Chapter 32
Evelyn's soft arms wrapped around Benjamin's lean waist, and his body suddenly tensed up.
Apart from acting in front of Matthew and Sophia, and that time she drugged him, when had Evelyn ever been this intimate with him?
He looked down at the soft and delicate Evelyn nestled in his arms.
She gazed up at him with bright, sparkling eyes. The corners of her lips still bore traces of the lipstick he had just smudged, giving her a pitiful yet inexplicably alluring look.
"I really didn't do it for him! You should know very well what this contract means to the Thomas Group."
"Business is business. I want to make the Thomas Group stronger!"
More importantly, she wanted to make the Thomas Group stronger under her leadership.
Previously, due to her negligence, she had let Matthew establish a firm foothold in the Thomas Group, making many people completely loyal to him.
If she kicked him out of the company without good reason, or over some emotional issue, people would only think she was acting out of spite.
She wanted everyone to see clearly that she was the true heir of the Thomas family.
Benjamin met her somewhat anxious gaze, with a hint of cautiousness hidden deep in her eyes. His heart softened, along with a helpless sigh.
"A honey trap?"
Evelyn blinked, only then realizing she had nestled entirely into his embrace, in an extremely intimate position.
Even though the underground parking garage wasn't exactly crowded, people would still pass by occasionally.
Her face flushed red as she tried to push him away, but he held her waist and pressed her even deeper against his chest.
"Let me show you how to use a honey trap properly."
Not giving her a chance to back out, Benjamin gripped the back of her neck and kissed her.
Their tongues intertwined. Evelyn was stunned.
Unlike the intimacy under the drug's influence last time, they were both completely sober now.
Her fingers unconsciously clutched his shirt, unsure whether she wanted to push him away or pull him closer.
"Don't you know how to breathe?"
Only then did Evelyn realize and take deep breaths, but his lips were still brushing lightly against hers, this action...
Her face turned even redder as she turned her head away.
He didn't stop her but instead chuckled softly, the vibration in his chest expressing his pleasure.
"Chase saw..."
Benjamin half-carried her to the car. Chase, who was opening the car door, paused.
He immediately turned to look aside: "Why are my eyes suddenly blurry? I can't see clearly."
Evelyn watched Chase, who seemed to be fumbling his way into the passenger seat, then turned to look at Benjamin.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"What if I'm not?"
"Then I'll make him permanently blind."
"Mr. White!" Chase's desperate voice rang out, wailing internally.
He had been wholeheartedly devoted to Benjamin—how did he end up in such a terrible situation?
Chase looked back only to find Benjamin hadn't even glanced at him. His attention remained fixed on Evelyn.
She was startled by Benjamin's cold ruthlessness.
Benjamin's mother was a mafia princess who controlled a vast underworld empire. Doing such things was second nature to Benjamin.
"I'm satisfied, very satisfied! You don't need to do anything else!" She grabbed his arm, as if afraid he would raise his hand and gouge out Chase's eyes right then and there.
He looked down at the soft Evelyn pressing against him, his voice unconsciously softening.
"As long as you behave, everything I do will satisfy you."
What if she didn't behave?
Evelyn felt a sudden rebellious urge, wanting to ask that question.
But thinking about how he could be so ruthless even to Chase, who had followed him for so many years, she simply nodded without speaking.
Whether it was her compliance that pleased him or something else, the lines of his face seemed to soften a bit.
Evelyn relaxed as well, turning to look out the car window: "Where are we going?"
"You'll know when we get there."
She didn't think much of it.
But when the car drove into a shantytown, her mind suddenly exploded—
[If you defend him again, I'll sell you off.]
Was he really going to sell her?
How could Benjamin possibly do such a thing?
But with his status, what would he be doing in a place like this?
He couldn't possibly be meeting friends here, could he?
"An acquaintance is here. Let's go see them together."
"Samuel?" Evelyn instinctively thought of Samuel, but the next second her brow furrowed: "Why would he come to a place like this?"
"We're here."
The car stopped, and Chase immediately got out to open the door.
Evelyn got out with an uneasy heart. She noticed they had stopped in front of a two-story building called 'Sunset Motel.'
This building was considered decent architecture in the shantytown.
However, the mottled exterior of the motel, plus the messy signs hanging on it, showed its dilapidated state.
She felt a bit panicked, but Benjamin was already leading her inside.
The motel looked bad from the outside, and the inside was even worse.
Inside the motel was pitch black, making it hard to see the floor. The extremely narrow stairs creaked underfoot.
The dark red carpet laid inside the motel, for who knows how long, didn't give off a sense of luxury but rather a gloomy, sinister feeling.
Going upstairs felt even worse.
The narrow corridor had doors lined up one after another on both sides.
It was a hotel layout, but worlds apart from any hotel Evelyn had seen.
Not only that, but through the poorly soundproofed wooden doors came various noises—shouting, card playing, and even women's moans...
Evelyn's expression turned very unpleasant. Memories from her past life flashed uncontrollably through her mind, and fear crept onto her beautiful face.
"It's okay, don't be afraid."
Benjamin sensed Evelyn's fear. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her into his embrace, his large hand patting her gently.
His comforting gesture was obvious, but it couldn't suppress the panic in her heart.
Her hands clutched his clothes desperately, her whole body pressed against him.
She looked as if anything happened, she would jump onto him.
He felt sorry for her fear, yet couldn't help but indulge in her dependence.
"It's okay, don't worry."
"What are we really doing here?" She was almost curled up in his arms, her eyes full of fear.
"To see someone. You know them."
The people she knew, if not all prominent figures, at least came from well-off families. How could they be in a place like this?
Chase had already stepped forward to knock on a door. A panicked voice came from inside: "What do you want?"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Her brow furrowed slightly as she followed Benjamin over.
The man sitting inside was none other than Sophia's older brother, Orson Brown!
He sat on the cramped single bed with a bruised and swollen face, full of fear.
"Evelyn!"
Seeing her, Orson looked like he'd seen his savior: "You and Sophia are best friends. You can't let Mr. White hurt me over some groundless accusations. If that happens, Sophia will be very sad."
Evelyn had once said Sophia was her best friend. Evelyn had even used the Thomas Group to pull the Brown Group back from the brink of bankruptcy, so the Thomas family and the Brown family were very close.
She wasn't particularly close to Orson, but they were acquainted.
Now seeing him in this miserable state, she looked up at Benjamin, her eyes questioning what was going on.
"He contacted the driver and arranged your car accident."
So the persecution she suffered came not only from Matthew and Sophia, but also from the Brown family?
"No, it's not like that!" Orson suddenly shouted, "Evelyn, you're Sophia's best friend. How could I possibly harm you? It's Benjamin—he's framing me!"