Chapter 91 Long Time No See
Roman went completely still.
For a moment, the world seemed to fall into silence.
Even the wind felt distant.
His eyes stayed on hers, but something in them shifted.
“…No,” he said at last.
His voice was calm.
Evelyn didn’t respond immediately. She just watched him carefully.
As if trying to look past his words and see what he wasn’t saying.
Roman held her gaze without blinking.
“You’re overthinking,” he added, quietly. “You’ve been under a lot of stress lately. It’s normal to feel disoriented.”
His hand lifted, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her face softly.
Evelyn’s brows drew together slightly.
“I see…” she murmured.
But she didn’t look convinced.
Her fingers curled slightly at her side as a faint uneasiness settled in her chest.
Roman noticed.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly before he relaxed again.
“Come inside,” he said, his tone shifting gently. “You need to rest.”
He reached for her hand.
This time, she didn’t pull away. But she didn’t fully relax either.
As he guided her back inside, her gaze lingered on him quietly.
—-
The next morning, Roman stood behind Evelyn, quietly buttoning her shirt.
His movements were slow, and careful.
Evelyn caught his reflection in the mirror and smiled.
“How the roles have switched,” she said lightly. “I’m usually the one buttoning your shirt before work… and sometimes unbuttoning it when you get back.”
Roman’s lips curved slightly.
“I can always stay home,” he replied calmly. “Let you handle all the work.”
Evelyn turned her head sharply, narrowing her eyes at him.
“What?”
Then she let out a short laugh.
“I knew it! Lena said it, but I didn’t believe her. You’re really planning to dump everything on me?”
Roman shrugged faintly, unfazed.
“You should be happy,” he said. “Aren’t you a feminist? I thought that’s what most women want now.”
Evelyn stared at him, completely speechless.
Roman chuckled softly at her expression.
Then, as if nothing had happened.
“Let’s go shopping later,” he said.
Evelyn blinked. “Shopping? Why?”
Roman finished buttoning the last button and adjusted her collar.
“I noticed you don’t have enough office wear,” he said. “And the ones you do have are a bit… tight.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened instantly.
“Excuse me?!”
She turned fully to face him.
“Are you saying I’ve gained weight?”
Roman paused, and swallowed.
“No. I just meant—those clothes look like the ones you wore in school. And compared to when we got married, you’re now…”
He trailed off.
Evelyn folded her arms.
“Say it,” she challenged. “Fat?”
Roman sighed, stepping closer.
“No,” he said, his voice lowering.
His hands slid to her waist, then lower—resting firmly on her hips.
He drew her slightly closer.
“Curvier,” he corrected.
His fingers traced lightly along her hips.
“You’ve gotten more… stunning.”
Evelyn’s breath hitched.
Her lips parted slightly before she quickly stepped out of his hold.
“Will you get your hands off me? I’m going to work,” she said, trying to sound annoyed.
But her flushed cheeks betrayed her.
Roman leaned back slightly, watching her move around the room.
There was amusement in his eyes. He was enjoying this.
“Old man,” Evelyn muttered under her breath.
The smile on Roman’s face dropped.
“…What did you just call me?”
Evelyn shot him a look.
“See? How do you like it? That’s exactly how I felt when you called me fat.”
“I didn’t call you—”
“Ah, forget it,” she cut him off, already sitting in front of the mirror.
She picked up her comb and began fixing her hair.
“Roman, that reminds me,” she said casually. “I made a bet with your brother.”
Roman, now standing behind her with his arms folded, raised a brow.
“A bet?”
Evelyn nodded, briefly explaining the situation involving the Hayes.
Roman listened quietly. Then gave a small nod.
Evelyn paused, glancing at him through the mirror.
“You’re not going to say anything?”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked calmly.
Evelyn frowned slightly.
“What if I lose?”
Roman didn’t hesitate.
“What if you do?”
She turned slightly toward him.
