Chapter 10
“Wait, Antoine. I want to go with you,” Evelyn said.
Joseph frowned. “Why would you go to that kind of place? Don’t be ridiculous.”
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Evelyn leaned her head against his shoulder and spoke with a mix of admiration and sadness, “Eva’s so good at acting. Nothing even happened, but she made it seem so real. Her heartbreak and despair make it seem like something truly awful had happened to her.
“I’m not as talented as her. No matter how hard I try, I can’t quite match her performance. I thought if I could go and watch her in action, I could learn something.
“After all, the lead role you secured for me with ten times the investment last time has really added to my pressure. I don’t want to disappoint you, so I can only work harder. Please, Joseph? Let me learn from her. I’ll work hard, I promise.”
Evelyn’s words were like a bucket of water, extinguishing the feelings Joseph couldn’t quite understand.
Of course. How had he not realized? Evangeline was a brilliant actress. It was all just an act.
She had made a mistake, and she deserved to be punished. Yet she remained unrepentant. She even foolishly hoped to win his sympathy with such petty schemes.
If he gave in now, she wouldn’t learn her lesson.
Joseph’s eyes turned cold. “There’s no need to go, Antoine.”
He subtly pulled away from Evelyn’s touch. “Evie, you can learn right here.”
Evelyn’s lips curled into a mocking smile. As expected, Joseph would always believe her and turn his back on Evangeline.
Evangeline had been with him for five years. Even as just a stand–in, ending up like this was truly pitiful.
As the man in the surveillance footage began to show signs of the drug taking effect, Evelyn suddenly lunged at Joseph, knocking the phone from his hand.
“Joseph, why won’t you come closer to me? I almost got hurt by Eva tonight. Don’t you want to comfort me? Just kiss me. Calm me down.”
Her actions were deliberate; her goal clear.
She needed to keep Joseph distracted so he wouldn’t focus on the monitor showing Evangeline’s plight.
It wouldn’t be long before the man claimed her. Once Evangeline was tainted, Joseph would abandon her, just as Evelyn had planned.
“Let go, Evie!” Joseph’s eyes were full of rejection and resistance. He pushed Evelyn off him, restraining her with one hand as he retrieved his phone.
His gaze darkened as he stared at the screen.
In the surveillance footage, Evangeline was actually smiling at the man, even unbuttoning her clothes!
“Wow, Eva’s so bold. Is it not going well between you two, Joseph? Why is she so eager?” Evelyn feigned surprise.
If she couldn’t stop Joseph from watching the footage, she would do everything in her power to smear Evangeline and drive a wedge between them.
This trick worked like a charm.
But this time, Joseph didn’t seem to hear her words. He was consumed with fury. “Evangeline, you’re mine. How dare you throw yourself at another man?”
He could make others teach her a lesson, but he could never tolerate even the slightest hint of betrayal from her.
Joseph stormed out of the car in anger. He was going to take Evangeline away, no matter what.
The car had stopped just outside the hotel. Joseph had only taken a few steps forward when he saw something fall from the window above.
One glance was all it took for him to recognize it–Evangeline.
She was falling. Her body was plummeting from the 23rd floor.
At that moment, everything clicked in his mind. Evangeline hadn’t been trying to seduce the man. She had thought she was about to be tainted. In her despair, she had chosen to die rather than submit.
It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him, shattering him to his core.
Without a second thought, Joseph sprinted toward the spot where Evangeline was falling.
There was only one thought in his mind–catch her. He had to catch her!
He knew, of course, that catching her from that height would likely cripple him–or worse, cost him his life. But there was no hesitation in his steps.
A strange, unfamiliar emotion enveloped him and tightened around his chest. It was almost suffocating.
An announcement seemed to echo in his ears—something about “affection“, “100 points“, and “quest“.
He had no time to consider whether it was an illusion or not. He ran toward Evangeline with all his strength with his arms wide open.
He had so many things left unsaid to her.
He wanted to tell her everything–the feelings he had just realized and the reasons for his coldness toward her.
He had given up.
He didn’t want to test her anymore. He wanted to give her all his heart without holding anything back.
