Chapter 69
Evelyn? Sebastian frowned. That term of endearment didn’t sound like a typical boss-employee relationship.
The hospital corridor was bathed in harsh fluorescent light.
Alexander Roland stood outside the examination room, his knuckles tapping rhythmically against the wall. His gaze was fixed on the faint scratch on Evelyn's arm, his brows knitted tightly.
"Brother, it really doesn't hurt," Evelyn said, shaking her bandaged wrist lightly.
The probing look Sebastian Valdemar had given her in the stairwell lingered in her mind. She deliberately tugged at Alexander's sleeve before he could explain.
Now wasn’t the right time.
"Mr. Valdemar seems to have misunderstood something," Alexander suddenly remarked.
Evelyn’s lashes fluttered. "Let him misunderstand."
As they walked through the hospital lobby, heads turned. Evelyn’s striking beauty glowed under the lights, while Alexander’s tall, poised figure exuded an air of nobility.
In the banquet hall, the champagne tower glittered brilliantly.
Isabella Langley crushed the stem of her wineglass in her grip. Crimson liquid dripped between her fingers, staining her dress.
"Miss Langley?" A waiter hurried over with a towel.
Her eyes remained fixed on the entrance, where Sebastian’s figure flashed by, his expression colder than usual.
"Mr. Valdemar..." Theodore Ashcroft hesitated.
"Quiet." Sebastian loosened his tie and strode away.
The chandelier in the villa’s living room cast a blinding glow.
Olivia Valdemar padded downstairs in slippers and found her brother staring at his phone, lost in thought.
"Done with the celebration so early?" she asked, deliberately raising her voice.
Sebastian locked his screen with suspicious speed.
"Evelyn didn’t come back with you?" Olivia leaned in, studying his face.
"She had other matters."
His tone was flat, but Olivia noticed his thumb absently tracing the edge of his phone.
A vibration interrupted the silence.
Evelyn stared at Olivia’s invitation, the wound beneath her bandage throbbing faintly.
[Free tomorrow? Join me for afternoon tea.]
She bit her lip. The screen brightened and dimmed, reflecting her conflicted expression.
"What’s wrong?" Alexander handed her a warm glass of milk.
"Nothing." She hit send. "A friend wants to meet tomorrow."
Outside the window, the Valdemar car slowly pulled away from the hospital. Sebastian leaned against the window, streetlights flickering across his sharp features.
He remembered the flash of crimson on Evelyn’s fingertips when she had tugged at Alexander’s sleeve in the stairwell.