The third point of view

There was no way on earth he was letting her return to Niklaus, Eden thought. Maya was different from other women he has socialized with in the past and present; she was like a breath of fresh air, no wonder Niklaus fell hard for her.

Perhaps he liked her - no, he liked her but not to the extent of being called love and he wanted it to remain that way, he still had great plans for her.

But as perfect as Maya was, she had too many flaws: she was intelligent yet naive; headstrong yet unwary. Albeit what she had gone through in the hands of some people, she still had faith in same damned humanity

It was hard to believe that people like her still existed but Maya had extremely bad luck to have associated with Spencers; his family was a hellhole filled with betrayers and selfish people.

Eden was sorry to Maya; she had such a beautiful heart, but he had larger plans and she was a huge factor in it. His success and failure depended on her and he was going to take a step starting tonight.

But first, he had to break down Maya's wall around him. His mouth curled to the side in a smile, Niklaus wouldn't know what hit him.

"Daddy" Anabelle shook his arm, attracting his attention.

He looked down, "What is it? "

She pouted her lips and rubbed her stomach while casting her pitiful eyes on him, "I'm hungry "

"Get into the car then, let's find a restaurant? " He said to his daughter.

But his cute daughter refused, "I want that " She pointed to a Burger and Fries food stand not far from them.

"Both the food and its location is unhygienic " Eden rejected her idea with disgust but heard Maya snort by his side.

"You rich people and your beratings" She rolled her eyes," Millions of people consume food there every day and haven't died already. Besides, the stomach can't speak what it eats "

"My daughter's health is far more important " He replied to her defensively.

"Anabelle won't die from just a day of eating street food; anyone meant to die would die, healthy or not. Well, protect her all you want, I'm going to fill my stomach with relatable food" Maya decided after lecturing him.

She directed her next question at Pedro."Are you coming along boy or are you waiting for the classic high-end restaurant?"

Eden sensed the mockery in her voice but didn't say anything.

Pedro grinned, "I'm coming with you"

Her face brightened, "At least the little boy knows a good food unlike someone here " She subtly taunted him while leaving with Pedro.

He was firm on his decision but his resolve dwindled when Anabelle kept up with her tantrum and the fact Maya looked in his direction while taking a huge bite out of this mouthwatering hot dog.

He gave in to the temptation.

Eden normally had such dishes but it was always prepared by world-renowned chefs or bought from five-star restaurants, not from a lowly graded roadside food cart.

Negative thoughts about the food flooded his mind as he had his first bite with a grimace on his face. He chewed cautiously, it wasn't that bad.

And that was how Eden wolfed down serving after serving till his stomach had no space to accommodate another.

"So much for, 'my daughter's health is far more important' " She ridiculed Eden animatedly after they were done with their food.

Eden let her mock him to her heart satisfaction, he deserved it a bit but he still wouldn't give up on his belief.

He had grown up in the countryside, seen what poverty looked like, and the poor living standard of people; how clean was the cooking apparatus? Cooking environment? What health measures were put into preparing the dish? - He had a good reason to worry about the food.

"We should leave already," Maya announced, looking up at the sky; It was evening.

"We still have one more place to stop before going home," Eden told her.

"Where is that? "

"It's a secret "

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, "I hope you're not planning on - "

"Don't you even trust me one bit? " He interjected.

"Try again " She patted him on the shoulder and added, " In your next life"

They got into the car and drove off but Maya knew she shouldn't have trusted him cause they found themselves trudging through a meadow minutes later.

"Where in the world are you taking us? " She complained, already tired of walking.

"We're almost there! " He shouted, ahead of them.

"You said that ten minutes ago! " She reminded him.

"Don't worry, we're here already " he said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Maya's brows narrowed together in confusion, what could get him this happy? So she and the kids hurried after him and that was when she saw it.

"Wow " Maya breathed, taking in the clear azure pool staring back at her. The water was breathtakingly surreal that she just stared in awe.

