Now You Want Me? Too Late

End of flashback...

Evelyn let out a quiet sigh as she looked at the bandage wrapping around her ankle. She took another sip of the wine.

"Stop asking how I got hurt. Let’s talk about why I summoned you."

Marcus stiffened in his place. "Yes. You said you would help me. How? And..." He paused. "How did you know the backup footage had been deleted?"

Evelyn snorted. She already knew exactly what had happened.

Vivian had managed to sneak into Elena’s office and steal confidential files. Deleting the surveillance footage would have been the simplest way to erase any evidence of her presence.

"Stop asking how I know about it," she muttered. "Someone stole Elena’s access card and sneaked into her office. Confidential project files were leaked to a rival company, and your team still hasn’t caught the person responsible. Is this how your security department works?"

Her words landed on Marcus like a slap.

It was, indeed, a complete failure on his team’s part. He lowered his head, shame burning across his face.

"Someone breached the company’s security, and you couldn’t even detect it," Evelyn continued mercilessly. "I don’t understand why my brother is still keeping you."

"Madam, please..." Marcus dropped to his knees.

"I know I made mistakes. It was my failure that this happened. But I’m doing everything I can to strengthen our security. I promise nothing like this will happen again. Please help me this time."

Evelyn shifted in her place uneasily. She didn’t like seeing anyone kneeling before her and begging.

"Alright, alright." She waved impatiently. "Just be more careful next time. Now, sit down."

Marcus quickly returned to the sofa, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Evelyn picked up a small USB drive and placed it on the coffee table. "Here. Everything you need to catch the thief is inside."

Marcus picked it up, staring at it suspiciously. "Where did you get this?" His eyes narrowed. "And why are you giving it to me instead of Mr. Rowan?"

The moment he mentioned Elias, Evelyn felt a slight tremor in her chest.

If her brother discovered that she had injured herself while secretly following Vivian, he would be furious. Worse, he would tighten her security. He might even forbid her from leaving the mansion without an escort.

Elias had already become excessively protective of their family. He had practically turned their grandfather’s outings into military operations, with guards following him everywhere.

Evelyn swallowed.

She absolutely did not want a dozen bodyguards trailing her every time she stepped outside.

"Don’t ask questions." She gave Marcus a warning look. "Just give this to Elias. Tell him you managed to recover the footage. He’ll reward you."

Marcus’s confusion deepened. He looked at the USB in his hand and then back at her.

"Are you sure? I don’t feel comfortable taking credit for someone else’s work. Mr. Rowan should know that you were the one who—"

"No." Evelyn immediately cut him off. "My brother cannot know about my involvement. Otherwise, he’ll lock me up."

"What?" Marcus paled.

Evelyn inwardly cursed herself. ’Damn it. I shouldn’t have said that.’

She quickly forced a smile. "I was joking."

Marcus looked unconvinced.

"I simply don’t want to worry him. If he finds out I got injured while collecting evidence against the traitor, he’ll lose his mind. He might burn down half the city."

She shrugged casually. "Besides, it doesn’t matter who gathered the evidence. What matters is finding the traitor and making sure she pays for what she did."

"True," Marcus agreed immediately. "I’ll give this to Mr. Rowan."

He stood. "Don’t worry. I won’t tell him about your involvement."

Marcus turned toward the door. "Thank you, Miss Evelyn."

He left.

Once the door closed behind him, Evelyn leaned back against the recliner. A satisfied smile slowly curled across her lips.

"The show is just beginning." She lifted her wineglass. "I can’t wait to see Vivian’s downfall."

She sipped the rest of the wine.

Ding-Dong...

Evelyn nearly choked on her wine. She sat upright and stared toward the door.

"Who could that be? Marcus?"

Perhaps he had forgotten something.

She placed the glass down and slowly stood. Her injured ankle protested immediately, forcing her to limp toward the door.

When she opened it, she froze.

"Ian?" Her eyes widened.

Ian stood outside, his tall figure filling the doorway.

