Evelyn went upstairs to the shady room. There were two studies in this mansion; one was Lucas’s private study, where she wasn’t allowed, while the other was an open space where she used to read in her spare time. For the past three years, she had been keeping up with the times and continuing to learn; she was familiar with every corner of this place. She was the one who arranged everything herself, so she could vaguely remember where things were kept.

It took her a while to find the book on the makeshift shelf. To make sure she didn’t leave anything else behind, she looked around once more and packed all her books into a box. Even with such little physical work, she was already feeling exhausted. Ever since the diagnosis, her terminal illness had left her body weaker than she imagined. She had to ask Margaret to help her carry the box downstairs. Only then did she realize it was snowing outside. There was already a layer of snow covering the ground.

It was 10:30 p.m. when she checked the time. Margaret went back inside to rest after Evelyn got into her car. After multiple attempts to start the car, she found herself in a predicament: her car wouldn’t start up at all. She did everything she could, but it simply wouldn’t budge. Going home was out of the question. She checked the time again; it was already 11:00 p.m. The mansion was in a secluded area with snow-covered ground, so just walking out would take half an hour. Cabs wouldn’t come in here either. On top of that, the weather meant a long wait.

Her brows drew together in frustration. She was already physically drained from all the hassle. After all the trouble she went through, she decided to stay the night. It wasn’t like Lucas would come back anytime soon, so she wouldn’t need to worry about seeing him. She wasn’t planning to sleep in the master bedroom. After taking a shower, she went to find clothes in the bathroom. Wrapped in a towel, she went to the master bedroom's closet to find the clothes she had left behind.

Fortunately, Lucas really had come back; he never bothered to ask Margaret to throw out her wardrobe. She grabbed her clothes and was about to head back out. Standing on the other side of the driveway, Lucas still looked displeased. The mask of composure he usually wore slackened when he saw Evelyn. Then, he walked inside as if nothing had happened. As he passed by her, she caught a glimpse of his grim expression.

Laban was always a little calmer when he walked to Speraltase with her, Whatta Tullany. He suddenly had all the time in the world, no matter how busy he was.

Lin… Ulwe wanted to know why she was there. “Surely, I was… piddling…” He set his drink down and glanced at her again, his eyes lingering on the towel wrapped around her. Her shoulders and neck were bare, and her slender legs… due to the situation.

Chapter 44

He cut her off and said coldly, “I’m not in the mood.” After his sentence, Lucas removed his tie and prepared for a bath. As he passed by the bathroom, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Evelyn again. It was as if looking at her for even one more second…

Whenever he looked at Evelyn, she always reminded him of those pale-skinned patients with terminal illnesses. He considered it an act of disloyalty to Tiny. She barely regained her composure but quickly picked up on what he meant. Her face immediately flushed red. Beneath her embarrassment was a lingering sense of humiliation and… Did he really think she wanted to sleep with him?

“Don’t get the wrong idea.” She took a deep breath and added, “I’m sleeping in the guest room tonight!” Lucas turned his head away, his chiseled face devoid of… She had abruptly left the room.

At least she was straightforward. Thinking about it, it was a valid reaction. She must have felt embarrassed after being rejected. A smirk tugged at his lips, and he then walked into the bathroom. Judging by the clean bathtub, he could tell she hadn’t filled it with hot water. He stared at the bathtub for a long time before he decided to use the shower head instead.

Evelyn rose out of bed and was getting ready for the day. As she stepped out of her room, she unexpectedly bumped into him leaving his room as well. He was talking to someone on the phone in his usually cold but gentle tone. “Sure, I’m free. Let me know when you’ve made the arrangements.” She avoided making eye contact with him and went downstairs.

With such a tender voice, anyone could have guessed that he was talking to Tiffany. She didn’t expect them both to be this close. She was also surprised to find Maria already there when she came down. Maria smiled warmly and waved at her as she came down. “Good morning, Evie! Why are you up so early?” She then saw Lucas who was following closely behind Evelyn down… She was pleased to see them.

Evelyn was taken aback. “Grandma! Why are you here this early!” Maria had some of her servants take out the thermal food containers for them. “I heard you’ve recently switched to a new job, Lucas told me you have been super busy that you can’t even spare time to come back and visit…”

“Since no one’s cooking at home, I thought I could prepare your favorites and bring them over.” Evelyn glanced at him. Is this what he told her?