~ Evelyn’s POV ~
We left the office early.
My styling team was already waiting at the estate, ready to prep us for the evening’s gala.
I sent Clara to the guest wing with the secondary team while I remained in my private quarters.
For the next three hours, I endured the usual red carpet ritual; getting pinned, painted, and dressed into the version of myself the public expected to see.
The Ice Queen.
“You look absolutely stunning, Miss Evelyn,” James, my head stylist, said as he adjusted a stray lock of my hair.
He stepped back, looking at his work with professional pride.
I stared at my reflection on the mirror with a quite satisfaction.
I looked exactly as the world expected: sharp, expensive, and untouchable.
“Is the team finished with Clara?” I asked, unable to keep a slight edge of impatience out of my voice.
Right on cue, there was a quiet knock, and the door opened.
James’s assistants stepped in first, forming a small aisle and then Clara walked through.
My breath caught in my throat.
She stood in the middle of the room, and for a second, I forgot what I was going to say.
The quiet, broken girl I had taken from the Sterling house was completely gone.
Clara stood tall, her shoulders back, wearing a golden brown gown we’d selected.
She carried herself with a quiet, natural grace that didn’t need any coaching.
“Oh, my goodness,” James clapped his hands excitedlyand, breaking the silence as he hurried over to inspect her.
“Is she ready?” I asked, my voice sounding flat, a shield against the sudden warmth in my chest.
“Perfect, Ma’am. Absolutely perfect.”
“Good. Take your team and leave,” I ordered.
I didn’t want them in the room anymore.
I wanted the space between us to be quiet.
James sensing my mood quickly gathered his crew and slipped out, closing the doors behind them.
I picked up the velvet box from my dressing table.
Inside was a diamond necklace— small, beautiful and perfect for Clara.
I walked over to her, keeping my face carefully blank.
She watched me approach, her chest rising and falling with a shallow, nervous breath in anticipation of what I was about to do.
“Turn around,” I said.
She did, her back to me.
I stepped closer, her light, floral perfume hitting me instantly, making me lose my focus for a split second.
My hands were steady as I slid the diamonds around her neck, securing the clasp.
The cold stones settled against her warm skin.
I didn’t pull away immediately; my fingers lingered on her bare shoulders, feeling the soft heat of her skin.
I turned her back to face me.
The diamonds caught the light, but my eyes went straight to the sudden, delicate flush on her cheeks.
“That’s better,” I said, my voice even, hiding the sudden, hard thud of my pulse.
“Let’s go
The flashing lights of the cameras were blinding the moment the car doors opened. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The paparazzi shouted my name, a loud, chaotic din that I had long learned to ignore.
Inside the ballroom, the chatter of the crowd dipped, a ripple of quiet murmurs spreading through the room as we walked in.
Hundreds of eyes turned toward us.
Some looked with curiosity, others with naked envy.
I kept walking, my pace steady and unhurried, but beside me, I felt Clara falter.
Her step slowed, and she started to pull back, trying to shrink into the shadows she was always used to.
I didn’t let her.
I reached down, my fingers wrapping firmly around her hand.
It was a silent, possessive grip that left no room for argument.
I pulled her forward until she was walking right beside me.
“Walk with your head up, Clara,” I murmured, leaning in just close enough for my breath to brush her ear.
“Tonight, you are with Evelyn Vance.”
A soft shiver ran through her, but she obeyed.
She lifted her chin, her gaze clearing as she matched my stride.
A quiet, satisfying pride settled in my chest.
As the host led us toward our reserved table, a familiar figure stepped into our path, a knowing, mischievous smirk on her face.
Katherine.
“Is that a ghost, or did the Ice Queen finally decide to grace us mortals with her presence?” she teased, placing her hands on her hips in a theatrical stance.
I let out a rare, genuine laugh.
Katherine was the only person in this room brave enough to mock me.
I shook my head at her antics as she leaned in for a brief hug and a light kiss on the cheek.
Her eyes immediately darted past me to Clara, her gaze turning sharp and intensely curious.
My protective instincts flared slightly.
