A/N: Thank you for the reviews! It makes me so happy to know that you're all enjoying this just as much as I'm writing it! Here's the much anticipated chapter 2, but I must confess that I lied. There's actually going to be 4 parts instead of the original 3. I still had more to write that I couldn't fit it all into chapter 2. So be happy that there's still more to come!
1 Month Later
Adam was busy tinkering with the different colored vials in his laboratory. It pleased him that progress was going smoothly and soon he would be able to implement his plan of returning to Nemu. He held up a thin vial containing a light purplish liquid in one hand while scribbling down notes with the other when an uninvited visitor leisurely strolled into his personal work space. That person was none other than the one he despised the most after the Senate. Seth Twiright. The bespectacled brunette had also been named as the 'Best Scientist in this Country' and because of that they had an unspoken rivalry between each other. There could only be one person holding that title and when the Senate placed Adam as the Director for Project MA (the only thing they had ever done right), well it was fairly obvious who more deserving of such a proclamation was.
"Seth," Adam growled, "What are you doing here?"
"Adam. I see that you're still holed up in your lab instead of finding candidates. How long has it been since you came back empty handed with your tail tucked between your legs from that village, hmm?" Seth walked behind Adam and tried to peer over his shoulder, but Adam quickly spun to face his unwelcome visitor while turning over his research papers, shielding them from Seth's prying eyes. Standing at his full height an aura of displeasure was radiating off of him. An indulgent smile tipped up at the corners of Seth's mouth as he took a step back away from invading Adam's personal space, "And just what are you working on there?"
Adam frowned at the devious man, "None of your damn business. If you came here for a reason then spit it out quickly or else leave."
Seth chuckled. It was so easy to ruffle Adam's feathers. "Now, now, don't be like that. Of course I came here for a reason. The Senate is wondering why there's been no progress with Project MA. They're becoming impatient and that prophecy isn't going to fulfill itself. "
A muttered curse escaped Adam, too low for Seth's ears to pick up, as he ran an aggravated hand through his already messy ocean blue hair. "Tell them that I'm working on providing a promising candidate."
"Since you're the Director, I believe it to be your responsibility to provide them with answers."
"And since you're my subordinate you are to do as I tell you." Adam bit back harshly.
Seth's face scowled at that remark. Of course Adam had to play the 'I'm-your-boss-so-you-have-to-do-what-I-tell-you-to-do' card. It's not like he needed a reminder that Adam was in a higher position than he was. He and the Senate had taken great pains to dispose of that pesky Maria Moonlit and for the Senate to have backstabbed him by choosing his rival over himself to be placed in charge of a very important project was unforgivable.
"I'm your colleague not your subordinate."
"Colleague, subordinate, it's the same thing. You're still working under me and if you refuse to then I can easily kick you off the project." Adam said blithely, waving his hand in dismissal of the subject.
Seth clenched his hands and crossed his arms over his chest to prevent himself from smacking his conceited superior (oh, how he hated calling him that) as he almost snarled out, "Very well then, I'll relay your message."
Adam smirked quite smugly at having one upped the brunette. It was petty and childish and not something a man of his age and stature should do, but if there was anything that could give him the upper hand against Seth then he would use it no matter what. He went back to working on his vials, showing Seth his back as a clear sign of dismissal. "If there's nothing else then get out."
Seth took a few deep breaths trying to temper his rising anger when his mind latched onto Adam's passing words. He said he had a promising candidate. Now who could it be? Adam hadn't left his lab since the day he came back from his failed trip unless... Ever the calculating man he was, Seth needed to prod Adam for answers if he was even willing to divulge them. Most likely not, but he was nothing if not resourceful.
The light clicks and clacks of a glass stirring rod gently knocking against the sides of a beaker combined with the continuous humming of machinery was a soothing harmony for Adam's ears. It lulled him into a state of serenity that he never noticed Seth hadn't left yet. The sound of his voice brought him back to reality however, and he could feel the vein in his temple throbbing in time with his growing ire.
"What do you want now, Seth?" He practically hissed out the other man's name.
"I'm sorry to be bothering you so much, Adam," Seth said without an ounce of sincerity, "but there was something you said that caught my interest. What was it again?" He tapped his chin feigning forgetfulness. Adam was immediately running out of patience and snarled at him to hurry it up.
Seth sneered at Adam's back for his own personal victory of annoying his superior. "Oh yes, now I remember!" He replied with fake cheer, "You said you found a promising candidate. It wouldn't happen to be the witch living in Nemu village named as the 'Best Witch in this Country' would it?"
The stirring rod Adam had been using to mix his concoction stopped moving. In fact his entire body froze. A dark light entered Seth's eyes as he observed Adam's back. Bingo. He hit the target right at the mark, now it was time to see if he could be pushed even further.
