Chapter 2 The Confession

I suppressed the waves of emotions bubbling up in my heart and slowly turned around. Evan appeared to be at least six feet tall in the rain. The black umbrella in his hand was tilted mostly to my side. He didn't care even when the rain soaked his tailored suit. His eyes looked darker in the rain. It was hard to tell if he was happy or angry. In my previous life, he was only a cold and distant elder to me. He was always good at hiding his emotions, so there was no way I could've noticed that he treated me differently with my poor observation skills. The second time around, however, everything had changed. I knew that his cold mask hid an undying love for me. I started sobbing before I could even speak. "I'm not here to look for him, but rather for you." My voice was trembling. I didn't want to treat him like my uncle, so I didn't call him "Uncle" like Samuel did. I was testing Evan. I knew he didn't like to approach people and preferred being alone, so I needed to approach him slowly. As expected, he didn't mind the way I addressed him, but his gaze turned colder. "I can't help you." I knew what he meant. In my previous life, to win Samuel's heart, I did everything to make the people around him like me so that they would praise me in front of Samuel. Evan was one of them. Evan must have found out about Samuel and Madison and thought I was looking for him to beg him to convince Samuel. I immediately shook my head and tried to explain myself. "Evan, you misunderstood me. I only wanted to see you—" "I'm busy," Evan coldly cut me off and told his driver to drive me home. An idea popped up in my head when I saw him leaving. I cried out and held my stomach before falling over, pretending to faint. It was the only way to stop him from leaving. Besides, the worst-case scenario was simply me smashing my head on the pavement. I could handle the fall. That was why I made myself fall to the ground for real. I was betting that Evan couldn't bear to see me get hurt. "Be careful!" I was right. Evan couldn't bear to see me fall. He instinctively wrapped his strong arm around my waist and held me close to his chest in the pouring rain. I was so close to him that I could smell his scent. It was a pleasant mix of tobacco, wine, and his unique scent that resembled sandalwood. I went with the flow and lay in his arms. Afraid he would push me away, I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck. I trembled in his arms like a pitiful kitten and sobbed. "Evan, I'm so cold. I think I caught a cold from standing in the rain." I faked a sneeze for good measure. I didn't care if my acting was convincing. I just wanted to cling to him. Everyone said that guys fell easily for girls who took the lead. As long as I was determined enough, I believed I could make Evan mine by the end of the summer. "Julia!" Evan seemed to have seen through my acting. His voice was stern. However, I didn't care anymore. I tossed my dignity aside and started crying hysterically. I didn't care what the driver and Evan would think of me. Besides, I was only 18 now. It was the time to be naïve and stubborn. "I waited for you until my legs turned numb and my feet got blisters. I even got soaking wet from the rain. So, why are you being so mean to me?" I cried my eyes out. I didn't know whether Evan was just embarrassed or if he just couldn't bear to see me like that, but he ended up carrying me into his car eventually. I stayed in his arms. At first, I was just pretending to cry, but I dozed off at some point. Embarrassingly, I slept for a long time. When I woke up, it was already morning. I woke up in Evan's villa. Even though it was only the guestroom, I was still happy. My first step had been a success. The next step was finding the chance to confess to him. "Evan, are you here?" I ran out of the room excitedly. I didn't see Evan anywhere, but I saw Evan's secretary, Linda Meadows on the living room's couch. She was wearing an office uniform that showed off her chest and her butt. With her hands on her hips, she glared at me and said, "You shameless wench, don't misunderstand! "Just because he brought you home doesn't mean you're special. I'm telling you right now, he doesn't like immature children like you. Know your place and get lost." I knew who she was. She was the daughter of one of the officials in Juville. She liked Evan, so she tried to get close to him by working for him. However, Evan never showed an interest in her, so she went hysterical and sought revenge on Stafford Group. Unfortunately for her, I had Evan's phone number, so I ignored Linda and called him instead. "Evan…" I pretended to cry again and shamelessly told him, "Your secretary scolded me and even tried to hit me. Save me, Evan." I didn't know where Evan was, but it was pretty noisy on his end. "Hand the phone to her," he said softly. I didn't know what Evan said, but Linda reluctantly apologized after hanging up. "I'll forgive you if you give me Evan's schedule." That was what I was aiming for. I needed to make Evan believe that I didn't like Samuel anymore. Linda was in the wrong, to begin with. Since she didn't want me to tell on her, she reluctantly gave me his schedule. It turned out that Evan was on a business trip overseas. He would only return after three days. After that, I chased Linda away and started to clean the villa. There wasn't much to clean up, but since it was Evan's home, I was more than happy to work. Three days passed by in a flash. When I heard Evan went straight to his company after his return, I messaged him. "Evan, I'm so hungry." Then, I sent him a picture of his kitchen. With that, Evan would know I never left his home and would rush home before nightfall. When he entered the house, I threw myself at him. I didn't have time to play coy anymore. Samuel had been messaging me every day, urging me to go home to cancel our engagement. He even warned me, saying that avoidance was useless. "Evan, I want to eat foie gras." I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked up at him with a bright smile. Evan's expression was icy. He yanked his tie off with one hand and ordered, "Let go." His tone was so harsh that I immediately let go and obediently sat on the couch in silence. After taking a quick shower, Evan changed into a new suit. He seemed to have noticed the flowers I had meticulously decorated the villa with. When he came back, his expression was much gentler. "Didn't you want to eat foie gras?" he asked. I immediately stood up. "Yes! You're the best, Evan." I quickly cheered up and clung to Evan's arm. Then, we left his house happily. Unfortunately, we ran into Samuel and Madison at the restaurant. I tried to leave, but Samuel rushed forward and said, "Julia, is this what you were planning? Did you think I wouldn't cancel the engagement if you asked for Uncle Evan's help? That's not going to work!" He made me look utterly shameless in front of a large crowd. "Samuel, who do you think you are?" With that, I slapped him across his face. Samuel was gobsmacked. He looked at me in disbelief. It was as if he couldn't believe that I would actually hit him. I scoffed. "Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. It's not like I can't live without you. Do you really think you're all that? "Listen up and listen well now, Samuel. I wouldn't like you even if you were the last man on earth!" Then, I turned around, got on my tiptoes, and kissed Evan without a second thought. Following that, I confessed loudly, "Evan, you're the only one I love."