Evelyn marched down the silent hallway of the presidential floor, her protective instincts on high alert. She reached the room and began pounding on the door. After a tense silence, it swung open, but the person standing there wasn't a soldier.
It was a woman. She had short, edgy red hair, sharp eyeliner that flicked upward like a blade, and vibrant orange lips. She was dressed in a black jacket and shorts, leaning against the frame with a look of bored superiority.
Evelyn's temper flared immediately. "Where is Mark Di-Young? Tell him to get out here!"
The woman, squinted at Evelyn. She noticed a haunting similarity in the shape of Evelyn's eyes and some one she knew, but her jealousy acted faster than her logic. "And what do you want with Mark?"
"Who are you to ask? Tell him to come out and face the woman he slept with last night. Or is he the kind of 'man' who hides behind a woman's skirts?" Evelyn lifted her chin, determined to crush this stranger's arrogance and the woman's expression curdled.
"He slept with you?" She looked at Jade, who was trying to shrink into the shadows behind Evelyn.
"He's not even here," she added, spreading her hands. She had been waiting for the Colonel herself for hours.
Jade tugged at Evelyn's sleeve, her eyes pleading for them to just leave, but Evelyn wasn't done. "And who exactly are you?
"None of your business, honey," The woman at the door snapped, crossing her arms.
"Look at this, Jade," Evelyn said, gesturing to the room. "This is clearly the 'other woman.' We should leave before we catch whatever she has."
Before the lady at the door could retaliate, the elevator dinked. A man in a military uniform stepped out. His face was a mask of cold discipline, and for a moment, he looked like he wanted to turn around and walk away from the three-woman drama at his door.
Then, his eyes locked onto Jade.
He ignored the other two women and strode forward, gripping Jade's wrist, he pulled her into the room, slamming the door shut in the faces of the other two.
The lady who was shoved out of the door stomped her foot in a silent rage, while Evelyn shot her a triumphant look. Well, it seems you have no status in his heart after all! The lady glared one last time at the door and stormed toward the elevators.
And Evelyn was left alone in the hallway, suddenly panicking.
Wait! Jade is alone in there with him! What if he's a brute? She began frantically ringing the bell and pounding on the wood.
"Jade! Open up! Are you okay?"
The door opened and Jade walked out, looking strangely calm. "Evelyn, let's go."
Back in their suite, Evelyn hovered over her. "What happened? Did he refuse to take responsibility? Because I will call Michael and have that Colonel's career ended today!"
Jade smiled sadly and shook her head. "No. Actually, it was the opposite. He offered to be responsible. He offered to marry me."
Evelyn froze. "Then why do you look like you've lost your best friend?"
"His family is in the capital of Germany. He's only here for three days on leave. He said if I'm willing, we could marry and I'd move there with him." Jade looked down at her lap. "I refused. We're strangers, Evelyn. One mistake shouldn't chain two people together for a lifetime."
He had left his number and told her to contact him if she changed her mind. Evelyn felt a pang of sympathy; she thought of her own marriage to Michael, born of necessity, yet growing into something else. She wondered if Jade was letting go of a good man.
The next day at the Company, the atmosphere was poisonous. The rumor that Evelyn had "seduced" her way into the company had spread like wildfire. Everywhere she went, she was met with sneers.
Evelyn gritted her teeth. I won't let them break me. I'll do my job so well they'll have nothing to talk about but my results.
But the design department made it impossible. They isolated her, dumping all their tedious work on her desk so they could slack off.
At 6:30 PM, while everyone else was heading for the elevators, Evelyn was still hunched over her work desk, clearing out samples and designs. Her phone buzzed. It was Michael.
"Hello," she said, her voice sounding drained of energy.
"Why aren't you out yet?" Michael had been waiting in his car for half an hour, his patience wearing thin.
"I have work to finish. My colleagues need these data sets by tomorrow morning," Evelyn explained, her fingers never stopping their frantic pace.
On the other end of the line, Michael's brow furrowed into a deep frown. He hung up without a word and immediately dialed Dominic.
The Design office was silent, save for the shuffling of sheets and the rhythmic clack-clack-clack of Evelyn's keyboard. She was buried in the work in front of her, her eyes strained from the fluorescent glow.
Dominic stepped into the department, his expression a mix of pity and admiration. Such a hardworking girl, he thought. I have no idea why the Boss's mother treats her like trash.
"Mrs. Thorn, leave the rest to me. You're off the clock," Dominic said, stepping up to her desk.
Evelyn didn't even look up. "It's fine, Dominic. I'm almost done. You should head home."
But Dominic had strict orders from the man currently idling his car at the curb: Evelyn had to be at the front door in five minutes. Without another word, Dominic leaned over and manually shut down her computer.
"Hey! I didn't save the last—"
"It's fine, Madam. These materials aren't even due tomorrow. They're outside your scope of work anyway. I'll be making an official announcement about work distribution in the morning." Dominic made a polite 'after you' gesture, practically ushering her out of the building.
The evening air was sultry and thick. Evelyn walked toward the underground parking lot, her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. Suddenly, a large palm clamped around her wrist. She gasped, nearly crying out in terror.
"Scared? What were you thinking about?" Michael's deep, amused voice cut through her panic.
Evelyn clutched her chest, her heart hammering. "Michael! You nearly gave me a heart attack! When did you get back?"
"I finished early. One night ahead of schedule," he said, pulling her into his arms. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Happy, of course!" Evelyn leaned into him. The moment she smelled his familiar scent, the stress of the department bullies and Eleanor's insults seemed to evaporate. He led her to his car and pulled onto the road.
He didn't drive toward the villa. Instead, he pulled into a quiet, secluded spot by the sea and killed the engine.
"They say a day apart is like three autumns," Michael murmured, pulling her into the back seat. "I finally understand what that means." He had spent two days in Italy with her image burned into his mind.
"Michael... we were only apart for one day," Evelyn whispered, her face flushing as his grip tightened.
After a while, the car swayed gently in the dark. When the silence finally returned, Michael's phone rang. He ignored it for a moment, his chin resting on Evelyn's shoulder. "Continue later," he muttered, before finally answering.
"Son? Are you back from Italy yet?" It was Eleanor. She was calling from her own car, looking at a black car parked by the sea.
Michael didn't blink. "I'll be back tomorrow," he lied smoothly.
Evelyn bit her lip to keep from laughing. The invincible CEO was lying to his mother just to steal a few more hours with his "seductress."
"Oh, alright. Make sure you eat on time over there!"
Eleanor hung up, satisfied. She assumed there were many Maybachs in Arise City; surely that wasn't her son.
After a late-night steak dinner, Michael drove straight to Evelyn's hotel. He had no intention of letting her go back to the villa alone to face his mother.
The next morning, while Evelyn was still dead to the world in a deep, peaceful sleep, Michael called Dominic. "Find a reason to call out for her. She's taking a personal day."
Of course, in the gossipy halls of Thorn International, a "personal day" for the girl who arrived with Dominic only fueled the fire. But Evelyn knew none of it. She slept until the afternoon sun hit the carpet.
By the time Michael drove her back to the villa that evening, Evelyn was already bracing herself for the inevitable confrontation. She wasn't wrong.
As they stepped through the front door, Eleanor's voice sliced through the air before they even saw her.
"Well, look who decided to show up. I suppose she really thinks she's the boss's wife now, showing up to work only when she feels like it, staying out all night..."
Eleanor stood in the foyer, her eyes darting between Michael and Evelyn with a look of pure, concentrated sarcasm.