Back at the mansion, Henry and Ellis were both present. The two were sitting on the sofa, one reading a financial magazine and the other engrossed in a storybook, too absorbed to notice her return.
Evelyn let out a light cough.
Immediately, Ellis looked up and upon seeing Evelyn, he jumped off the sofa, “Aunt…”
After exchanging greetings with Evelyn, surprisingly, instead of rushing towards her, Ellis turned and went to the kitchen.
Soon, the pitter-patter of footsteps returned. The little guy held a food tray, offering it to Evelyn like a treasure.
“Aunt, you must be hungry. I personally baked this when I went to my baking class this afternoon. Give it a try.”
Opening the lid, a slightly burnt pizza came into view.
Evelyn took a deep breath, her expression blissful, “Mmm, it smells delicious.”
“Have you both eaten?”
Ellis shook his head, “The teacher only gave limited flour, so I only baked this one for Aunt.”
He glanced at Henry with a disdainful look, as if saying he wasn’t worthy of eating.
Henry, setting aside his financial newspaper, sighed. “…”
Seeing Henry’s helpless expression, Ellis sighed, “My cooking skills are too good. If Uncle wants to try, maybe next time.”
Henry glanced at Evelyn, his face revealing a trace of sympathy. Just by the appearance of that pizza, he knew it must have a unique taste.
Henry’s gloating look irritated her.
“Such a good baby,” Evelyn said with a smile, picking up the pizza, “Although I really wants to savor this delicacy alone, being a good person means being willing to share, right?”
Ellis nodded.
“If Uncle also wants to eat, I will split this pizza in half for him, okay?”
Frowning, Ellis took about five minutes to reluctantly nod, “Fine, but only a small portion for Uncle.”
His tone carried a hint of helplessness and complaint towards Henry.
Henry remained silent. Before he could speak, Evelyn half-knelt in front of him, holding the pizza and smiling, “This was made by Ellis with so much effort, so you must eat a little less.”
“Ah, open your mouth.”
Her voice was enchanting, and her eyes were filled with irresistible anticipation.
Feeling almost drawn in by those beautiful eyes, Henry subconsciously opened his mouth.
“Remember to eat a little less.” The moment Henry opened his mouth, Evelyn gave a sudden push, and nearly half of the not-so-large pizza disappeared.
Evelyn exclaimed, her eyes full of complaints and her tone becoming aggrieved, “Oops, almost finished it all.” She then cast a complaining look at Ellis.
Ellis seemed even more conflicted than her, as if something he had cherished for a long time had been ruined.
Having lived for nearly thirty years, Henry had never received such a look from anyone.
The pizza, a mix of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors, was tantalizingly stimulating his taste buds.
Observing his furrowed brows, Evelyn chuckled, “How’s Ellis’s cooking?”
At her words, Henry met the sudden hopeful gaze of the little guy. With a silent sigh, he swallowed the pizza and responded with a poker face, “Not bad.”
“Ah, since it’s like that, I’ll be generous and give it all to you,” Evelyn said without waiting for Henry’s reaction. She stuffed the remaining pizza into his mouth.
Realizing she hadn’t eaten yet and worried that Ellis might be disappointed, Evelyn hurriedly took a bite from the other side.
As the indescribable taste spread in her mouth, she suddenly realized how ambiguous their actions must have looked.
Evelyn’s cheeks flushed red. She quickly glanced at Ellis, relieved to find his serious little face showed no signs of suspicion. However, when she turned back, she found herself caught in a pair of deep eyes.
Realizing the implications of her actions, Evelyn’s heart raced uncontrollably. She felt like she was going crazy. Tonight was bound to be another challenging one.
After a while, Eleanor took Ellis to bed. Struggling, Evelyn was carried back to the bedroom by Henry. He dumped her on the bed and loomed over her.
Suddenly, the room was suddenly filled with urgent ringing.
“There’s a call…”
Henry hesitated for a moment, then, as if he hadn’t heard anything, he bit down hard on Evelyn’s collarbone.
“Ouch!” Evelyn winced in pain. “Be gentle, what if you bite me to death?”
“Then we’ll die together.”
Using his arm to support his body, Henry stared earnestly at Evelyn. The seriousness in his eyes seemed to calm the chaos of the world…
Evelyn tilted her head, preparing for his next movement, but then she felt a lightness.
