Chapter 67

Vanessa gave a slow nod. "Wasn't this your doing? Don't tell me you didn't know she's now working at Titan Capital Group?"

Ethan's expression darkened. "I had nothing to do with it."

Now it made sense—why he had spotted Vanessa in the office earlier that morning.

A cold smirk curled at the corner of Ethan's lips.

Titan Capital Group had notoriously strict hiring standards. He was certain Evelyn had pulled strings just to get in, all to stay close to him.

At first, he had almost admired her resilience.

Now, he realized he had given her far too much credit.

Evelyn had downed glass after glass of wine.

Given how often the Executive Office team attended business dinners with Alexander, they were all seasoned drinkers.

Natalie, however, turned into a chatterbox when drunk. Slumped over the table, she blinked blearily at Evelyn.

The clinking of glasses filled the private dining room as laughter bubbled through the air.

"It's too bad Mr. Whitmore and Simon aren't here!" Natalie sighed dramatically, twirling her wine glass. "They're easily the most gorgeous men in Titan Capital—especially Mr. Whitmore. Evelyn, you haven't met him yet, right?"

Evelyn's fingers tightened around her fork.

Oh, she had met him. Kissed him. Woken up tangled in his sheets.

Natalie hiccuped, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. "Honestly, how has Mr. Whitmore stayed single for thirty years? No scandals, no public relationships—do you think there's something... wrong with him?"

Daniel moved lightning-fast, clamping a hand over her mouth. Even among their trusted colleagues from the executive floor, such reckless gossip was dangerous—especially with Evelyn's complicated history tied to Alexander's family.

But it was too late.

Cassandra from Division One sauntered over, her smirk sharp. "Who said Mr. Whitmore doesn’t have a woman?" She lowered her voice. "Just last week, during the Horizon Enterprises merger meeting, someone heard a voice message from a woman calling him 'Darling' in the sweetest tone."

A beat of stunned silence.

Then chaos erupted.

"No way! We’re around him constantly—when would he even have time to date?"

"Was it some socialite? A model?"

Evelyn kept her gaze fixed on her plate, the ghost of Alexander's lips against her ear making her skin prickle.

If only they knew.

"Honestly, I always assumed Mr. Whitmore was into men."

"Absolutely not. Have you seen the way he carries himself? That man radiates pure, undiluted masculinity. Trust me, after binge-watching every romance drama out there, I can confirm—he's definitely straight."

"But what was his reaction? I’m dying to know how he acts around his girlfriend!"

"Probably clueless. I bet he doesn’t even know how to initiate a kiss. He’s probably awkward as hell."

"Damn, that woman must be something else. To melt the ice around a man like Mr. Whitmore? I need to know who she is!"

Despite the President’s Office housing only seven employees, the energy in the room made it feel like a packed auditorium.

Gossip was human nature, after all. Yet amidst the chatter, Victoria Sloan stood silent, her fingers tightening around her wineglass as Cassandra Reed dropped the name Alexander’s mystery woman.

The moment the excitement peaked, Victoria’s cold voice sliced through the air. "Mr. Whitmore doesn’t have a girlfriend. That woman probably threw herself at him. It’s nothing serious."

Cassandra scoffed. "Threw herself at him? Please. You really think—"

The moment the words left Natalie's lips, Evelyn's fingers tightened around her wineglass.

"I don't think so," Victoria chimed in, swirling her cocktail. "But rumor has it when Mr. Caldwell heard the woman's voice, he actually smiled."

Evelyn, who had been resting her forehead against the cool table to steady herself, jerked upright.

"Smiled?" Her voice came out slightly too loud. "Mr. Caldwell? The man who looks like he was carved from ice? Suddenly I'm invested in this mystery woman."

Across from her, Cassandra snorted into her drink.

None of them noticed how Evelyn's knuckles had gone white around her clutch.

She was drowning in secondhand embarrassment.

This is surreal.

The woman they were gossiping about was literally sitting right beside them, nursing a martini and praying the ground would swallow her whole.

The dinner ended with more speculative chatter about Alexander Whitmore's love life.

Evelyn stumbled out of Cresthaven's grand entrance, the night air doing little to clear the champagne haze. She leaned heavily against a marble column, willing the world to stop spinning.

Then she remembered.

Alexander asked me to text him.

Fumbling with her phone, she typed out a clumsy message with uncooperative fingers.

Just as she hit send, two familiar figures emerged from the hotel's golden-lit lobby—Ethan Caldwell and Vanessa Hart, their arms linked like some twisted power couple.

Evelyn's stomach dropped.

Vanessa's laugh cut through the night, sharp as broken glass. "Honestly, darling, I don't know why you even bother with—"

Her words died when she spotted Evelyn.

A slow, venomous smile spread across her face.

"Well. If it isn't my dear stepsister."

Ethan's gaze locked onto Evelyn with the intensity of a predator sighting wounded prey.

The column was the only thing keeping Evelyn upright as the world tilted dangerously.

Somewhere behind her, Natalie gasped.

Oh God.

This was not how tonight was supposed to go.

The moment Evelyn stepped into the hotel lobby, her breath caught in her throat.

Vanessa stood frozen, her eyes widening in shock. "Evelyn? What happened? You're completely wasted!"

Concern etched across her face, Vanessa rushed forward. She turned to Ethan with urgency. "Ethan, she can barely stand. A drunk woman alone at night is a disaster waiting to happen. We should take her home."

Ethan's brows furrowed as he strode toward Evelyn, reaching out to steady her. "Since when do you drink like this? What the hell were you thinking?" His voice was sharp, laced with irritation—but beneath it simmered a protectiveness he didn’t even recognize.

The air between them crackled with unspoken tension.

Evelyn swayed slightly, her vision blurring. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words dissolved into a soft, incoherent murmur.

Vanessa exchanged a glance with Ethan. "We can't just leave her like this."

Ethan exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. Without another word, he slid an arm around Evelyn’s waist, pulling her firmly against his side.

Her warmth seeped into him, stirring something deep and unsettling.

A dangerous thought flickered through his mind—one he immediately crushed.

But the way her body molded against his?

That was a problem.

A big problem.