Evelyn woke with a gasp, her breath ragged and her eyes wide with tears. Blinking against the dim light, confusion etched on her face before her gaze fell on Zevian sitting right beside her.
Memories of her earlier breakdown and their current proximity made heat race to her cheeks. She abruptly sat up, but her attempt to distance herself only brought them even closer, almost face to face, locking eyes with each other.
"Feeling better?" Zevian asked, his hand instinctively reaching to hold and caress hers. She had fallen unconscious in his arms in the car, and though Mike had assured him she was fine, he had stayed beside her for more than three hours, restless and concerned.
Stunned by his gesture, Evelyn didn't know how to react. His warm gaze and the gentleness in his tone teleported her back to when they were dating, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions. She quickly averted her eyes and nodded, her cheeks blushing beet red.
A sigh escaped her lips as Zevian stood up and shifted to the chair before the bed. He filled a glass of water and handed it to her, his stoic expression hiding the similar emotions he was experiencing, unlike her obvious awkwardness.
"Thank you," Evelyn murmured, accepting the glass, and took a sip. The last time she had seen him was in the hospital, unconscious and covered in bandages following his wife Katherine's death in a tragic accident. He looked better now, but the memories still stung.
"Goodness! You're finally up!" A woman's voice broke the silence between them. They both looked up to see Avery Cartwell, Zevian's maternal cousin and also Evelyn's best friend since childhood.
Avery dropped Kiana from her arms and hurried to the bed. Crawling onto the mattress like a child, she reached Evelyn and hugged her tightly. Her embrace instantly filled Evelyn with the warmth she had been craving since last night's drama, and she smiled as Avery grumbled about how worried she had been throughout her nine-hour flight.
"I told you to stick to our plan," Evelyn scolded in a low voice, referring to the crucial business trip Avery had interrupted upon hearing the previous night's news.
"But how can I leave you here alone in this mess?!" Avery grumbled, breaking the hug. As if the scandal wasn't enough, her annoying cousin Zevian delivered another shocking blow that Evelyn was attacked, and she needed to rush to his house, leaving her in panic.
"Well, I do have good news for you," Avery said excitedly, ignoring the other person sitting adjacent to them. "Guess what? Mr. Igor wants to continue working with our company and signed us as his exclusive designers for all his upcoming projects."
Evelyn smiled nervously and pressed Avery's hands firmly, trying to stop her from saying too much or worse, revealing her secret identity. But Avery, being Avery, ignored her and continued with a cheeky smile, "And I think he seems to have fallen head over heels for you, Evy! He couldn't stop complaining about your absence."
Zevian's expression hardened at his cousin's words. His hand which was resting casually on his knee, clenched into a fist. Was this crackhead using Evelyn to extort deals off that Italian prince? But why did Evelyn look happy about it? He thought, his fists tightening though he knew he had no right to feel jealous. Not after abandoning Evelyn alone in front of the marriage bureau six years ago.
Even Kiana, who had walked up to her dad and was standing beside him, didn't like what her aunt said. Though she could barely understand grammar, all the fairy tales and dramas had taught her enough to understand what falling for someone meant. And she couldn't let her aunt ruin her plans of making Evelyn her mommy! Not when the kids in her new school kept bullying her because her real mommy was dead and her daddy didn't love her.
Avery, oblivious to the glares pointed at her, continued chatting, her voice a bright contrast to the thick tension around them. Unlike her, Evelyn could read the room clearly, especially Zevian's stare, and decided to zip her best friend's mouth.
"Where's Elias, by the way?" she asked, diverting the topic. Avery's joyous reaction quickly changed to one of dread, recalling how Elias had stormed out of the house just a couple of minutes earlier to confront his father.
"What's wrong?" Evelyn frowned, her gaze shifting from Avery to Zevian. As their eyes met, she felt something was definitely off.
"Avy, what's wrong? Is he alright?" Evelyn asked again, her voice filled with worry this time. The last thing she wanted was for Elias, her only family, to get hurt because of her.
Avery sighed, realizing all her babbling went in vain. She was just trying to keep Evelyn distracted for some time, unsure if she could handle another blow, but failed miserably. "Steel yourself, okay?" she said, taking out her phone.
Evelyn's heart raced anxiously as Avery opened a news article and passed it to her. Her eyes squinted in confusion before shock overtook them as she read the headline:
[The Wright and Blake family are strengthening their bond through marital ties. Mr. Wright's adopted daughter Evelyn Wright is all set to marry Nicholas Blake, the second largest shareholder of the Blake company this weekend.]
Evelyn's expression was a mix of everything: disappointment, anger, and pain. All she had asked for was a small chance to prove herself, yet her father didn't think she was worthy of it. He simply decided to stab her from the front, right through her heart while the rest of her enemies preferred to attack from the shadows.
Avery sensed her heartbreak and moved closer to pull her into yet another hug. She knew Evelyn's dynamics with her useless father well and quickly tried to console her. "Don't worry. I have the best solution for it."
Even Zevian was curious about how this troublemaker could actually help someone out of trouble. But what Avery said, though it made sense, didn't quite sit well with him, nor was Kiana happy about it.
"Let's call Mr. Igor and explain your situation. Your prince charming will surely save you," Avery joked, breaking the hug. "Maybe he might just ask for your hand in marriage."
"No!" Kiana was the first to refute, even before Evelyn could speak. Taking a step forward, the little girl huffed and continued, "My daddy saved her first! He should be her prince charming!"
Looking at Evelyn, Kiana continued, "You should marry my daddy!" Thinking that Evelyn wasn't impressed by her daddy, she added, "I know he is stoopid, but he is also rich. And... He has lots of cars too! "
Even Zevian was stunned by his daughter's outburst. He never taught her to be this brutally honest!