Chapter 51
In the evening, after her shower, Evelyn curled up on the sofa.
She looked around at the dull colors of the master bedroom, thinking about how to renovate it.
Her phone, sitting beside her, chimed once.
It was clearly a secretly taken photo—a man with his head slightly lowered, looking at the girl beside him, as if he might kiss her at any moment.
Even knowing something was off, Evelyn's eyes narrowed.
The girl in the photo was Freya.
Had Benjamin met with her again?
The phone rang. It was Sophia who had just sent her the photo.
Evelyn paused for a second, then answered the call but didn't speak first.
"Evelyn," Sophia's voice was clearly anxious, "did you see it? A man like him, so unfaithful—giving up Matthew for him isn't worth it!"
Evelyn leaned back on the sofa, her face blank.
"Sophia, I've always thought you were strange."
"You're stringing Matthew along while trying hard to push me toward him. Why?"
"Do you like Benjamin?"
At this point, Evelyn let out a low laugh. "I thought you should understand one thing—even without me, he'd never be interested in you."
Heavy breathing came from the other end of the phone.
After a long moment, Sophia's voice returned: "How can you think of me like that? I just don't want you to be fooled by him."
"Really? Did you take this photo?"
"Yes."
"So they didn't kiss."
Sophia was about to argue back when she understood.
If someone's trying to stir up trouble, naturally, they'd send the most suggestive photo.
A soft sigh came through the phone, filled with what seemed like helplessness.
"Evelyn, I don't know what happened to make you so suspicious of me."
"But does he really deserve your trust that much?"
"Do you dare video call me right now?"
Sophia was met with laughter. "A video call is so boring. Meeting in person is better. Send me the address, I'll come right over."
Half an hour later, Evelyn wore a light yellow dress with a beige long trench coat over it and black heels.
Looking both charming and innocent, she had just walked into The Velvet Mirage when Sophia came up to her.
"Evelyn, you came."
"If I don't come, how can you carry on with the rest of your performance?" Evelyn tilted her head with a smile. "Which private room are they in?"
Before dinner, Benjamin had called her, saying he had business entertainment that evening and would be back late.
Turns out he went to see Freya?
Meeting at a different location could be explained as a coincidence, but here...
Did he know he'd run into Freya before coming?
As various thoughts flashed through Evelyn's mind, Sophia had already started explaining.
"I saw Benjamin and was going to say hello, but then I saw him get in the car with Freya, and he was driving himself."
"I felt something was wrong, so I followed them here."
A coincidence?
Evelyn didn't believe in such things, but now wasn't the time to investigate that.
She pushed open the private room door and immediately spotted Benjamin playing with darts.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing well-defined arm muscles, with Freya standing beside him, wearing an infatuated expression.
"Benjamin, I've heard before that you never miss with darts. Seeing it today, it's true. Can you teach me how to play?"
Freya looked innocent, her smile bright.
Perhaps too excited by what she was saying, Freya grabbed his arm and pressed herself against him.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Evelyn's voice made the previously harmonious atmosphere in the room freeze for a second.
"Ms. Thomas, what are you doing here?" The speaker was Brian Scott, someone who could actually talk to Benjamin. He had no fondness for Evelyn.
Not just him—everyone sitting in the room had countless connections to the White family.
And one more thing—they all looked down on Evelyn.
After her eyes swept around the room, the corners of her lips curved up in a smile, her expression somewhat casual.
"My fiancé is here. Is there a problem with me coming to find him?"
Brian snorted, not hiding his disdain.
"Fiancé? When you were flirting with Matthew, I didn't see you looking for him, but now..."
He paused, his eyes filled with mockery. "You wouldn't have heard someone was with Benjamin and wants to accuse him of cheating to break off the engagement, would you?"
"Ms. Thomas," Freya seemed startled and immediately explained, "there's nothing between Benjamin and me. I just wanted him to teach me how to throw darts."
"If there's nothing, why were you pressed so close?"
Evelyn walked over and looked up into Benjamin's eyes. "Don't you understand the concept of keeping your distance?"
His eyes held a faint smile, though to others his expression seemed unchanged.
"Saw a beautiful woman and forgot for a moment."
Everyone's expressions varied, but no one spoke a word.
Sophia popped out from behind. "Evelyn, did you hear that? He thinks Freya is beautiful, so he didn't push her away."
"Really?"
Evelyn wasn't in a hurry. She turned to look at Freya.
Joy flashed in Freya's eyes, but she said, "Ms. Thomas, you're joking. How could I compare to you?"
"No one compares to you." Benjamin reached out and pulled her into his arms, looking down at her with a smile. "Did my beautiful woman come to check on me?"
Who the beautiful woman was became instantly clear.
Brian rolled his eyes and threw his glass onto the coffee table. "He turns into an idiot as soon as he sees Evelyn."
Evelyn realized that in Benjamin's friends' eyes, Benjamin was just like her in Stella's eyes.
Both people whose heads were turned by love!
But she wouldn't disappoint Benjamin.
"Is that not allowed?" She hugged Benjamin's arm and looked at Freya. "Ms. Stewart is still a student. Is it appropriate for her to be at a place like The Velvet Mirage? Also..."
She paused before continuing, "I remember you said Ms. Stewart refused your financial help and wanted to work part-time to support herself. How does she have money to come to a place like this?"
Of course, Benjamin hadn't told Evelyn this, but from Freya's clothes and appearance, you could tell what her financial situation was.
As for why Freya refused Benjamin's help, that was too easy to figure out.
Freya just wanted to create an image of someone who didn't care about money and was hardworking and positive.
Panic flashed in Freya's eyes, and the next second, tears fell.
"Ms. Thomas, I know I'm not from the same world as you all, and I shouldn't be here..."
Freya's tears came instantly, and combined with this speech, she looked pitiful compared to the glamorous Evelyn, who was being bullied.
Brian was the first to express dissatisfaction. "Evelyn, what do you mean? Can't Benjamin invite Freya to hang out?"
"Did I say anything?"
Evelyn leaned into Benjamin's arms, blinking her big eyes with a wronged expression.
"I'm just curious—it's already ten-thirty now. It takes forty minutes to get from here to Stellar University, right?"
"By the time she gets back, she'll probably miss the dorm curfew. Won't Ms. Stewart feel bad about the cost of staying at a hotel for the night?"
Since Freya wanted to earn her own money, she couldn't ask Benjamin to pay for a hotel, right?
"Is that any of your business?" Brian stood up directly. "Benjamin rented an apartment for Freya near Stellar University."