Before they knew it, an hour had passed. That was when Jason walked in. He saw Evelyn sitting across from Fiona, wearing a rare, soft smile. His eyes lingered on her for a long moment. Her. How had he never noticed that Evelyn wasn’t just beautiful? She was stunning.

When Evelyn noticed Jason standing nearby, she didn’t react. She simply gave a polite nod—just enough to acknowledge him and nothing more. At this point, he wasn’t dumb enough to think she was playing hard to get. A while ago, he might’ve assumed she was changing tactics, trying to win over Lucas’s…friend. That wasn’t the case anymore. Evelyn genuinely had zero interest in getting on his good side. The realization made Jason frown. He couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling it stirred in him.

“Jason!” Fiona exclaimed, still caught up in everything Evelyn had been explaining. Even as she turned to Jason, she was practically buzzing with excitement. “What are you doing here so early?” She glanced at Evelyn before answering, “Don’t you know you have asthma? Did you bring your inhaler?”

Fiona shrank back a little as she groaned. “Man, you’re so annoying.”

Evelyn stood up and said, “I’m heading back to my room.” She gave Fiona a small smile before walking away. Fiona sighed, watching Evelyn leave like she didn’t want the moment to end. Then, she noticed something strange—Jason was staring as well.

“Wait,” Fiona blinked, turning to Jason. She asked, “Are you into Evelyn?”

Jason’s expression darkened. He flicked her forehead, and instead of answering her question, he switched the topic, saying, “You’ve been clinging to her all day. You sure you’re not being a…”

Fiona pouted. “No way! She likes me, okay? You don’t even know her! She just seems distant, but she’s actually super nice! And…” She hesitated before adding, “She’s really smart, Jason. Do you know what she does for work? Is she an engineer?”

Jason thought for a second. He was surprised by how patient Evelyn was with Fiona. He thought that she’d ignore Fiona because she didn’t like him.

Drones? His mind flashed back to the test flights. Back then, Evelyn had suddenly entered the industry because of Tiffany. Then, out of nowhere, she joined Flying Seal Group—the company leading in drone research. He must’ve cared a lot about what happened with Tiffany. Otherwise, why would she have thrown herself into this field so aggressively?

Jason shrugged. “Her boss runs a big company. She probably picked up some basics just from being around it.” It was just a guess, but it was probably not too far off. She was Sebastian’s assistant, after all. That alone meant she’d have to at least pretend to know the industry. And knowing Evelyn, she was sharp enough to hold her own—especially against…

Fiona hummed, deep in thought. She didn’t believe Evelyn had just “picked up the basics.” Evelyn knew her stuff.

Back in her room, Evelyn worked for a while longer. She outlined key issues that needed discussing and planned to go over them with Sebastian at the office tomorrow. By the time Justine and the others got back, the sky had already gone dark. Justine threw her hands up in defeat. “I’m dead. My legs are officially out of commission. Don’t even bother calling me for dinner.”

Sebastian called her “the burned-out one, charging ahead like a lunatic. Zero stamina, but all the enthusiasm.” Then, he turned to Evelyn. “There’s a campsite here. We can grill, stargaze, and watch the sunset. Are you coming?”

Evelyn suddenly remembered her plans with Fiona. She hesitated. “Hold on, let me check something.” Sebastian raised an eyebrow, asking, “You’ve got plans?”

Before she could answer, Fiona’s message popped up on her screen. “Evelyn, Come to the campsite when you’re ready! We’re at Oxygen Zone 3.”

Evelyn smiled and looked back at Sebastian. “Yeah. Let’s go.” Sebastian didn’t question it. He just gathered the team and led them toward the site. The rest had shuttle buses, and when they arrived, Evelyn followed the path to the designated area. But when they got there, she quickly realized it wasn’t just Fiona and Jason waiting. There was a whole other group.

And in the middle of it all were Lucas and Tiffany. Tiffany was saying something while leaning in slightly, and Lucas—who was usually so cold and distant—was actually listening. His sharp, unreadable features softened, his patience unmistakable. Evelyn had never seen him like that before. This was the side of him Tiffany brought out.

For years, she had thought Lucas was naturally indifferent and incapable of warmth. But now, watching him like this, she realized he had simply chosen to be that way with others.

“Are you stalking us, Evelyn?” A vole scurried through the night. She turned to see Sophia staring her down, her expression laced with…

Sophia continued, “Do you have to follow Lucas everywhere he goes!”