Jason knew exactly what Evelyn had been up to after work.

He was aware she had gone to Platinum Estate and shared a dinner with William.

That made him furious.

He had just started to set his trap; if he let his focus waver just because of a little romance, how would he ever stand a chance at Stark Group? After all, she was just a woman.

Their relationship had begun in chaos, and it would surely end in chaos as well.

When he saw Evelyn return, a mix of hate and jealousy churned in his gut. He confronted her in the bedroom, driven by a desire to humiliate her. But he never expected her tearful accusations would send him spiraling into madness.

In the dimly lit room, the tears in the corners of Evelyn's eyes felt like poisoned daggers, stabbing deep into his chest. He refused to let her emotions sway him; despite her sobs, he stormed out of 9Bliss Garden.

With his father hospitalized and the entire Stark family in turmoil, Jason had been running between the hospital and Stark Group's headquarters without a moment's peace.

He knew plenty of people in the business world, but only Julian and Ethan were worth chatting with. He called them up for a night out, but Ethan was in the Capital City, so he ended up meeting just Julian.

Julian, aware of the unrest within the Stark family, steered the conversation toward raunchy jokes. It didn’t take long before it turned to Jason. “Jase, Selene’s back. Do you two still have a chance?”

Jason swirled his drink, remaining silent.

“Selene’s dad is William's father’s brother. If you had married Selene back then, you’d have had SinoContinental and SinoVision backing you up. That would definitely change how the old man sees you.”

“Selene’s an only child. The entire SinoVision is hers now. Aren’t you even a little envious?”

“If you become a part of the Leighton family, being William’s brother-in-law, and team up with him on a few projects, wouldn’t that be better than where you are now? At Stark Group, all your father has given you is a meaningless title of vice president. What else can he do for you?”

“Did you hear? Cedric is the one everyone thinks will be the successor.”

“Julian, your mouth is more annoying than a woman’s,” Jason said, shoving a bottle of beer into Julian's hands. “See if that shuts you up.”

Julian sighed, clearly miffed. “I’m only trying to look out for you. Whether you want to listen is up to you.”

Jason sipped his beer, not absorbing a single word Julian had said. When they left the bar, he didn’t call Tyler for a ride; he took a cab back to Stark Group’s building instead. He had a decent-sized bedroom in his office for when he needed to catch a few winks during late nights.

For the next few days, he had no plans to return to 9Bliss Garden. Meanwhile, Evelyn was plagued by nightmares, waking up three times, her eyes brimming with tears.

The following afternoon, she had a finance news broadcast, but her mind was elsewhere, causing her to misread a couple of lines. After the show, Dane reprimanded her harshly.

The head of the advertising department also came knocking, saying that the ad fees for several top-tier hosts had come through, leaving just her twenty million hanging.

She locked herself in her office, brainstorming where to find a twenty-million advertising contract.

Luckily, Jenny's issue had come to light, otherwise she would have faced another five hundred thousand in ad fees.

She opened her contacts and started calling, sorting them alphabetically.

She didn't spare anyone with a registered company, no matter how small.

After talking herself hoarse, she managed to secure two short-term ads, totaling less than three million.

As the day wound down, she found herself completely out of options and decided to turn to William.

With several listed companies under SinoContinental, twenty million in ad fees shouldn’t be a big deal for him.

Before calling William, Evelyn had the advertising department check how much SinoContinental had spent on TV advertising in recent years. The response that came back was shocking: SinoContinental had never collaborated with any television stations since its establishment!

Evelyn stared at William’s phone number for a long time but lacked the courage to dial. Just as she was packing up to leave, William’s call came through.

Once she answered, he asked, “So, have you not secured the twenty million in advertising fees yet?”

“How do you know?” She realized William must have planted someone at the TV station.

“Send me the station’s public account. I’ll have finance transfer the money right away,” William said, his tone warm and caring. “Don’t overthink it. There’s a pharmaceutical company under SinoContinental that’s been losing money for the last two years. We plan to invest heavily in marketing next year.”

Even with all her bravado, Evelyn found herself lowering her head. “Thank you, Mr. Leighton.”

With Jason not helping her, her social circle was limited; apart from William, she couldn’t think of anyone else to turn to.

“Finance is about to close for the day, so hurry and send me the account number,” William instructed before hanging up. He didn’t leave her any room for doubts or refusals.

In less than two minutes, a colleague from finance sent her a congratulatory GIF on WhatsApp, saying, "Congratulations, Miss Joy, for completing your two million advertising performance."

The weight on her shoulders had finally been lifted, but she couldn’t feel relieved. She owed William a significant favor.

Meanwhile, Jason was about to call the Stark Group’s finance department to arrange for two million in advertising fees for Evelyn when Tyler knocked and walked in.

“Sir, ten minutes ago, SinoContinental’s pharmaceutical company transferred twenty million in advertising fees to the TV station, and William personally signed off on it.”

Jason paused, his hand hovering above the phone he had just picked up, and dropped it heavily back onto the receiver.

Tyler stood at the door, having said all he needed to say, yet Jason showed no signs of dismissing him, leaving them both in an awkward standstill.

With a soft click, Jason lit a cigarette, the white smoke swirling around him, obscuring his sharp features in the haze. One cigarette burned down, and he lit another. The ashtray quickly filled with butts.

After years of knowing him, Tyler was well aware of Jason's habits. When he smoked heavily, it usually meant he was battling some inner turmoil. The office was spacious but lacked windows, and Tyler began to cough from the stale air. He wanted to escape the smoke-filled room. “I can contact the TV station’s finance team and have them return the twenty million from SinoContinental. Then you can sort out the advertising fees for your wife.”

“No need.” Jason’s voice was as cold as ice.

Tyler respectfully acknowledged this with an “Oh.”

Evelyn hurried to West Lake right after work. Sophie was punctual, already waiting downstairs.

The tutoring session lasted over three hours. Sophie had natural talent and had been taking professional courses since elementary school, so her skills were above average for her age, though she struggled with managing the flow and adapting on the spot.

Evelyn shared all her accumulated experience, and although Sophie often joked around, she was serious about learning.

By the time they headed downstairs, it was past ten. William drove up to pick Sophie up.

As Sophie climbed into William's car, Evelyn felt somewhat humbled by the twenty million in advertising fees. She stepped forward to greet him. “Thank you, Mr. Leighton, for your generous support.”

“The pharmaceutical company needs to ramp up media promotion next year, and since you have an advertising task, it’s mutually beneficial. Neither of us owes the other anything,” William explained with a smile, his gaze fixed on her.

Evelyn felt a bit embarrassed and lowered her eyes. “Once things settle down, I’d like to treat you to dinner, Mr. Leighton. I hit it off with Sophie, so please remember to bring her along.”

“Of course.” William’s smile dimmed slightly, and he moved a step closer to Evelyn.

Evelyn turned to find her car, but suddenly, William's hand landed on her shoulder.

Their clothes brushed against each other, and their faces were only a few centimeters apart. Evelyn sensed the awkwardness and quickly stepped back.

“There’s a loose hair,” William said, plucking a strand from her shoulder and letting it fall to the ground.

Just as she sighed in relief, Jason's voice came from behind them, “Eve, it’s time to go home.”