Chapter 25

"It's fine, Bella. Listen to me." Evelyn's voice was gentle but firm. "You've been drowning in work for far too long. You need this break."

A pause. Then, softer: "Because in a few days, you won’t have the luxury of resting, even if you beg for it."

Isabella sighed, but the corner of her mouth twitched. "Fine. But you know I have two phones, right? I’ve turned off the work one. If it’s urgent, call my personal line."

"Got it. Now go enjoy yourself!" Evelyn ended the call, only to find Alexander watching her with an unreadable expression.

She glanced down at herself—nothing out of place.

"What?" she asked.

His gaze didn’t waver. "You sent her away because you don’t want her dragged into this, don’t you?"

Evelyn froze, then exhaled a quiet laugh. "Not entirely." She speared a bite of seared scallop, savoring the buttery richness before continuing. "Bella was my assistant at DR Holdings. She knows everything—my research, my formulas, my methods."

She set her fork down, meeting his eyes. "Dominic won’t stop until he’s bled me dry. And Bella? She’d be his first target. The second he digs into the past, she’ll have no choice but to answer. She’s still under DR Holdings’ contract."

A shrug. "Better she’s far away when that happens."

Alexander said nothing, just watched as she devoured the rest of her meal with unapologetic relish. It had been months since she’d eaten something this decadent, and she wasn’t about to let etiquette ruin it.

His lips curved slightly.

"You seem confident," he remarked.

Evelyn dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "I’ve thought this through." Then, hesitating: "There’s one more thing I need from you."

Alexander leaned back, fingers steepled. "Go on."

"I want Bella at Phoenix Labs with me." The words tumbled out before she could second-guess them. "She’s brilliant. And I work better with her. Give us six months, and I swear we’ll deliver a perfume that’ll make Celestia Group profit. If not—"

"What?" His voice was dangerously soft.

"I’ll walk away."

Alexander laughed—a low, rich sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "Eternal Bloom took you three months. Why six now?"

Evelyn’s fingers tightened around her glass. "Because Eternal Bloom was a fluke." The admission burned. "A real perfume takes time—inspiration, trials, failures. We rushed it because Dominic needed a competition entry. That’s why one tweaked ingredient ruined the base notes." She pinched her thumb and forefinger together. "That’s how fragile it was."

Alexander’s gaze darkened. Then, without warning, he reached across the table.

Evelyn barely had time to blink before his thumb brushed the corner of her lip.

"You had a stain," he said casually, as if he hadn’t just short-circuited her brain.

The napkin in his hand was proof.

Evelyn’s cheeks flamed.