Chapter 10

Evelyn stilled at the sight of Jasper. He had told her he was working late, so what was he doing here? Judging by the bouquet he was holding, she could only presume he was here to see Monica. At a loss, Evelyn could do nothing other than to stay in place and await judgment. However, Jasper did not so much as acknowledge her or give her a second glance as he brushed past her. He came to a stop before Oliver and said, "I'm here to see Mrs. Langston." Oliver stared at Jasper and blurted angrily, "You heard everything, didn't you? Evelyn's no better than a sycophantic gold digger." "It's just a bit of adult fun," Jasper countered coolly. "Each of us has what the other needs." Evelyn did not stay to listen in on their conversation and hurried downstairs. … Just like that, Evelyn's relationship with Jasper grew tense once more. If they had been frosty with one another after the last misunderstanding, they had now completely frozen each other out. Jasper no longer reached out to Evelyn on his own. It was like she had disappeared from his world along with his promise to help her look for a place to rent. She gave up on the belief that Jasper would come through and took it upon herself to find another method to escape Grtechen's control, but each attempt led to failure. This continued until after the new year. When spring rolled around and the new term started, Evelyn reported for duty at Hully College. The campus was a welcome change from the suffocating finery Gretchen often surrounded Evelyn with. If the latter were being honest, she liked being a student on campus. After class that day, she received a photo of Jasper from an unknown number. It showed him attending a charity auction with a female companion. He was captured putting on jewelry for her like a gentleman, the lights bouncing off the gems blinding. "This is Jasper's latest prospect, the heiress of Frazier Pharmaceutical. It's only a matter of time before the two families are joined by marriage. If you think you still stand a chance to marry him, dream on," read the caption of the text. Evelyn didn't need to be a genius to know Oliver had sent the text. She noted with a roll of her eyes at the effort he had taken, including changing his number, just to text her. She instinctively blocked the new number. After that, Evelyn clicked on the group text. Oliver's dozen or so close friends were in it, including Cael and Thiago. Jasper, naturally, was part of the group as well. Evelyn remembered how Oliver had added her to the group after they started going out and proudly declared she was his. She had never been active in the group text and nearly forgot about it. That was why she was still in the group text, even though she and Oliver had broken up. She scrolled upward and read everyone's messages as they teased Jasper about his newfound relationship. Thiago jested, "Do my eyes deceive me? Has Jasper, Mr. I-Don't-Believe-In-Blind-Dates, shown up at an auction with a date? Does that mean he's pleased with the heiress of the Frazier family?" Cael wrote, "I hear wedding bells! Look at the pair of them, going in and out of private functions together." Jasper's response neither confirmed nor denied the rumors. With usual indifference, he explained that he and the young lady of the Frazier family were still getting to know each other. Evelyn was surprisingly calm. She knew Jasper would marry one day, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. If he and the heiress were officially engaged and word of it got out, Evelyn would not be able to use Jasper as an excuse to stall Gretchen anymore. But what really stung Evelyn was that there was a new member in the group text: Eva. It was ironic that Evelyn was the one who had been cheated on, yet forced to put up with such awkward situations. With a few clicks, she exited the group text. She didn't need Jasper. If things weren't going to work out with him, she simply had to find someone else to help her cause. A true player would never get hung up on a single game. They knew when to move on. As things were, Evelytn was better off giving up on renting a place of her own. She left campus that evening and returned to Gretchen's place. Gretchen was away on business, so Evelyn had only John and a distant older cousin—Ivan Fowler—for company. Evelyn never liked Ivan, whose leer often made her uneasy. After dinner, she retreated upstairs to wind down. Ivan was still at the dining table, but her skin prickled when she felt his stare trailing her. Her reproach toward him was not unjustified. She had lost a few of her bras previously, and the next day, the maid found those missing bras in Ivan's guest room. When she confronted Ivan over the lost-and-found underthings, he denied her accusation that he had stolen them. Worse still, Gretchen had taken Ivan's side, insisting that Evelyn had left the bras in the guest room when she stayed there while her room was being renovated. Since then, Evelyn had kept her things in order and locked her bedroom door. Just like right now. It was only after she had returned to her room and locked the door that she felt safe. That night, Evelyn was jolted awake by the deafening crack of thunder. She opened her eyes, and upon seeing the shadowy male figure next to her bed, she screamed. The figure lunged forward and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Shh, don't be scared, Evelyn. It's me." Evelyn's protests were muffled as she stared at Ivan in shock. "There's a storm raging on outside, and I was worried you might be afraid of the thunder. I figured I'd come in to check on you." Another flash of lightning illuminated the leer on Ivan's face. Evelyn struggled to break free and resorted to biting Ivan's hand. He hissed and pinned her to the bed in a fit of rage. "Even if you were to cry for help, Uncle John and Aunt Gretchen wouldn't blame me for this. Everyone knows Aunt Gretchen only keeps you here to whore you out to businessmen." Evelyn knew he was right, and that was the scary part. Even if he forced himself on her now, John and Gretchen would let him get off on a light punishment. They would then persuade Evelyn to brush off the incident. They would not stand up for her. As Ivan tore at the collar of Evelyn's pajama top, he suddenly seized up. His eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell on her like a stiff log. He did not move atop her, and she knew he had passed out. She kept the taser and exerted no small amount of strength to push Ivan off her. Evelyn had gotten the taser online and slept with it under her pillow, just in case her worries came true. She never expected to use it. Pulling on a coat, Evelyn stumbled out of the room and ran out the front door. She did not want to stay in that house for a second longer. However, if she dared to scream for help, she wouldn't put it past John and Gretchen to lock her up in a room with Ivan. Torrential rain poured outside, and the passersby on the road had dwindled. Occasionally, a car sped past. Evelyn did not have time to pull on her shoes. She was dragging her feet across the rain-splattered streets in cotton slippers, shivering in the downpour. Spring had just rolled around, and the air was still chilly. Evelyn's pajamas were soaked and clung to her as the rain beat down relentlessly, the plushy bedroom slippers already squelching with icy rainwater. She was freezing, but she had no idea where to go. She had left home in such a hurry that she had neither a phone nor an identity card with her. She could not even check herself into a hotel for the night. Her eyes stung as tears streamed past her cheeks, mingling with the rainwater that chilled her bones. … Jasper did not leave his office until the hour was abhorrently late. Halfway home, Lester suddenly exclaimed, "Mr. Richmond! Isn't that Evelyn—as in, Ms. Monroe—over there?" In the backseat, Jasper, whose eyes had been closed while he let his thoughts rest, awakened at the mention of Evelyn's name. He peered out the car window and saw the rain-soaked woman seeking shelter under the awning of the bus stop. He had never seen Evelyn so disheveled. She looked like a drowned rat, her long hair hanging in dark, limp strands past her shoulders. Her delicate face was as pale as the moon, and her lips were blue from the cold. There was a hollowness in her gaze as she stared at the puddle before her. Lester caught Jasper looking out the window and asked tentatively, "Would you like to go check on her, Mr. Richmond?"