband-to-be on his birthday! I told her not to tell you and we went out to get gifts for you, and from your state am sure you asked her and she lied to you. She must have thought that she would be able to tell you the truth on your birthday! Too bad tragedy met her before that day…'' Eva shook her head as she laughed mockingly.

''Oh God, aren't I smart? You know, she didn't even know my boyfriend had his arms around her, I trusted that you would not realize it because you would be clouded with jealousy. Any you know that picture where he helped her clean off a stain, he did not even ask before doing that, so the shyness you saw she exhibited was not because she liked him but because she was stunned…''

''STOP!!!''

Jin Yue blared. His brain was pounding against his skull at that moment; he raised his both hands to cup his head. He could not believe that he hurt her when she did nothing!

She had done nothing to him; he hurt her when she had loved him with an immeasurable love. What did he do? What did he just do?

''No, I'm not through yet.''

 Eva laughed and opened her bag, taking out the tie Xin Yong had gotten him.

''Oh this is your birthday gift, she did call me on your birthday, but you know, I did not pick, that number is no more in service now, but I'm very sure after that incident, she won't even call me again. I did not know what to do with this tie, so I decided to return it to the rightful owner but more importantly, to watch you feel what I felt when you hurt me. ''

Eva dropped the tie box on the table and stood up from her seat.

''You know, right now, she would be so hurt that she would not even want to see you, that means you won't even get the chance to tell her the truth. Now I am satisfied, I can finally move on. Goodbye Jin Yue, enjoy your wretched life.''

Eva concluded, turned around and walked out of the office, a wicked smile on her face.

Jin Yue could not feel his body. His eyes were spinning, his head was pounding, and his heart was beating rapidly against his chest. His stomach worms which hadn't been fed for four days straight were biting against his intestines. But all that wasn't as painful as the thoughts that filled his mind at that moment.

Everything started coming back to him one after the other. The check, the document, how he had treated her, how frail she looked when she pleaded with him, how sad she looked when she asked him if he loved her and finally her letter.

They wordings of the letter flooded into his mind rapidly until he couldn't take it anymore. The last thing Jin Yue remembered was the feeling of the hard floor against his face before everything went blank.

…