Chapter 2
1078 Words
Before Chloe even got close enough, her cloyingly sweet strawberry perfume came drifting toward Evelyn ahead of her.
The scent was like a hook, instantly stirring up those ambiguous murmurs she'd heard on the dash cam.
Her stomach twisted violently. She clapped a hand over her mouth and nose with instinct, stepping back hard and fast at a full pace.
That obvious disgust slammed Chloe's feet to a dead stop. Her big, innocent eyes instantly glistened with unshed tears, and she cast a pitiful, pleading look up at Leo.
Leo froze too, clearly caught off guard by Evelyn's blatant reaction.
He pushed down the flicker of unease in his chest, reached out to curl his hand around Chloe's, and led her straight to Evelyn.
"Are you two that impatient to get close?"
Evelyn's ice-cold voice dropped out of nowhere, hitting them both like a punch.
Her gaze locked so tight on their intertwined hands it might as well have been a blade, sharp enough to carve flesh right off the bone.
Even Leo felt a sudden, unwelcome chill prickle up his spine, and he wrenched his hand away from Chloe without thinking.
"Evelyn, what the hell is your problem?"
Evelyn smiled and shook her head. She just stared back at him, her eyes frozen solid over with ice.
When he saw she wasn't responding, Leo's tone grew even harsher. "Chloe just got back into town! She hasn't even finished unpacking her new place, yet the second she heard today was our anniversary, she jumped in to help more than anyone!
"She ran around nonstop to pull this whole party together. Doesn't everyone say how thoughtful and perfect she is?"
Evelyn almost laughed out loud at that. Their anniversary had been overrun with guests, turned into a stage for Chloe Reed to display her care and devotion.
And she was supposed to thank her husband's mistress for that?
"Is that so?" Evelyn tugged the corner of her mouth into a sharp, empty smile. "So I should be thanking her, shouldn't I? Or… should I be thanking you?"
"Oh, don't be so polite, Evelyn." Chloe cut in. Her voice was soft and sweet as melted sugar. "I just… I just feel bad for you, that's all.
"You've been with Leo for years now, and you never even got a proper anniversary. He's really let you down so much. I even told him off about it already."
"This is business between me and my husband," Evelyn said flatly, not even bothering to lift her eyelids. "Since when does an outsider get to stick their nose in our affairs?"
Chloe's face drained of all color in an instant. Her eyes flushed pink in the blink of an eye, tears trembling on her lashes, hanging right on the edge of falling.
"Leo…"
She turned to Leo, and her voice quavered.
"I said the wrong thing again, didn't I? I'm so clumsy with words. I'm not good at winning people over like Evelyn is. She's so smart and capable, I always end up making her angry…"
The second, Leo saw her helpless, pitiable act, his gaze softened instantly. But when he turned back to Evelyn, all that was left was raw irritation.
"Evelyn, look at what kind of occasion this is! Do you really have to make such an ugly scene in front of everyone? If you don't care about your own reputation, don't you care how you look in front of all these esteemed senior academics?"
Evelyn followed the direction of his nod, and her heart dropped straight to her feet.
Sitting right there in the corner of the living room were several top academic giants.
Just then, an elderly professor walked over with a wine glass in hand, a warm smile on his face.
"Leo, what a rare gathering this is! If Chloe hadn't put her heart into this, we would never have gotten all together like this."
"Come on, Chloe, let me toast you. Thank you for all the hard work you put in."
He held the glass straight out to Chloe.
Chloe looked hesitant, biting her lip as she was about to decline, when Leo stepped forward and casually took the wine glass.
"Professor Wilson, she doesn't drink. I'll take this one for her."
Professor Wilson threw his head back and laughed. "You are playing the hero! You have to drink the whole thing for that, you know!"
"He can't drink..." Evelyn blurted out the words before she could even think of stopping herself.
But it was already too late.
Leo had already tilted his head back. His Adam's apple bobbed as he chugged the entire glass of strong liquor down in one go.
He'd had surgery for a stomach ulcer five years earlier, and Evelyn had cared for him meticulously every single day since.
She'd cut out all cold, spicy, or irritating food from his diet completely. No matter how swamped she got with work, she always made time to go home and cook for him herself.
And right here, right now, for Chloe, he'd downed this gut-rotting poison without even flinching.
The second the glass hit the table, Leo pressed a hand hard into his upper stomach. His face drained of color. Even so, he raised his voice to address the crowd:
"Everyone, tonight we're not just here to celebrate Evelyn and my wedding anniversary. I also have a piece of good news to announce."
"Professor Bennett will officially be taking on her very first graduate student."
He paused, and let his gaze sweep over to Chloe, then boomed out:
"And that first student is—Chloe Reed!"
Leo came from a distinguished academic family and had connections for days.
Evelyn had asked him before—begged him, even—for an introduction. He turned her down every single time. Said it was better to make her own way than to rely on handouts.
Now, all those introductions she'd once groveled for? They were all sitting at this table, brought here by a single offhand comment from Chloe.
They were practically shoving Chloe's favors down her throat.
Boom!
Applause and congratulations erupted through the room in a deafening crash.
Every pair of eyes in the room snapped straight to Evelyn and Chloe.
Amid all the noise, Evelyn slowly lifted her head. Her gaze stayed calm as it slid past Leo's pain-twisted face and the triumphant glint in Chloe's eyes, then she enunciated two sharp, clear words:
"I WON'T."
- Writer