"I'm right aren't I? If the rumors are true then I suppose she would be the ideal candidate. Since you failed at enticing her perhaps I should go and give it a try?" Seth was cut off from saying anymore by Adam slamming his hand down onto the table causing various glass instruments to rattle in their places. Adam braced both hands onto the table, his shoulders were hunched over, blue head bowed down, and his harsh breathing filled the room.
There was silence. After a moment, Adam collected himself and spoke in a low voice, "I'm warning you, Seth, to back off. I will handle the candidate and you will go inform the Senate. You've outstayed your welcome, Seth. Get out now or I'll have someone haul your worthless ass out."
Without a word, Seth turned on his heel and strolled out of the lab. He had gotten enough information for the time being.
2 Weeks Later
Stepping out of the vehicle, Adam breathed in the fresh air of the country side. He arrived in Nemu by mid-morning and he felt confident that he'd be able to convince Eve to accept his offer. Since material objects gave her no impression physically, Adam construed that the only way to influence the witch was to manipulate her emotions. He was going to seduce her until all she could think about was him and catering to his whims, and with the help of a little something he made in his lab it was going to simply be a matter of time before she caved in.
Adam spent weeks in his laboratory perfecting the short vials full of deep purple serum that he named 'Venom'. A successful batch was created one week ago after multiple testing on lab animals and the occasional human. After witnessing the desired effects Venom did to the human subjects, Adam knew that this would be the key to persuade (brainwash) Eve into agreeing.
With a bit of a spring in his step, Adam ordered his driver to come back in a week and headed off in the direction of the inn. After he settled his belongings in his room (it was same the one he stayed in before) the villagers helpfully supplied him the whereabouts of Eve (they believed he was a suitor, despite Eve's many denials, since he practically hounded her day and night the last time he was there). He gently rapped his knuckles on her door and waited patiently for her to answer. The sound of scuffling feet and the latch being released was a good sign that she didn't check to see who was on the other side of the door because Adam was sure that if she did then she would've snuck out the back entrance without a second thought.
The oak door swung open and Eve stood shell shocked at her entrance. She blinked a couple of times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. On her doorstep was Adam dressed immaculately as always and pleasantly beaming at her. In his hands he carried a small white box tied with a pink ribbon and a mildly sweet smell drifted out of the enclosed top. A delicate sniff told her that it was most likely some form of baked goods being housed in there.
"Hello, Eve. Did you miss me?" Adam inquired unabashed.
Breaking out of her stupor, Eve replied back quite tersely, "No, I most certainly did not. What are you doing here, Adam?"
Adam gasped and blinked his azure eyes in the most innocent fashion. His voice adopted a playfully distressed tone as he said, "I'm hurt! Didn't I say that I'd be back? And look, I even brought you a gift!"
"Yes, but I didn't think you were serious." Eve grudgingly admitted under her breath.
Adam heard her mutterings as clear as day but was unfazed. His smile slid back into place as he intoned cheerily, "Aren't you going to invite me in? It's very rude to leave a guest standing in the entrance way you know."
"I don't want to, but you'll probably make camp outside my door if I don't let you in anyways." Eve glared at him and reluctantly stepped aside to let Adam in.
His eyes wandered from corner to corner making note of every detail. Eve's cottage was small but cozy. The kitchen and living room shared the main space with a small round table, which he presumed was designated as the dining table, was situated in the space between them to separate the different rooms. Beyond the living room were two doors besides each other that must have led to her bedroom and the other to the bathroom. There were various knick knacks and decorations along the walls and table tops that gave off a feeling of being well lived in.
Adam placed the bakery box onto the center of the dining table. He then shrugged off his light jacket, draped it across the back of the wooden chair and settled down onto the seat, making himself well at home. Eve fixed him a mug of hot tea and placed it in front of him as she sat down on the opposite side with a mug of her own steaming beverage. They sat in a contemplative silence for a while; Eve refused to acknowledge the man sitting across from her while Adam watched her ignore him, each sipping their own mugs until Adam broke the stillness by gesturing to the unopened box between them.
Curious at what the contents of the box contained, Eve pulled it closer to her and untied the ribbon. Once the top was flipped over and the baked goods were revealed her eyes lit up in joy. She was delighted to see an assortment of tarts and pastries, all of them sharing a different shade of purple, and immediately grabbed dishes and silverware to indulge in them. When she put a place setting for Adam, he politely declined saying, "You don't need to worry about me. Besides I bought these from the capital specifically for you as a present so please, go ahead and enjoy yourself."
Eve shrugged her shoulders at his excuse and selected a wild berry tart to sample first. Her first bite nearly had her moaning in bliss. During her second bite she noticed the filling was runnier than a normal fruit tart should be as the dark indigo juice leaked out of its shell and onto her plate.
"How does it taste?" he asked her.
"It tastes divine! But I wonder why the filling is so moist? Usually a fruit tart has a sticker jelly like filling."