“This is my assistant, Clara Sinclair,” I said, steering us toward our table.
“What happened to Lydia? I thought she was the only one who could survive your schedule,” Kathy asked, sliding into the seat next to mine.
“Lydia is still there. Clara is my second,” I replied, my tone signaling that the subject was closed.
Kathy leaned closer, her voice dropping so low I knew Clara wouldn’t be able to hear her over the room’s noise.
“She’s very pretty, Eve. Since when do you hire based on looks?”
I gave a small, dry chuckle, my eyes drifting back to Clara.
As the event went on, I found myself hovering in a state of strange detachment, only half-listening to the accolades being tossed around.
If not for the sharp wit of Katherine on my right and the quiet, radiant presence of Clara on my left, I would have walked out an hour ago.
I hadn’t even realised I was nominated for an award.
Francis usually managed these social trivialities; collecting these glass trophies in my stead fand filing them away in some forgotten cabinet.
But tonight, as the presenter read my name for the first category, the blinding white spotlight swung directly to our table.
I had no intention of walking up to that stage, no interest of standing in front of a room full of people that only respected my net worth, just to give a fake thank-you speech.
I turned to Clara.
“Go up and accept the award for me,” I said, my voice quiet but firm.
Her head snapped toward me, her blue eyes wide with panic.
She shook her head, her fingers clutching the green silk of her dress.
“I can’t, Miss Evelyn. I… I really can’t.”
“Just walk up there, take the trophy, and come back. You don’t even have to say anything. Just be the face of Vance Corp for one minute.”
She took a slow, deep breath, trying to steady herself.
Then, with a quiet resolve that took me by surprise, she stood up.
I watched her walk toward the stage, her silhouette framed by the warm light of the ballroom.
She moved with an effortless, natural grace, as if she had belonged in these rooms all along.
“Remember that Sterling deal you asked me about?” I murmured to Kathy, my eyes never leaving Clara as she ascended the steps.
“The thirty-billion-dollar bailout?”
Kathy took a sip of her champagne, her eyes also tracking Clara.
“Yeah. What about it?”
“That’s her,” I said simply.
“Clara is the acquisition. Julian soon to be ex wife.”
Kathy choked on her drink, coughing quietly as she stared at me, her eyes wide with shock.
She looked from me to the stage, her mouth slightly open.
For the first time since I’d known her, she was completely speechless.
I turned my attention back to the podium.
I expected Clara to simply take the heavy glass trophy and walk off, but instead, she stepped up to the microphone.
She began to speak.
Her voice was soft at first, but it carried clearly through the silent hall.
‘What are you doing Clara?’ I held my breath and just listened to her.
She began talking about what Vance Corp actually did that didnt make it to the news—how my investments had rebuilt struggling communities and assisting startups.
How I backed projects that other banks and companies had written off as lost cause.
She spoke about me with a quiet, sincere respect that made the entire ballroom go completely still.
My chest felt tight, my throat suddenly dry.
I sat there, frozen, listening to this girl tell a room full of billionaires about a version of me I barely recognized myself.
She made me sound…
human.
“Are you sure she’s just your assistant, Eve?” Kathy’s voice whispered next to my ear, sharp and quiet.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’ve been staring at her since got here…like she’s the only one in the whole room”
The weight of her words left me unable to reply.
I looked back at Clara on the stage, standing under the bright spotlights, and the truth finally hit me.
I had spent thirty billion dollars to buy her out of her abusive marriage, convinced I was the one holding all the cards.
But as I watched her stand up there, defending my name, I realized the game had changed.
She wasn’t just a business transaction I made anymore.
She might be the first person in my life who had the power to make me feel completely vulnerable.
‘And vulnerable is not what I can afford to be’
Thank you so much for reading Chapter 12!
We are officially past the ten-chapter mark, and I am so grateful for all the love and support you’ve shown this book so far.
Question for you guys: Evelyn just realized that Clara might actually be her greatest weakness.
Do you think the Ice Queen is letting her guard down too fast, or is Clara’s warmth just impossible to resist?
I’d love to read your theories in the comments!