Chapter 45
Evelyn looked at him.
That face was sharply defined in the lamplight, the emotions in his eyes unguarded. She suddenly couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She lowered her eyes, silent for a long time. "...Okay."
Matthew let out a breath of relief. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. Evelyn leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. One beat, then another, steady and strong. She closed her eyes, thinking of nothing.
The next morning, Evelyn woke early. She quickly finished getting ready and was about to leave when Matthew stirred awake.
"Why are you leaving so early?" She turned back. Matthew was half-propped against the headboard, his voice carrying the rasp of sleep. "Before... didn't we always leave together?"
Evelyn looked at him like that, something stirring in her chest. But she quickly pushed it down.
"Before, you weren't engaged." Her voice was flat. "Now if we come and go together, it won't look good."
Evelyn pretended not to see Matthew's expression darken as she closed the door and left.
When she reached the underground parking garage, she immediately spotted someone. It was Britney, dressed in an expensive suit. Seeing Evelyn, her eyes narrowed.
"Well, well, Miss Arden? Long time no see. Where've you been lately? Don't tell me..." She paused, her smile malicious. "Did Mr. Perkins dump you?"
Evelyn couldn't be bothered. She moved to walk past. Britney stepped forward, blocking her path.
"Don't rush off. We're colleagues—what's wrong with chatting a bit?"
Evelyn stopped, looking at her. "Move."
Britney was about to say something when her gaze suddenly shifted past Evelyn. Marigold approached from a distance, followed by a blond, blue-eyed man in an expensive suit with an aristocratic bearing.
Britney's eyes lit up. She hurried over. "Miss Quinn! What a coincidence!"
Marigold glanced at her and gave a slight nod. Britney moved closer, shooting a cold smirk at Evelyn before tattling.
"Miss Quinn, you'd better watch out for Evelyn. She's not simple. On the surface she's Mr. Perkins' assistant, but behind the scenes she's done plenty of seducing—"
Before she could finish, Evelyn had walked over and slapped her twice across the face. Britney clutched her cheek, stunned.
As if reading Britney's shock, Evelyn said coldly, "Do you have proof?"
"I..."
"Without proof, it's slander." Evelyn's voice was calm. "Slandering me and spreading rumors about Mr. Perkins—hitting you isn't excessive, is it?"
Britney's expression shifted. "You bitch! You—"
"Britney, that's enough."
A voice came from nearby. Matthew had appeared at some point, his gaze sweeping over Britney, cold as ice. "Britney. Come to my office."
In the office, Britney was complaining to Matthew about Evelyn hitting her, but he didn't even bother looking at her.
"Go to HR and process your resignation."
Britney froze. "Mr. Perkins! I..."
"For your father's sake, I let you into the company and looked after you." Matthew cut her off. "But you shouldn't have spent every day stirring up trouble and spreading rumors." He looked at Britney, his eyes devoid of warmth. "Pack your things. Leave now."
Britney's face turned white as paper. Her eyes filled with bitter resentment. As if suddenly remembering something, she smiled strangely. She pulled a notebook from her bag and waved it in the air.
"Mr. Perkins, you're firing me—fine. But there's something you need to see." She looked at Matthew, enunciating each word. "You think she actually likes you? It's all lies!"
She placed the notebook on Matthew's desk. "When she handed things over to me, she couldn't wait to give me all your private information. She even told me to serve you well! She only cares about money—she doesn't care who's with you!"
Matthew's expression was cold. He didn't want to deal with her anymore and gestured to the security guards. The guards grabbed Britney and dragged her out. She struggled, turning back and still shouting, "Mr. Perkins, see for yourself! You'll know once you look!"
The office fell quiet. Matthew looked down at the notebook in his hands. An ordinary black cover, the corners slightly worn, like it had been flipped through many times.
He opened to the first page.
[He only drinks hot Americano, no sugar, 87 degrees. If the temperature's too high he'll frown, too low and he won't drink it.]
He froze. He kept reading.
[When he rubs his eyebrows while working late, he's tired but pushing through. Bringing coffee then will get you scolded, but bringing warm milk means he'll drink it without a word.]
[He's not allergic to seafood, but has a mild reaction to crab roe—eating too much causes a rash. He doesn't seem to know this himself.]
[He likes it rough, likes to leave marks on the body, covering it with kiss marks.]
Page after page, densely filled, all about him. His habits, his preferences, his physical reactions, details he'd never told anyone. Some things even he didn't know—she'd recorded them.
Matthew sat there, flipping through the notebook, his mind wandering back through three years of memories. He remembered how the coffee she brought was always the perfect temperature. How she always had medicine and warm water ready before his stomach hurt. How she silently packed his luggage before business trips. How everything she did in three years was always "just right."
It wasn't coincidence—she'd written it all down, one note at a time.
His fingers gripping the notebook slowly tightened. Something in his chest swelled painfully. Joy, bitterness, and some unclear emotion he'd never felt before.
The entire morning, Matthew sat in his office, reading the notebook from cover to cover. The smile on his face grew wider and wider until he couldn't suppress it.
Everyone in the executive office was secretly watching that closed door. "Mr. Perkins seems to be in a really good mood today?" someone whispered.
"It's definitely because Miss Quinn came to the company." Another nodded confidently. "Look, he even fired Britney today—standing up for Miss Quinn!"
"So devoted."
Evelyn came out of the break room and heard this gossip. Her steps paused briefly. She said nothing, carried her cup back to her desk, and continued organizing materials for the afternoon meeting.
If Matthew was in a good mood, fine. It had nothing to do with her. Since she'd accepted the project, she'd do it well.
The afternoon meeting was with Jack, a European partner, to discuss a new project. Evelyn arrived at the conference room early to prepare.
When Jack and Marigold arrived, they saw Evelyn with her head down organizing materials. Jack's gaze landed on Evelyn, sweeping over her slowly with contemptuous scrutiny. The corner of his mouth twitched into an ambiguous smile.
He remembered that parking garage scene from this morning quite clearly. That Miss Fox had pointed at her and called her a woman who slept her way to the top.
Jack had spent years in the corporate world—he'd seen too many women like this. They had pretty faces, the right amount of vulnerability, eyes that triggered men's protective instincts. Then they climbed their way up, man by man. This Evelyn was probably one of them.
He recalled Marigold casually mentioning this morning, "Miss Arden has been with Mr. Perkins for three years." When she said it, Marigold smiled appropriately, but that "three years" was spoken with deliberate emphasis.
Jack withdrew his gaze and sat down beside the head seat. He looked at that figure with her head down organizing materials, contempt rising in his heart.
He'd seen plenty of women like this. In this afternoon's meeting, he'd see how long she could keep up the act.