Chapter 7

Evelyn doubted Jasper would believe her, so she added, "This has happened before. I think the spiked drink might have been intended for me, but the culprit hadn't expected me to give it to you instead." Jasper had considered the possibility, too. Evelyn wordlessly opened the door to leave, but Jasper stopped her. "Wait." He grabbed the cashmere jacket he had tossed onto the couch earlier and handed it to her. "Put this on before you leave." He got carried away during their heated endeavor just now and left plenty of marks on her. If she left without covering up her exposed skin, the other guests were bound to talk. However, Evelyn glanced at the jacket dismissively and said, "No, thanks. If I get caught leaving in your jacket, everyone will think the rumors of us getting heated behind closed doors are true." Jasper was not angry that she had refused his kind gesture and simply pointed out, "I'm not one to sleep with a woman only to let her walk away with nothing. Tell your aunt to speak to me directly if she wants a favor." "Thank you, Mr. Richmond," Evelyn drawled dryly. "I'm glad to know I'm worth something to you." She did not hesitate any further and took his jacket. Having draped it over her shoulders, she left. Alone in the room, Jasper suddenly grew annoyed and called Lester. "Find out who in the kitchen or among the party guests spiked Evelyn's drink." … After Gretchen left Evelyn to work her charms on Jasper, she took a glass of wine and sought out the other ladies of leisure at the party. One of the ladies pointed out wryly, "It's impressive how your niece has managed to win him over. And here I thought he was still pining over his ex-girlfriend!" It was a backhanded compliment to put a damper on Gretchen's arrogance. Nonetheless, Gretchen asked, "Ex-girlfriend?" "Oh, didn't you know? Well, let's just say that Mr. Richmond and his ex-girlfriend made quite the controversial couple back in the day. She had a rather storied past and bore none of the good graces of a gently-bred young lady. "But even so, she managed to woo Mr. Richmond. He punished anyone who so much as disrespected her. He stood up for her and protected her whenever he could." Gretchen remarked skeptically, "I wonder what kind of woman could make the heir to the Richmond legacy put her on a pedestal…" The lady replied, "Mr. Richmond himself declared that she was the light that brought him out of his darkest moments. Such bold, romantic words! "But there was trouble in paradise after that, and they broke up. I heard it was the woman who broke things off with him. He couldn't get over it for a long while." Another lady chimed in, "Yes, and they were on and off for a while even after the breakup. I doubt they ever had a clean break. "You should warn your niece to keep her guard up, Ms. Fowler. If the ex-girlfriend ever returns, who's to say Mr. Richmond won't go back to her?" Someone else pointed out, "Now that you mentioned it, I believe she's returning soon, no?" The ladies discussed the matter with fervor, but Gretchen thought they were exaggerating. Regardless of who Jasper's former flame was, that relationship was a thing of the past. After all, men moved on quickly, and few would fall so deeply for a woman that they would pine over her. Just then, the discussion halted when the women noticed Evelyn approaching them. They could not take their eyes off her elegant silhouette. She was a vision among the guests. Gretchen's pride swelled. No woman, no matter how legendary, could compete with Evelyn. She had raised Evelyn and made her the belle of Oshire. As Evelyn drew near, she greeted the ladies surrounding Gretchen. The ladies, in turn, belatedly recognized the cashmere jacket thrown over Evelyn's shoulders. Surprise flickered in their eyes. They had noticed Jasper wearing the same jacket earlier that day. Evelyn wearing the jacket implied something was going on between her and Jasper. Any thought the ladies had of watching Evelyn stumble in her pursuit of Jasper turned into enthusiasm as they welcomed her to sit with them. Evelyn had been attending functions like this one with Gretchen since she was a child. She was used to the older women's company and knew how to navigate through conversations with ease. On the drive home, Evelyn finally told Gretchen what Jasper said in the private room. "Mr. Richmond says you can go to him directly for favors. Just set a date and time, and he'll make the arrangements. "But he wants you to stop name-dropping him, Aunt Gretchen. He doesn't like it." "I know. You're