Chapter 5

Evelyn

“Evelyn? Evelyn, are you all right?” Natasha’s voice breaks me out of my trance-like state. I close my eyes for a moment, then blink them open and force a smile.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You looked like you’d seen a ghost.”

Maybe I had. I still can’t believe that the man I had a moment with not too long ago is the same man I came here for—the son of the man who murdered my parents. I feel like I’ve failed. Failed my parents. Failed my uncle… My uncle.

I can’t lose focus now, but I don’t know what to do. I’m so confused.

My eyes find Xander across the room, talking with a group of men. I study him. I hate to admit it, but he’s strikingly handsome. Back when he had the mask on, I knew he was going to be good-looking, but I didn’t expect him to look this good. And it irritates me—both with myself and with him. I’m annoyed that I allowed myself to be swayed by him, to feel something for him.

Why did he have to be Xander? Why?

As if sensing my gaze, his eyes connect with mine. I hold them for a moment before looking away. I honestly don’t know if I can do this today.

On cue, my phone beeps. Seeing that it’s a text from my uncle, I open it.

“Change of plans. We move on to Plan B.”

What?

“Why?” I text back.

“When you get home, I’ll explain.”

A surge of relief washes over me, and immediately, I hate myself for it. I shouldn’t feel that way. He’s the enemy.

Saying my goodbyes to Natasha, I leave the room. Outside the building, I order a ride and wait for it to arrive.

After a minute, Xander walks out of the building. Looking around, he spots me and strides toward me.

“Leaving without saying goodbye?” he tsks.

I don’t bother replying. I stare ahead, my expression cold.

“I’m sorry,” he sighs. “I know what it looks like, but I promise you—what I had with you was real. I meant everything I said back there, and I—”

“I don’t care,” I cut him off sharply. “And I never asked you to explain anything. I don’t know you, and I don’t care to know you. So go back to your fiancée and your party. My ride is on its way.”

I move away.

Looking at him hurts so much because, for a moment out on that balcony, I saw the possibility of opening my heart to someone. Lowkey, I’ve always wanted to have someone who isn’t my uncle. Someone to talk to. Someone to confide in. Someone to share my pain and trauma with. Someone to love me.

For a moment, I thought it could be him. A possibility.

I almost opened up to him.

He made me feel things that were foreign to me, and I wanted more. But life is a bitch sometimes. I should have known better.

“Wait.”

He follows after me and grabs my hand. His touch is warm.

I let him hold my hand for a moment before shaking him off.

I turn to look at him. He’s so handsome—it’s so annoying.

“The engagement… I had no choice. Yasmine and I have been promised to each other since we were kids. It’s more of an alliance—to strengthen my father’s business and her family’s.” He exhales. “I told you I wasn’t interested in coming tonight, and that’s true. Even though I knew about the engagement, I still wasn’t ready for it. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

He sounds so sincere. His behavior is confusing. I had always thought of him as a brutal, heartless monster—just like his father.

I’m sure he is. This is just a facade.

I make sure to give him a disgusted look. “Fuck you. I never asked for an explanation.”

He flinches and takes a step back. He looks at me for a long time, as if searching for something. Finding nothing, he sets his face into a cold expression. “Forgive me. I thought you were different.”

Without another word, he turns and walks back to the hotel. On cue, my ride arrives. I slip into the car, give the driver my address, and watch the city lights blur past the window.

As soon as I get back to my apartment, I strip off my clothes and dump them on the floor. I sink into a long, hot bath, letting the water wash away the tension in my body. I don’t bother calling my uncle or checking my messages. Instead, I collapse onto my bed, staring at the ceiling.

I think about everything that happened tonight. I think about him.

I just want to sleep it all away and wake up with a clear head. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to my uncle’s place to discuss our next plan of action.

I’m so glad he called it off. I wouldn’t have been able to do it—to look Xander in the eye and kill him.

I don’t understand why my uncle is so adamant about taking him out. I want the father, not the son. But my uncle insists this is the best way.

Now that we didn’t go through with it, the next step is to target their company. Stephen Black killed my father because he feared my father would gain too much control—too many shares, too much influence.

So I’ll make sure he loses everything. His company, his power, his legacy.

And then, I’ll kill him.

But for that to happen, I need to get inside the company. I need to get close to Xander.

Just thinking about him stirs feelings I shouldn’t have.

I close my eyes and let sleep take me.