Chapter 52 Carefree and Caught
Roman only finally let Evelyn go after she agreed to pack his underwear for the trip.
And worse—he stood there and watched her do it.
By the time she was done, Evelyn was certain her skin would start bleeding from how hard her cheeks had been burning all day. Roman hadn’t stopped teasing her, his eyes glinting with amusement every time she fumbled with a pair of briefs.
She’d always seen him as cold, detached, even in their most intimate moments. But this playful, relentless side of him was new. He had a talent for stripping away her composure, leaving her shy, speechless, and glowing with embarrassment. He seemed to enjoy it. Like it had become a new found hobby for him.
She wondered what his boardroom executives would think if they saw him like this.
If the world thought Roman Sinclair was an ice-cold CEO, she was now the keeper of a very different, very frustrating secret.
—-
It was night by the time they were finally ready to leave. Roman had waited with surprising patience all day while Evelyn fluttered around, insisting on double-checking every detail before their trip. He’d told her repeatedly it wasn’t necessary, but she’d refused to listen.
Now, Roman carried all three of her mini suitcases, plus her oversized handbag, refusing to let her lift a thing.
Evelyn instinctively stepped forward to help.
Roman didn’t even glance at her. “No.”
“Roman—”
“No,” he repeated, and that was that. “Your thigh is injured. You’ve been on your feet all day.”
Evelyn hesitated, then decided she liked being spoiled. She let him carry everything while she strolled out empty-handed to the car
James, the chauffeur, immediately stepped out when he saw them, moving to help with the luggage.
“Young master.”
Roman handed nothing over. He simply walked to the trunk and placed everything in.
Evelyn, meanwhile, went straight to the front passenger seat and sat down with a satisfied little smile.
When Roman came around and saw her, he paused.
His eyes narrowed at the sight of her in the front.
“Evelyn,” he said, his voice low. “What are you doing in there?”
Evelyn looked up innocently, and smiled sweetly, ignoring the warning in his tone. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
She was getting back at him for a day full of teasing. If she couldn’t match his wit, she could at least annoy him. And it was working perfectly. She’d noticed he only used her full name when he was irritated.
“Evelyn. You’re supposed to sit at the back. With me.” He said through clenched teeth
He yanked the passenger door open. “Get down. Now.”
“No.” Evelyn crossed her arms, still smiling. “I like the view here.”
James stood frozen beside the trunk, caught between his master’s mood and his madame’s stubbornness. His hands hovered helplessly like he wanted to disappear.
“Madame,” he said carefully, voice tense, “I’m the chauffeur. You… you can’t sit in front with me. You’re supposed to sit at the back with the young master.”
Evelyn ignored him completely and stared ahead like she hadn’t heard a word.
Roman stared at her for a second long. He slammed the door shut. “Fine. I’ll drive.”
Roman walked around to the driver’s side.
James stepped back in panic, immediately handing over the keys.
Roman opened the driver’s door, then looked over his shoulder at James.
“Sit in the back,” he ordered. “So you can bring the car back.”
James blinked, flustered by how fast everything had flipped. But he didn’t dare hesitate. He climbed in quickly and shut the door.
Evelyn tried to hide her triumphant smile, but it escaped, curving her lips as she looked away.
Roman saw it. He scoffed, shaking his head as he started the engine. “Having a good time, are you?”
Evelyn finally laughed, turning her head toward the window to pretend she wasn’t.
Roman kept his focus back on the road as he reversed the car out. But a smile couldn't help but spread across his face—a smile he also couldn't hide
He felt lighter tonight. Evelyn was finally warming up to him, letting her guard down in a way he hadn’t seen before.
He knew how she usually was—calm, reserved, quiet, shy. But even now, he could sense there was more beneath the surface. Something wilder and carefree.
Something he wanted to see, to draw out, little by little, on this trip.
It wasn’t just about her body. He wanted the part of her she usually kept hidden. The part she’d let only him touch.
Roman glanced sideways once he was fully on the main road.
Evelyn had let her hair down, the shoulder-length waves whipping around her face as she leaned her head partly out the window, gazing at the city lights with a childlike wonder.
His grip tightened subtly on the steering wheel.
She was always beautiful, but like this—carefree, glowing under the night sky—she stole the air from his lungs.
A horn blared, snapping his focus back to the road.
Since he couldn’t stare at her, he reached over and took Evelyn’s hand.
He squeezed it firmly, like he needed the contact to prove she was real.
Evelyn blinked and looked down at their hands, surprised by the sudden contact. She turned to him.
But Roman’s eyes remained on the road.
Evelyn smiled and let him hold her, turning back to the window as if nothing had happened.
In the back seat, James watched the scene quietly.
And he couldn’t help smiling also.
It was rare, so rare, to see his young master like this.
Even if the way he’d gotten her was… questionable, James couldn’t deny it anymore.
Evelyn brought out something in Roman that no one else ever had.
—
When they finally reached the airport, Evelyn expected Roman to slow down near the main parking lot.
He didn’t.
Instead, he drove past it, following a private route.
Evelyn straightened in her seat, surprised.
‘Weren’t we supposed to stop there?’
She wanted to ask, but she kept silent, suddenly having a thought.
Roman might be low-key, but he was still Roman Sinclair. He could sneeze in public and it would become a headline.
And after the recent online drama… Evelyn wasn’t exactly unknown anymore either.
Maybe he was avoiding attention.
Still… it was nighttime. They wouldn’t be instantly recognizable
‘Is there really a need for this?’
She thought as they drove deeper into a restricted area, the sounds of the public terminal fading away.
Finally, Roman slowed and stopped in a wide, spacious area lit with soft night lights. The place looked mesmerizing.
Evelyn heard the distant hum of engines not far away.
Roman got out first.
James followed.
Evelyn stayed seated for a moment, confused, until Roman opened the trunk and grabbed the luggage.
He started walking forward without a backward glance.
Evelyn stepped out slowly.
Then she froze. She stood rooted to the spot, her breath catching.
Roman realized she wasn’t beside him.
He turned and called out, voice raised slightly so she could hear him through the whipping wind.
“Are you coming or not?”
Evelyn couldn’t answer. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide with pure astonishment.