"I was told that the bakery where I bought these sweets from uses a family recipe where they make the filling differently from the more traditional methods. The moist filling is supposed to add to the flavor." He patiently explained to her.
Understanding dawned in her emerald eyes. People from the capital must do a lot of things differently than the countryside. "Oh, I see. Well thank you for bringing these Adam." She took another bite and savored the sweetness of the fruits and juice rolling around on her tongue.
"It was my pleasure, Eve." Adam rumbled back in satisfaction. He leered at her with half closed eyes as he hid his triumphant grin in favor of taking a sip of his slowly cooling tea instead.
6 Days Later
The plan was proceeding slower than he thought it would but everything was gradually sliding into place. As he had thought before, Eve was a stubborn woman. Venom was a fast acting drug that should have produced the exact results Adam wanted by the end of day one; however, Eve was proving to be resistant towards it. It may have something to do with the fact that she was a witch and her powers were somehow countering the effects of the drug, Adam would need to examine this further once they returned to his lab. Nevertheless, Venom was slowly but surely affecting her system, but the progress was going too slow for Adam's liking.
So during his third day in Nemu, he had taken it upon himself to slip a doubled dosage into all of her meals whenever the chance presented itself. She was none the wiser that she was being drugged and that being combined with Adam's subtle seduction; she was beginning to sway towards his favor. There was one day left and Adam was determined to take advantage of her state of mind and step up his method of seduction.
He found her sitting by the same bank where they first met staring off into the glistening waters. He sat down besides her, making sure that their shoulders would brush against each other with the smallest of movements, and viewed her profile. Eve tried to ignore his stare but every time she shifted, her shoulder brushed against his. The warmth that was radiating off of him made her head dizzy with longing and it only served as a reminder of his close proximity. Her conflicting emotions confused her for it was not too long ago that she treated him with disdain. Uncomfortable with this situation, Eve moved to get up but Adam's hand reached out to gently clasp her dainty hand, rooting her to the spot.
Emerald eyes flew to their joined hands then to Adam's face but his gaze had turned to look at the rushing brook instead so she peered at their hands once more. She wanted to pull her hand away and place it in her lap and as if he were reading her mind, Adam ran his thumb along the back of her captive hand. That one simple action sparked electric bolts of desire to shoot through her entire body. Her breathing quickened and her blood felt like it was on a low simmer as heat was redirected to the most embarrassing place. A light pink dusted her cheeks. How mortifying! To become so aroused at such an effortless touch was perplexing.
When she chanced a glance back at Adam to see if he noticed her reaction, she was startled to see that his face was closer than before. Emerald and azure locked onto each other. His eyes danced in amusement and his mouth curved upwards into a secretive smile. His head moved ever closer to hers, tilting to the side. There was but a scant inch between them now as warm puffs of air breathed onto her lips. Adam paused, giving her ample amount of time to pull away if she really wished to. Their lips were so close to touching that a small nudge would push them together. He saw her inner struggle with herself and waited for the young witch to make her choice.
Eve's heart beat a frantic rhythm against her breast. Rationality and temptation fought a bitter battle against each other until temptation triumphed. Her eyes slid shut, shielding them from azure irises, and closed the remaining distance between them to press their flesh against each other. The slow brushing of lips against his was all the incentive he needed to pull her closer to him and further deepen the kiss. Hands grappled against the other, breathing shortened, and tongues dueled a slippery fight. Their passionate fervor gradually ebbed to lingering caresses, lips softly gliding together, and hands gently mapping each others dips and curves until it slowed to a halt.
Adam pulled away from the dazed woman and touched his forehead to hers, cupping her rosy cheeks between his slightly than warmer palms. He caught her eyes and smiled crookedly.
"Eve," he breathed, "I want you to know that I'm not after you because my company needs you, which we desperately do because in all honesty this is a very important project and you'd be playing a key role in it, but because I want you with me." Eve cut off his nervous rambling.
"Adam, what are you trying to say?" she asked quietly.
Adam took a deep breath to calm his raging nerves and spoke in a near whisper, "I think I'm starting to fall in love with you, Eve. So, I'm going to ask you one more time and if you say 'no' then I'll never bother you again, will you come with me to the capital?"
Her mind short circuited at his emotional confession. He loved her? Was that enough to make her leave her home and life behind to follow Adam; a man who swept into her life like a whirlwind turning what were once peaceful days into chaos? If she were honest with herself then she'd admit that somewhere along the way the man in front of her managed to creep his way into her heart.
She peered into those pools of deep blue trying to determine if he was being truthful. What she saw in them almost made her breathless again. There was so much hope and trepidation for her answer that words failed her. All she could do was give him a single slow nod. His smile broadened even wider as he squeezed her against his chest and laughed merrily. Eve gripped him back, happy that Adam was ecstatic at her response and wondered what the future had in store for them. What she didn't see though was Adam's pleasant facade morph into something else entirely. A Cheshire grin stretched across his face.
Mission accomplished.