Chapter 195

Chapter 195

He gently took Evelyn's hand and held it solemnly in his palm.

"All the suffering stays in the past." He spoke each word deliberately. "From now on, there will only be good things between us."

"Nothing bad will ever happen again."

"I hope so." Evelyn didn't pull her hand away.

Her gaze fell on their intertwined fingers.

After resting a bit longer, Matthew reached out and asked Evelyn for his phone.

"Are you going to contact people from Limbo Inc.?" Evelyn asked.

Matthew nodded.

He opened WhatsApp and found it flooded with unread messages.

After scrolling for a moment, he simply closed the app and called his secretary directly, instructing him to gather the executives for a meeting.

Evelyn stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You're going to hold a meeting in your hospital room? You just woke up not long ago—don't you care about your own body at all?"

"Honey, I promise I won't push myself too hard." Matthew looked at her earnestly.

"If you're worried, you can stay and supervise."

Evelyn was rendered speechless.

"You want me—someone from a competing firm—to sit in on a Limbo Inc. executive meeting? Don't forget, I just beat you on that project not long ago."

Matthew showed no awareness of any problem whatsoever. He replied matter-of-factly:

"I told you, I could give you all of Limbo Inc. if you wanted. What's wrong with sitting in on a meeting together?"

Evelyn opened her mouth but found herself with no comeback.

Matthew had indeed said that.

His thought process had never operated on a normal person's wavelength—not three years ago, and not now.

The difference was that before, his dominance had been suffocating. Now it was exasperating in a way that made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Knowing she couldn't change his mind, she stopped trying to dissuade him and simply reminded him, "Watch the time. Don't let it run too long."

Matthew had always been a workaholic. Even when he'd been sick before, he'd never let work slide.

Even after that severe food poisoning incident, he'd thrown himself back into work after just a few days.

Stopping him now would only make him more uncomfortable.

......

Outside the door, the Limbo Inc. executives who'd been summoned began arriving one by one, waiting respectfully in the hallway.

Evelyn turned to leave.

"Honey." Matthew called out from behind her.

She turned back.

"Come closer. I want to kiss you."

His voice was soft, carrying a hint of pleading.

Evelyn pressed her lips together, then stepped closer.

Matthew placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then tenderly kissed her lips.

"Honey, it feels so good having you by my side." His voice was low, filled with the relief of someone who'd survived a disaster.

Evelyn smiled, reached out to tuck the blanket around him, then stood and left.

When Evelyn opened the door, she recognized more than half the faces waiting outside.

The news had been all over the internet these past few days, and most of these executives had learned of their boss's beloved's existence.

Being seasoned professionals, they didn't whisper among themselves.

But when Evelyn lifted her head, surprise still flickered across some of their faces.

After all, she looked far too much like the former Evelyn.

Among them, Matthew's former assistant Thomas had the strongest reaction.

He let out an audible "Ah!" of shock. Someone beside him nudged his arm, snapping him back to reality. He quickly lowered his head.

It wasn't really his fault.

The former Evelyn had been his closest ally. Whenever Matthew had given them a hard time, Evelyn had been the one to help them out.

He'd always deeply admired her. When news of the boat explosion had come, he'd grieved for a long time. Now, seeing someone who looked so much like her, he'd lost his composure for a moment.

"Miss Gray." The other executives greeted Evelyn in an orderly fashion, their tones respectful and courteous.

Evelyn nodded faintly. "Thank you all for coming all this way for the meeting."

"Mr. Perkins's condition still isn't very stable. Please keep your reports efficient and don't take too long."

"Of course." They all nodded.

Despite being high-level executives, they remained perfectly deferential when Evelyn made her request.

There was no helping it—this woman's background was simply too formidable.

She wasn't just the Wolf of Wall Street, the founder of Zenith Enterprises Group—she was also the next heir to the Gray Group, currently making waves everywhere.

Add to that her face, which looked so much like their late colleague's, and it was impossible for these executives not to take her seriously.

Evelyn watched them file into the room one by one, then closed the door and left.

Although Matthew had asked her to stay, she still had her own sense of boundaries.

......

During her time away, Evelyn didn't sit idle.

She first called Xander from Dairy Haven Group.

"Miss Gray, what a surprise! How are your injuries healing?"

Xander sounded delighted to hear from her, his voice carrying genuine concern.

"Nothing serious, but thank you for your concern."

"I can't leave the hospital just yet, but don't worry—my team is very professional. I've been meeting with them daily to keep the project on track."

"In the next day or two, my assistant will bring the team to your company to discuss the implementation details with you."

"Perfect! I have complete confidence in you!"

"Focus on recovering. Once you're better, I'll invite you to tour Dairy Haven Group, and we can check on the project's progress together!" Xander's voice was warm with enthusiasm.

He was actually quite curious about the gossip circulating these past few days, but his professionalism kept him from asking.

"Sounds great. Thank you for your trust!"

After hanging up, Evelyn didn't rest. She immediately set up a video conference with Mira and the team.

"You'll be heading to Dairy Haven Group soon. Since I won't be there, Mira will be leading the entire operation."

"Easter is coming up soon. Follow up on their existing promotional plans and make any necessary modifications or additions."

On screen, Mira nodded seriously. "Got it!"

Since they'd been holding remote meetings regularly, there wasn't much to discuss about the project. The meeting ended quickly.

After everyone else had logged off, Mira asked with concern, "Miss Gray, how are you doing now?"

"I'm fine. But I'll probably need to stay in the hospital a bit longer. I'm counting on you to take care of the studio until I get back."

"Don't worry, just focus on resting. I'll make sure everything runs smoothly!" Mira quickly assured her, her voice earnest.

Evelyn smiled and ended the call.

She glanced at the time and instructed the caregiver to deliver the refreshments she'd prepared earlier to Matthew's room.

The scene suddenly reminded Evelyn of three years ago, when she'd prepared tea for meetings.

Back then she wasn't Adam. She was just Evelyn—a lowly secretary, a stand-in who couldn't see the light of day.

When she'd waited for him then, she'd never dared hope he'd even glance her way, much less take a bullet for her.

Now he lay in that room, seriously injured because of her, still smiling and saying 'it was the natural thing to do.'

Evelyn lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly.

She thought that maybe destiny really did exist in this world.

Not every missed connection became permanent. Some people, after traveling a long, winding road, still found their way back to your side.