Confused, she sat up and watched as Henry, with a serious expression, answered the phone and buttoned up his half-opened shirt with one hand.
The captivating abdominal muscles disappeared just like that… She should have taken a longer look.
Regretfully, Evelyn lowered her head and pondered for a long time. Suddenly, a corner of the bed was pressed down.
Henry returned, and his arms with perfectly defined muscle contours supported on both sides of her body, “Don’t want me to touch you?”
Instinctively, Evelyn shook her head, “I want…”
How could she not want this?
Evelyn smiled, about to explain, but seeing the teasing and mocking look in his eyes, her words were choked back.
Looking at Evelyn’s sincere eyes, Henry suddenly said with regret, “It’s a pity then. You won’t get your wish. I have something to do, come with me.”
“Ah… okay…”
“You seem disappointed… We’ll continue when we get back,” Henry’s husky voice sounded in her ear.
“…”
Evelyn got up and rushed into the dressing room. “Darling, what kind of party are we attending?”
“Do you prefer a red dress or a black one? Off-shoulder or open-back? Or perhaps something more conservative?”
“What about high heels? Should they be a bit higher?”
Although Evelyn asked these questions, she had already taken out a red off-shoulder dress. Since her rebirth, she had grown fond of the color red. The vibrant hue made her feel alive, and life seemed more beautiful.
At that moment, Henry walked in and blocked her from changing clothes. His gaze swept over the wardrobe, and he handed Evelyn a set of black sportswear. “Wear this.”
Evelyn looked at it but didn’t ask why. She obediently changed into the outfit.
Ten minutes later, David arrived to pick up Henry. Seeing Evelyn, dressed simply unlike her usual self, he visibly paused. “Boss, are you taking Madam with you?”
Henry didn’t answer directly but added, “And bring Guard-one and Guard-five, inform them.”
“Okay,” David’s surprise deepened.
Evelyn looked at the car in front of her, completely different from usual, and recalled David’s attitude just now. Not going to the banquet but being so formal, could it be for business discussions?
As they got into the car, she kept stealing glances at Henry but didn’t ask.
As the car left the villa area, feeling Evelyn’s burning gaze, Henry turned his head and said in a deep voice, “Taking you to a fight.”
“Really?” Evelyn exclaimed, almost sliding off her seat in excitement.
Henry shook his head, somewhat speechless.
Meanwhile, David, who was driving, “…” He couldn’t keep up with Madam’s thought.
Normally, when a girl hears about going into a fight, shouldn’t she be scared and uneasy? Yet Madam, her face was full of anticipation…
The car soon arrived at the outskirts of Memphis, ascending a winding mountain road. By the time they reached the summit, the sky had turned completely dark.
Once out of the car, Evelyn saw two illuminated villas not far away. “Are we going on vacation? Aren’t we supposed to…” fight?
Henry extended his hand, pulling her into his arms without saying a word.
Guard-one and Guard-five, who had been following the couple, were also curious. It was their first mission with Evelyn, and they wondered what kind of challenge awaited them.
The group entered the first well-lit villa.
The core members of ‘Shadowguard’ were anxiously waiting inside. Upon seeing Evelyn, their initial reaction wasn’t surprise but rather a disdainful frown.
One of them couldn’t help but step forward. “Boss, bringing a woman at a time like this is inappropriate.”
Henry furrowed his brows slightly, and the chilling aura emanating from him made everyone shudder. The man turned pale, wondering if he was about to be reprimanded. However, Henry abruptly turned around and asked David, “Which group?”
“The first squad,” David, his voice trembling, responded. Daring to question Madam in front of boss was practically suicidal.
Henry, “Execution. Captain, fifty lashes as punishment.”
Upon hearing ‘execution,’ the man quickly knelt down. “Boss, please don’t kill me. I know I was wrong, I…”
In the face of death, the man had long forgotten his dislike for Evelyn. He frantically kowtowed to Evelyn, “Madam, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have talked too much, shouldn’t have spoken nonsense. Please, spare me this time.”
Evelyn gazed at him blankly, her heart unmoved.
As the person’s kowtowing grew more desperate, almost everyone’s eyes turned toward Evelyn. They were both sensing that the outcome was already decided.