Chapter 53

It was clear now—Lucas had come here for New Year’s countdown with Jason and the others. Evelyn understood why Lucas had turned down Marta’s invitation to celebrate together. He had already made plans with Tiffany. She had always known that, in Lucas’s world, Tiffany came before everything. No one understood that better than Evelyn.

Sebastian, on the other hand, instantly caught onto Sophia’s passive- aggressive behavior. He didn’t bother addressing her directly. Instead, he looked at Lucas.

“What a coincidence, Mr. Grant. We’re here for a company trip, and you all happen to be here too.” It was a simple, matter-of-fact statement—just enough to make it clear that Evelyn hadn’t followed them.

What were the odds that she’d be accused of stalking just for showing up at a public resort?

Lucas lifted his gaze. “We made a last-minute decision to come. I guess it really is a…”

“Who knows? Maybe Evelyn dragged her whole team here just as a vehicle,” Sophia murmured under her breath.

Mason chuckled, “Damn, Sophis. You’re really not holding back tonight.”

Sebastian was sure he didn’t believe Sophia’s explanation either.

Tiffany, however, remained composed. She gave Sebastian a polite nod and greeted him, “Mr. Hill. Fancy running into you again.”

She completely unnerved Evelyn as usual. Even with that calm, elegant smile on her face, there was an unmistakable air of superiority in her eyes.

Sebastian had been in the business world long enough to know better than to openly call someone out, but his smirk wasn’t exactly friendly. “Ms. Moore, with the people backing you, we’ll be crossing paths plenty in the future.”

Tiffany paused for half a second. She knew exactly what he was implying; she didn’t bother correcting him. Her silence would speak for itself.

Jason, who had been quietly observing the whole exchange, glanced at Evelyn. He didn’t know why, but the way she stayed detached—like she couldn’t care less about any of this—made him frown. Then, without a word, he got up and walked toward the tents.

Evelyn didn’t spare him a second glance. She also didn’t bother addressing Sophia’s side remark; instead, she turned to Sebastian.

“Did we book our own ca…”

Sebastian, remembering that Justine had handled all the arrangements for the trip, pulled out his phone and said, “I’ll check with Justine.”

Sophia, still fuming, clenched her jaw. How was Evelyn not reacting? She didn’t look annoyed. What kind of game was she playing?

“Evelyn! Come sit with us!”

“I’ve got plenty of space. We’ll just combine a few tables together. It’ll be fine!”

Fiona came bounding over, her face lighting up when she saw Evelyn. “We’ve been…”

Evelyn hesitated for a second.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the situation. A soon-to-be ex- husband, his doting mistress, and a whole table of people rooting for the mistress to take Evelyn’s place. This should be fun.

Honestly, Evelyn had no intention of joining them. The moment she saw Lucas and Tiffany, she decided to steer clear. But Fiona had already grabbed her hand, practically dragging her over. Come on!?

Before she could say no, she was being ushered into a seat. And, just her luck, it was directly across from Lucas.

For a moment, she hesitated. But in the end, she didn’t overthink it and sat down. Sebastian, never one to miss an opportunity, immediately took the seat next to her.

The rest of the Flying Seal Group quickly grabbed a separate table, sensing this wasn’t exactly their battle to fight.

Lucas and his group didn’t say anything about Fiona’s invitation. They had already agreed to let her bring friends, so it would’ve been petty to protest now. Still, none of them had expected her friends to include Evelyn. Not that they particularly cared how she ended up here.

As far as they were concerned, Evelyn had spent years trying to cozy up to Lucas’s circle of friends. If one strategy didn’t work, it wasn’t surprising that she’d try another. She had probably latched onto Fiona the same way she had once tried to get close to them.

Evelyn, however, wasn’t concerned about what they thought.

But from the moment she sat down, Lucas…

She figured sitting across from Lucas at such a small table would be uncomfortable—that at some point, they’d inevitably make eye contact. But from then on, he avoided looking her way. Whether intentional or not, his gaze never lifted in her direction.

Even when he reached for something on the table, he timed it perfectly, avoiding any accidental touch or interaction. He didn’t leave a single opening. The rest of the time, he kept his head turned and engaged in quiet conversation with Tiffany like Evelyn wasn’t even there.