Chapter 88
When Blake didn’t see the necklace, he frowned. “Why aren’t you wearing it?”
Evelyn had just pressed the elevator button when she recalled that the necklace had been a free gift. She replied calmly, “I lost it.”
Blake looked at her more closely. Seeing that she showed no obvious emotion, he said, “In that case, there’s no helping it. I’ll buy you another one.”
Evelyn paused. “There’s no need. I don’t want it.”
To say it didn’t sting would be a lie. Since when had Blake become so dismissive of her? Money was never an issue for him—he could easily afford expensive jewelry–yet he had chosen to give her a freebie.
Blake narrowed his eyes. The only reason he had given her that diamond necklace was because he had let her down a few days ago. He had thought a simple gift would be enough to smooth things over.
But Evelyn’s persistent attitude was starting to irritate him. “When did you become so careless? You’ve always taken good care of the things I give you. Evie, if you want something else, just say it–there’s no need to play games.”
He didn’t believe she had really lost it. She had always treasured anything he gave her–even cheap trinkets. She had never once complained about any of it.
Evelyn couldn’t refute him. His words cut through her, piercing the illusion of the past she had once cherished. She had valued their relationship–whether it was the bond they shared growing up or the naive affection she once held for him.
But that wasn’t an excuse for him to treat her as insignificant. It didn’t mean she was only worthy of a free gift.
The elevator doors opened. Evelyn turned to him and said evenly, “People change. No one stays in the same place forever.”
She had long since let go of Blake. Now, he wasn’t even worthy of being called her brother.
Blake’s expression darkened. He strode forward and grabbed her wrist. “Change? Lucas treats you like this, and you still can’t leave him? When did you learn to compromise? If it weren’t for using your marriage to provoke me, what other reason could you possibly have?”
Evelyn stared at him in shock. She met his cold, piercing gaze. Just as she was about to pull away, she caught sight of a group of people approaching from behind him.
Her gaze landed on one person in particular. Her brows furrowed slightly as she instinctively wondered whether he heard that.
As the group neared, she yanked her hand free and quickly entered the elevator before the doors closed.
Blake frowned. Then, a presence beside him made him turn. It was Lucas, with Tiffany and Mason trailing behind him.
Tiffany had also noticed Evelyn, but she had arrived too late to see anything except Evelyn disappearing into the elevator–not that she cared. She simply asked, “Mr. Harrison, where’s Jessica?”
Blake put aside his thoughts about Evelyn for a moment. “She wanted to sleep in.”
Then, he turned to Lucas. “I heard you and Mr. Hill had a great conversation yesterday.”
After all, Sebastian was the man of the hour. Everyone wanted to connect with him–Flying Seal Group was rumored to be working on a major project.
Lucas, seemingly unconcerned with his near encounter with Evelyn, responded lazily, “We just had dinner.”
Blake smirked. “Everyone knows the Flying Seal Group is about to launch something big. You’re already making your moves, aren’t you? Are you interested in it?”
Lucas‘ lips curved slightly, offering no clear answer. Blake clapped him on the shoulder. “What a coincidence–I have my eye on it, too. But luckily for me, Evie is close to Mr. Hill, so I’d say my chances are pretty good. As for you…”
His gaze flickered briefly toward Tiffany.
Lucas‘ expression remained unreadable, but Mason chuckled. “You’re overthinking it, Mr. Harrison. If Lucas really wanted to work with Flying Seal Group, Evelyn would serve it up to him on a silver platter. You might not even get the chance.”
That had always been the pattern, hadn’t it?
Blake glanced between Lucas and Tiffany before finally laughing. “That would be ideal.”
Sebastian had an urgent matter and had to make a last–minute trip to another city, so Evelyn had no choice but to return to Clementon alone.
Just before boarding, her phone rang. Surprisingly, it was Lucas. “What time will you land in Clementon?”
