Chapter 31
Benjamin's deep voice wasn't exactly fierce, but it still made Evelyn nervous.
She wasn't really worried that Benjamin would sell her out. Rather, it reminded her of all the terrible things that happened to her in Zephyria's red-light district in her past life.
It was brutal and helpless.
She couldn't die even if she wanted to, couldn't live even if she tried.
That must be what "a fate worse than death" meant.
Benjamin looked at her pale face, his eyes darkening.
He stood up, walked around his large desk, gripped her chin with his fingers, and forced her to lift her head and meet his gaze.
In her panic, Evelyn unexpectedly met his eyes. Her gaze held hidden fear and helplessness, along with deep despair.
How could Evelyn, who had been cherished and protected since childhood, have such a look in her eyes?
Was she afraid he would really sell her out?
"You're afraid of me?" He narrowed his eyes slightly, his thumb rubbing her lips with a bit more pressure, smudging her lipstick to the edge of her mouth. She had a kind of ravaged beauty about her.
Benjamin's eyes deepened, his thin lips curving into a faint smile, his voice pressing.
"Did you do something to wrong me?"
Everyone in Emerald City knew how good he was to her.
But the whole world knew she cared about Matthew.
When she was willing to harm Benjamin's interests for Matthew's sake, Benjamin would get angry, too.
Feeling the anger radiating from him, Evelyn instinctively shook her head, then nodded.
His gaze was really scary.
Her chin was held by him, and she couldn't move. Her eyes drifted away, no longer meeting his.
"You're being too harsh. Even if I didn't do anything, I'd still be scared."
"If you're not guilty, what are you afraid of? Have I ever laid a hand on you? What did you do this time?"
Benjamin's fingertips gently caressed her chin, the light pressure somehow feeling infinitely intimate.
But his overwhelming presence and the dark aura around him still made her think of the tragic experiences from her past life.
"Don't... don't be like this, I'm really scared."
She shrank back, avoiding his gaze.
Not only that, her body was trembling slightly, as if she was truly terrified of him.
Waves of angry emotions surged in Benjamin's chest.
He had been so good to her, never done anything to hurt her, yet she was afraid of him?
Benjamin wanted to demand answers from her, but he still pushed down the surging emotions.
Just then, his phone on the desk rang. He answered it and walked to the window, looking down at the busy city below.
His handsome face, bathed in sunlight, seemed outlined with a halo, lofty and unapproachable.
Being with him, Evelyn was well cared for, but she didn't love him. Was this really good for him?
Lost in thought, Evelyn didn't hear clearly what he said.
When she came back to her senses, he was already striding toward the door: "Aren't you coming?"
"What?"
Evelyn was still holding the contract, and couldn't help raising it: "We haven't talked about the contract yet..."
"What, throwing a tantrum? You'll only accompany me to this business meeting if I agree to the contract?"
His hand was already on the door handle, with no intention of waiting for her.
She didn't dare say more and immediately ran after him, smiling ingratiatingly.
"How could that be? Mr. White is the client; whatever you ask, we'll agree! And our project quality will definitely meet the highest standards!"
Benjamin looked down at her ingratiating expression and let out a light snort.
"What, Matthew has embarrassed himself too much, and you want to use this contract to help him save some face?"
"How is that possible?"
Since childhood, Evelyn has had a stress response whenever she heard about Matthew.
But this time her tone was fundamentally different.
Before, whenever anyone said anything bad about Matthew, she would defend him desperately.
Now, whoever said anything good about Matthew would make her angry!
She looked up at Benjamin, her eyes full of sincerity: "I fought for this contract for the Thomas Group. What does it have to do with Matthew?"
Thinking about Matthew's relationship with the Thomas family, she frowned slightly and muttered to herself.
"I not only need to get him out of the company, but also make him stop using the Thomas surname. Otherwise, even if he leaves the company, people will still call him Mr. Thomas."
"What did you say?"
Even though the elevator was quiet and they were close enough, he couldn't possibly hear her words mumbled under her breath.
"Nothing."
Some things she could rely on Benjamin for, but some things she wanted to do herself.
A bright smile appeared on Evelyn's face, directly skipping over the previous topic.
"At this time, what kind of business meeting does Mr. White have?"
Lunch meetings usually didn't involve much drinking. How should she perform?
"What are you thinking about?" He looked at her eyes that flickered for a moment.
"Of course, I'm thinking about how to please you," she smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling, "such a big project, if the Thomas Group can participate, the profits would be extremely good."
"Is that so?"
Benjamin's tone was light, but if you listened carefully, there seemed to be some inexplicable emotion.
Evelyn paused, wanting to see the expression on his face clearly.
But Benjamin's face was so calm, as if just discussing business. How could there be any strange emotion?
Evelyn just assumed she was under too much stress lately and had sensed wrong. She didn't take it seriously and continued along with his words.
"Yes, so as long as I can close this deal, you can make any request."
He smiled coldly, about to say something sarcastic, but the words that came out were: "Even moving up the wedding?"
Moving up... the wedding?
Although she had already decided to be entangled with him for this lifetime, and wouldn't leave him as long as he didn't let go.
But matters of the heart were decided by two people together.
If she didn't love him enough, could he really be happy?
While she was still thinking, Benjamin had already snorted coldly: "Looks like your so-called 'any request' is just empty words."
Evelyn wanted to explain, but the elevator doors had already opened, and he strode out.
Benjamin's tall figure looked... a bit sad?
She raised her hand and slapped her own mouth, quickly chasing after him: "Benjamin, wait for me. It's not that I'm unwilling, but the situation is special right now. My grandfather is still unconscious. If I rush to get married, what will people think?"
His strides were long but not fast, clearly waiting for her.
But the anxious Evelyn didn't notice his behavior. She urgently chased forward.
Then her high heels caught on something, and she fell straight forward.
Oh no!
Just as she was thinking about her tragic fall, her waist was caught, and then she was lifted. She looked up to see Benjamin's rather displeased handsome face.
"I..."
"How old are you? You trip on flat ground?" The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, making him look particularly fierce. "If you can't even walk properly, how can I trust you can complete this project?"
"I may not be able to, but the Thomas Group can. This project will have someone specifically in charge..."
She chattered on, and he laughed coldly: "That person is Matthew? You want to talk about his various achievements at the Thomas Group? Evelyn, don't you think the more you praise him, the less likely I am to give him this opportunity?"
No, they went from talking about the contract to the wedding, then back to the contract. How did they end up on Matthew?
Evelyn's mind couldn't quite keep up, but remembering Chase's words, she raised her hands and hugged Benjamin's waist.