Evelyn felt a chill run down her spine. "Are you serious?" she whispered.

The words were barely out before she regretted asking. Jean's grandfather was a renowned gynecologist and an expert in traditional medicine, with socialites from Capital City flocking to Riverton every year, paying top dollar for his treatments.

Jean’s voice on the other end was sharp with irritation. "So you’d rather doubt my grandpa’s expertise just to defend that monster-in-law of yours?”

“I’m sorry, J. I didn’t mean it that way. I was just a little shaken up.” Evelyn took a deep breath. “Honestly, when you first questioned those herbal pouches, I had a bad feeling about it.”

Jean sighed. "What are you planning to do now? If you can’t get out of this marriage, then keep your guard up around both Jason and that old witch. They don’t respect you, and they sure won’t respect any child you have."

“I know,” Evelyn murmured, her heart sinking. She couldn’t tell if Jason was truly serious about wanting a child, or if he was just stringing her along. But one thing she was sure of—Jason had no clue Grace had substituted real medicine with something else. After all, he was the one who fabricated the whole pregnancy, so he wouldn’t have any reason to want it gone.

Hearing the front door unlock, she quickly said goodnight to Jean and hung up. Jason was back. She closed her eyes, reminding herself to stay quiet and ignore him.

Truthfully, she couldn’t sleep when he was out. She lay there for ten long minutes, waiting, but he didn’t come to the bedroom. Catching a strong whiff of tobacco, she guessed he was smoking in the living room. Rising, she went to close the master bedroom door but was caught off guard when Jason walked in just as she got out of bed.

They locked eyes for barely three seconds before Evelyn averted her gaze.

“Pack a bag. We’re flying to Capital City in two hours.” His tone left no room for discussion.

She was stunned. It was already half-past eight; a last-minute trip to Capital City would disrupt her entire work schedule for the next day. It was Monday, and she had a financial news broadcast to host in the morning, followed by an evening corporate event.

Seeing her hesitation, Jason added coldly, “Cecilia slit her wrists because of you. You’ll be covering her responsibilities while she’s in the hospital. I’d say that’s fair.”

“I can’t go; I’ve got too much work tomorrow,” she said firmly. If she couldn’t escape this rotten marriage, she’d be damned if she didn’t stand up to him.

“You don’t have a choice.” Jason left her with that and headed to the closet.

The sound of his suitcase scraping against the floor filled the silence, but she’d already decided—if she had to go, she would get something out of it.

When Jason was finished packing, he paused in the doorway, glancing at his watch. “Evelyn, I’ll give you ten minutes.”

She took a deep breath. “Fine, I’ll go with you to Capital City, but only if you agree to transfer the two million in ad fees—”

“Your choice,” he snapped, cutting her off before storming out and slamming the door.

Evelyn stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, her mind racing. Should she go? In the end, it wouldn’t make a difference. Nothing could change Jason’s disdain for her.

Switching off the bedside lamp, she lay down, but her phone lit up on silent mode.

It was Tyler. “Ma’am, are you ready to go?”

Apparently, Jason was still waiting in the parking lot. She took a steadying breath. “Tyler, could you hand the phone to Jason? I have something to say to him.”

Jason’s voice came on, casual, disinterested. “Yes?”

“I’m willing to miss work for you, but you need to make it worth my while. My condition is the two million ad fee.”

Before Evelyn could finish speaking, Jason let out a cold laugh. “Cecilia’s lying in the hospital, and I didn’t even ask you to cover her medical bills. Yet here you are, trying to negotiate with me.”

The words stung, and she clenched her teeth, her voice icy. “The Stark Group spends nine figures annually on advertising alone. Two million is nothing to you.”

Jason’s voice was frigid, underscoring his irritation. “I’ll ask you one last time—are you coming or not?”

Holding her breath, Evelyn felt torn. Two conflicting voices raged inside her: one screamed not to go, knowing she’d only be humiliated; the other whispered that if she defied Jason, he might take legal action against Jean. The latter finally won out.

“Give me a few minutes, I’ll be—” The line clicked dead before she could finish.

She quickly packed a few clothes, leaving behind her usual skincare essentials, and dashed downstairs with her suitcase. When she got to the garage, only two of Jason’s rarely-used cars were there—he and Tyler were long gone.

Feeling defeated, she ran a hand through her hair.

The next morning, she instinctively checked her phone. Not a single message from Jason. Even when things were calm between them, Jason rarely reached out with any pleasantries. Their conversations were always strictly business, with no trace of warmth or emotion.

Scrolling through her chat history with him, it looked more like a series of exchanges between business partners than anything remotely resembling a marriage.

At the station, she immediately went to see Director Logan, expressing her interest in applying for the position as a travel show host.

“Fair competition. May the best candidate win,” Director Logan replied in a formal tone, then added some pressure. “After we sent out the notice yesterday, three strong candidates have already reached out to me. You’re the fourth.”

“Then I’ll just have to step up my game,” Evelyn replied, standing to leave. “I’ll start by reading more about travel shows.”

Before she could go, Director Logan stopped her. “Any news on the Stark Group’s ad payment?”

“It’s coming soon,” she replied nonchalantly.

“Push them on it. With the new finance reforms, we need to lock in a year’s ad revenue by the end of March, or it’ll be shifted to next year.”

Director Logan tapped his desk, reminding her, “Think on your feet. If the Stark Group doesn’t come through, there are plenty of other businesses in Riverton with the resources to advertise.”

His words reminded her to reach out to William, hoping he might agree to appear on Business Talks as a guest.

Back in her office, Evelyn took out William’s business card and saved his number. Closing her door to avoid embarrassment in case of rejection, she dialed his number. He answered within seconds.

“Hello,” William’s voice was smooth and pleasant, a stark contrast to Jason’s forceful tone. Speaking to him was like a breath of fresh air.

“Mr. Leighton, this is Evelyn,” she said politely, her voice laced with a smile. “Sorry to bother you at this hour—it’s regarding the matter we discussed yesterday.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Joy. After careful consideration, I’ve decided not to participate in your interview program.” William’s tone was gentle, and though he was rejecting her, it didn’t feel unpleasant.

“Mr. Leighton, why don’t you give it a day or two? Maybe by tomorrow or the day after, you’ll feel differently. Let’s pretend this call never happened,” Evelyn replied, unwilling to accept defeat.

“The answer will be the same tomorrow and the day after.” William’s voice held a faint smile. “I suggest you find someone else, Miss Joy, and don’t waste your time on me.”

“Mr. Leighton may have turned me down today, but I’ll be calling again tomorrow,” Evelyn persisted, setting aside her pride as a top anchor in her determination to land William’s interview.