Chapter 28

Sophia Bennett's finger shot toward the second-floor corridor. "Look! Over there!"

Evelyn Whitmore followed the direction and spotted Nathaniel Grayson's tall, imposing figure walking alongside a stunning woman with cascading curls and legs that seemed to stretch for miles.

She averted her gaze, her expression unreadable. "Not interested."

Sophia gaped. "You're seriously just going to ignore the fact that your husband is sneaking around with another woman?"

Evelyn took a slow sip of her juice. "Yep."

Still reeling from her own recent heartbreak, Sophia's temper flared. The alcohol in her system only fueled her outrage.

"No way! If you won't confront him, I will!" She slammed her glass down and stormed off before Evelyn could stop her.

Evelyn sighed but didn’t bother chasing after her. Nathaniel wouldn’t harm his own niece, and frankly, she couldn’t care less about his personal affairs. Their marriage was nothing more than a business arrangement.

Leaning back in the booth, Evelyn let her eyelids grow heavy. The bar’s dim lighting and steady hum of chatter made it easy to drift off. If not for Sophia’s frantic call earlier, she’d still be napping after lunch.

A familiar voice snapped her out of her drowsiness. "You could’ve told me you were coming!"

Sebastian Monroe slid into the seat beside her, grinning. "I only found out because the manager recognized you."

Evelyn gave him a lazy glance. "I’m just here to pick someone up. Not staying long."

Sebastian raised a brow. "Who?"

"A niece."

"A what? Since when do you have a niece?"

She ignored the question. "Shouldn’t you be at work?"

He uncapped a water bottle and handed it to her. "Networking is work. Besides, the company’s fine without me."

Evelyn took a sip. "You network every single day."

Sebastian smirked, knowing she wouldn’t push further. "By the way, Grayson still doesn’t suspect we know each other, right?"

"Nope. Clueless as ever."

"Perfect. Shame about the painting, though—"

"It’s with me."

Sebastian’s eyes widened. "Already? How?"

"He gave it to me."

"Just like that? No strings attached?"

Evelyn shrugged. "He owed me a favor."

Sebastian scoffed. "Yeah, right. That man’s got ulterior motives. Probably trying to win you over."

She rolled her eyes. "Get out of here. Don’t you have people to schmooze?"

Laughing, Sebastian stood and left, but not before ordering a fruit platter and hot milk for her.

Alone again, Evelyn closed her eyes, letting the neon lights blur behind her lids.

Then—

A smooth voice interrupted her peace. "Mind if I join you?"