Chapter 4: The Unexpected Call

Jenna was setting dishes on the counter after washing and drying them, as the maid was on vacation with a high fever.

She moved slowly, lost in thought, arms aching slightly, a dull throb behind her eyes, which she tried to ignore by busying herself with the work, as her family was getting ready to go on a shopping trip.

The room felt quiet, except for the occasional clink of a plate as she stacked them, until Alexa hurried into the kitchen, having just finished getting ready.

Her energy practically bounced off the walls as she rushed toward Jenna, who was lost in her own world.

Suddenly, she grabbed Jenna’s upper arm, spinning her around, and Jenna flinched inwardly, twitching her brows.

She came back to her senses and met her sister’s sparkling eyes and wide grin.

“You know, Jenna, guess what I just heard Mom and Dad talking about?” Alexa whispered, glancing at the doorway as if anyone might be listening, bouncing on her heels.

“Dad had a call with Mr. Evan. He said you impressed him,” she added, practically buzzing with excitement.

Jenna’s nostrils flared, and she tightened her grip on the plate, irritation prickling under her skin.

“He liked your intelligence and confidence. And… he even mentioned your outfit, though he teased that the soft colors made you look like a toddler,” Alexa said, barely holding back a laugh.

A shiver ran down Jenna’s spine as the memory struck, leaving her uneasy.

The image of her soft pink shirt and blue jeans came back, the glint of her matching silver jewelry and heels lingering in her mind, and she remembered how keenly he had examined all of it.

Jenna gently pushed Alexa’s hands away, returning to her work and shaking her head while holding a plate.

“I don’t care about him,” she said firmly, irritation threading her voice.

“Huh? I’ve been holding this news all evening since you were asleep, and here you are pushing me away?” Alexa chuckled, eyes gleaming.

Jenna didn’t look up, moving toward the cabinet, swallowing hard as if the words got stuck in her throat.

“You know how much I hate him,” she said low, letting the words hang. “His happiness means nothing to me.”

She paused, staring at a random spot, the tension in her chest tightening, before glancing up at Alexa, still smirking behind that playful mask.

“And please, just stop singsonging his name in front of me!”

She snapped her head back toward the cabin. Alexa’s eyes flashed, but she stepped closer, leaning against the counter right in front of Jenna, tilting her head, one eyebrow raised.

“You’re blushing.”

“I’m not,” Jenna said too quickly, nostrils flaring as she gripped a dish towel tightly, pressing the edge into her palm.

Alexa’s brow lifted knowingly. “You are. Your cheeks always give you away.”

Heat crept up Jenna’s neck. She pressed her back against the cool counter, palms flat to steady herself. “Don’t start. I told you I don’t care about him.”

Jenna froze at her words, the pull she’d felt toward him before she even knew it was Evan Grant coming rushing back, but she wasn’t ready to admit it.

The kitchen felt unusually still. Even the faint hum of the refrigerator seemed louder.

From the moment they met, every question, every threat, every warning had left her heart raw, making her tremble, and she hated how completely he had unsettled her.

“That’s when I get angry. My cheeks burn, and you know it,” she said, refusing to meet Alexa’s gaze, while a mischievous smirk tugged at her sister’s face.

“Okay, okay, fine, let's say I believe you,” Alexa muttered, half-laughing, brushing a stray hair from her forehead.

“Let it go, Alexa,” she said, just too tired to argue anymore, as Alexa straightened, fixing her wristwatch and glancing at the time.

“Oh, I really need to rush out. Mom and Dad must be ready, and he might catch me and get suspicious if I pass every bit of news to you.”

She moved two steps but stopped. “Oh, yeah, one last thing.” She hurried back, leaning close and lowering her voice.

“Please, never let Mr. Evan know that you heard about the threat he gave Dad. No one else knows I overheard it, so keep it to yourself.

Be careful talking to him. I don’t know if it could have dangerous consequences, but it's better to keep hidden.”

She gave a quick side hug as Jenna simply nodded and zipped out, leaving the kitchen quiet again.

Jenna let out a low groan, collecting the last few dishes with a heavy sigh and dragging them toward the drying rack.

Alexa always tried to lighten Jenna’s mood. She stayed close, knowing almost everything Jenna had gone through, since she used to share her tension with her, though not anymore.

Whenever she found Jenna upset, she liked to tease her using Evan's name, thinking it might make her feel something for him, and ease the weight she carried, since her marriage was against her will.

