Chapter 39
Emma's hand flew up, ready to strike again.
Matthew caught her wrist mid-air.
"Enough." His voice could've frozen hell over.
He pulled Evelyn behind him, putting himself between them.
Emma stared at her son, her face going rigid with rage.
"Matthew! You're seriously protecting her right now? She nearly killed your grandmother, and you—"
"Figure out what actually happened first." Matthew cut her off.
Evelyn stood behind him, hand pressed to her burning cheek, but her mind was already racing. Grandma's symptoms—they looked exactly like a peanut allergy. But she'd been so careful about the dietary restrictions. The congee had no peanuts in it. So where the hell did things go wrong?
The medical room exploded into chaos. The doctor gave Grandma a shot and some pills, working frantically for half an hour before the old woman's breathing finally evened out and the angry red hives on her hands started to fade.
"Peanut allergy," the doctor announced as he stepped out. "Marsha's stable now, but she needs rest."
Relief rippled through the crowd. Then the atmosphere curdled into something darker.
Evelyn stood cornered, her cheek still puffy and swollen, five perfect finger marks branded across her face.
Emma's glare could've burned holes through steel.
"Miss Arden." Her voice dripped ice. "You made that congee. Mom collapsed right after eating it. Don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
The relatives who'd come running started their whisper campaign.
"That's her, right? The one who's been hanging around Matthew..."
"Three years, I heard."
"You never really know people, do you?"
Their stares felt like needles pricking her skin.
Evelyn lifted her head. "I used standard ingredients. Nothing in that congee contained peanuts."
Her voice stayed level. "Check the security footage. There are cameras in the kitchen. They'll show everything."
Emma let out a harsh laugh and turned to the security guard hovering nearby.
The poor guy was practically drowning in his own sweat as he shuffled over to Matthew.
"Mr. Perkins, the cameras... they're down. Broke this morning. We haven't gotten around to fixing them yet."
Evelyn's stomach dropped.
"What about the housekeeper?" she pressed. "I asked her to help serve the congee before I left. She saw the whole thing."
They dragged the housekeeper over. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, hands twisting her apron into knots.
"I... I just helped dish it out, that's all. I don't know anything else." Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "The congee looked fine when I brought it out. No problems at all."
Every eye swiveled back to Evelyn.
"Well, who else could it be?" Some middle-aged woman in an obnoxiously expensive fur coat sneered. "She made it. She was right there when it happened. And now the cameras are conveniently broken? Come on."
"Exactly. Matthew, this woman's playing you."
A gentler voice cut through the rising tension. "Everyone, please. Let's all just take a breath. Maybe there's been some kind of misunderstanding?"
Marigold glided over wearing her trademark gracious smile. She glanced between Evelyn and Emma.
"Mrs. Perkins, please try to calm down. Miss Arden has been with Matthew for quite some time now. Surely she knows better than to—" She paused delicately. "Perhaps she simply got mixed up while cooking? Accidentally used something with peanuts in it?"
"Kitchens are chaotic places. These things happen. We shouldn't be too quick to judge."
The words sounded supportive, but every syllable screamed guilty.
Evelyn's laugh came out cold. "I already told you. No peanuts."
"Miss Arden, I'm only trying to—"
"Thanks for the concern." Evelyn's tone could've cut glass. "But I didn't use peanuts. Period."
Marigold's smile wobbled. Her eyes flicked toward Matthew.
Matthew gave her the briefest glance. Nothing in his expression.
Evelyn kept going, her words precise. "There was a little boy with a scraped leg. I went to help bandage it. I wasn't even there when the congee got served."
"Plus someone came through pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair. They were in the kitchen too. Tasted the congee."
She locked eyes with the security guard. "Talk to them. They were both there. Maybe they saw something."
The guard looked genuinely lost. "Ma'am... there's no other elderly patient here. And definitely no children."
Evelyn went still. "That's impossible. I saw them."
The guard just kept shaking his head.
Snickers bubbled up from the crowd.
"She's making it up."
"Yeah, totally lying."
Emma's expression went even darker. "Miss Arden. What else you got?"
Evelyn stood there, fingers curling into fists. The fur coat lady jumped back in, voice dripping venom.
"Obviously Matthew's engagement got under her skin. So she decided to take it out on poor Marsha. Absolutely vicious."
"Right? Get her out of here before she tries something else."
The voices piled on top of each other, getting louder.
Matthew's jaw tightened. "That's enough. Everyone out. I'll deal with this."
"Absolutely not!"
"She can't just walk away from this!"
Two voices rang out at once—Evelyn's and Emma's.
Evelyn's tone stayed deadly calm. "This doesn't get brushed under the rug."
Matthew turned to her, questioning.
"Someone wants to pin this on me? Fine. I can handle that. But—" Her voice hardened. "When Grandma's safety is on the line? That's different. This needs a real investigation."
Matthew stood there for a long moment, thinking. Finally, he nodded and addressed the room.
"We investigate. Find the people Evelyn mentioned."
"Kitchen staff stays put. Cameras are down? Check entry logs. Question everyone."
His gaze swept across every face in the room. "Nobody leaves until we figure this out."
The fur coat woman's expression flickered. Her mouth snapped shut.
---
They stuck Evelyn in a small side room to wait it out. Her face still throbbed, the pain settling into a dull ache.
The door opened. Matthew walked in carrying ointment and cotton swabs.
"Come here."
Evelyn didn't budge.
He sat down next to her anyway, squeezed ointment onto a swab, and reached toward her face.
Evelyn jerked her head away. "Your fiancée's still out there."
His hand paused mid-air. He studied her profile, those vivid red marks standing out like neon signs.
"And?"
He reached for her again.
She dodged again.
Something shifted in Matthew's expression. His mouth curved into this almost dangerous smile.
"What's wrong?" He leaned in closer, voice dropping low. "Not into the whole forbidden romance thing?"
Evelyn froze.
Before she could process that, he'd caught her chin and started dabbing ointment on her cheek. Cool. Stinging. But his touch stayed surprisingly gentle.
Evelyn went rigid.
Matthew had just finished when someone knocked.
"Miss Arden? You in there?" Marigold's voice filtered through the door. "Grandma woke up. She's asking for you."
Evelyn tried to push Matthew away. His arm around her waist just tightened.
Her eyes went wide. "Let go," she hissed. "What are you doing?!"
"Shh." His lips brushed her ear.
Two more knocks. "Evelyn? You there?"
Trapped in his arms, Evelyn didn't dare move. His hand started wandering, sliding slowly up from her waist.
She stopped breathing entirely.
After a few seconds of silence, footsteps faded away down the hall.
Evelyn finally exhaled and sank her teeth into his shoulder.
Matthew flinched and let go. She shoved him back, shot him one hell of a glare, and stalked out.
---
Outside the window, C City's night pressed down thick and heavy.
Matthew lay there staring at the ceiling, wide awake.
He kept thinking about what she'd said. You have no heart.
Maybe that was true. Over a decade in the business world, and nobody would dare call him compassionate. His competitors feared him. His employees respected him out of necessity. Partners kissed up to him.
He didn't need a heart—just sharp instincts, ruthless tactics, and enough power to make everyone fall in line.
He'd known since he was a kid that tenderness wasn't in his DNA.
But right now, with her in his arms, listening to her steady breathing—he wondered if maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe he did have one. Just that nobody had ever bothered teaching him what the hell to do with it.
She slept peacefully, her breath warm against his chest.
He pulled her closer, like she might vanish if he didn't.
Matthew lay like that, eyes wide open, all night long.