Xavier escorted Evelyn toward the obsidian Bentley.
Once they reached the car, he opened the door for her and respectfully gestured for her to get in.
“Mrs.
Callahan, please.”
Evelyn paused.
Her gaze immediately fell on Damian sitting inside.
After everything that had happened tonight, sitting beside him in such close proximity felt like another form of torture.
She hesitated before turning to Xavier.
“Can I take the shotgun seat?” she asked, her tone laced with helplessness, as if she was seeking the last trace of grace she could hope for.
Xavier paused.
One of his brows rose unconsciously.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, his eyes shifted toward his boss, who was sitting inside and had clearly heard her request.
Damian’s expression remained impassive.
He sat there calmly, looking almost too relaxed —as though he hadn’t heard a word.
But Xavier knew better.
His boss had heard her perfectly well.
He simply wasn’t responding because, in his mind, the matter wasn’t worth acknowledging.
Xavier lightly scratched the corner of his brow.
Damian’s nonchalant expression should have made things easier.
Instead, somehow, it made things more complicated.
Pulling his usual polite smile back into place, Xavier looked at Evelyn.
“Ah, I don’t think that would be quite appropriate, Mrs.
Callahan.
You’re the bride, and it’s only proper that you sit in the back with your groom.”
He extended one hand, gesturing toward the spacious rear seat.
Evelyn had no choice.
She slid inside.
But the moment she did, she moved as far to one side as possible, leaving a deliberate distance between herself and Damian.
She didn’t even come close to crossing the invisible boundary she had drawn between them.
Her repulsion couldn’t have been clearer.
Damian noticed.
Yet he didn’t seem to mind.
The door closed.
A moment later, the Bentley pulled away from the resort.
The journey remained silent.
Other than the quiet hum of the engine and the occasional sound of their breathing, nothing disturbed the silence between them.
Evelyn kept her gaze fixed outside the window.
The city gradually faded behind them.
The bright towers of Apex City gave way to quieter roads, then to stretches of darkness broken only by occasional lights.
Her eyes remained fixed on the passing landscape, as though she were thinking deeply about something.
But in truth, her mind was completely blank.
She simply didn’t know what to think anymore.
After what felt like a long journey, the car finally slowed.
Evelyn’s gaze shifted forward.
And then she saw the gates —massive iron gates
They rose ahead of them, framed by tall stone pillars and crowned with understated metalwork that looked far too old to belong to a recently established family.
Beyond them stretched a long private drive lined with ancient trees.
It wasn’t merely large.
It just possessed the kind of quiet grandeur that didn’t need to announce itself.
The main residence stood farther back, its pale stone facade illuminated by warm lights beneath the night sky.
Tall windows reflected the faint glow, while the elegant columns and sweeping terraces gave the mansion the appearance of something preserved from another era.
There was nothing flashy about it —no unnecessary display of wealth.
And somehow … that made it even more impressive.
It looked less like a mansion someone had built to display their fortune…
… And more like a place that had possessed its fortune long before anyone thought to ask how much it was worth.
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She knew this estate.
Everyone in Maridia knew it.
This property had stood here for decades, occupying one of the most coveted pieces of land in the city.
Yet it had always been considered untouchable.
It was said to have never been bought or sold.
Over the years, countless wealthy families and powerful businessmen had tried to acquire it.
Some had offered absurd sums of money.
Others had tried to use their connections.
None had succeeded.
No one had even managed to meet the owner for a serious discussion.
The property had simply remained there, sealed behind those gates —untouched and unclaimed —almost as though whoever owned it had never needed to prove their right to possess it.
So how was someone living here now?
Evelyn’s brows drew together.
She didn’t know much about the Callahans.
Their name had only begun appearing with increasing frequency in Maridia’s business circles in recent years.
They were considered an emerging family —a powerful one, certainly.
But still an emerging one.
So how had an emerging family gained access to an estate that even some of Maridia’s oldest and most influential families had failed to touch?
It was almost impossible, unless…
There was something more about the Callahans that Maridia didn’t know.
A strange uneasiness stirred inside Evelyn, and her gaze slowly shifted towards Damian.
She had thought she had been betrayed enough tonight.
Surely, there couldn’t be anything else about Damian that could shock her.
And yet, suddenly, she felt as though there was much more about the Callahans that she didn’t know.
Something much deeper…
As the Bentley passed through the enormous gates, the iron doors slowly closed behind them.
The car continued along the winding private drive, passing well-manicured gardens, ancient trees, and stone sculptures partially illuminated by discreet ground lights.
The estate grew larger with every passing second.
And the deeper they drove into it, the more Evelyn felt that she wasn’t merely entering a new place tonight…
But rather, she was stepping into a world she knew almost nothing about.
She had thought her heart was dead after everything that had happened tonight.
Yet strangely, she now felt a nervousness stirring in her chest.
She had walked straight into her enemy’s den without even considering what awaited her.
What had she been thinking?
“Regretting it now?”
Damian’s voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.
He turned his head toward her, his gaze sharp yet teasing.
Too late.”
Evelyn’s brows furrowed even deeper.
However, before she could respond, the driver in the front spoke.
“Boss, we have arrived.”
Damian gave Evelyn a small smirk before pushing the door open and stepping out.
Just seconds later, she heard the door on her side open.
When she turned to look, Xavier gave her a polite smile.
“Mrs.
Callahan, please,” he requested politely.
Evelyn sighed.
But then, gathering her gown, she shifted carefully before finally stepping out of the car.
As she straightened, Damian was right there, his hands tucked into his pockets.
Her gaze paused on him.
She had seen him like that before, too —hands tucked into his pockets, and face stoic.
Back then, however, his charm had been entirely different.
He had looked like some gangster who had somehow become part of her father’s troop.
But now…
Dressed in an impeccable suit and vest, his aura was completely different.
Completely.
He no longer looked like some thug who had simply been upgraded.
He looked like a wolf king reclaiming his true form after disguising himself as a lowly mutt for far too long.
How had she not seen through his disguise all this time?
His demeanor had always been different from the others.
But she had simply thought he was a little more handsome than the rest.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Xavier walking toward Damian.
She only realized it when she heard him speak.
“Boss, no one in the estate knows you’ve gotten married and brought your new wife home.
Madam Callahan is at home.
If she finds out about this, she might…”
He didn’t finish.
He didn’t have to.
The implication was clear.
And in response, Damian’s expression changed considerably.
Evelyn noticed it easily.
Something uncomfortable flickered across his face.
It lasted only a brief second.
But it was there.
And she hadn’t missed it.
An understanding dawned on her, and her expression immediately hardened.
“You couldn’t be thinking of making me a secret now, Mr.
Callahan, could you?”
Damian turned toward her.
And for the first time that entire evening, Evelyn smirked.
She repeated the very same words he had thrown at her earlier.
“Regretting something?” She asked with a faint smile on her lips.
There was no humor in it.
“Too bad.”
She held his gaze.
“Too late.”