Chapter 486

Samuel couldn't quite explain the unease coiling in his chest, but every instinct screamed that leaving Evelyn alone wasn't wise.

He turned abruptly. "Do you have my number saved?"

Evelyn nodded, fingers brushing against her phone. "It's already in my contacts."

"Good. Call me immediately if anything happens before I get back."

"Understood, Mister Samuel."

Only when his broad shoulders vanished into the champagne-clinking crowd did Evelyn exhale.

From the grand staircase, Amelia and Gabrielle watched the exchange with matching frowns. Amelia's manicured nails dug into her clutch. "That's the limited-edition Burberry trench I gave Samuel last week!"

She'd originally purchased it for Nathaniel, but when he rejected the gift, she'd passed it to her brother instead. Seeing it draped over Evelyn's shoulders now made her blood boil.

Gabrielle drained her wineglass in one furious gulp. "Your brother hated her last week. Now he's playing knight in shining armor? That witch works fast."

For years, Gabrielle had been Samuel's default plus-one to Beatrice's events. Not once had he offered her his jacket. The injustice burned.

Evelyn was sampling chocolate ganache when Gabrielle stormed over. "You disgusting little gold-digger!"

A dab of frosting clung to Evelyn's Cupid's bow as she turned. "Gabrielle? Who pissed in your champagne?"

The innocent smear of chocolate only accentuated Evelyn's ethereal beauty, fueling Gabrielle's rage. "First Nathaniel, now Samuel? Can't you survive without stealing other women's men?"

Evelyn's laugh tinkled like broken crystal. "Projecting much? I'm not the one having a public meltdown over being someone's second choice."

Gabrielle's hand shot toward the dessert tower. Amelia intercepted just as her friend grabbed a triple-layer cake. "Don't! You're drunk!"

The warning came too late. Gabrielle, fueled by humiliation and Merlot, hurled the dessert with deadly accuracy.