Chapter 10 Dead of Night

Evelyn stood tall and unafraid as she calmly declared, "We'll soon see who's lying!" In a swift motion, she snatched the envelope and handed it to the train officer. "Officer, would you please verify something for us? Check if the envelope contains 19 ten-dollar bills and two five-dollar bills." Caught off guard and furious at losing the envelope, Jessie snapped, "Oh, please! You already know it's 200 dollars. What else could fit in such a small envelope—coins?" The crowd fell silent, unsure who to believe. Suddenly, a familiar male voice rang out from the corner of the train. "There's still a big difference between 19 and 21 bills, right?" Evelyn looked toward the voice and saw it as the same man who had helped her earlier. Their eyes met, and he gave her a playful wink. As Evelyn nodded in acknowledgment, she noticed another man sitting beside him. They were both dressed alike, looking as if they had just returned from a survival expedition through dense forests and deserted islands. Unlike the friendly and outgoing Lucas, Damian was strikingly silent and stern. Even with his eyes closed, his chiseled features exuded an intimidating presence that commanded attention. Evelyn's eyes lit up—this was exactly the type she had read about, an elite soldier. "Wait, there really are 21 bills here... Nineteen tens and two fives," the train officer announced. Evelyn was instantly snapped back to reality, and she could not help but smile triumphantly. Jessie sneered and rolled up her sleeve, revealing a glimpse of her expensive watch. "That's ridiculous! Anyone can feel the difference between 19 and 21 bills just by touch." The officer thought about it and sided with Jessie. After all, it was obvious from their appearances who was more likely to be telling the truth. He warned Evelyn, "Miss, you'd better have more concrete evidence, or I'll have to return this to its rightful owner." "I do have proof," Evelyn replied confidently. "Please check the bottom right corner of each bill. You'll find the initials 'S.H.' written in pencil. "This money is from my mom, Susan Hooper. She saved every dollar for my trip and marked each bill with her initials, in case they got lost." Her words left everyone stunned, including the officer. "Let me check again!" The officer carefully examined each bill. "Well, I'll be damned. The initials are really there!" The truth was finally revealed. Consequently, Evelyn got her envelope back, and Jessie's and Blaine's true colors were exposed. After the crowd dispersed, Jessie moved to sit next to Evelyn and hissed, "Just you wait. When we get to Kingsbridge, you'll be sorry." Evelyn was unfazed. "I'll be waiting." During dinner time, Lucas watched from the front as Evelyn devoured her meal without a hint of the day's stress, and he could not help but be impressed. "She's got nerves of steel—and quite an appetite too!" He noticed she had finished a large combo meal by herself. Damian set down his cutlery and said flatly, "She needs the energy." "Why would she need energy just sitting on a train?" Lucas asked, confused. Damian gave him a look as if he were dense and uttered, "Move aside." He habitually raised his foot to kick Lucas' shin. Lucas jumped up to dodge and complained, "Damian, could you please aim somewhere else next time? You've kicked me four times today, and my shin is already bruised!" Damian played with his lighter, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Alright." Then, he turned and disappeared down the train corridor, vanishing into the dead of the night. After a day of rest and a good meal, Evelyn felt as alert as an owl. Yet the two people sitting across from her were even more wide awake. The carriage was quiet, save for the occasional snores; even Jessie was fast asleep. In the moonlight streaming through the window, Evelyn could clearly see Blaine slowly inching closer to Crystal, cornering her against the window. His hand began creeping up from her knee while Crystal bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. She had failed to push him away several times. Evelyn could not be bothered to intervene, so she simply grabbed her bag and left. Watching her go, Blaine's eyes flickered. However, the next station would not arrive until dawn, so there was no worry about her getting off the train.