Chapter 16
After breakfast, Evelyn straightened her posture and switched into business mode.
She gave Kevin a concise rundown of the situation from start to finish.
As Kevin listened, his expression grew more serious, surprised by Evelyn's composure and clear logic. This wasn't the version of Evelyn he knew.
"So," Evelyn concluded, "Johnson's got someone backing him. Going head-to-head won't work—we need to make him cave on his own."
"What's your play?" Kevin asked.
"I dug up some dirt on Johnson." Evelyn's tone was steady. "This afternoon, a batch of documents will reach the police—enough to keep him tied up for a while."
"And..." She paused, not sharing more details, just smirking coldly. "We won't meet with him today. Let him digest the 'surprise' first."
"Johnson will definitely call. That puts us in the driver's seat."
Kevin was even more surprised.
He hadn't expected Evelyn to move this fast or think this strategically. This wasn't defense—it was a full offensive.
He couldn't help studying her more closely.
After facing a death threat, most women would've broken down crying. But she was calm, confident. Hell, she'd already set up a counterattack.
This was nothing like the gentle arm candy he remembered seeing beside Matthew.
He used to think she was just another kept woman—Matthew's pretty canary in a gilded cage.
Now he saw she was more like a hawk, just pretending to be delicate.
Did Matthew know her real face? Would someone like this Evelyn really be content as a kept woman?
Kevin's eyes flickered with interest, but he kept quiet.
"Need any backup from me?" Kevin shrugged casually.
"Just come with me tomorrow." Evelyn said. "I can handle the rest."
Kevin smiled with appreciation. "Got it. I'll wait for your signal tomorrow."
---
After Kevin left, the room fell quiet.
Evelyn ran through her plan again mentally, making sure there were no gaps. Then she leaned back in her chair and let out a slow breath.
She'd noticed Kevin's surprised and intrigued looks, but she was too tired to keep up the act.
The Graves and Perkins families went way back, and Kevin had grown up with Matthew.
Back when Matthew brought her to private gatherings, Kevin was always there.
She'd played the gentle, quiet stand-in back then—didn't talk much, just smiled sweetly.
Now... she was leaving soon anyway. Who cared what Matthew's friends thought?
---
City A, Quinn family private hospital.
Matthew arrived at the hospital room late at night.
Emma sat on the sofa while Marigold reclined against the hospital bed, looking somewhat pale with an IV in her hand.
"What exactly happened?" Matthew walked to the bedside, his voice calm.
"Matthew." Marigold looked at him with a weak smile. "It's nothing serious, just an allergic reaction. Might be from adjusting back to the country."
Emma chimed in from the side. "The doctor checked her—nothing major, but she needs rest. You really should've come back sooner when Mary wasn't feeling well."
Matthew didn't respond, his gaze resting on Marigold's face. "Get some rest."
Just then, the hospital room door swung open.
A fashionably dressed woman with perfect makeup walked in—Marigold's cousin Natalie.
"Oh, the great Mr. Perkins finally shows up?" Natalie's tone was barbed. "Mary's been waiting forever. The engagement isn't even official yet and you're already too busy to be found? Makes people wonder if the Perkins family is even interested."
Emma's expression shifted. "Natalie, that's not fair. Matthew's been busy with work..."
"Busy with work?" Natalie cut her off, glancing at Matthew. "What work is more important than your fiancée? Mary's been so stressed, and adjusting to being back home—that's why she got sick. If certain people actually cared, would she be suffering like this?"
Every word dripped with accusation.
Marigold tried to intervene softly. "Natalie, stop. Matthew really did have important business."
Natalie scoffed.
Matthew had remained silent the whole time. Only after Natalie finished did he look up at her. His gaze was mild but made Natalie's heart inexplicably tighten.
"Miss Quinn," he began, his voice even but carrying a chill, "everyone knows what this marriage arrangement is really about."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over Natalie's suddenly frozen face, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"If the Quinn family thinks they can use 'not caring enough' or 'reluctance' to pressure me, or question the Perkins family's commitment..."
"Then perhaps this engagement should be reevaluated to see if it's worth continuing."
Emma said nothing.
Natalie's face flushed red, but she didn't dare say another word.
Cold sweat broke out on her skin as reality hit. She'd seen what Matthew was capable of before—a man who could destroy half a competitor's fortune without blinking, who always got his revenge. He hated being manipulated.
The buzz around their families' engagement had made her cocky, and she'd momentarily forgotten what kind of man he really was.
His icy stare pinned her in place as clarity crashed back over her.
The hospital room fell deathly silent.
Marigold forced a smile, breaking the tension. "Natalie just cares too much—she didn't mean anything by it. Matthew, don't take it to heart. I'm fine, just need a couple days' rest."
Matthew glanced at her and nodded, not pursuing it further. He walked to the sofa and sat down, pulling out his phone.
Natalie mumbled an excuse and left first. Emma lingered a bit longer before also getting up to leave.
Only Matthew and Marigold remained in the room.
Marigold looked at his profile as he gazed down at his phone. "I'm sorry about my cousin..."
"It's fine." Matthew interrupted, his tone distant. "Get some rest."
He opened his messaging app and found Evelyn's profile.
The last message was still from when he'd left. His finger hovered, then he typed:
[How did things go?]
He hit send.
Staring at the screen, he waited.
No response.
Matthew's brow furrowed slightly as he checked the time. Eleven at night.
Asleep? Or... had something else happened?
He remembered her pale face yesterday, and her distant expression when he'd left today.
That restless feeling stirred again in his chest.
He exited the chat and unconsciously scrolled, clicking into Evelyn's social media feed.
He'd never looked at this stuff before.
She didn't post much. The most recent was from two weeks ago—a photo of plants on her balcony, a new leaf sprouting. Caption: [Can't believe it actually survived (shocked)]
Before that, a burnt pot of stew. [I understood the recipe, but my hands didn't (awkward laugh)]
Earlier entries showed a stray cat she'd encountered, raindrops on a window where she'd drawn a smiley face in the fog.
Mundane, ordinary stuff—but with a hint of endearing clumsiness. Different from the Evelyn he knew.
He didn't realize he was smiling slightly as he liked every post.
He kept scrolling down.
Until he reached a post from three months ago with a completely different tone, posted at 3 AM.
[The last person who sheltered me from the storm is gone. Now it's raining in my world.]