It took forever to get through the review session until midnight. Finally, Evelyn heard the sentence she had been waiting for. “We’ll stop here for tonight. Review again in the evening.”
Evelyn almost jumped for joy. But she held it in, afraid to provoke Alexander’s anger. She nearly hurt herself holding back.
In the middle of the night, Evelyn started talking in her sleep. “No… no… I don’t understand… I’m not a pig… I’m not a goldfish… You villain…”
“Evie—” Alexander woke her up.
Evelyn stared at him blankly.
“You were having a nightmare.”
“Oh, I dreamed about you, the villain!” she replied without thinking. Then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
The next second, her eyes flew open. She turned her head to look at Alexander. Even in the dim light of the bedroom, she could feel the sharpness in his gaze.
So Evelyn closed her eyes again and started shaking her head, reciting, “Alexander helped me beat up the bad guys. Alexander helped me get a perfect score on my exam…” But inside, she was praying he hadn’t heard what she said earlier.
“I’m not dead yet,” Alexander replied coolly.
“Huh?” Evelyn’s eyes shot open.
“So I can’t bless you from beyond. If you want a perfect score, you’ll have to earn it through your own hard work.”
“Ha ha!” Evelyn felt like a flock of crows was flying over her head.
“Sleep,” Alexander said, pulling her into his arms and closing his eyes, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Evelyn felt uncomfortable sleeping in his arms. It was also incredibly awkward. But at that moment, she didn’t dare move. She let him hold her. After all, Alexander wasn’t someone you wanted to provoke.
A long time passed. Just as Evelyn was about to fall asleep, she heard Alexander murmur, “It’s so cold.” Then he pulled her even tighter.
Before Evelyn drifted off completely, her last thought was, “I’m going to be crushed. I’m not a space heater!”
The next morning, Evelyn woke up to find herself lying on top of Alexander. She was startled. Why was her sleeping position getting worse? Usually, she just slept next to him. Now she was sleeping on top of him. Good thing he hadn’t woken up yet.
Evelyn carefully rolled off him and muttered, “Good thing I didn’t get flattened.”
“Do you think I’m a pancake?”
“Ah?” Evelyn felt like she’d been electrocuted. She immediately looked up. Her eyes met Alexander’s. Then, with a soft thud, her hand slipped, and she flopped back onto his chest. She was so embarrassed she wanted to pass out.
“I don’t mind if you want to keep lying on me and taking advantage,” Alexander said. “But are you sure you want to stay in bed? It’s already eight o’clock.”
“Eight o’clock?” Evelyn was stunned for a moment. Then she reacted. She scrambled off him, muttering, “I’m late! I’m late!” She jumped out of bed and rushed straight into the bathroom.
Alexander watched her go, shaking his head with a wry smile.
When Alexander came out of the bedroom, Evelyn was already in the kitchen making breakfast. He walked to the kitchen door and heard her talking to herself. “I don’t know if Alexander likes sandwiches… How does he want his eggs cooked? Maybe I should just make some porridge.”
“I’m fine with anything,” Alexander said. “Don’t make it too complicated.”
Evelyn was startled. She turned around and saw Alexander, who had already changed his clothes. She gave him an embarrassed smile. “Just wait a little longer. It’ll be ready soon.”
Alexander nodded and walked out of the kitchen. Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief.
After breakfast, they sat at the table eating together. When Alexander finished, he said, “Come to the company with me this morning.”
“Huh?” Evelyn looked at him, confused.
“There’s still a little bit we didn’t cover last night. You have an exam this afternoon,” Alexander said, looking up at her.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll go back to school and review. I usually study on my own,” Evelyn answered quickly.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Evelyn nodded.
If Alexander reviewed with her again, she was afraid she’d fail the final exam. It wasn’t that his review was bad. But when she was with him, she got nervous. Her mind went blank. She couldn’t understand anything he said. So it was better for her to go back to school and study on her own. No matter what, she had an exam in the afternoon. She couldn’t afford to waste time.
Alexander didn’t insist. After breakfast, he had Grace Miller drive Evelyn back to school.
Before they left, Alexander answered a phone call. Although his tone didn’t change much, Evelyn could tell he was very angry. And when he was angry, the consequences were serious. The call wasn’t very long. After he hung up, his face looked terrible.
“Alexander, getting angry is bad for your health. You should take care of yourself,” Evelyn said carefully, looking at him.
Alexander was stunned by her words. He turned to look at her. “Do I look very angry?”
“Aren’t you?” Evelyn asked, confused.
“It’s nothing.”
“Don’t be angry. Getting angry makes you age faster.”
“Do you think I’m very old?” Alexander asked.
“No, no. I just meant, don’t be angry, and you’ll look younger. I mean, don’t be angry. Your health is the most important thing,” Evelyn said quickly. She sighed inwardly. The more she talked, the more wrong she sounded.
“Thank you,” Alexander said. “Let’s go.”
“Okay,” Evelyn followed him with her head down.
“I’m going to be busier for a while,” Alexander said as they entered the elevator. “I might not have time to spend with you.”
“Don’t worry about me. You focus on your work. Just take care of yourself,” Evelyn answered quickly.
“After the honeymoon,” Alexander said, “where would you like to go for a while?”
Evelyn was stunned. The topic was too sudden.
“Haven’t you thought about it?”
Evelyn shook her head. She still felt like her marriage to Alexander was just playing house.
“Then start thinking now. Give me your answer before the wedding.”
“Oh, okay,” Evelyn nodded.
After they walked out of the elevator, Evelyn got into Grace Miller’s car and went back to school. Alexander went straight to the company.
The next few days were a series of exams. According to Emily Hart, it was enough to drive a normal person crazy. Fortunately, there were only two more exams next week, and then finals would be over.
After the exam on Friday afternoon, they made plans to go out for a meal to reward themselves. They went to a Western restaurant because Evelyn had a coupon. Her sister, Victoria Vance, had given it to her last week when she was cleaning out her bag. She said she didn’t need it, so she gave it to Evelyn. Now Evelyn was using it.
After the three girls finished their exams, they took the bus directly from the school stop. Along the way, they chattered nonstop, like birds released from a cage.
“The questions on financial derivatives were way too obscure this time,” Emily said gloomily. “I had no idea what I was talking about.”
“I thought so too,” Stella Moore said. “I didn’t know how to answer them.”
Evelyn didn’t dare say a word on this topic. Because she recognized all the questions. Except for one, Alexander seemed to have explained every single one. If she had gone to the company with him that morning to review, she would have reviewed every question.