“Then your company loses… and I get kicked out.”
Roman’s expression didn’t change.
“You won’t get kicked out.”
Evelyn blinked.
“But the bet—”
“If you lose,” he interrupted smoothly, “then it simply proves how powerless their authority is.”
His gaze held hers through the mirror.
“Because unless you choose to leave… no one is making you go anywhere.”
Evelyn stilled.
Something warm spread quietly in her chest.
“But you won’t lose,” Roman added.
He picked up her bag from the side and handed it to her just as she stood.
Their fingers brushed again.
“Come back to me early,” he said softly.
Before she could respond, he leaned in, pressing a kiss on her forehead, the bridge of her nose, then her lips—brief, but deliberate.
He stepped back. Letting her go.
—-
The moment Evelyn stepped into the company building, she felt the shift in the air.
The way everyone looked at her.
“They’re saying it was a miscarriage…”
“I saw the video last night—”
“Isn’t she supposed to be resting at home?”
They began whispering amid conversation.
Evelyn’s steps didn’t falter.
Her shoes clicked steadily against the polished floor as she walked past them, her posture straight, with a calm expression.
As if she hadn’t heard a single word.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her bag.
The elevator doors slid open. She stepped in alone.
The moment they closed, the silence wrapped around her heavily.
Her reflection stared back at her from the mirrored walls.
She looked composed, and elegant. But her chest felt tight.
Miscarriage?
The word echoed faintly in her mind.
A strange discomfort settled within her—distant, but persistent.
She exhaled slowly
—
By the time she reached her office, a stack of documents was already waiting on her desk.
Someone had sent them early.
She paused for a second, then stepped inside.
The room still felt slightly unfamiliar, but not in a way that unsettled her.
More like… something she was slowly growing into.
Evelyn set her bag down and walked toward the desk, flipping open the first file.
Westline Commercial Project.
She skimmed through it, her eyes moving quickly over the pages.
Numbers, agreements, names. Then, the Hayes Corporation.
Her fingers stilled for a brief moment. Then she turned the page calmly.
As if the name held no weight at all.
But the more she read, the more her brows drew together slightly.
Something wasn’t right.
The Hayes family she knew would never move like this. Not this fast, and boldly. Without hesitation.
Yet here they were, pushing into a project owned by Sinclair… like they had nothing to lose.
Or everything backing them.
Evelyn closed the file slowly.
Her gaze drifted toward the window, the city stretching endlessly beyond the glass.
“So…” she murmured softly.
“What changed?”
The question lingered in the quiet room.
But no answer came.
A soft knock pulled her back.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and one of the staff stepped in, slightly hesitant.
“Mrs. Sinclair,” he said, “the documents you requested have been sent. If there’s anything else you need—”
“There is,” Evelyn said gently.
He paused.
Evelyn met his gaze.
“Set up a meeting with Hayes Corporation.”
The words were simple. But they landed.
The man blinked in surprise. “A meeting…?”
“Yes,” she said calmly. “Today.”
There was a brief hesitation, as if he wanted to question it—but didn’t.
“…Understood.”
He nodded and left.
Evelyn exhaled slowly once the door closed.
If they wanted to step into her world, she would meet them first.
—-
The confirmation came faster than expected.
“They accepted immediately,” the same staff member said when he returned. “They’re already on their way.”
Evelyn’s gaze sharpened slightly.
Of course they were.
Almost as if… they had been waiting.
—
The meeting room was quiet when she stepped in.
Evelyn took her seat without a word, placing the file neatly in front of her.
Her fingers rested lightly on the table, steady, ad composed.
Minutes passed.
Then the door opened.
Footsteps echoed softly against the floor.
Evelyn didn’t look up immediately.
“Long time no see.”
The voice was soft, and familiar.
Evelyn’s fingers tightened slightly against the table before she slowly lifted her gaze.
A familiar face she had almost forgotten came into view.
Maya.