Chapter 35

Berlyn caught a faint trace of a familiar scent in the air. Weak and disoriented, she lifted her head only to be met with Lucas’ dark eyes. Yet, his gaze carried a weight that made Evelyn feel utterly unnerved; he could see right through her. It felt as if he thought she had orchestrated this on purpose.

Evelyn murmured through clenched teeth as she struggled to get up. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Pain overwhelmed her, leaving her limbs increasingly weak.

“Do you need me to call you…?” Lucas asked, his tone indifferent and distant, as though he was nothing more than a bystander.

Deelyn sensed the change in the way people were looking at her, though she was deliberately putting on a show by choosing the most powerful man present.

“Reed, his girlfriend is right here. Are you incapable of standing on your own?” Manson sneered, his tone laced with mockery.

Tiffany regarded Evelyn with a calm expression. She was neither angry nor upset, as if she was simply watching a joke unfold. Reed, however, frowned. Unlike the others, he noticed that Evelyn really didn’t look well.

The was about to speak, when Mason suddenly gasped, “Tiffany, were you scalded!”

At that moment, Evelyn felt someone pushing at her lower back and then forcing her away. She barely managed to steady herself against the table to avoid falling. Lucas had already turned his attention to Tiffany, his brows furrowing. “You’re scalded?”

Tiffany showed her hand, revealing a red mark on her fair skin. She cast a fleeting glance at Evelyn and said lightly, “It’s not a big deal. I’m not someone who makes a mountain out of a molehill.”

Evelyn noticed the look of concern on Lucas’ face—a concern that wasn’t meant for her. She calmly withdrew her hand, gritting her teeth to keep herself from collapsing.

“Are you really not feeling well?” At some point, Jason had come up to her, a complex expression on his face. “Do you need help…”

Evelyn didn’t manage to hear the rest. Her vision darkened, and her legs gave way before she lost consciousness. Several voices rang in her ears, but she couldn’t tell who was calling out to her. Sebastian moved first. He caught her before she hit the floor, his expression prim as he carried her out of the room. The situation quickly descended into chaos.

Jason pulled back the hand that he had almost used to support Evelyn.

Lucas lingered at the door for a long time. A trace of deep contemplation flickered across his otherwise cold, sharp features. Tiffany noticed his distraction and waited for a comment. Understanding dawned on her. Evelyn’s public display of affection was nothing but a blatant attempt to expose their marriage. Lucas must have been taken aback by her audacity.

“What’s she playing at?” Mason frowned. “Throwing herself at him in front of Tiffany?”

She faked passing out. Lucas ignored her, and she couldn’t back down. Look! After pretending to faint, Sebastian had panicked. “She’s one scheming woman,” Mason scoffed derisively.

Tiffany remained silent. Mason’s words indeed made some sense. Evelyn had wanted to kill two birds with one stone. But instead of Lucas, it was Sebastian who took the bait.

Javon, however, was lost in his own thoughts. He suddenly said, “She wasn’t faking it.” His words caught Tiffany’s and Mason’s attention. Even Lucas’ gaze shifted slightly in his direction.

“I don’t like you.” Since then, Jason has inexplicably intimated… Meeting Lucas’ questioning gaze, Jason recalled Evelyn’s words to him outside the restroom earlier. She had said, “I don’t…”

“I ran into her outside about half an hour ago. She already looked unwell then. She’s probably sick.”

Tiffany’s expression darkened. Mason looked a little embarrassed but quickly retorted, “Out of all the people here, why did she have to fall right into Lucas’ arms?”

“Jason, what’s wrong with you? Why are you defending Evelyn?”

Jason looked at Lucas with an unreadable expression and simply replied, “I’m just stating the fact.” He didn’t appear the least bit worried about Evelyn.

Tiffany could sense his concern and smiled slightly. “I’m better now.”

Unexplained unease settled in. Her temperature had already spiked to 101.6°F. Sebastian and Reed rushed her straight into the hospital’s emergency department.

Fully awake, Sebastian was beside her, working on his laptop. Your blood indicators are back abnormal. What’s going on with you? Evelyn tensed but quickly pointed out that Herbatkan’s explanation didn’t make sense. She felt a pale fear, torn between worry and frustration. “You really think that many things suspicious had been detected. I’m fine. I just…right a cook, sad the ever got was se… worth throwing away three years of your life?”