Chapter 6 Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Now that Evelyn had transmigrated and knew the plot in advance, she wasn't about to follow the same path. She had no intention of getting tangled up with Crystal again. Retracting her hand, she calmly said, "If you want to escape, go ahead. I won't hold you back." With that, she closed her eyes again. She was going to Kingsbridge for sure, but that didn't mean she had to stick with this train. She decided to first figure out a way to get that envelope with 200 dollars back, then disembark and change trains midway. At the front of the carriage, a cool man had settled into his seat. His gaze kept gravitating toward the middle of the carriage, as if something was pulling his attention. Realizing he was being distracted, he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes to rest. "Damian, you won't even look at that beautiful lady. Do you really have some kind of secret illness?" the man beside him teased with a grin. "Shut up," Damian responded with a sharp look. Lucas Hayes scratched his nose and fell silent. Damian and Lucas had grown up together in Kingsbridge's Air Force Base Housing. Later, they both entered military school and became comrades-in-arms. Damian was the quiet type but was quick and ruthless when needed, while Lucas was more of a chatterbox. He was beaten up quite a lot as a kid. Their bond, however, had only grown stronger over the years. After a single glance from Damian, Lucas immediately shut up. Lucas stopped bothering Damian and enjoyed the beautiful "scenery" on his own. He couldn't take his eyes off her and even became more engrossed the longer he watched. However, after a while, Lucas started noticing something strange. "Damian, something's off," he whispered into his ear. "That woman in the red dress and the guy who got on look like—" Before he could finish his sentence, Damian cut him off with a frown, "Mind your own business." He had sensed it at the station that the woman in the red dress had ill intentions. But it took two to tango. Since the two women boarded together, they clearly had their own agendas. Damian respected the woman's choice. Despite this, he couldn't stop himself from glancing toward the middle of the carriage once more. After that, he turned his attention back to the window, his expression thoughtful. A few minutes later, Damian nudged Lucas with his foot. "Move over." After Lucas dropped his suspicion, fatigue set in. Just as he was yawning, ready to take a nap, he noticed Damian getting up. Unable to resist his curiosity, he asked, "You just sat down. Where are you going now?" Without glancing at him, Damian replied in a low voice, "Restroom." Just as Damian left the carriage, the train attendant came over. "We'll be checking tickets and IDs. Please have them ready!" Evelyn heard him but made no move to open her eyes. "Hey, wake up. Ticket and ID check." Someone nudged her shoulder. When the attendant saw Evelyn's face, he froze for a moment, and his eyes lit up with admiration. As he checked Evelyn's and Crystal's documents, he took extra care. When handing them back, he joked, "You two girls are really pretty. Make sure to stay safe when you're out and about. If anything happens, you can always find a police officer." Jessie's and Blaine's eyes flickered with uncertainty as they watched the two women. Crystal remained silent while Evelyn gave the attendant a calm smile and nodded. "Thank you." After the attendant walked away, Jessie quickly snatched the ID from Crystal's hand and tucked it away. Then, with a friendly smile, she extended her hand toward Evelyn. "Evelyn, give me your ID and train ticket. I'll keep them for you, so it'll be easier when they check next time." Evelyn smiled politely and refused, "It's okay. My mom told me to keep my things on me when I'm traveling. I shouldn't trouble others." As she spoke, she bent down and stuffed the train ticket and ID into her bag by her feet, but actually, she secretly slipped them into her sleeve. Jessie awkwardly withdrew her hand and offered a forced laugh. "Ah, your mom worries too much." Though she said that, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her mind. Before they boarded the train, Evelyn and Susan had talked to each other for quite a while. Jessie couldn't be sure whether Susan had truly given instructions or if Evelyn was just being clever. But seeing Evelyn casually slip her ID into her bag, it didn't seem like she was being overly cautious. Jessie thought she was probably overthinking it.