I shake my head and pull up my shoulders. I’m not following any of this. Was the whole bet nothing else but a setup then, like I suspected? Except not with the goal I presumed? “How does it relate to my promotion?” I ask.
“Mother wanted to ensure that, before you take on the role of CEO, you’d have your personal life in order. That you’d face the challenges of this work with someone you love at your side so you wouldn’t fall down the same rabbit hole as Father. Thus we came up with a way to trick you.”
Murphy’s words reach me as if they’re traveling through a thick fog. I hear their echo, I almost see the letters swirl toward me, but their meaning still escapes my brain. They made me think I was doing a real bet with serious consequences? They wanted me to feel like it was for work that I spent time with Eva, when in fact, all Mother and Murphy were doing was playing matchmakers?
Mother engulfs my wrist with her fingers. Her thumb makes small circles on my skin. “Son, I knew you would refuse to start looking for love, just because I thought it’s essential for your happiness. You never appreciated the treasure I found with Malcom. So when your brother suggested the bet and explained to me why it might work, I approved it right away. Murphy said that if you believed you were courting Eva to become CEO, you would give it all you’ve got and maybe, along the way, lose yourself in the process.” She peers up at me, a tear glistening in her left eye. “And your brother was right.”
Is she implying what I think she is? “Are you saying that making Eva fall in love with me was never a condition for my promotion?”
Mother gives a bemused snort. “Of course, not. The position was always yours, Nathan. As long as you want it, of course. I was just trying to give you some time to settle down and sort your life out. Leading a company and having a balanced personal life isn’t easy. I could only do it myself because I stepped into this role a few years after I met Malcom and because I already had you two. So my priorities were in order. I hoped that if you discovered the pleasures that a good relationship can provide, you might be a happier person and thus also a better CEO.”
But how could they be sure Eva would be the right match for me? It couldn’t be an obvious choice, given our social differences. “Murphy, why Eva? How did you know?”
Murphy rubs his hands. “I’d met Eva’s grandmother and found her to be a very nice and honest lady. She told me about her grandchild, who was apparently beautiful and passionate, but had her heart broken before and wasn’t ready to date anyone. It was around the same time I was pondering the bet. I thought my meeting with Ms. Flores was a sign sent from heaven. That same night, I disguised myself and went to see Eva at the bar.”
“You disguised yourself?” The image of my brother in a wig, a fake mustache, and a colorful sombrero flashes into my mind, and I can’t suppress a bemused chuckle. “So you’ve been in the Desert Rose before. That explains why you moved through the place with the ease of a regular.”
“Well, not a regular, but I did two visits, each time as a different persona to ensure that I observed Eva long enough to see whether she could be someone for you and you for her.”
Mother nods. “When Murphy first suggested Eva, I was slightly puzzled. I feared that she might be dazzled by our money and not see the right things in you. But Murphy was convinced that by bringing you face to face with someone so different but intriguing, you might be captivated more. Obviously, and thankfully, he is much better at reading people than I am.”
“Mother.” I meet her gaze. “Eva isn’t after my wealth. I think she really loves me.”
“I know she does, my son. I could see it in her eyes when she defended you against Murphy’s accusations.”
“Accusations?” I snap to Murphy and he cringes at my hostile face.
“Calm down, brother. It was just part of her test. She wasn’t ready to admit how she felt for you, probably because you haven’t told her what you told us, right?”
“Right,” I mumble. I don’t want to share with them the shameful plan that I intended to carry out tonight. Luckily I came to my senses before committing a serious mistake.
Murphy nods. “You see? I needed a sophisticated approach to get her talking.”
“And your best method was to accuse me? Accuse me of what exactly?”
“Ah, nothing important.” He waves. “I just called you a grumpy, cold-hearted, calculating robot or something along those lines.”
“Murrrrphy…”I growl.
Mother pats my cheek. “Murphy didn’t mean it seriously, of course. And you should be pleased, because Eva immediately contradicted him. The words she used to describe you, and the passion in her voice, only a woman truly in love can speak about her man like this. You are very lucky to have found a girl like Eva.”
“I know, Mother.” My frustration dissipates as quickly as a balloon that has been poked with a fork. A minute ago, I was contemplating punching Murphy in the face, and now, the thing I want to do most is hug him. If he hadn’t recognized that my heart wasn’t such a deserted wasteland, then I never would have encountered Eva. “Thank you, brother. You went through a lot of trouble to set up this bet. But I couldn’t be more thrilled that
