Chapter 6
Evelyn hung her head, lost in her own emotions, and didn't immediately notice Benjamin's change.
He turned to look out the car window, a self-mocking smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Is it possible that this is just who he really is?"
"Impossible!"
Right after Evelyn's rebuttal burst out, she heard a very short but clear snort of laughter, cold and gloomy.
Oh no!
Sure enough, trouble comes from the mouth. She frantically tried to explain, but he began to rest with his eyes closed, not even glancing at her, let alone a chance to explain.
After a long while, she squeezed out a dry sentence.
"Are you angry?"
Benjamin sat there, radiating coldness. Evelyn thought that being with him, summer should be pretty cost-effective.
Her mouth opened several times, and finally she spoke hesitantly.
"Before, he was really good to me. But suddenly, he changed and treated me like an enemy."
The word "enemy" made Evelyn's heart skip a beat.
Everyone in the Thomas family had treated Matthew as one of their own. Evelyn's grandfather, Preston Thomas, valued his abilities and groomed him like an heir.
But he repaid kindness with betrayal. He not only worked with Sophia to ruin Evelyn's reputation, but also destroyed the Thomas family...
She didn't dare continue saying in front of Benjamin that Matthew wasn't that kind of person, but she always felt like she was missing something.
"Give a man a fish, and he'll be grateful; give him too much, and he'll resent you."
Benjamin's sudden voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up at him and met his deep eyes.
Her heart suddenly stirred with waves, and all she could hear was her own heartbeat.
"So, did the Thomas family do something wrong?"
She turned her head away from his gaze, and her quick, anxious question seemed like both an inquiry and an escape from the inexplicable intimate atmosphere.
Looking at her face turning pink, his mood suddenly improved quite a bit.
"If you think there's something wrong with Matthew, I can help you investigate."
"You'll help me?"
Meeting her delighted eyes, his heart stirred. He raised his hand to hold her chin, his thumb brushing across her moist lips.
"I should get something good out of it."
Evelyn's eyes flickered slightly. Feeling his breath getting closer, she closed her eyes with some panic.
The expected kiss didn't come. Instead, his low laugh sounded above her head.
Then she was pulled into his embrace, warm and reassuring.
Perhaps because of this little episode, their lunch wasn't exactly romantic, but it was warm.
Until Ian called.
Her eyelids twitched involuntarily, and the panic in her heart made her drop her phone on the ground.
"What's wrong?"
Benjamin picked up her phone and glanced at the screen, suddenly narrowing his eyes. "Don't tell me you changed Matthew's contact name to confuse me, and that's why you're feeling guilty?"
That did sound like something she would do for Matthew. Evelyn didn't argue and just answered the call.
Ian's urgent voice came through the phone: "Ms. Thomas, Mr. Preston Thomas suddenly fell ill. Please come to the hospital quickly!"
Hospital, emergency center.
"How dare you show up here?"
Seeing Evelyn arrive alone, Sophia immediately started accusing her: "Your grandpa was so good to you, but you're so fickle and flirtatious that you made him sick! Leave now. If your grandpa sees you, he'll only get worse!"
Was Preston made sick by anger?
Evelyn's eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to calm herself down.
In her past life, the media had widely exposed her alleged seduction of Matthew, damaging not only her reputation but also affecting the Thomas Group.
More importantly, Preston was hospitalized from anger, but it was far from requiring emergency care.
Now, with nothing having happened yet, how could Preston have passed out?
"What are you standing there for? Leave now!"
Matthew's face was cold, as if he didn't even want to see her. "Don't let Grandpa see you."
So eager to drive her away?
Was he really worried about upsetting Preston, or afraid she would discover something?
"When did you two get to make decisions for the Thomas family?" Her cold gaze fell on Ian. "Have security drag them out."
She didn't waste a single word.
Her swift and decisive action left Ian frozen in place. "Ms. Thomas..."
Only now did both Matthew and Sophia have to face their change.
Especially Sophia.
She stopped scolding and started crying instead.
"Evelyn, I used to think you were just willful, but how did you become like this?"
"Your grandfather arranged your engagement with Benjamin for your own good."
"Even if you didn't want it, you could have just talked it through. Why did you have to keep defying your grandfather?"
"That's one thing, but on one hand you're using the engagement for your own benefit, and on the other you're still leading Matthew on."
"What exactly are you trying to do? Do you want to anger your grandfather to death?"
Sophia's tears combined with her heartfelt accusations, plus the hospital setting, really did attract quite a few onlookers.
Moreover, the situation between Evelyn, Benjamin, and Matthew was somewhat of an open secret in Emerald City.
The stares from the crowd hurt more than the whispers she couldn't quite hear.
Evelyn was surrounded in the middle, facing Sophia's accusations and Matthew's cold observation.
She touched her red lips, a cold beauty flashing across her delicate face, but her beautiful eyes carried a bone-chilling coldness.
"Right now, my grandfather is being resuscitated. If you're capable, contact a doctor. If you're not, quietly praying would be good too."
"You're so eager to attack me. What are you trying to do?"
"Also, the Thomas family's affairs don't need outsiders interfering!"
Evelyn's strong, unbowed attitude made Matthew and Sophia momentarily guilty.
But soon, facing the isolated and helpless Evelyn, they began a new attack.
"What outsiders?" Sophia's eyes widened, showing a pitiful appearance. "Everyone knows that your grandpa has been grooming Matthew as his heir. Are you saying this because someone influenced you, and now you want to compete with Matthew for the inheritance?"
Inheritance disputes were a topic that never disappeared in hospitals, and one that people from high society to ordinary citizens loved to discuss.
It had to be admitted that Sophia had a strong ability to grab attention.
With just a few words, she made everyone believe that Evelyn was someone who was unfaithful and ungrateful.
"Who would have thought that this innocent-looking woman could be so cruel?"
"Her elder is in the emergency room, and her first reaction is to drive away her older brother and fight over the inheritance."
No one could resist malice from a crowd, and Evelyn couldn't either. Waves of dizziness hit her.
Her hands hanging at her sides, clenched into fists, her neatly trimmed nails digging into her palms.
Stay calm, no matter what, stay calm. She absolutely couldn't collapse, or she would truly be at their mercy.
Sophia saw her struggling to hold on, and a smug smile flashed across her lips. "Evelyn, think it over carefully. Stop making a scene here..."
A watch fell from above, hitting Sophia's forehead. Blood streamed down, cutting off her words.