Eden's lips tilted to the side as he watched the look on her face, he knew she was going to love it; simple things moved her.

"How is this possible?! " Maya exclaimed.

The pure spring water was hidden in the meadow and was so blueish green that one could forget to breathe while staring at it, so beautiful.

Then out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Eden begin to take off his clothes, her hands flying to her face.

"What are you doing? "

"What do you think I'm doing? Do you think I came here to just admire the wonders of nature?" He said while undressing till he was in nothing but his shorts.

"If you can swim, there is no harm in taking a dip. After such a long walk, the feel of the cool water on your skin would be rejuvenating " He persuaded her.

"I didn't come with any swimming clothes, " Maya excused herself.

But his eyes rove over her body in a way that made her uncomfortable, her hands across her chest protectively, "What are you thinking, pervert? "

"Just come in your undies, you're not the only female here " He tipped his head to the side indicating a few villagers swimming on the other side of the spring.

No way, getting into that water with him was a bad idea.

"But I can't go home wet," Maya protested, happy to know she had something tangible to evade him.

"We have clothes in the car, remember? " Eden's knowing smile told her he knew her plans.

Shit! she fell into his trap, Maya realized late.No wonder he was into buying them clothes without checking the price tags; he already planned everything.

"The kids! " Maya remembered," Someone has to look out for them, they can't - "

She was still saying when Anabelle and Pedro jumped into the water with a delighted shrill.

Oh, they could swim.

"You were saying? " The smug smirk on his face irked her.

"I can't - "

"Are you going to tell me you can't swim? You who grew up in the countryside? "

So annoying, she has run out of excuses.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out?"

"I'm not chickening out! "

"Then what? " His eyes expressed mischievous mirth as he asked, "Don't tell me you're shy to strip in front of me? "

Her face flushed, "W-what shy? I'm not shy! "

Eden drew closer, bent towards her ears, and whispered, "You don't need to be shy about anything, love. I've already seen you naked, remember?"

Her blush deepened, how could she forget that embarrassing bathtub incident; he thought she committed suicide.

Incited to prove she wasn't a chicken, Lia took off her jacket faster than Eden's eyes could capture, then peeled her dress from over her head till she was in nothing in her matching blue undies.

"Like what you see? " She winked at the stunned Eden and got into the water.

Eden blinked while his heart went to his chest, why was it slamming hard against his chest? Gosh, it must be his body's natural attraction to a half-naked woman.

Eden was right, the water was cool against her skin and she liked it.

"Maya! " She heard Annabelle scream her name and turned around only to have water splashed at her face.

Anabelle giggled, "Gotcha "

Maya wiped her face with her hand before splashing the little girl in return which turned into a game as the others joined in too.

They didn't stay in the water for more than thirty minutes since Eden was concerned over his daughter catching a cold.

She was genuinely surprised Eden didn't try any silly move in the water like touching her inappropriately or getting a good feel of her body in the guise of playing - maybe, he wasn't as bad as she thought.

Eden knew how many times he had to drag his eyes off her body or fight his hand from touching her. Yes, he persisted; there's no doubt he was sexually attracted to her, which man wouldn't?.

Eventually, he drove everyone home and the kids who were elated for a day well spent slept off without having dinner.

Eden was in the wine cellar, his hand trailing along the bottom of the wines arrayed on the racks.

The girl might be comfortable around him but she was still cautious. Gladly, she loved wine, so he needed a wine strong enough to loosen her up; make her susceptible to his charms.

It was time to initiate his plan: getting Maya to bed.

The only way he could fully control Maya was to make her unable to escape him, tie her down to him. Once he took her to bed, the guilt wouldn't let her return to Niklaus and the rest of his plan would fall into place.

Maya wouldn't suspect a thing, the wine would be blamed for their passionate night together.

A crooked smile found Eden's lips, he can't wait to get started.