Chapter 63
"You're lying!"
Sophia's voice came out sharp and shrill, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.
Evelyn instinctively moved her phone away from her ear to protect it from further assault.
"Benjamin will see through you scheming women for what you really are, and when that happens, the only person by his side will be me!"
Finally, she'd said it.
After Sophia's piercing voice finally stopped, Evelyn spoke slowly.
"Do you even believe that yourself? Sophia, he's always been cold to you—do I really need to spell it out? Now that you've done something so shady, he'll send people to catch you right away."
"He could never find out it was me..."
Sophia's voice cut off abruptly. She took several deep breaths, and when she spoke again, her tone was vicious: "Evelyn, you're trying to trick me."
"Whether I'm tricking you or not doesn't matter anymore. You set up Jeremy to go after Freya first, and now you've caused her an allergic reaction and put her in heart failure. Benjamin won't let you get away with this."
"You have no proof!"
Evelyn's light laugh was her only response.
"Sophia, have you forgotten Benjamin's background? He doesn't need to put you through a legal trial."
"This conversation alone is enough to prove what you did. Just wait for his revenge."
After hanging up, she listened to the recording again. She understood that her conflict with Sophia was finally coming to an end.
She felt a sense of relief, mixed with some inexplicable emotion.
Not wanting to dwell on it, she immediately stood up and walked toward Benjamin.
Hearing footsteps, Benjamin immediately walked toward her and pulled her into his arms. "What's wrong?"
"I know who went after Freya."
After the recording stopped, Samuel stubbed out his cigarette in the trash can, his voice laced with poison.
"Leave the rest to me."
With that, Samuel strode away.
Watching Samuel leave without looking back, Evelyn could only turn to Benjamin. "He's not waiting until Freya's out of danger?"
"Saving people is the doctor's job. Whether he's here or not doesn't make any difference."
Such a cold thing to say.
Evelyn couldn't help but poke his chest. "That's so heartless. When I'm in the delivery room someday, are you going to say the same thing and just leave me?"
Just thinking about that scenario made her want to bite him.
His eyes became exceptionally gentle, and the corners of his lips curved up.
She was willing to have his children.
Benjamin pinched her puffed-up cheeks. "From the day you get pregnant, I'll stay by your side every single day, not leaving for a moment. How's that?"
Evelyn was about to argue back when she realized what they were talking about, and her cheeks flushed pink.
She swatted his hand away with a coy huff. "Who said I'd have your children?"
"Don't worry, when you're giving birth, I won't be waiting outside."
Just as her eyes were about to glare at him again, he added with a smile: "I'll go in with you for the delivery."
Chase: "..."
Could they not show off their relationship right in front of him?
"The patient is out of danger." The doctor came out, clearly breathing a sigh of relief. "But her body is very weak and needs proper rest."
The doctor sighed. "Good thing she's young, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble we'd have had."
"As long as she rests properly, there won't be any lasting effects, right?" Evelyn suddenly asked.
"With proper rest, she should be fine."
The doctor's answer was measured—not a guarantee, but it did suggest that Freya wouldn't have any major problems.
After the doctor left, Benjamin looked down at Evelyn. "What's wrong?"
She'd never hidden her dislike for Freya, so her concern about Freya's health now seemed a bit odd.
"I'm just thinking ahead about how your dear sister might use her fragility to her advantage."
She snorted lightly. "Delicate, sickly beauties are quite popular, you know."
Given Freya's personality, it was very likely she would blow Benjamin's guilt toward her way out of proportion.
So from the start, she needed to prevent that from happening.
Benjamin looked at Evelyn in his arms, coy and annoyed, with a smile on his lips.
The hospital room.
When Freya opened her eyes, she saw Evelyn. She looked around the room but didn't see Benjamin anywhere.
Perhaps too disappointed, or maybe because her mind wasn't clear from just waking up, Freya's words carried hostility.
"What are you doing here?"
"Should I not be here?"
Evelyn sat on the sofa Benjamin had specially arranged to be brought in, looking quite relaxed. "You're a Belle & Chic employee. Something this serious happened, so naturally I had to come see you on behalf of the company."
"Not even flowers?" Freya was unhappy that Benjamin, who had promised to stay with her, wasn't there, so she spoke rudely.
"You got sick, and your courage grew quite a bit. I just wonder what Benjamin would think if he knew you talked like this."
Compared to Freya's dissatisfaction, Evelyn's posture was relaxed and her tone unhurried.
Evelyn's calmness also helped Freya calm down.
Her fingers clutched at the blanket as she forced a smile onto her pale face.
"I just woke up, my head's still fuzzy. Ms. Thomas, please don't hold it against me."
"Don't worry, people who just came back from death's door can be forgiven for anything."
Evelyn spoke generously. "After all, not only were you injected with drugs, but you also almost died from a penicillin allergy."
"What?" Freya's eyes flew wide open, filled with disbelief.
"How is that possible? How could I have been injected with drugs?"
Her murmuring was full of panic, filled with anxiety and confusion.
After all, Freya was just a girl in her twenties. No matter how scheming she was, her tricks were nothing more than playing the victim.
Too bad her intentions were wrong, and she'd done too many bad things.
Evelyn didn't soften at Freya's obvious distress, and continued calmly: "Jeremy is a gang leader in Emerald City, into drinking, gambling, and everything else. Someone like that, and you dared to mess with him—you're really brave."
"What do you mean?" Freya's hands gripped the blanket tightly, the panic on her face barely contained, her emotions clearly showing in her eyes, her voice trembling.
She knew very well what drugs meant.
Evelyn didn't dwell on that question, but continued: "You only knew that Sophia and I had a falling out. Didn't you know she has feelings for Benjamin? Why would she help you? You were more like a pawn to her."
Looking at her pale face, Evelyn clicked her tongue.
"But in your mind, she was a pawn too, right? If something really went wrong, you'd drag her out to take the blame, and you'd still be an innocent victim."
"Too bad she's vicious to the bone and never leaves anyone a way out."
"You're tainted with drugs now. The White family could never accept you."
Desperate grief spread through Freya's eyes, shattering bit by bit, beyond repair.
"Where's Benjamin? I need to see Benjamin!"
Freya suddenly screamed, no longer the pure girl she usually appeared to be, no longer timid.
She yanked out her IV needle and was about to get out of bed barefoot, her nearly crazed appearance scaring Evelyn into forgetting to react.