Chapter 33
Hearing this, Matthew frowned silently.
Evelyn walked straight to the car without acknowledging his expression.
Matthew stood there, watching her figure disappear beyond the revolving door.
His face was dark.
---
Two in the afternoon. Conference room.
Mr. Smith stood in front of the projection screen, palms sweating.
After getting called out by Evelyn yesterday, he'd gone back and spent all night rechecking the numbers.
Several people from finance pulled an all-nighter. The report they turned in today was still warm from the printer.
"Mr. Perkins, Miss Arden, this is the revised Q4 data..." His voice was tight. "Please take a look..."
Evelyn took the printed report and opened to the first page.
She read carefully, eyes scanning line by line, occasionally pausing to linger on certain numbers for a few extra seconds.
The soft rustle of turning pages echoed clearly in the quiet conference room.
Mr. Smith stood at the front like a criminal awaiting sentencing.
Twenty minutes later, Evelyn closed the report and looked up.
"This works," she said. "Let's move on to next quarter's revenue projections."
Mr. Smith breathed a sigh of relief and started going through the PowerPoint.
A moment later, Evelyn stood and walked to the screen.
"I've reassessed the Perkins Group's projected investment in Bookworm Inc. for next quarter."
She picked up the laser pointer, aiming it at the screen. "Based on Q4's revenue curve and cost structure..."
"Next year's net profit target should be between eighty and ninety million dollars."
Mr. Smith's face changed.
"Miss Arden, that's... that's way too high, isn't it? Our previous estimate was sixty million..."
"Sixty million?" Evelyn looked at him, expression calm. "Eighty million is conservative."
"Next quarter the Perkins Group has new contracts signing. Your business volume will increase by at least twenty percent."
Sweat began beading on Mr. Smith's forehead.
"But that new project hasn't been finalized yet. What if..."
"Eighty million floor," Evelyn cut him off. "You can hit it if you push yourselves. Am I wrong?"
She paused, gaze sweeping across Mr. Smith and the other executives present.
"Otherwise, the Perkins Group's investment amount will need to be... reevaluated."
"Any issues with this target?"
Dead silence in the conference room.
Mr. Smith felt bitter inside.
That number was too precise—just high enough that they'd have to bust their asses to reach it, yet just low enough that they couldn't skim much off the top.
Not a dollar more, not a dollar less. Like she'd measured it with a ruler.
How was this woman so damn accurate?
He couldn't help glancing at Matthew.
Matthew was leaning back in his chair, gaze fixed on Evelyn.
She'd pulled her hair up high today, exposing a smooth stretch of neck. Every insight she delivered was spot-on.
He'd never seen her like this.
Three years, and he'd watched her pour coffee, organize files, take meticulous meeting notes.
She'd always been quiet, compliant, perfectly content staying in the background, never stealing anyone's spotlight.
He'd never known her head was full of all this.
Her grasp of business data was precise enough to make even him take notice.
The Evelyn on that stage was like an unsheathed blade—calm, confident, even carrying a subtle sense of authority.
He listened silently, face impassive, but something inside him was fermenting, expanding.
He'd met plenty of capable women, but none had made him feel quite like this.
He couldn't describe what this feeling was.
All he knew was that standing there, she radiated an aura that said "don't mess with me."
And watching her, he thought—damn, she was captivating.
Not the superficial kind of attractive.
But the kind that made him want to clear everyone else out of this conference room and have her speak only to him.
His Adam's apple bobbed. He lowered his eyes to hide his emotions.
No rush. There was plenty of time.
"What Evelyn says is what I say," Matthew spoke, tone neutral. "Any problems with that?"
Sweat soaked through the back of Mr. Smith's shirt.
"No, no problem," he forced out a smile. "We'll do as Miss Arden says."
---
When the meeting ended and they walked out of the building, the sky had already darkened.
Matthew's assistant had booked their flights. They headed straight to the airport.
As the plane took off, the window showed C City's sea of lights below.
Evelyn leaned back in her seat, eyes closed, mind still churning through those numbers.
"Stop thinking about it," Matthew said beside her. "You did great."
Evelyn didn't open her eyes, just murmured acknowledgment.
Matthew turned to look at her. Her face was a bit pale, faint shadows under her eyes. She looked exhausted.
"When we get back," he said, "move to Lakeside Bay with me."
Evelyn opened her eyes and looked at him.
That was Matthew's primary residence—A City's most exclusive gated community, with top-tier security and privacy.
"Your fiancée won't mind?" she asked bluntly.
Matthew frowned. "I told you, that's a fiancée on paper only."
Evelyn didn't respond. She didn't want more people pointing fingers at her.
Besides, if she lived at Lakeside Bay, how was she supposed to hide her pregnancy from Matthew?
"Getting food delivered there is a pain," she said. "Same with packages."
Matthew studied her with furrowed brows.
That excuse...
"Then stay at the old apartment," he said. "But I'm not squeezing into that tiny place with you every day."
His tone made it sound like some tremendous hardship.
Evelyn barely suppressed an internal eye roll.
Her rental was twelve hundred square feet—hardly tiny.
And nobody was forcing him to stay there anyway...
But she knew Matthew's limits and didn't want to argue. She nodded obediently.
The plane cut through the clouds. Outside was pitch black.
Evelyn leaned back and fell into a deep sleep.
Matthew worked on emails beside her, fingers tapping across his laptop keyboard.
Suddenly, he noticed the breathing beside him had evened out.
He turned to see her head tilted, fast asleep.
Matthew's brow furrowed.
She seemed to be sleeping a lot more lately.
In cars, on planes—that day at the hotel too, out the second her head hit the pillow.
She hadn't been like this before.
Before, she'd always gone to bed later than him and woken up earlier, energetic like she was wound up.
When the plane landed, Evelyn still hadn't woken.
Matthew gently nudged her. "Evelyn, we're here."
She opened her eyes, looking disoriented for a few seconds before remembering where she was.
Outside the airport, the car was already waiting.
Matthew opened the door, letting her in first. After getting in from the other side, he suddenly spoke.
"Tomorrow I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup."
Evelyn froze, her heart skipping a beat.
"Check what?" She tried to keep her voice calm.
"You've been sleeping way too much lately," Matthew looked at her. "And you look pale. Better to get it checked out."
Evelyn's back tensed instantly.
"No need," she said immediately, speaking faster than usual. "I just had a full physical in S City. Everything's fine."
Matthew didn't respond, just looked at her.
That gaze made Evelyn uneasy.
"Really," she added. "The results came back. All my numbers are normal."
Matthew was quiet for a few seconds.
"Still should get checked," he said. "You weren't like this before."
"People change," Evelyn said. "Projects have been crazy busy lately. Plus I'm getting older—sleeping more is normal."
Matthew frowned.
Twenty-five years old, and she's calling herself old?
"I'll have the hospital arrange it," he said, tone brooking no argument.
Evelyn opened her mouth to refuse again but couldn't find a good reason.
But she was pregnant. No matter what, she couldn't go to the hospital for a physical.
She couldn't let Matthew find out she was pregnant. Couldn't let him know about this baby.
She leaned back in her seat, watching the streetlights fly past the window, mind in complete chaos.