Victor had some afterthoughts about the events of the previous night. However, the woman in front of him now was clearly not the same timid, pliable little rabbit he had molded as he pleased last night. She even made a point of reminding him that their encounter would end with the dawn. Quite fitting, she seemed to know her place.

Victor adjusted his glasses, a layer of indifference now coating him. His gaze shifted, and he looked at her as though she were a stranger.

He stood up, leaving without a word of explanation. The door shut behind him, and a gust of wind swept through, as though nothing had ever happened.

Evelyn exhaled in relief, her hand pressing against her forehead as she realized she had broken out in a cold sweat. This man… the oppressive aura he exuded was overwhelming. Clearly, he was not someone she could afford to provoke. It was best to keep her distance from him going forward.

At least her internship was nearing its end. Once she left Serenity Hospital, their paths would likely never cross again. That thought comforted her a little.

Just as she was about to leave for the day, Reed's call came through. She didn't pick up, watching as her phone vibrated incessantly, its ring almost haunting.

But she knew Reed was not someone who could be brushed off so easily. Dragging this out had already reached its limit.

[Eve, don't make me wait too long, understand?]

He sent a follow-up text.

Reed was cunning, using unregistered numbers that didn't match his public ones, most likely to avoid being caught.

From the day Evelyn started her internship at Serenity Hospital, Reed had been eyeing her. At first, he pretended to be polite, but later, he made no effort to hide his insinuations, both direct and subtle.

Evelyn had delayed him again and again, hoping that once her internship ended, she'd be able to escape his clutches. But right now, it seemed she had come to a dead end.

Reed had been holding her internship report hostage, refusing to sign or stamp it. He had even threatened to ruin her future if she didn't comply. If she didn't comply, she wouldn't graduate and might never find a job related to medicine.

Evelyn hid in the locker room, feeling lost, as she scrolled through her chat history with Zara.

On Christmas Day, she and Zara had worked the same shift. Evelyn didn’t want to go home, and Zara, burdened with too much work, couldn’t leave.

Evelyn often felt like she was more of a cheap laborer than a trainee doctor. They were given all the dirty and exhausting work, and the hospital tried to mask it as "training."

Zara would often complain about how tired she was, joking that she felt like a dog, calling herself "Dog Zara." She even told Evelyn she was "Dog Eve" in training, and that they'd both eventually walk this same path.

No wonder people always say, "if you want to study medicine, you're asking for trouble." Only those in the field understand how grueling it can be.

But Evelyn was resolute in choosing obstetrics and gynecology, not for any other reason, but because she wanted fewer children in the world to grow up without mothers, like she did. After all, children without mothers were like wild grass, no one cared if they lived or died—it all depended on luck.

Evelyn clicked on Zara’s Moments, her last post from Christmas night. She had written only two words: Merry Christmas.

That night, they had watched fireworks together on the hospital rooftop, eaten a simple meal, and encouraged each other to persevere, saying that the sun would shine after the storm. Zara had also told her happily that she had fallen in love with someone, and promised to introduce him to Evelyn soon.

Zara was so close to making it—just a little bit more, and she would have found happiness.

“Zara, you broke your promise.”

Evelyn buried her face in her knees, clutching a crumpled, unreadable complaint letter in her palm. If this letter reached Reed, it would mean she had failed.

She couldn’t seek justice for Zara, nor could she clear her name. The filthy lies surrounding Zara’s death would taint her forever.

Evelyn refused to believe that Zara had done something like that, and she certainly didn’t believe she had taken her own life out of guilt.

Two women entered the locker room, oblivious to her presence in the corner, gossiping as they went.

“Reed’s eyes… it’s like he’s going to devour Eve. I think she’s done for.”

“That shameless bastard! A disgusting pervert, using his power to take advantage of young girls. Ugh!”

“Keep your voice down, he has connections. By the way, I heard a rumor—Reed only goes after young girls because he has a special fetish. He enjoys deflowering virgins. How sick is that?”

“That’s probably true. There was another girl who tried to use him to get ahead, but when Reed saw that she had been with her boyfriend before, he kicked her out. He only wants the 'pure' ones. Men with power are always the worst. And I’m starting to think Zara’s death might be linked to him…”

“Shh! Don’t say that. Be careful. He has powerful connections. We can’t afford to cross him.”

Once they had left, Evelyn slowly emerged from the corner, her mind racing with what they had said.

Could Zara’s death have something to do with Reed?

She didn’t dare think too deeply about it, but her back broke out in cold sweat at the mere thought.

If it was true, how could she bring justice to Zara?

But she didn’t have time to dwell on it, as Reed was pushing her again.

[Eve, this is your final deadline. Don’t you care about your graduation?]

Evelyn made up her mind. She picked up her phone and sent a message.

Victor had just finished a surgery and returned to his office. Before he had a chance to catch his breath, he received a Facebook message.

[Dr. Kingsley, do you still want it?]

Victor initially thought he was seeing things.

But just above that message was a record showing a payment of $200,000.

So, this message was from that woman?

Victor squinted, slowly typing a question mark in response.

He wanted to see what kind of game she was playing.

Earlier in the hospital, she had drawn a clear line with him, and now, late at night, she was starting to play these games again?

Very interesting.

Evelyn had never been in a relationship, so she had no experience with men. That message had taken all her courage to send.

But she never expected him to reply with a question mark.

It made her feel foolish!

She typed, deleted, typed again, and by the end, she still hadn’t figured out what to say.

Victor wasn’t the patient type. He had watched her typing, the cursor blinking for over three minutes.

With a disdainful smirk, he thought, This is her skill? And she’s trying to hook a man?

Before Evelyn could respond, he sent a message first.

“Hilltop Bliss, Building 12.”

Evelyn was still pondering how to respond when this message suddenly popped up, startling her.

What did that mean?

She couldn’t understand it at first, and after thinking for a while, she still didn’t get it, so she mimicked his style and sent a question mark back.

Victor responded succinctly, “My place.”

Evelyn arrived at Hilltop Bliss, staring at the luxurious community in front of her, then glancing down at her humble bike.

She clearly felt the stark class difference.

If it weren’t for Victor, she probably would never have set foot in a place like this.

With a nervous hand, she pressed the doorbell.

After a few seconds, Victor opened the door.

The man had just showered, wearing only a loose bathrobe that exposed a large patch of his skin.

His hair was still wet, and he wasn’t wearing glasses.

There was less refinement and more raw energy.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen his contrasting persona.

The night before, in the bathroom, when he took off his glasses, all she saw was pure madness.