Chapter 254

Evelyn tossed her phone aside and sank deeper into the sofa, crunching on potato chips while half-heartedly watching TV.

Twenty minutes later, Sophia burst into the Grayson mansion like a whirlwind, yanking Evelyn up with surprising strength. "We're going shopping! Nathaniel's birthday present won't pick itself!"

Evelyn groaned internally. Since when did she need to buy Nathaniel a gift?

She was just a fake wife playing her role without pay. Now she had to spend money on him too? The injustice burned.

VK Mall's luxury district buzzed with midday shoppers.

Sophia perched at a jewelry counter, examining glittering accessories with the intensity of a gemologist. "Aunt Evelyn, what do you think Uncle Nathaniel would prefer?"

Evelyn idly tried on sunglasses nearby, barely glancing at the display. "No clue."

Sophia's head snapped up, disbelief etching her features. "You've never noticed his preferences? At all?"

With a dramatic flick, Evelyn lowered the sunglasses. "Why would I? Is your uncle some endangered species? Will observing his habits win me a Nobel Prize?"

Sophia gaped. No woman had ever dismissed Nathaniel with such breathtaking nonchalance.

"That's exactly why he's obsessed with you!" Sophia squealed. "This aloofness is irresistible!"

Evelyn's eyebrow twitched. "Obsessed"? When had Nathaniel ever shown interest? The girl's imagination needed reining in.

"If you can't decide, just buy him clothes," Sophia declared. "He'll love anything you choose! There's a fantastic menswear boutique upstairs."

Before Evelyn could protest, Sophia dragged her into an opulent store where suits cost more than her monthly rent.

"What about this one?" Sophia held up a navy blazer.

Evelyn surveyed the racks of identical-looking formalwear. "His closet's full of these. Boring."

Then her gaze snagged on a clearance sign across the walkway. Thirty-dollar shirts. Perfect.

She marched over and plucked a white tee with a cartoon kitten print. "This."

Sophia's jaw dropped. "That's...adorable. For a six-year-old."

"Nathaniel needs to lighten up," Evelyn countered. "All those suits make him look like a tax auditor."

"But—"

"Miss?" Evelyn waved the shirt at a sales associate. "We'll take this."

At the register, she deliberately paid cash from her own wallet. Using Nathaniel's money would've been tacky.

"Done." Evelyn pocketed her change. "Coffee's on me."

UU Café's aroma wrapped around them as they settled at a corner table.

"You're fascinating," Sophia blurted between sips. "Other women bankrupt themselves impressing Uncle Nathaniel. You give him a kitten shirt."

Evelyn chewed a boba pearl slowly. "It's the gesture that counts."

"But shouldn't you worry he'll lose interest?"

Evelyn's carefree expression hardened. Her gaze turned razor-sharp as she studied Sophia.