Before heading out, Evelyn applied a light touch of makeup.

As it was the rush hour after work, every road in Riverton was jammed. William had booked a table at an old-school Chinese restaurant called “Mai’s Secret Recipe,” which was less than a fifteen-minute drive from 9Bliss Garden. However, it took Evelyn half an hour to arrive, hitching a ride.

With a minimum spend of four hundred per person, the restaurant filtered out most of the working class.

Evelyn entered carefully, worried about running into Jason unexpectedly.

William had chosen a quiet and elegant private room on the third floor. As soon as he saw Evelyn walk in, a bright smile broke across his face.

After exchanging pleasantries and ordering three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a nourishing soup, William sensed the conversation might hit a lull and eagerly brought up a topic. “The revival match at the TV station is trending.”

“I saw,” she replied, not wanting to elaborate too much.

“Apparently, some radical netizens have reported the station's leadership and judges by name,” William poured her a steaming cup of fruit tea. “I hope you’re not involved?”

“I shouldn’t be,” she shook her head. “I was originally supposed to be in the revival match, but I had to step back at the last minute and let Nessa take my place.”

“That's good to hear.” William let out a long sigh of relief. “It’s tough being in the public eye. Even the tiniest mistake can be blown out of proportion. That’s part of why I prefer to keep a low profile.”

“As long as you don’t mess up on the big issues, you have nothing to fear. Mr. Leighton is known for being discreet and reserved in the business scene here in Riverton. Even if you were to be more public, it wouldn't make much of a difference.”

She was worried that William might back out of the interview, so she hurried to reassure him.

“You’ve got me so flattered, I don’t know which way is up,” he said, his warm gaze and friendly smile lighting up the room.

William had a knack for keeping the conversation balanced, steering clear of awkwardness while enticing Evelyn to engage further.

What was most pressing for Evelyn was the product launch meeting for SinoContinental happening tomorrow morning. The new energy vehicle industry was foreign territory for her, and she frequently sought William’s insights. He had a way of breaking down the most complex problems into simple explanations.

As dinner neared its end, Evelyn’s phone, which she had laid face down on the table, buzzed.

Glancing at it, she saw it was Jason.

“Sorry, I need to take this call,” she said quickly, rising from her seat before William could respond and stepping into the corridor outside.

As she answered, Jason’s voice came through, laced with irritation. “Where are you?”

“Did you get back to 9Bliss Garden?” she asked, thinking Jason must have had plans tonight, but she was mistaken.

“I’m asking where you are!” His impatience was clear.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to take a risk. “I’m out having dinner with Jean. I’ll be done in about ten minutes.”

“Send me your location.”

“Sure,” she replied, hesitating for a moment before whispering.

As she sent Jason her location, her heart raced. But she reassured herself that if she wrapped up dinner quickly and left fast enough, Jason wouldn’t catch up with her.

Returning to the private room, she smiled and said, “Sorry, Mr. Leighton, but I need to head back. The draft for tomorrow's conference needs revisions. Let’s reschedule for another time.”

“I’ll drive you,” William offered, having not touched a drop of alcohol, and handed her coat to her.

Evelyn took it and replied, “A friend happens to be passing by, so I’ll just take her car. No need to trouble you, Mr. Leighton.”

“Alright, let’s head down together,” William said, not insisting further, and politely gestured for her to lead the way.

As they walked down the stairs side by side, chatting and laughing, they made quite the pair—one handsome and composed, the other striking and graceful, easily catching the eye of anyone who passed by.

What Evelyn didn’t know was that Julian was standing less than five meters behind them at that very moment.

Julian watched Evelyn and William’s retreating figures for a moment before pulling out his phone to snap a few photos and send them to Jason, adding a note: Jase, guess who these two are? To his surprise, he waited a long time without receiving a response.

After leaving Mai’s Secret Recipe, Evelyn came up with a poor excuse to say goodbye to William. Though he knew she had no friend coming to pick her up, he chose to play along.

Standing on the bustling street, he gazed at the woman anxiously waiting nearby for a rideshare, and his long-stilled heart stirred with ripples of emotion, spreading warmth through his limbs, igniting a feeling he had never experienced before—fiery and vivid.

Evelyn opened the door to 9Bliss Garden, greeted by a pungent smell of smoke.

Jason was sitting in the living room, smoking. The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts, some even spilled onto the coffee table.

“You’ve been smoking a lot lately. If this keeps up, your health will take a hit. If you really can’t quit, at least try to cut back,” she said while covering her mouth and nose as she opened a window.

Jason stubbed out his freshly lit cigarette in the ashtray. “If I have health issues, then you can openly go out and find other men without needing to hide behind Jean’s name.”

Her heart sank sharply.

So, Jason had figured it out so quickly.

“Don’t misunderstand. I had dinner with Mr. Leighton for work. He’s already agreed to do an interview with the TV station,” she said, desperately trying to clarify.

His deep-set gaze held no trust, but she kept explaining, “Mr. Leighton and I are barely acquaintances. After dinner, he left, and I just got a rideshare back. Look, I have the ride and payment confirmations on my phone.”

“How was dinner, Mrs. Stark?” Jason’s tone was unhurried, but he emphasized “Mrs. Stark.”

“It was fine,” she replied, forcing the words out.

Suddenly, Jason stood up, gripping her arm and pulling her toward him, causing her to stumble and fall onto the sofa.

Before she could sit up, he had her chin in a tight grip.

The sudden pain brought tears to her eyes, filling the room with an oppressive tension.

“It was just a meal; there’s no need to blow it out of proportion.”

“Evelyn, I warned you this afternoon not to get too close to William. Did you hear a word I said?”

Jason’s grip tightened, making her cry out in pain.

“William and I aren’t even close friends. I only went to dinner with him to secure the interview. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Going or not going doesn’t matter. Why did you lie about being with Jean? Tell me, what are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding anything!”

“No wonder you’ve been stirring up divorce talks. Looks like you’ve already found someone else. I really underestimated you!”

“That’s slander! Outright slander! Just because you’re tangled up with Cecilia doesn’t mean you can look down on others. It’s ridiculous!”

Their argument escalated, each voice louder than the last.

The first to calm down was Jason.

He let go of Evelyn and stormed into the study, slamming the door behind him.

Evelyn rubbed her sore chin, tears streaming down her face.

The next day, they didn’t exchange a word.

After getting ready, she ran into Jason, who was searching for clothes in the walk-in closet. She quickly turned away, creating some distance between them.

As Jason was about to leave, he turned back multiple times to glance at her room, but in the end, he hesitated, not saying anything.

The SinoContinental product launch was scheduled for ten in the morning. After a quick bite, she headed to the TV station.

While Penny was doing her makeup, someone knocked on the dressing room door.

“Miss Joy, we’re from the police department. Someone has reported that you embezzled a hundred thousand during the hosting competition. Please come with us to take a statement.”