Chapter 56

Evelyn had just arrived downstairs at the company when William's call came through. "Evelyn, are you at the office? Terrence wants to see you. He asked me to check if you're free today—he'd like to take you to dinner tonight."

Evelyn paused, thinking of the medical authority, feeling somewhat surprised. She agreed directly: "I'm free. Just pick a restaurant."

Hearing her agreement, William's tone softened a bit: "Then I'll pick you up downstairs at your company at six o'clock sharp."

Evelyn acknowledged and hung up, diving straight into work. She first dealt with the mess Manuel had left behind, then went to the research lab to oversee a round of experiments, verified the raw material list for the new drug with Orville, and by the time she finished and looked up, it was already dark outside.

As soon as she walked out of the company entrance, she saw William's car parked by the roadside, with him already standing by the car waiting for her. Seeing her emerge, William immediately came forward. He naturally reached out to take her bag: "Must be tired after a long day. Let me carry it."

Evelyn instinctively pulled back a bit, not quite used to this kind of consideration. She said coolly, "No need, I can carry it myself."

William's hand froze in mid-air. He didn't insist, silently withdrawing his hand, feeling somewhat disappointed.

He quickly walked around to the passenger side, opened the car door, and even put his hand up to shield the car roof so she wouldn't bump her head: "Get in. Terrence is already there."

William drove the whole way very steadily, and the air conditioning was set at just the right temperature. Evelyn leaned back in her seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable. In all her years, apart from family, no one had been this attentive to her.

When they arrived at the private room in the restaurant, Terrence stood up as soon as he saw Evelyn, his eyes crinkling with his smile: "Evelyn, you're finally here!"

Evelyn nodded: "Terrence."

William pulled out a chair for Evelyn to sit down, then sat beside her. Terrence could sense the awkward atmosphere between them, but still smiled and spoke: "Evelyn, seeing how well you and Mr. Brown get along, you must be boyfriend and girlfriend already, right?"

Evelyn's expression cooled slightly, her tone direct: "Terrence, you've misunderstood."

Terrence immediately felt awkward and quickly waved his hands: "Sorry, I misunderstood." He didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "Evelyn, I got a sample of the medicine you left from Gwendolyn, and I studied it all night. That medicine is absolutely amazing—the formula ratio, medicinal properties, and blending techniques are all unlike anything I've ever seen. I truly admire you and want to learn from you."

William sat beside them listening. Though he'd been mentally prepared, he was still amazed.

After all, Terrence was a medical authority. For him to humble himself and ask for guidance like this, William became increasingly aware of just how capable Evelyn was.

Terrence grew more excited as he spoke: "Evelyn, I'll be honest with you—I want to take you as my teacher and learn pharmaceutical formulation from you."

Evelyn calmly shook her head: "Terrence, I don't think that I becoming your teacher is necessary. We can discuss medical matters, and I'll share everything I know with you."

Though disappointed, Terrence immediately nodded: "Alright! Then I'll come to you often for advice!"

After they'd eaten most of the meal, William excused himself to the restroom.

As soon as he left, a man in a hat in the corner of the private room secretly pulled out his phone.

This man had been hired by Freya. Freya had accidentally learned at a gathering that Evelyn had taken over Vitalis Pharmaceuticals, and jealousy had been eating at her ever since, so she'd been having someone watch Evelyn.

The man took several photos, making sure Evelyn's face wasn't clear but her general figure and clothing were visible, along with Terrence's profile, and quickly sent the photos to Freya.

A few minutes later, William returned and sat down.

Terrence asked Evelyn several more questions, which she answered one by one. Terrence nodded repeatedly in admiration.

He glanced at William, whose gaze had been glued to Evelyn the whole time. Understanding William's feelings, he immediately stood up: "Alright, I've asked enough questions. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave first. You two take your time chatting."

Terrence left decisively, and suddenly, only Evelyn and William remained in the private room. The atmosphere grew quiet.

Evelyn sat in her seat, picked up her water glass from the table, and took a sip, trying to appear natural and not pay attention to William's gaze beside her.

When Terrence was there, she could at least discuss medicine. Now that he'd left, she didn't know what to say.

William looked at her slightly tense profile and sighed softly in his heart.

William stood up first to settle the bill, then quickly returned and naturally picked up her coat from the back of her chair: "I'll take you back to the Taylor Mansion."

This time, Evelyn didn't refuse. She nodded and followed him out.

When they reached the restaurant entrance, the evening breeze was a bit chilly. William stopped and gently handed her coat to her, his tone light: "It's windy at night. Put this on."

Evelyn took the coat and said thank you quietly. This was the first time she'd accepted his consideration so calmly. William froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upward.

The car ride was quiet throughout. William didn't deliberately make conversation. As they neared the Taylor Mansion, Evelyn spoke first: "Thank you for your trouble with Terrence today."

"It was no trouble." William immediately replied, his tone very sincere. "Terrence has high standards. There aren't many people he truly admires."

Evelyn didn't respond, looking out the window instead. She could hear the praise in his words, but she didn't want to direct the conversation toward herself.

The car stopped smoothly outside the Taylor Mansion's main gate. Evelyn unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him: "I'm here. Thank you for driving me today."

"Evelyn." William suddenly called out to her, his voice very soft. "From now on, whether it's company matters or medical matters, if you need help, come to me anytime. I won't interfere with your affairs—I just want to help you."

Evelyn's movements paused. Without turning around, she just hummed softly in acknowledgment and pushed open the car door to get out.

William sat in the car, watching her figure walk through the Taylor Mansion's gate before slowly starting the car to leave. He wasn't in a hurry at all. As long as she wasn't pushing him away completely, he had the patience to wait.

After receiving the photos, Freya's eyes lit up. Looking at the images of Evelyn and Terrence dining together, a malicious smile curved her lips.

After showing them to Amelia first, she immediately found a social media marketing account and sent the photos over.

The marketing account, well-versed in the code of online traffic, immediately drafted a headline:

[Shocking! Young woman dining intimately with white-haired old man, suspected of being kept, her silhouette resembles the newly found daughter of the Taylor family!]

They attached several blurry photos and posted them on Twitter.

Once the tweet went out, it didn't take long to blow up. The comments below exploded instantly, filled with mockery and slander.