Evelyn hadn’t fully grasped the look in Jason’s eyes before he strode into the room. He locked the door behind him, yanked back the covers on the double bed, and revealed two pillows stacked haphazardly.

With a swift motion, Jason pulled open the wardrobe and the curtains, glancing into the semi-transparent bathroom, which was empty. The tension in his face eased slightly.

It finally dawned on Evelyn that Jason suspected she was hiding a man in her room. The joy of their reunion quickly evaporated from her face. “I was asleep. My phone was on silent; I didn’t know you were coming to Harborville.”

“You could have at least let me know before coming to Harborville so I could cancel the family dinner,” Jason replied, hanging his coat by the entrance and scanning the room.

His lack of trust made Evelyn uncomfortable. “There’s no man hidden in here, so stop looking.”

Jason remained calm, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “I know you don’t have the guts for that.”

“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? What do you want to eat? I’ll order takeout,” she quickly changed the subject, sensing the heat in his gaze. “I finished rehearsals without eating and fell asleep. My stomach is growling now.”

“I didn’t come for takeout—” Jason’s lips found her earlobe, lightly nibbling on it.

Just a few touches sent shivers through her body. “Evelyn, I came to sleep with you,” Jason’s deep voice was intoxicating as he skillfully untied her robe.

Today, he wore all black—a black shirt, black trousers, and glossy black leather shoes—his entire presence was both restrained and dazzling.

To avoid the impending intimacy, she feigned annoyance. “I called you before coming to Harborville; Cecilia answered and said you were in a meeting. She said she’d pass on the message. Apparently, she didn’t tell you I was here.”

“Is this really the time to talk about that?” Jason pressed her against the wall, but the urgency in his gaze had diminished slightly.

She knew she had to bring Cecilia into this to have a chance to escape. “I can’t stand Cecilia; she’s always trying to drive a wedge between us. If you really want me to have a baby, then transfer her to another department—”

“Coming to Harborville at this hour isn’t for you to criticize me,” Jason’s eyes darkened with anger as he grasped Evelyn’s chin and leaned closer to her face.

“It seems you’ve forgotten your place. You may call yourself Mrs. Stark, but in plain terms, you’re just a warm bed tool sent to me by Victor and his son. I’m giving you a chance to prove your worth by having a child, yet you want to bargain with me? How foolish.”

The words cut through Evelyn's heart like a sharp knife, and tears fell from her eyes against her will. Jason always seemed to pour a bucket of cold water over her whenever she tried to assert her power as Mrs. Stark to put Cecilia in her place. He reminded her that the painful past hadn't vanished just because she chose to forget it.

Raising her hands, she grasped Jason's hands that began to roam her body again. "Cecilia is more suited to be Mrs. Stark than I am. Let her bear your child."

"Evelyn, as my wife, you are expected to fulfill my physical needs and take on the responsibilities of pregnancy and childbirth." There was a cruel edge in Jason's gaze, and his voice lacked warmth. "I can choose not to sleep with you right now. You need to come back to Riverton with me immediately."

"I have work tomorrow. I can't go back." Steeling herself, she took a stand against him.

"You’re coming back whether you like it or not." Jason released her and rummaged through the closet, tossing her clothes onto the bed. "Pack your things right now; I'm booking a flight back to Riverton."

"What will I eat or wear if I don't work?" She felt herself breaking, her voice cracking. "My father passed away eleven years ago, and I can't rely on my mother. Miss Brooks has Mr. Stark to protect her, and her life is a million times better than mine. I’m the real Mrs. Stark, yet I have to struggle for a living!"

"Are you regretting marrying me? If you'd married Mr. Johnson, you would have money and someone who cares for you, wouldn't you?" Jason shoved her against the wall, his eyes blazing as he tore at her clothing.

What followed was a forceful encounter devoid of any tenderness. She had just received an injection for contraception and was not supposed to engage in intimate relations. Straining against Jason, she ignited his overwhelming desire for possession instead.

After a whirlwind of passion, the heavy sound of the door slamming echoed in the silence as Jason left. Evelyn dragged her aching body out of bed, but before she reached the bathroom, a warm rush flowed from her, and a few drops of bright red blood splattered on the floor.

Once she cleaned herself and the blood from the floor, the pain reminded her of the urgency of her situation. Jason still had leverage over Jean, and she couldn’t afford to offend him!

She had submitted to him, but the priority now was to prevent their relationship from worsening and to keep Jason from considering legal action against Jean.

Steeling her resolve, she called him, but Jason didn’t answer, just as she had expected. After a moment of thought, she opened WhatsApp and sent a voice message: "Jason, it's not that I don't want to be with you, but it's been too frequent these past few days. I have a lot of small tears down there, and I've just seen blood."

The voice message didn’t elicit a response from Jason either. The night passed without any word from him. The morning and afternoon flew by in a flurry of tense rehearsals, and during every break, Evelyn found herself glancing at her phone, each time met with disappointment.

By the time the gala concluded around ten o'clock in the evening, the organizers had arranged a business car to take Evelyn back to the hotel. In a rush, she hadn’t removed her makeup or changed her clothes, simply wrapping herself in a white knee-length down jacket over the strapless gown she had worn as the host. The hem of the dress was a bit long, and despite lifting it with her hands, it still got caught in the revolving door as she passed through the hotel’s entrance.

She turned to pull it free, her fingers barely grazing the edge of the glass door when a hand gently grasped the edge of her dress and pulled it loose. The fingers were long, clean, and elegantly slender.

Following the hand, Evelyn’s gaze traveled up to see a slightly rolled-up cuff of a white shirt peeking from a finely tailored black suit, complemented by a light blue plaid tie—refreshing and pleasant. The man stood less than a meter away, in his thirties, tall and handsome, with refined features that radiated an air of privileged grace and warmth.

Evelyn was about to thank him when he spoke first. “I hope Miss Joy’s dress isn’t damaged.”

“It’s fine. I just walked too quickly,” she replied, gently bending to lift the caught hem of her dress, casting a grateful glance at the man behind her. “Thank you.”

“It was a small effort,” he said, a charming smile curving his lips as he gestured for her to proceed.

Evelyn nodded politely, a smile on her face, and cautiously stepped through the revolving door, holding her dress.

The business car arranged by the organizers had been waiting for her for some time. As soon as she got inside, a male staff member from the gala rushed over, respectfully offering her two cards. “Miss Joy, a gentleman asked me to deliver a gift to you. Please accept it.”

Evelyn glanced at the cards, recognizing them as a room key and a bank card. Rather than feeling offended, she smiled and shook her head. “Please tell that gentleman I appreciate the gesture.”

It was not uncommon for someone to spend money to buy her attention for the night, an occurrence she handled with practiced ease each year.

“But Miss Joy—” The staff member looked troubled, trying to press the cards into her hands once more.

Evelyn closed the car door a step ahead, and the vehicle sped off, leaving him behind. Unbeknownst to her, the entire scene was witnessed by the man who had helped her with her dress.