Chapter 235
Sebastian Valdemar's slender fingers curled around the milk glass, his gaze never leaving Evelyn Roland's figure.
"I'll take you."
His deep voice carried an unyielding command.
"No need."
Evelyn tipped her head back, finishing the last drop of milk before setting the glass down gently. She caught the deepening furrow between his brows.
"Relax. I can take care of myself."
Slinging her backpack over one shoulder, she strode toward the door without looking back.
Sebastian watched her retreating figure, his knuckles tapping a sharp rhythm against the glass. He pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Follow her."
Theodore Ashcroft understood immediately. "Understood, Mr. Valdemar."
Thirty minutes later, outside Stanford University.
Evelyn had just stepped out of the car when a bouquet of crimson roses blocked her path.
"Good morning, Evelyn."
Oliver Valrose stood before her in an immaculate white suit, his tie perfectly knotted, his smile calculated. He deliberately slowed his speech as he extended the roses.
A small crowd had already begun to gather.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes. The Valrose family's notorious playboy—she'd heard the rumors.
"Move."
Her quiet command froze Oliver's smile in place.
Across the street, the tinted window of a black Maybach lowered slightly. Sebastian's gaze was colder than steel.
"Don't be like that," Oliver said, adjusting his expression and lowering his voice. "Your stepmother already agreed to our engagement."
The cloying scent of roses assaulted her senses. Evelyn took a sharp step back.
"Take your flowers and get lost."
Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Oliver's face darkened, but before he could react, a saccharine voice cut in.
"Little sister, is that any way to speak to Mr. Valrose?"
Isabella Langley approached in sky-high heels, her Chanel suit glinting under the sunlight. She linked arms with Oliver, flashing Evelyn a triumphant smile.
"Mother handpicked your fiancé. Don't disrespect her kindness."
Evelyn studied the pair before her, then suddenly laughed.
"So you're the matchmaker." She turned to Oliver. "Heard you got a model pregnant last month?"
The crowd erupted. Oliver's face turned ashen. Isabella's smile faltered.
Inside the Maybach, Sebastian's lips curved slightly. He rolled down the window further, watching the slender figure at the university gates.
"Drive," he ordered the chauffeur. "To the office."
As the car pulled away, the rearview mirror captured Evelyn walking through the crowd with effortless grace, her posture straight as a bamboo stalk.