Evelyn's POVThe Gala
1209 Words
Chapter 4
Evelyn's POV
The Gala
The annual London Media Awards Gala was the kind of event where reputations were made and destroyed over champagne and small talk. I attended every year, always alone, always in control. This year was different. This year, Castell Media Group was nominated for Company of the Year, and I was expected to bring my senior team.
Which meant Richard would be there.
I wore a black gown, simple and elegant, with my hair pulled back in a sleek twist. No jewelry except small diamond earrings. I did not need to try hard. I knew what I looked like. I knew the power I carried just by walking into a room.
The gala was held at the Langham Hotel, all crystal chandeliers and marble floors and people who smiled with their mouths but calculated with their eyes. I arrived at seven, exactly on time, and found my team gathered near the bar. Benjamin was already on his second drink. Sarah looked stunning in emerald green. Rachel was deep in conversation with a journalist.
And Richard. Richard stood slightly apart from the group, hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable in his tuxedo. When he saw me, his eyes widened.
"Ms. Castell," he said, and I heard the surprise in his voice. "You look... incredible."
"Thank you," I said coolly. "Shall we?"
We moved through the crowd together, my team flanking me like an entourage. People stopped to congratulate me, to shake my hand, to ask for meetings and partnerships. I smiled, made promises I might keep, and moved on. Richard stayed close, watching everything with sharp eyes.
"You are good at this," he murmured as we paused near a tall window overlooking the city.
"At what?" I asked, accepting a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
"At being untouchable," he said. "At making people want something from you without ever giving it away."
I looked at him over the rim of my glass. "Is that a compliment?"
"I think so," he said. "I am not sure yet."
Before I could respond, a voice cut through the noise like a knife.
"Evelyn Castell. I have been looking everywhere for you."
I turned, and my blood ran cold.
Victor stood there, tall and polished in a custom tuxedo, his smile sharp and dangerous. Richard's stepbrother. The man who orchestrated everything three years ago. The man who had been searching for me ever since.
"Victor," I said, keeping my voice level. "What a surprise."
"Is it?" he asked, stepping closer. "I heard Castell Media was nominated tonight. I had to come see for myself. You have done well, Evelyn. Better than I ever imagined."
Richard stiffened beside me. I saw him look between us, confusion and alarm warring on his face.
"You two know each other?" Richard asked slowly.
Victor's smile widened. "Oh, Richard. You are here too. How perfect. Yes, Evelyn and I are old friends. Are we not, Evelyn?"
"Acquaintances," I corrected, my voice ice. "Barely that."
"Too modest," Victor said, ignoring me and focusing on Richard. "Did you know your boss and I go way back? Three years, in fact. Right around the time you got married. Small world, is it not?"
Richard went pale. I saw the pieces clicking together in his mind, the timeline, the connections. I saw the exact moment he realized.
"Evelyn," he whispered, and the way he said my name, my real name, made my chest hurt.
I turned to him, met his eyes, and let him see the truth.
"Hello, Richard," I said quietly.
He stumbled back a step like I had hit him. The champagne glass in his hand trembled.
"You... you are..." He could not finish the sentence.
"CEO of the company you work for," I finished for him. "Yes."
Victor laughed, delighted by the chaos he just created. "Oh, this is better than I hoped. Richard, did you really not recognize her? I suppose she has changed. Money does that to people."
"Why are you here, Victor?" I demanded, turning on him.
"Business," he said smoothly. "I am considering an investment in Castell Media. I think we could do great things together, Evelyn. Just like old times."
"We never had old times," I said. "And I am not interested in your money."
"Are you sure?" he asked, leaning in close enough that I could smell his cologne. "I can offer you things you cannot even imagine. Power. Connections. A partnership that would make you unstoppable."
"I am already unstoppable," I said. "And I do not need you."
Victor's smile faltered, just for a second. Then it was back, colder than before.
"We will see," he said. "Enjoy the gala, Evelyn. Richard."
He walked away, disappearing into the crowd. I turned back to Richard, who was staring at me like I was a ghost.
"Say something," I said.
"I do not... I cannot..." He set down his champagne glass before he dropped it. "You have been Evelyn this whole time. You knew. You knew who I was when I walked into that interview, and you said nothing."
"What did you expect me to say?" I asked. "Hello, Richard, remember me? The woman you left with a note and a broken heart?"
"I did not know," he said desperately. "I did not know it was you. If I had known..."
"What? You would not have applied? You would have stayed away?"
"I do not know!" he shouted, and several people turned to look. He lowered his voice. "I do not know, Evelyn. I just... Why did you hire me? Why did you let me work for you if you hated me?"
I looked at him, really looked at him, and all the anger and hurt and love I buried for three years came flooding back.
"Because I do not know if I hate you," I said. "And I needed to find out."
He opened his mouth to respond, but the announcement came over the speakers. The awards were starting. I walked away, back to my table, and left Richard standing alone by the window.
We did not win Company of the Year. I did not care. I barely heard the speeches, barely tasted the food. All I could think about was Richard's face when he realized the truth. All I could think about was Victor's threat.
When the gala ended, I found Richard waiting by my car.
"We need to talk," he said.
"Not tonight," I replied, unlocking the door.
"Evelyn, please."
I stopped, turned, looked at him standing there in the dim light of the parking garage, looking lost and desperate and so much like the man I used to love that it hurt to breathe.
"What do you want me to say, Richard?" I asked.
"I want you to tell me what Victor did," he said. "I want you to tell me why he knows you. I want to understand what happened three years ago, because I am starting to think I do not know anything at all."
I got into my car and rolled down the window.
"Then maybe," I said softly, "it is time you found out."
I drove away, leaving him standing there in the dark, and I did not look back.
- Writer
