Before Evelyn pulled off Cecilia's wrist bandage, she had already prepared for a confrontation with Jason. If Cecilia's self-harm was real, Jason wouldn’t let the matter go easily. Cecilia would cry and create a scene.

However, after three years of open and covert battles with Cecilia, Evelyn had a decent grasp of the woman's tactics. She didn’t believe that mere taunts could drive Cecilia to such extremes.

In that moment, the intensive care unit fell silent. Jason's gaze landed on Cecilia's unharmed wrist.

As the lie unraveled, Cecilia's face flushed, and she mustered all her strength to shake off Evelyn’s grip and flee the room.

Evelyn stood rooted to the spot, casting a cold glance at the man across from her. “Mr. Stark, hurry and chase after her. If Miss Brooks gets angry and attempts to self-harm again, it would be disastrous.”

“You came prepared. You had no intention of apologizing when you followed me to the hospital.” Jason took out a cigarette, holding it between his fingers, his gaze inscrutable.

With unwavering resolve, she replied, “I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I apologize?”

“They say to leave a line for others so that we can meet again in the future.” Jason lit his cigarette. “You really won’t leave any face for Cecilia.”

“Face isn’t something given by others; it’s something you earn yourself.”

Jason was siding with Cecilia, and arguing further would be pointless. She turned on her heel and walked away.

As the smoke curled around him, Jason lightly bit the end of his cigarette, his striking features becoming slightly ethereal in the haze.

After finishing the cigarette, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

It took three tries before he finally heard Cecilia’s soft, tearful “Hello.”

“Even I was deceived.” Jason tossed away the cigarette butt, clearly impatient.

“I was going to wait until she finished apologizing before telling you everything,” Cecilia’s voice trembled. “Jason, I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, overthinking everything. I shouldn’t have acted impulsively and deceived you too.”

Jason's expression darkened, his voice devoid of warmth. “Since you’re not well, I’ll give you a month to recover. You don’t have to go to work starting tomorrow.”

“Going to work isn’t a problem, I just—”

Before Cecilia could finish, Jason hung up the call.

Cecilia immediately called back, but he chose to ignore it.

As Evelyn drove away from the hospital, she felt unusually relieved. No matter Jason’s attitude, she had exposed Cecilia’s fake suicide attempt.

Arriving at 9Bliss Garden, she promptly stripped off all her clothes and tossed them into the washing machine. For her, seeing Cecilia was an ill omen that needed to be immediately eliminated.

Turning on the shower to wash away the day’s stress, she heard Jason’s voice as he entered the apartment.

Panicking, she rushed to close the bathroom door, but Jason’s movements were quicker than she anticipated; he pushed the door open before she could stop him.

“I’m showering,” she exclaimed, hurriedly wrapping a towel around herself to cover her body.

Jason pressed his arm against the door frame, ignoring her resistance, and forced his way into the bathroom. “Let’s shower together.”

At that moment, she wanted to curse Jason out, but the thought of the unpaid seven million advertising fee made her swallow her anger.

If Jason had any decency, he would show some sincerity to mend their relationship after learning about Cecilia’s false accusations.

Having completely lost hope for any emotional connection with Jason, she no longer expected their relationship to deepen. Since she couldn’t escape him, she decided to maximize her financial interests.

As soon as Jason said, “Let’s shower together,” she knew what would happen next. However, she was taken aback by how he tried to please her throughout the entire process.

He was careful about her comfort and the intensity of the experience. She interpreted his unusual behavior as an expression of guilt.

Afterward, they took a warm bath together in the tub. Exhausted, Evelyn found herself carried back to the master bedroom by Jason.

When he laid her down on the bed, she tightly wrapped her arms around Jason's neck. "Help me."

"Is it about the advertising fee again?"

"Yes. It used to be twenty million, but now it's down to two million five hundred thousand."

She withheld the matter about Jenny.

The lust and glimmer in Jason's eyes vanished in an instant as he pried her hands away. "You're calculating even when we're supposed to be intimate, Evelyn. What do you take me for?"

"You wouldn’t even answer my calls. It's only at times like this that I can talk to you calmly." She pushed herself up from the bed with her arms.

"I've said it before: the advertising value at the TV station is too low; it’s not worth investing in." Jason grabbed a robe to wrap around himself. "The Stark Group has extended its investment lines too long over the past two years, and some projects haven’t turned a profit yet. Starting next year, every department needs to cut costs. The advertising budget is non-negotiable."

"Just help me one more time. If I can’t get the advertising performance, I can barely manage my monthly salary after covering my living expenses, let alone pay off my car loan." She sensed that Jason was brushing her off and continued to plead.

"I'm still saying, I don’t do losing deals," Jason said in a deep voice. "Once you successfully get pregnant, the twenty-five million advertising fee will be transferred to the TV station's account."

She bit her lip, completely speechless.

She had just received an import contraceptive injection; even under the best circumstances, pregnancy would take at least three months.

A month ago, she would have been filled with anticipation at those words. But at this moment, with a man like Jason—who was so utterly despicable—she would have to be out of her mind to want to have his child!

Without the pregnancy, there would be no advertising contract from the Stark Group.

Fine, she would stop holding any hopes for Jason. Over the past two years, she had at least met a few business magnates through the show, and starting tomorrow, she would shamelessly call to inquire about opportunities.

As long as the big shots showed even a hint of interest in cooperation, it would be time to meet and wine and dine them.

That night, Jason slept in the guest room.

The next morning, Evelyn woke up to find that Jason had already left for work.

She had no appetite at all. After washing up, she didn’t bother putting on makeup and took Jason’s car to Jean's house.

Jean’s home was a traditional garden villa where three generations lived together. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, and Evelyn didn’t want to disturb Jean's grandparents, so she didn’t go inside.

Jean came out in her pajamas, handing Evelyn a bulging paper bag. "If you have trouble operating it, video call me, and I’ll teach you."

Evelyn thanked her and left without lingering, heading straight to the TV station.

Throughout the morning, she followed her routine, and as noon approached, Director Logan called specifically to remind her to attend the afternoon revival race.

She promised without hesitation.

During her lunch break, she returned to 9Bliss Garden.

Opening the paper bag Jean had given her, she took out the blood plasma bags and lightly drizzled some along her calf. As the blood began to dry, she wrapped it in gauze and took a photo at the right angle to send to Director Logan.

In less than three minutes, Director Logan called back. "What happened to your leg? You were fine during lunch at the cafeteria. What am I supposed to do about the revival race this afternoon?"