chapter 3
776 Words
Evelyn turned to face the maid. The woman stood at a careful distance, her tone respectful but firm, as if reciting a rule that did not belong to her but that she was obligated to enforce.
Evelyn held her gaze for a moment, then nodded slightly. “I see.”
She turned away without another word.
As she walked back down the corridor, voices drifted faintly from around the corner. They were low, careless in the way people spoke when they believed they were unheard.
“So she really stole young lady’s thesis. Such a shameless person.”
Evelyn’s steps slowed, though she did not stop.
“Exactly. How could she even try to marry into the family she stole from? It’s Miss Isabella’s kindness that she forgave her.”
Another voice joined, sharper, more certain. “She should have been punished for it. Miss Isabella is too kind.”
Evelyn turned the corner.
The servants fell silent the moment they saw her. Their expressions flattened, their eyes lowering as if nothing had been said at all.
She walked past them without acknowledging their presence.
But the words remained.
Being punished… for getting my work stolen.
A faint, bitter thought rose unbidden. Isabella is kind? I hope one day you all see what she really is.
Her expression did not change, but something inside her tightened, the anger settling deeper rather than fading.
By the time she returned to her room, the silence greeted her once again. It was constant here—thick, unbroken, almost deliberate.
She moved to the desk and opened her laptop. The screen filled with unread emails, most of them from companies. Offers. Proposals. Requests to meet.
After losing her position, she had no choice but to return to her father’s company. What had begun as obligation had turned into something else entirely. The work she had created—technology designed to help patients with a specific condition—had drawn attention far beyond what she had expected.
The industry had noticed.
They wanted it.
The numbers mentioned in those emails were absurd, enough to change entire corporations, let alone a single life. And yet, she had rejected every offer.
This was hers.
The one thing they had not managed to take.
Time passed quietly as she worked through the messages, her focus steady, her thoughts momentarily pulled away from everything else. But eventually, the dull ache in her stomach sharpened enough to break her concentration.
She hadn’t eaten.
Not since yesterday.
Evelyn closed her laptop and stood, her movements measured. When she stepped out into the corridor again, nothing had changed. The house remained just as distant, just as indifferent.
She made her way downstairs and found a servant near the kitchen.
“It’s one o’clock,” she said evenly. “When will lunch be served?”
The servant stiffened almost imperceptibly before answering. “Mr. Ashford is at the company, and Mrs. Ashford and young lady have not returned yet. We did not prepare lunch, as no one is present.”
Evelyn looked at her, her expression still.
So I am not even considered.
The thought settled heavily, but she did not let it show.
“I understand,” she said calmly.
She turned and walked away without another word. There were many things she could have said, but it was her first day in this house. Anything she did would be noted, repeated, and magnified.
She would not give them that.
She picked up her bag and reached for her keys, only to pause when the realization came. Her car had not been brought here.
Of course it hadn’t.
Evelyn exhaled quietly
“Call the butler,” she said to a passing servant.
When he arrived, she did not waste time. “I need a car. Please give me the keys.”
The butler hesitated briefly before responding. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
Evelyn’s gaze sharpened slightly. “And why not?”
“The vehicles here are of considerable value,” he said carefully. “It would be inappropriate to assign one without prior instruction.”
A polite refusal. A clear judgment.
Evelyn asked, “Then how do you suggest I leave the house?”
“I will arrange a driver,” he replied immediately. “Where would you like to go?”
Evelyn looked at him, then gave a small nod. “Anywhere with food.”
The butler inclined his head and stepped aside to make the arrangements.
Evelyn turned toward the entrance, her grip tightening slightly around her bag.
Even something as simple as leaving required permission.
Even now, nothing here belonged to her.
- Writer
