Chapter 923

No.1

At day's end, only Evelyn and Roman remained.

Passing his desk, she paused inexplicably. His isolation tugged at her.

"Still working?"

"N-no..." He fumbled with papers.

"Walk out together?"

Despair clung to him. She feared leaving him alone.

Roman looked up, stunned.

No.2

"Come on." Evelyn sighed.

He scrambled up. "But your husband—"

The mere memory of Alexander's glare made him shudder.

"He's away." Her smile was thin.

Rarely did she lie. Her earlier claims about her marriage had been true.

She and Alexander were strangers sharing a home.

Past experience taught her—after intimacy, he always disappeared. Even during her love-struck days, she'd wondered if she was just a receptacle.

No.3

Her departure had briefly changed him.

Now...

Evelyn almost laughed.

One month into marriage, old patterns returned. A relationship sustained only by her "escape" was meaningless.

Fortunately, she'd never intended to return. Her temporary compromise was because...

Her gaze flickered to her abdomen.

Soon.

No.4

A few fleeting months. Once the baby arrived safely, she'd vanish completely.

Outside, Roman froze. "Evelyn—"

Julian's car idled at the curb, his profile obscured by cigarette smoke.

He seemed not to notice her.

"Let's go," Evelyn said.

Nathan rolled down the window, offering a polite smile.

Alexander hadn't come. Even the annoying Ethan was absent. Sending Nathan was overkill.

No.5

"Madam, your car." Nathan opened the door.

Evelyn glanced at Roman.

"Another vehicle for the gentleman." Nathan signaled a discreet sedan.

Roman looked to Evelyn helplessly.

"It's fine." She reassured him. "Prepare well. What's yours will return."

Roman stilled.

Her quiet words held inexplicable power. He nodded solemnly. "Thank you. I will."

No.6

Betrayal and humiliation had been his constant companions.

Evelyn was the first light in his darkness.

As their car pulled away, Evelyn noticed Julian's vehicle hadn't moved.

The interior was completely veiled in smoke.

"You're always so gentle with your colleagues, Madam Evelyn." Nathan Carter's voice carried amusement, yet it made Evelyn Sinclair's fingertips tremble slightly.

She heard the unspoken implication.

Nathan's compliment was actually a veiled jab—she treated everyone with warmth except Alexander Kingsley, who received only her icy indifference.

No.7

Evelyn lowered her gaze without responding.

She hadn't even asked about Alexander's schedule tonight.

Nathan, like Ethan Miller, was one of Alexander's most loyal devotees. No matter how respectful they appeared on the surface, their underlying disdain for her never changed.

In their eyes, Lord Alex should remain aloof, treating her with contempt.

Now that he'd lowered himself to pursue her, she was the ungrateful one...

Evelyn closed her eyes briefly.