brilliant for getting him to say yes after a brief meeting," Gretchen praised happily. She then added, "Do you know how many women would kill to marry into the Richmond family? "Try initiating things and snag the best of them. If not, at least make worthwhile connections and seize the finer opportunities that come your way." Evelyn was used to Gretchen's nagging and scheming, but she couldn't help feeling uneasy. She humored her with a one-word answer and said nothing else. … Not long after that, Gretchen invited Jasper out for a meal. She even brought Evelyn along to sweeten whatever deal she was about to strike with him. Gretchen and Evelyn arrived at the high-end restaurant way ahead of time and ordered a few bottles of expensive wine. They had the waiter aerate the wine before serving. They waited for Jasper, but he did not show up even after half an hour. Evelyn glanced at her watch and excused herself to use the washroom. She was wearing a short black skirt with a beige satin blouse, cutting a professional but feminine silhouette. It was the perfect outfit for the business meeting. She had only just stepped out of the washroom when she ran into Jasper and Lester. They had shown up 40 minutes late to the meeting, which said enough about his arrogance. Jasper's towering form stilled at the sight of her. He approached her, his gaze sharp as it roved over her from head to toe. She nodded at him politely and said, "Hello, Mr. Richmond. Go on in. My aunt's already waiting for you." Jasper nodded once, his face unreadable as he assessed her. Gretchen and Jasper talked about business throughout the whole dinner while Evelyn sat quietly by the side. Jasper appeared to be in a good mood today. He did not make things difficult for Gretchen and was surprisingly pleasant the entire time. Evelyn furtively let out a breath of relief. When the meeting was about to end, she pretended to leave the private dining room to use the washroom but instead headed to the counter to get the check. When she returned, Gretchen was gone. Jasper was alone at the dining table with one hand propped up against his forehead. He had closed his eyes as if to rest. He and Gretchen had downed many glasses of wine today, so Evelyn figured he had to be a little inebriated. He looked up when he heard Evelyn coming in. "Your aunt left first and told me to give you a ride home." It seemed Gretchen had not spared Jasper from her bossy tendencies. Evelyn looked around and noticed that Lester, who had shown up with him earlier, was also missing. Resigned, she said, "If you please, Mr. Richmond." Jasper was taken aback by her formality. He reckoned she was still angry with what he had said to her at Elmston Bay the other day. "Mr. Richmond?" Evelyn tried again when he did not respond the first time. He rose to his feet but swayed and fell on her. She caught him in time, and only then did she realize he was too drunk to stand. Now that they were close, she could smell the alcohol on him. It was interspersed with the refreshing note of pine—a scent that belonged to a reliable man. Evelyn had no choice but to help Jasper to the parking lot. When she eased him into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt, a strand of her hair got caught around one of the buttons on his suit. She clumsily tried to tug herself free, her fingers working and failing to untangle her hair. Jasper, whose eyes were closed, clicked his tongue in impatience. He slowly opened his eyes and grumbled, "Do you normally feel up your business associates after having a meal with them?" Evelyn glared at him. "I've never had to drive my business associates back to their place after having a meal with them." This was her first time playing chauffeur. Jasper's words died on his tongue. He made no further reply as Evelyn focused on untangling her hair from his button. Suddenly, his hand cupped the back of her head as he said a shade tersely, "Stop rubbing." After that, his fingers worked to free her hair. Evelyn froze for what felt like ages before she snapped to her senses. What did he mean? She belatedly realized she had been so focused on untangling her hair that she hadn't noticed she was rubbing against his thigh. Embarrassment washed over her as blood rushed to her cheeks. She swore to God that she hadn't meant to get so intimate with him. When Jasper had succeeded in freeing Evelyn's hair from his button, she sprang away from him like he had the plague and dashed for the driver's seat. "To Ravenwood Manor," he said curtly before closing his eyes again.