Chapter 99 Keep It Quiet
Evelyn turned sharply, her pulse jumping.
Roman stood behind the couch, barefoot in his sleep pants, his hair slightly disheveled. He didn’t look fully awake, but his eyes were clear enough as they moved from the laptop to her face.
“What are you doing?” he asked again.
Evelyn forced a smile that didn’t quite settle.
“Nothing,” she said, a little too quickly. “I couldn’t sleep. I was just checking emails. Work related.”
The words sounded thin even to her own ears.
Roman didn’t respond right away. He kept looking at her, his gaze steady, and unreadable.
“At two in the morning?”
The question lingered.
Before he could say anything else, Evelyn pushed herself up and stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
The sudden movement caught him off guard, and he shifted slightly to steady them both, his hands coming instinctively to her back.
“Why are you awake?” she asked, her voice softer now. “Did I wake you?”
With her pressed against him warmly, whatever he had been about to say slipped away.
“I couldn’t feel you beside me,” he replied.
Evelyn’s hold tightened on him, before she pulled back just enough to look at him.
“Come on,” she said, easing the moment aside. “Let’s go back to bed.”
She didn’t let go of him as she turned, guiding him along with her.
—
Back in the bedroom, Roman drew her close the moment they lay down, his arm settling around.
“Do you want me to make you tea?” he murmured against her hair. “It might help you sleep.”
Evelyn shifted closer, resting her head against his chest.
“I’m fine,” she said.
His hand found her hair, fingers threading through it slowly. She closed her eyes and let the rhythm pull her under.
—
The next morning, Evelyn waited until she was in the car before dialing Lena.
"I need your help with something."
Lena's voice came through sleep-roughened. "What time is it?”
“Early. I have something… but I don’t want Roman involved.”
There was a pause on the other end.
“What kind of something?”
“A flash drive.” Evelyn said.
“Why would you have a flash drive you don't want Roman to know about?” Lena asked curiously.
“Nathan gave it to me.”
Lena went quiet for a while.
"Nathan? As in your ex-fiancé Nathan? The one who—”
"Yes.”
“Why would Nathan give you a flash drive?”
Evelyn exhaled slowly, her grip tightening around her phone as she replayed the previous night in her mind.
She explained what she had seen. What she had heard.
When she finished, there was a brief silence.
“I think the Hayes family is involved in something illegal,” Evelyn said finally. “Drug testing. On people. And somehow… Nathan got caught in it.”
“So you’re still not going to tell Roman?” Lena asked.
Evelyn’s jaw tightened.
“No,” she said. “I want this to stay between us.”
Lena sighed lightly. “Alright. You want me to dig into the Hayes family?”
“Yes. See what you can find.”
“I’ll need to hear that recording myself.”
“I’ll bring it to you after work,” Evelyn said. “I don’t want to keep it on me.”
“Good,” Lena replied. “And since you’re coming over, bring cheesecake.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes, even though Lena couldn’t see her.
“Fine.”
She was about to hang up when something occurred to her.
“Are you still staying at your place,” she asked, “or with Rhys?”
Lena hesitated, then gave a vague answer.
“Sort of both.”
Evelyn frowned slightly. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Lena said quickly. “I just… go back and forth. I haven’t fully moved out yet.”
“Alright. I’ll come to yours.”
Lena said something that made her laugh softly before ending the call.
—-
Evelyn arrived at Lena’s place just as the evening light began to fade.
She didn’t linger outside. The sooner she handed this over, the better.
Lena opened the door before she could knock twice.
“You look like you didn’t even have time to rest,” Lena said, stepping aside to let her in.
Evelyn walked past her, setting her bag down on the table, and the box of cheesecake. “I didn’t.”
Lena shut the door and leaned against it for a second, watching her carefully. “That serious?”
Evelyn didn’t answer immediately. She reached into her bag and pulled out the flash drive, placing it on the table between them.
“This is it.”
Lena’s expression shifted.
“That small thing is what’s been bothering you since morning?”
Evelyn met her eyes. “Listen to it first.”
“Well… glad you brought the cheesecake.”
\-
They sat side by side on the couch, Lena already opening her laptop.
The file loaded quickly. One recording. Nothing else.
Lena glanced at Evelyn once, then pressed play.
Static filled the room first.
Then voices.
Broken. Distorted. Cutting in and out like a damaged signal.
“…first subject… unstable…”
“…dosage was—no, that wasn’t the
issue…”
“…went feral… almost—”
Lena’s fingers stilled over the keyboard.
The voices continued.
Static swallowed the next part. Then—
“…Hayes… no disruptions…”
“…keep it contained…”
The recording cut off.
Lena didn’t speak for a few seconds.
She leaned back slightly, her eyes still on the screen. Then she replayed it.
This time, she listened without interruption.
When it ended again, she closed the laptop halfway and turned to Evelyn.
“You’re thinking drug testing.”
Evelyn nodded.
“It fits,” she said. “Their sudden growth. The money and everything.”
Lena tapped her fingers lightly against the laptop.
“Maybe,” she said. “But something about it doesn’t line up.”
Evelyn frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The language,” Lena replied. “It’s too clinical in some parts, then too vague in others. If this were just drug distribution or testing, it wouldn’t sound like this.”
Evelyn’s brows drew together.
“Then what is it?”
Lena didn’t answer right away.
“I don’t know yet,” she said finally.
“But it’s not something small.”
Silence settled between them.
Evelyn looked down at the flash drive resting on the table.
Nathan’s desperate face flashed in her mind again.
“Nathan is in some kind of situation. He mentioned Roman could be the only one to help him out. But I don’t want Roman involved,” she said quietly.
Lena looked at her.
“He’s already involved, whether you like it or not,” she said. “If the Hayes family is tied to something like this, and you’re now part of the Sinclair family—”
“I said no.”
Evelyn’s voice was calm but firm.
Lena studied her for a moment, then exhaled.
“Alright,” she said. “I’ll dig into it first. Quietly.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Be careful,” Lena added. “If this is what I think it is, you’re stepping into something unrealistically dangerous.”
Evelyn stood after a moment.
“I’ll leave it with you,” she said, nodding toward the laptop.
Lena gave a short hum in response.
“I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
Evelyn picked up her bag.
But her steps slowed slightly as she reached the door.
“Lena.”
Lena looked up.
“If anything feels off… stop,” Evelyn said.
Lena raised a brow.
“You’re the one who should be saying that to yourself.”
Evelyn nodded, then walked out.
—
Roman stood by the window of his study, his phone resting loosely in his hand.
He checked the time, then quickly called Leo.
"Why is my wife not back yet?”
“What? She isn't back?” Leo asked back from the other side of the phone.
“Why are you repeating questions?”
He asked irritatedly.
“Sorry boss—but she left about an hour ago.”
Roman's brows furrowed.
“An hour ago?”
“Yes, boss. Do you want—”
Roman ended the call abruptly.
He stared at empty space, contemplating.
Evelyn’s face from the night before lingered in his mind.
The way she had looked at him in the fitting suite. And how she suddenly wants a baby.
His gaze lowered slightly.
“What is Evelyn hiding?”
A knock sounded on the door at that moment.
“Young master, the young mistress is back.” Mrs. Chen's voice sounded outside.
“Okay, I'll get down in a minute.” He replied.
Roman walked to a drawer, and reached for another phone.
He hesitated for a while, then dialed a number.
Evelyn isn't telling him something.
‘I have no option but to—’
The call connected.
“I need you to keep track of all Evelyn's movements.” Roman said.
He swallowed the lump forming in his throat.
“Discreetly.”