A new day.
Evelyn Grant sat on the terrace, letting the wind blow over her.
She hadn’t gone out, feeling completely listless.
A maid brought out desserts and hot tea, then she and another stood at a distance, ready for any orders Evelyn might have.
The villa was situated at the highest point, overlooking the towering skyscrapers of the bustling Centrium.
The most majestic and imposing of them all was the Apex headquarters.
The entirety of Veridia was Preston Keaton’s domain, and Apex was like a colossal dragon coiled over the city.
It was useless for her to go anywhere; she would always be in the palm of his hand.
Yara Summers started a video call with her.
She and Ryan Hayes were both home from work today, enjoying a rare day to themselves.
As a friend of many years, Yara could tell something was wrong just from Evelyn’s expression.
She frowned, pushed Ryan Hayes’s head off her shoulder, and got up to go into the study, closing the door behind her.
“What’s wrong?
What happened?
You look really unhappy.”
Evelyn Grant lowered her gaze.
After a moment of thought, she said quietly, “There was a rumor going around that Leo Lawrence paid a hefty sum to bury a photo of him having dinner with a girl.
Is it possible the girl in that photo wasn’t me?”
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but after finding out what happened, a seed of doubt had been planted.
Yara Summers immediately realized what she was implying.
Her expression turned cold and serious.
“Don’t tell me that bastard Leo Lawrence was cheating.”
Evelyn Grant raised her eyes slightly and was silent for a few seconds.
“He slept with Nina while I was back in Solara resting.”
The news was like a bombshell.
The completely unexpected development left Yara stunned, and fury instantly colored her face.
She was livid.
“So Leo Lawrence is that kind of scumbag?
He sleeps with someone else and then turns around to chase after you?
How shameless can he be!”
“Damn it, his acting was too good.
Even I was completely convinced by his devoted act toward you.”
“What a disgusting pig.
He actually slept with Nina.
The next time I see him, I swear I’m going to spit in his face!”
She had watched the whole thing unfold, from the moment Leo Lawrence started pursuing Evelyn.
She had even put in a few good words for him.
Thinking back on it now, she felt like she must have been blind.
The sound of her angry shouting attracted Ryan Hayes.
He pushed open the door and had just poked his head in when Yara shot him a vicious glare.
The man’s wronged voice drifted over.
“What did I do to make you angry?”
Evelyn Grant couldn’t help but laugh.
She said gently, “It’s okay.
It was very upsetting when I first found out, but learning about it before we officially got together…
I guess you could call that lucky.”
Especially since she had been about to say yes to him.
He even hid it from her afterward, preparing to confess his feelings as if nothing had happened.
That completely crossed a line for her.
Thinking back on it, she found it all so baffling.
Leo Lawrence said he liked her.
‘He really does like me,’ she thought.
‘But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room in his heart for someone else.’
Yara put a finger to her lips, signaling for Ryan Hayes to shut up and not disturb her.
“I just can’t stomach this.”
“Forget it.” Evelyn Grant smiled, her voice very calm.
“I don’t want to hear his name again, and I probably won’t have any contact with him in the future.
It’s good that it ended this way.”
Yara was also in their circle.
If she did something, Evelyn worried it might affect her career.
There was something else on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t know where to begin.
She heard Ryan Hayes’s voice, and in the end, she pressed her lips together and swallowed the words she was about to say.
For the rest of the call, she listened to Yara curse him out.
When someone treated her friend well, she thought they were a decent person.
But dare to betray her friend…
Yara went on for ten minutes, cursing him out from head to toe, and finally summarized her thoughts in one sentence.
“Fine.
Let it end like this.
After all, we’re not in the business of picking up trash, so we won’t get tangled up with him.”
This finally made Evelyn Grant laugh.
Her features softened, her eyes curving into crescents.
It was a beautiful smile.
“You should teach me how to curse people out.”
“Oh?” Yara shook her head, refusing.
“Nope, can’t do that.”
‘The girl had been raised so well by her family.
She only knew a few curses, and even when she used them, she sounded soft and gentle.
I can’t let her learn any bad habits from me.’
Not wanting to disturb their rare time together any longer, Evelyn Grant said a few more words and then hung up.
The tea had gone cold.
A maid came over to replace it with a fresh pot.
Evelyn Grant thanked her, but after just a few sips, she stood up and went back to her room.
When Preston Keaton returned, the living room was empty except for the maids.
He glanced coolly at Butler Shaw.
“Miss Grant is in her room,” Butler Shaw said, bowing his head slightly.
“She sat on the terrace for a while before going back to her room and hasn’t come out since.”
Preston Keaton listened absently, shrugging off his suit jacket and handing it to a maid.
He went up to the second floor and knocked on the door.
There was no sound from within.
‘The girl is certainly trusting,’ he thought.
The door wasn’t even locked.
The faint, pleasant scent of gardenias greeted him, but the small sitting area was empty.
A small lump was visible under the covers on the bedroom’s bed.
She was sleeping so soundly that she didn’t stir even as someone approached.
Perhaps because so much had happened in the past two days, she was frowning in her sleep.
The blanket covered half of her little face, and her hair was scattered messily on the pillow.
She looked very well-behaved.
Preston Keaton looked down.
He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair from her cheek behind her ear.
As the pad of his finger brushed against the girl’s delicate face, his expression softened almost imperceptibly.
Supreme power, wealth, and status—these were things he was born with.
Possessing them also meant he had to excel in everything, be rigorous and meticulous, and restrain himself with discipline and propriety.
But setting all that aside, setting aside his identity, the first time he had ever been interested in something—or someone—was at a banquet.
He had gone into the garden to take a call from Sophie Keaton.
When he lazily glanced up, he saw a young woman with red-rimmed eyes.
A man was grabbing her by the wrist, blocking her path.
She was exhausted from dealing with the scoundrel, but even with no way out, she stubbornly held her back straight and started cursing him.
“You pig-head!
Disgusting!”
It was so soft, it hardly sounded like cursing.
“Get lost!”
It seemed she had used up every curse word she had ever learned in her life, but it was no use.
When he saw her again, she had matured a lot, but she was still just a young woman.
Something tickled her face.
Evelyn Grant slowly woke up.
The bedroom lights were off, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a tall, dark silhouette in front of her, causing her to let out a small gasp of fright.
“It’s me.”
A familiar, gentle voice.
Before she could say anything, Preston Keaton bent down, scooped her out from under the blanket, and held her in his arms.
Warm and soft, her petite and delicate frame pressed against his chest.
She felt so fragile that he eased his grip, afraid that even the slightest bit of force might break her.
Evelyn Grant’s pupils trembled.
She could feel how strong the arms cradling her were.
With each step he took, it felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
“Where are we going?”
Fragments from the books she’d read flashed inexplicably through her mind.
Her body tensed up, and her watery eyes filled with fear.
Preston Keaton looked down, the arm around her tightening slightly.
“To eat,” he said lightly.
His expression was gentle, his demeanor elegant and composed.
“Did you sleep yourself silly?”