Evelyn held the flowers the gardener had just cut from the garden. She wanted to take them back to Sterling Manor and put them in a vase.
She ran into Ethan Sterling, whom she hadn't seen in a while.
His hair was longer than the last time she saw him. He had the look of a wandering poet.
"Ethan—"
Ethan had been walking ahead with his hands in his pockets, head down. Hearing Evelyn's voice, he looked up and grinned. "Aunt Evie, long time no see!"
"Long time no see. Where have you been lately?" Evelyn asked with a smile.
"Don't always think I'm so unreliable!" Ethan sighed.
"Well, what have you been up to?" Evelyn asked.
"You went on your honeymoon with my uncle. He left me a ton of work to do. I'm almost dead from exhaustion!"
"Shh, shh. It's New Year's. What are you saying?" Evelyn glared at him.
Ethan immediately laughed. "Evie, I didn't know you were so superstitious! So, was the island fun?"
"It was fun!" Evelyn nodded excitedly.
"Did it feel weird seeing your rival?" Ethan started gossiping.
"What rival?" Evelyn looked at him, confused.
"Didn't you see the childhood sweetheart who's had a crush on my uncle for years?"
"Which childhood sweetheart?" Evelyn asked curiously.
Ethan touched his nose. He felt like he'd dug a hole and jumped right in.
"Forget I said anything!"
"You can't just say half of it! That's so mean. Don't you know that makes me look bad?" Evelyn complained immediately.
Ethan looked at her, torn between tears and laughter. "It's not that serious!"
"Of course it is! Details determine success or failure!" Evelyn replied seriously.
"Then promise you won't tell anyone I told you!"
"Okay!"
"Really?" Ethan doubted her promise.
"A gentleman's word is his bond!"
"You're not a gentleman!"
"I'm not a gentleman, I'm a villain!" Evelyn glared at him angrily.
"No, I mean, you're a woman, not a gentleman!"
"Stop talking nonsense. You still haven't told me who this childhood sweetheart is!"
"Didn't you go to Misty Isle and see a tall, thin, pretty girl?"
"Are you talking about Hazel?"
"You said it, not me!" Ethan replied with a smile.
"Did you see that?" Evelyn asked.
"I didn't say anything. You said it yourself!" Ethan stressed again.
"If you don't make it clear, I'll tell your uncle you were badmouthing him!"
"No way!" Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief.
He felt like he couldn't get off this boat.
"Who told you to only say half of it! That's really immoral."
"Anyway, Hazel has liked my uncle for a long time. Ever since she was old enough to understand. Everyone on the island knows. But don't worry, my uncle has always treated her like a little sister. Nothing else." Ethan said.
"Oh!" Evelyn nodded slowly.
"You're not going to tell my uncle I told you, are you?"
"No, I'm not that righteous?" Evelyn replied with a smile.
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" Ethan said.
"You mean I should talk to your uncle about it?"
"Of course not, Aunt Evie. It's better if you don't tattle, right?"
"Of course! Well, I won't keep you. I'm going back!" Evelyn said, holding her flowers, walking past Ethan towards Sterling Manor.
Ethan turned his head and watched her go. A chill ran down his spine.
Great. He should have just kept his mouth shut.
Evelyn thought about Hazel as she walked.
So Hazel saw her as a rival. No wonder she hated her so much. No wonder she played that prank at the bonfire party. She almost disfigured her.
If she had been disfigured, Alexander would have abandoned her. He would have found someone new. And Hazel would have had a chance to take her place.
Evelyn couldn't help shivering. She felt she had been careless. She had thought too well of everyone.
Hazel wasn't that bad. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to apologize and cried so hard.
Forget it. She was just a kid who didn't know any better. She had acted rashly.
Evelyn decided not to hold it against her.
Walking and thinking, Alexander was so popular. She had so many rivals.
She had them at home. On the island. At the company.
Her future task was to find a way to deal with all these rivals and homewreckers!
Slap. Where were her thoughts going again?
"Evie—"
Evelyn turned her head and saw Alexander. She couldn't help but smile.
Speak of the devil.
Alexander came over and touched her head. "What were you thinking about? You were so absorbed."
"Nothing. Didn't I just answer you?" Evelyn asked blankly.
Alexander looked at her with a mix of tears and laughter. He had called her several times before she heard him.
"Look how beautiful these flowers are. I'll put them in a vase on the tea table on the second floor." Evelyn was a little embarrassed, so she changed the subject.
"If you like them." Alexander said. "I brought you something to eat."
"What is it?" Evelyn's eyes lit up at the mention of food.
Alexander held up the insulated box in his hand.
"Egg yolk soufflé!"
"Great! Go back and brew a pot of scented tea. It'll go perfectly with the soufflé. Honey, you're the best!" Evelyn said excitedly.
Alexander looked at her with a mix of tears and laughter.
The first time she called him "honey" was under the temptation of delicious food.
It seemed his status wasn't as high as food!
Sure enough, not everyone understood the world of food.
After returning to Sterling Manor, Evelyn found a vase. She added some water and put the flowers on the tea table.
She looked at them for a while. Then she went to wash her hands and happily brewed the flower tea.
Then the couple sat by the window. They ate egg yolk soufflé, drank flower tea, and chatted leisurely.
"Do you want to go to the company this afternoon?"
"What's up?" Alexander looked up at her and asked.
"Nothing special. I want to go back to my parents' house this afternoon. If you have work, I'll go by myself." Evelyn explained.
"Let's go together. We'll bring some gifts for your parents." Alexander replied.
"What gifts?" Evelyn asked curiously.
"Some specialties from Misty Isle."
"My parents will love them!" Evelyn nodded.
Thinking about Misty Isle made Evelyn drool again.
In the afternoon, Alexander accompanied Evelyn back to her parents' house.
At that moment, Alexander was making tea with his father-in-law in the living room. They were talking about the economy.
Evelyn and her mother were in the side room, talking about her trip to the island.
Her sister, Victoria, had gone out and hadn't come back yet.
"Mom, the air there is amazing. The scenery is beautiful. I didn't want to come back." Evelyn took her mother's arm and said with a smile.
"You're so happy. You didn't want to leave for your honeymoon." Amelia said with a mix of tears and laughter.
"I loved it!" Evelyn said triumphantly.