Chapter 117 Admission Notice

Chapter 117 Admission Notice

For the next few days, Evie focused entirely on preparing for the exam and paid no attention to anything else going on outside.

She was determined to pass this time. She had always been confident in her work, so when the acceptance letter arrived, she wasn't all that surprised.

Still, when she opened the email, her hands couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Reading through the email, Evie felt her eyes start to sting.

This acceptance letter, years overdue, was finally hers.

She let out a long breath. It felt like a perfect ending for the version of herself who had walked away from her dream at sixteen.

Evie picked up her phone and called James. She wanted to share this moment with him.

He picked up after just one ring.

"You got in?" James's voice was warm with a smile, like he'd been waiting for the call all along.

"Yeah, I got in."

"No surprise there. I've seen your work firsthand — I can personally vouch for how good you are." He paused. "Are you crying?"

"No," Evie sniffled. "It's windy."

James laughed on the other end of the line. "Windy inside the house? I'd better get back soon before you blow away."

Not long after she hung up, James walked through the door with a bouquet of flowers in his arms.

He handed her the flowers and kissed her. "Something this big calls for a proper celebration. We never had a dinner after the wedding either — the guys in the group chat have been on my case about it. What if we combine the two?"

"Sure, but just a small group. I don't have the energy to deal with a big crowd right now."

"You've been exhausted lately. I'll take care of all the planning."

The party was set for the weekend — simple and small, with only a handful of guests.

Wren and Donna arrived first. The moment they walked in, they both stared at Evie and James sitting on the couch for a few long seconds.

Wren spoke first, her expression somewhere between shocked and excited. "Wait — you two are actually together? Like, for real?"

"Didn't we already announce it in the group chat? Why are you still this surprised?" Evie laughed and hugged them both.

"If you hadn't invited me to this dinner, I never would have believed you got married," Donna said with exaggerated outrage. "You two barely seemed that close in the group chat. Were you secretly messaging each other behind our backs?"

James put his arm around Evie with a grin. "What, did you want us to be all lovey-dovey in the group chat for you?"

Wren clutched her chest and took a dramatic step back. "I can't believe the first time I'm meeting my goddess in person is at her wedding dinner. This is devastating!"

Then she turned and glared at Leo. "You knew, didn't you?"

Leo strolled in through the door wearing a floral shirt, a bottle of whiskey in hand and a bright, smug smile on his face. "Of course I did. And honestly, I deserve some credit for how fast things moved. If I hadn't gone to the hospital and asked him whether he got the gift Nox sent, this guy probably would've tossed it without even looking at it."

Evie frowned and looked over at James.

James narrowed his eyes and shot Leo a warning look, then turned back to Evie with a smile and quickly explained. "Back then you didn't know I was Word yet. I had no idea you'd send a gift to the hospital — I thought it was from someone else, so I just set it aside. I didn't do it on purpose."

Leo grinned and draped his arm over James's shoulder. "You're always so harsh with me, but the second Evie's around you go completely soft. True love, I'm telling you."

James turned to Leo, his voice low and sharp. "Either leave or shut up."

Leo laughed awkwardly and dropped the subject.

Thea was the last to arrive, loaded down with bags. The moment she saw Evie, she pulled her into a big hug.

"I was your witness that day and had no idea you were getting married, so I didn't have a wedding gift ready. I'm making up for it now." Thea held out a neatly wrapped gift box.

Evie smiled and tore it open. When the wrapping paper came off, she stopped.

Inside was a set of keys.

"These are...?" Evie stared, already starting to piece it together.

Thea pulled a slightly yellowed sketchbook from her bag — old and worn with age — and opened it in front of Evie.

"I worked really hard to track this down. You drew all of these. I still remember you saying that once you got into Parsons School of Design, you'd open a studio just like this after you graduated."

Hearing that, Evie felt her eyes well up. She never imagined that someone had held onto a dream she'd whispered out loud back in high school.

"I've already got people renovating the space. I was going to wait until it was done and surprise you then, but giving it to you today felt more meaningful."

Evie threw her arms around Thea, her voice breaking. "Thank you, Thea. Thank you for loving me like this and always being there."

Thea teared up too, laughing through it. "I should be the one thanking you. If you hadn't pulled me out of that hole, my parents might never have gotten the help they needed, and I'd still be worn down to nothing."

The two of them looked at each other and smiled, reaching up to wipe the tears from each other's faces.

James was watching from nearby. He was just about to walk over when Leo grabbed his arm.

"Who's the girl hugging Evie? She's really pretty. Can you introduce us?"

James gave Leo a cold look. "Didn't your grandma set you up with a few matches?"

"Those are for marriage someday. Dating is something you find yourself." Leo grinned cheerfully.

"I'm warning you — that's Evie's friend. Stay away."

"Okay, okay, I was just saying," Leo said quickly.

"Good."

James didn't bother with Leo after that and walked straight toward Evie.

But the moment James turned away, Leo looked over at Thea with a sly smile — just as she looked back at him.

Leo waved at her enthusiastically. Thea frowned but gave a polite nod back.

Just as Leo was about to make his next move, James glanced back at him. Leo panicked and crouched down behind the table to hide.

He ducked fast, but not fast enough — James had already noticed.

"Perfect timing, Dr. Rockefeller," Thea said, turning to Evie. "I actually have another gift for the two of you." She pulled out another box from her bag.

Evie blinked. "There's more?"

Thea smiled mysteriously. "Open it. I spent a long time picking this out."

Evie looked down and unwrapped the layers of messily folded black tissue paper. She flipped open the lid — and her smile froze.

A full set of intimate toys. Handcuffs, a tail, a whip — the whole collection.

Evie's ears went bright red. She slammed the lid shut and stared at Thea. "Thea! Why would you buy something like this?!"

James was standing right beside her. He'd already caught a glimpse before the box snapped shut.

His expression was hard to read. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn't say a word — just picked up his glass, took a sip of water, and found something on the wall to look at.

Thea doubled over laughing. "You two are newlyweds! This is a completely practical gift. Just enjoy it — I mean, Dr. Rockefeller clearly has the body for it!"

"Stop talking!" Evie shoved the box behind her back, her face now red all the way down to her neck. "Say one more word and I'm throwing you out right now."

"Fine, fine, I'll stop." Thea raised both hands in surrender, but she couldn't wipe the grin off her face. She took two steps back and added, "Don't forget to try it tonight."

Then she burst out laughing and ran off.

Evie fumed, then turned to James beside her and awkwardly kept the box tucked behind her back.

James curved his lips into a small smile, walked over, and casually took the box from her. He opened it and glanced inside like it was nothing.

"Don't look — we're throwing all of this out when we get home," Evie said, quickly pushing the lid back down.

"Throw it out? Thea put real thought into this. It'd be a shame to waste it." James slid his arm around Evie's waist and leaned close to her ear, his breath warm against her skin.

"We'll try it tonight."