But Jenna didn’t like it ever. She always pushed Alexa away. Still, Alexa often gave her updates on her parents’ discussions to ease Jenna’s tension.

Jenna told everything to Alexa instead of her parents. Whether she shared anything more or not, Alexa knew why she mostly got upset, because she wasn’t used to it before.

That was the only reason she had brought up the threat. She was careful that no one else knew, and trusted Jenna wouldn’t share it.

***********

She climbed the stairs, each step soft under her slippered feet, a warm cup of coffee in her hand.

The rich scent of roasted beans drifted up, mixing with the lingering tension from earlier.

She had pushed Alexa away, but now her thoughts kept returning to her words.

Her fingers lingered on the railing, shoulders tense, as she replayed Alexa’s words in her mind.

So that’s how Dad knew Evan put me through that test… he must have caught it on the call. And maybe that’s why he already knew about Evan’s plan for the shopping trip.

But… what did he mean by calling me intelligent and confident? Was it genuine, or just a polite thing to say? And that comment about my outfit… really? Did he actually think I looked like a toddler, or was he teasing?

Oh… maybe he meant my intelligence showed in the way I answered him. But confidence? That part still didn’t make sense, especially since I’d been so nervous and scared.

Ugh, why am I even thinking about that damn man? She exhaled slowly, letting the warmth settle in her chest as her eyes landed on the bedroom door coming into view.

She reached for the handle, letting out a soft sigh as she tried to steady the fluttering in her chest.

Just as she opened the door and moved toward the bed after closing it, her phone began to ring on the bed, sharp and startling in the quiet.

Her fingers brushed the handle, and she let out a soft sigh, trying to steady the fluttering in her chest.

Just as she opened the door and moved toward the bed after closing it, her phone began to ring on the bed, the sound sharp in the quiet, catching her attention.

She set the cup on the nightstand, picked up the phone, and glanced at the screen.

Four missed calls in fifteen minutes. Her brows pulled together, as the phone kept buzzing in her hand, flashing an unknown number.

She knew every contact saved in her phone. There were no unsaved ones.

Irritated, she cut the call and turned toward the curtains, ready to pull them aside and enjoy the night view, when the phone rang again.

Her nerves tightened. She muttered curses under her breath, jaw clenched, but when the ringing wouldn’t stop, her chest hollowed with unease.

Too many horrible thoughts rushed in at once, and with her family out of the house, she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

At last, she answered and pressed the phone to her ear. The voice that came through made her body go rigid, as if her soul had slipped away.

“Were you trying to test my patience,” the low, steady tone murmured, “or getting yourself ready to face your husband?”

Her grip tightened around the phone. The familiar voice hit her like a jolt. Her nerves went cold under his deep, sharp tone.

In a flash, her mind shot back to the moment he had asked for her number, and she had given it hesitantly. She cursed herself for not putting two and two together sooner.

“Oh… it’s you,” she said quickly, forcing a steadiness she didn’t feel, hoping he hadn’t noticed how close she’d been to hanging up. “I didn’t realize… since I don’t have your contact saved, and I’d just stepped out of the room for a moment.”

She passed the statement as if not sure what else to say instead.

“Hmm, to see them off. I thought I’d call with my condolences, since they must have left you behind from the shopping trip, right?” His devilish chuckle slid through the line, freezing her in place.

“H… how do you know that?” she stammered in panic, her eyes darting across the mattress.

He let out a slow exhale, the sound crawling straight into her chest. “So you weren’t told either?”

“Either? What do you mean by that?” Her voice quivered as cold sweat broke across her skin.

A heavy silence hung in the air, thick enough to choke on, as he paused, holding his tongue like a man with cards he wasn’t ready to lay down.

The stillness spread across the room, prickling at her skin. She slowly sat on the edge of the bed, fingers tightening around the phone as though it might slip from her hand.

“No, no, I’m not… I… I’m just not feeling well. I think I need to hang up now.”

As the words left her mouth, his voice cut through the line, sharp and commanding, daring her not to hang up.

Right then, a sudden knock at the door snapped her attention, and she froze for a heartbeat.

Still clutching the phone, she mumbled a quick excuse and edged toward the door, each step hesitant as he hummed in response, low and knowing.

Her pulse raced louder with every move, as she knew it couldn’t be any of her family. They wouldn’t be back from shopping so soon.

The thought tangled in her mind, as the knob turned beneath her hand, and her phone nearly slipped from her grip as her whole body froze at the unexpected sight before her.