Chapter 118 Provocation

Chapter 118 Provocation

Upon hearing that, Evie's ears turned even redder. She shot James an annoyed glare.

"By the way, there's something you need to remind Thea about. If Leo comes looking for her, tell her to ignore him," James said.

"Why? Don't tell me Leo's into Thea?" Evie asked, confused.

"Leo's a well-known player. He'd go after any pretty girl."

"Yeah, Thea should watch out for him. But she's not looking to date anyone right now anyway. Even if Leo tries to chase her, she won't say yes."

The two of them were about to go greet Thea and the others when two uninvited guests showed up, freezing the party atmosphere in an instant.

Vivian walked in wearing a white dress, arm linked with Dimitri's, a smug smile on her face. A huge diamond ring on her ring finger flashed under the hallway lights.

Dimitri stood beside her in a dark gray suit, his gray-blue eyes looking over with a polite but cold smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Evening," Vivian drawled, her gaze sweeping past Evie across the living room. "Heard you were having a little party. Dimitri and I were just out for a walk nearby, so we thought we'd pop in and say hi."

Evie gave a cold laugh. "A walk that just happened to end up at someone else's doorstep?"

"Well, we were passing by. Plus, I'm here to congratulate Evie on her marriage. I also wanted to invite her to mine and Dimitri's engagement party in a few days." Vivian laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear, making the diamond ring catch the light again.

Evie frowned and didn't respond.

"Evie, I heard you got into Parsons School of Design? Congrats. It must've been tough finally making that dream come true after all these years. You probably had to work really hard to get in, huh?" Vivian's tone was sarcastic.

"I've got some good news too. I'm going to Parsons as well. Surprised? Sometimes it's funny how some people bust their ass for something, but I can get it with just a snap of my fingers."

Vivian smiled like she'd already won. "Evie, why do you think that is?"

"You bitch, you're asking for it. Crashing someone else's party like this!" Thea, always quick to anger, was ready to charge at Vivian.

Evie grabbed her just in time. "I'll handle it."

"She's just here to mess with you. A killer like her getting into Parsons? No way anyone would believe that!" Thea snapped.

Vivian rolled her eyes. "Thea, no wonder you married that old guy. With that temper, only an old man would put up with you."

Thea had always been sensitive about her last marriage. Her face went red with rage.

"Say that again, you bitch!" Thea clenched her fists and tried to lunge forward, but Evie held her back, stepping in front of her.

"Before you talk about other people's marriages, how's yours going? You did everything you could to marry Jasper, and in the end, he even tricked you into losing the baby. I almost feel sorry for you," Evie said, her voice calm but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Vivian's face changed. She glanced at Dimitri without thinking.

But Dimitri had been watching Evie the whole time, like he was sizing her up.

"When you came here to show off, you should've gotten your facts straight. I've still got the evidence that sent you to prison. I wonder if Mr. Dimitri Orlov here would be okay marrying a killer."

Vivian's face went pale, her grip on Dimitri's arm tightening until her knuckles turned white. She hadn't told him about her past, and now that Evie had exposed it, she looked at him nervously.

Dimitri acted like he hadn't heard a thing. He just lowered his eyes slightly, his gray-blue gaze unreadable under the lights. He didn't speak up for her or pull his arm away.

"Miss, may I ask your last name?" Dimitri suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Evie frowned, not sure why he was asking.

James stepped forward from behind Evie, half-blocking her with his arm. His eyes landed on Dimitri over Vivian's head.

He didn't say anything, but the silence felt more threatening than words.

"Dimitri. Long time no see," James said coldly.

Dimitri gave a polite smile and was about to reply when James added, "Get out of my house."

Dimitri's face darkened. Vivian immediately pointed at James and snapped, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, James?"

"My reasons don't matter," James said slowly, his voice low but chilling. "Are you two leaving on your own, or do I need to have you thrown out?"

A flash of anger crossed Dimitri's eyes, but he quickly hid it.

"No need to rush us out. We heard Mr. Rockefeller was having a small party for his wedding, so we came to congratulate you."

As he spoke, Dimitri clapped his hands, and a bodyguard behind him opened a fancy box. Inside was a high-quality gemstone necklace.

Vivian's eyes went wide.

"This is my wedding gift for you two. The one I mentioned to Mr. Rockefeller last time..." Dimitri smiled.

"Do I need to repeat myself, or should my people just 'escort' you out?" James's voice was icy.

Dimitri's smile faltered. He gritted his teeth but kept the polite look on his face, though his tone was cold. "Sorry about that. My girlfriend doesn't know how to behave. I'll take her home."

The two men's eyes locked in the air, like two tight strings vibrating at the same frequency for a second.

No one in the room spoke. Even their breathing seemed quieter.

Dimitri looked away first. He glanced down at Vivian. "Let's go."

Vivian bit her lip hard, clearly unwilling. She'd come here to show off to Evie and make her jealous of how well she was doing. Instead, she was leaving like a loser.

But she didn't dare go against Dimitri. Her lips moved like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she stayed quiet and followed him out in her heels.

After they left, the party settled back into quiet.

"What a bitch. You should've let me rip her mouth off! How does a killer like her get to walk free?" Thea fumed.

"She'll get what's coming to her. No need to get worked up," Evie said with a smile, patting Thea's shoulder.

Leo walked over and stood next to Thea. "Alright, they're gone. You're Thea, right? I've got an unopened bottle of whiskey. Want to try some?"

Noticing Leo's move, Evie was about to say something when Thea shot him a glare. "You guys are all the same. Don't think I don't know what you're after!"

"You're misunderstanding me. I was just offering you a drink," Leo said with a helpless laugh, though his eyes showed clear interest.

Thea ignored him and pulled Evie back to the party.

Seeing how much Thea disliked Leo, Evie didn't push it. After calming her down, she went to find James.

He'd just finished a phone call and was heading back.

"Something wrong?" Evie asked.