"Aren’t you going to invite me in?" he asked.

"Uh... come in."

Evelyn stepped aside. But before she could move properly, her injured ankle gave way.

Her body swayed. She instinctively flailed her arms, searching for something to hold on to.

Ian moved instantly. He caught her wrist and pulled her toward him, wrapping an arm securely around her waist.

Evelyn went completely still. She found herself pressed against his chest, her heart pounding wildly.

Ian didn’t release her. He kept holding her firmly.

Her body fit naturally against him, and the familiar warmth stirred something deep inside him.

He had missed this, missed her warmth, the softness of her presence, and the feeling that came whenever he held her close. His gaze dropped to her lips.

The urge to kiss her was almost unbearable. But he suppressed it.

He didn’t want to frighten her by suddenly crossing a boundary she wasn’t ready for. Instead, a teasing smile appeared on his face.

"Is this your trick to get into my arms?"

Evelyn’s heart skipped.

She had always loved seeing him smile. But Ian rarely smiled at her.

Whenever he looked at her in the past, his expression had usually been filled with exhaustion, frustration, or distance. Seeing that genuine smile now made her chest tighten.

’When was the last time he smiled at me like this?’

She blinked and quickly pulled herself back to reality.

"No. I wasn’t." She tried to move away.

But Ian tightened his hold. "Pretending?" His smile deepened. "Now that you’ve already landed in my arms, let me hold you a little longer."

"What?" Evelyn stared at him in disbelief.

’Ian wants to hold me? Am I dreaming?’

Before she could make sense of his words, Ian suddenly bent down and lifted her into his arms.

Evelyn gasped. "Ian!"

He ignored her protest and carried her farther inside. He carefully placed her on the bed before crouching in front of her. His attention immediately shifted to her injured ankle.

Evelyn watched him silently, her heart refusing to slow down.

Ian had always been attentive whenever it came to health issues. But tonight felt different.

There was concern in his eyes and something else. Something that looked dangerously close to longing. It felt as though he had missed her, as though he wanted her.

Part of her mind insisted that she was imagining things. But another part, the desperate, hopeful part she tried so hard to suppress, wanted to believe that Ian still had feelings for her.

"The swelling hasn’t gone down yet." His voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"I told you to stay at the hospital for a few days. But you wouldn’t listen. You promised me you’d rest properly."

He lifted his head and looked directly at her. "And here you are, running around again."

Evelyn pursed her lips.

That night, when she had been rushed to the hospital after injuring her ankle, she had unexpectedly encountered Ian.

He had taken care of her himself and insisted that she remain on complete bed rest for at least a week.

But Evelyn couldn’t afford to stay in bed for that long. The moment she could walk without assistance, she had left the hospital and gone to find Marcus.

"Why are you so stubborn?" he asked. "Why don’t you listen to me?"

"I..."

"You had an accident," he interrupted. "You were in a coma and suffered temporary blindness. And now you’ve injured yourself again."

Evelyn’s mouth fell open. She wanted to defend herself, but no words came.

"If you can’t even take care of yourself," Ian continued, "how are you going to protect our son?"

At the mention of Leo, Evelyn’s expression immediately changed.

"Don’t lecture me," she fumed. "You’re talking as if I don’t know how to take care of myself or Leo. For the past seven years, I raised him myself."

Her voice rose.

"You were always busy. You were never there when we needed you. And now you’re standing here acting as if I failed to protect our son?"

"No. That’s not what I meant." Ian tried to explain.

But Evelyn was already overwhelmed by years of buried resentment.

"Leo and I have learned how to live without you." Her eyes reddened. "We don’t need you anymore. We don’t need your fake concern."

Fake

The word struck Ian straight in the heart.

"You and Leo are the two most important people in my life. My concern for you isn’t fake."

Evelyn sucked in a breath. Her heart fluttered wildly. For a moment, she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

But then joy and excitement crashed over her like a tidal wave.

’Am I really that important to him?’