Chapter 87
Evelyn’s mind went blank for a moment. Lucas‘ breath carried the scent of alcohol as it brushed against her lips. She was completely caught off guard–until she realized he was trying to pry them open.
A jolt of awareness shot through her, and she abruptly pushed him away.
She scrambled to her feet and quickly straightened her disheveled nightgown. Her eyes turned cold. “Lucas, you’re drunk. I’m not Tiffany.”
Lucas, momentarily stunned by her push, slowly opened his eyes. As he took in her displeased expression, the haze in his deep–set gaze gradually cleared, and his brows drew together.
It seemed he hadn’t expected this turn of events, especially not Evelyn’s expression. His eyes flicked around the room before he sat up, rubbing his temples. His voice was still slightly hoarse. “What time is it?”
Evelyn’s heart was still racing. It had been a long time since she had been this physically close to him, and it felt uncomfortable. More than that, their relationship was no longer one where this should happen.
At that moment, all the humiliation from the night before–the public embarrassment of being asked to change her dress, the frustration of being mistaken for Tiffany, the bitterness of knowing she was nothing more than a substitute–rushed over her in waves.
“Past ten.”
“Mm. No need to return the call. Tomorrow will do.” Lucas stood up. His tall, commanding presence exuded an undeniable pressure.
He glanced at Evelyn, but he didn’t bring up what had just happened. “Get some rest.”
With that, he grabbed his coat and strode out the door. His movements were hurried, as if he had something urgent to take care of.
Even thought he was probably upset about mistaking her for Tiffany. Now that he had sobered up, he must have felt guilty toward her.
As for his drunken words–how he missed her–she had never seen Lucas act so needy before. It must be because he and Tiffany were so intimate that it had become second nature to him.
It was unlike his time with her. Even in their most intimate moments, Lucas had never been tender. Once he had fulfilled his needs, he would simply roll over and sleep–never holding her in his arms.
Evelyn pushed the thoughts aside and went to bed.
Their return trip was already scheduled. Early in the morning, Maria called. “Evie, are you two up yet?”
Evelyn set down her coffee. “Yes, we’re up.”
Maria asked, “When are you heading back to Clementon? Have you booked your tickets?”
Evelyn hesitated. She and Lucas never traveled together, so she wasn’t sure how to answer. “Not yet…”
“In that case, let me know once you do. I’ll have someone prepare some nutritional supplements for you two to take back.”
“All right.” After chatting a bit, they ended the call.
Evelyn thought about it—she and Lucas were likely on different flights. Maybe she should check his schedule so she could give Maria an answer.
She dialed his number. The phone rang for a while before someone finally picked up.
“Lucas is still asleep. Do you need something?” Tiffany’s voice was calm. Beneath her gentle tone, there was a hint of arrogance.
Evelyn froze for a second before quickly composing herself. “No, it’s nothing.”
“Mm,” Tiffany responded lightly, then ended the call. Evelyn set down her phone and shook her head slightly.
Lucas did treat Tiffany differently. He had no qualms about letting her answer even his phone–something so personal.
She suddenly recalled a night when he had been drunk. She had taken care of him, and when she noticed his phone was out of battery, she plugged in the battery from him.
However, all she got was a cold, piercing look as he said, “Don’t touch my phone again.”
His gaze was sharp and oppressive. She still remembered how humiliated she had felt. He had drawn a line, keeping her at a distance. But with Tiffany, there were no boundaries.
Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts. Lucas had mistaken her for someone else last night because, in the end, it was Tiffany he had wanted to find.
It only made sense that they would end up together. She placed her phone aside and sat quietly for a while before getting up to pack her things.
Sebastian’s assistant had booked her an afternoon flight, so there was still plenty of time.
In the afternoon, Sebastian called Evelyn and invited her downstairs for lunch. She grabbed a coat and headed out.
At the elevator, she ran into Elake. Judging by his slightly disheveled appearance, he must have had a long night of drinking. His usual carefree expression carried a hint of lazy exhaustion from a hangover.
As Evelyn approached, Blake instinctively glanced at her neck
