Joy filled James Grant’s eyes at the return of something once lost.
He held Evelyn Clayton tightly, as if he had finally retrieved a lost treasure.
Evelyn, embraced in his arms, had eyes that were dead calm.
Like a marionette, she was led into the car and back to James Grant’s apartment.
In the dim room, the long-lost intimacy enveloped Evelyn like a tide. She gazed dizzily at the ceiling, giving herself over to James Grant’s control and demands.
Pleasure seemed to be covered by a glass dome, making it inaccessible to her senses.
But the physical memory remained, a response that was enough to please James Grant.
He frantically tried to stir Evelyn’s emotions, to make her remember the past’s beauty.
Until the evening crept in, and the room’s last light disappeared with the setting sun.
Evelyn was held tight in James Grant’s embrace.
She seemed numb, staring blankly at the gap in the blackout curtains, watching the moonlight seep through.
Evelyn didn’t know if this choice she made was right.
But she knew it would bring her closer to the Grant Family, closer to the secrets of the Grant Family.
She had so much to do, things she must accomplish with James Grant’s help.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps into the early morning, James Grant finally stirred awake beside her.
The man chuckled lightly, kissing her neck tenderly.
"Hungry?" James Grant’s voice was hoarse and satisfied, "Shall we go out to eat?"
Evelyn, belatedly aware, picked up her phone and checked it.
It was almost eleven o’clock.
There were several messages and calls from Yara Reagan, the latest just twenty minutes ago, but Evelyn hadn’t noticed any because her phone was habitually on silent.
"I promised Yara I’d have dinner with her during the day... forgot to call her back," Evelyn mumbled, then immediately dialed Yara.
James Grant felt tense for a moment.
Yara has never liked him...
"Why didn’t you answer the phone again!" Yara’s voice of complaint came through, "I’m starving here!"
Evelyn pressed her lips together momentarily, then asked, "You haven’t had dinner yet?"
"Of course not, I’ve been waiting for you!" Yara’s mood was much better than during the day, "How about now, we can go eat hotpot!"
Evelyn glanced at James Grant nearby, then said, "Wait a moment."
With that, she covered the receiver and raised an eyebrow at James Grant, "Yara invited me for dinner. Do you want to come along?"
James Grant uncharacteristically hesitated for a second.
Then he coughed lightly, with a look of facing the inevitable, "Let’s go, I can’t keep hiding from her forever."
Evelyn nodded, said nothing further, and then spoke into the phone, "Just tell me where, I’ll go straight there."
Yara was always enthusiastic about hotpot, and after quickly naming a place, she hung up the phone. Fresh chapters posted on NoveI[F]ire.net
James Grant and Evelyn got up, their clothing embarrassingly sparse, and nearly had another close brush in the bathroom.
Coming out from the bathroom, Evelyn had a minor dilemma while changing clothes.
After the day’s wear and tear, all her clothes were a wrinkled mess, virtually unpresentable.
However, James Grant glanced around and then led Evelyn to the walk-in closet.
He pulled open one of the cabinets, revealing an array of women’s clothing.
Evelyn paused for a moment, picked one, and saw it was her size.
"I bought them all," James Grant said softly, embracing her from behind, "Evelyn... maybe you still don’t trust me. But this time, I genuinely want a future with you."
Evelyn’s heart trembled slightly, and she gently closed her eyes.
"James Grant, will you deceive me?" she whispered, "Will you treat me like before... like before?"
James Grant’s arm tightened slightly, "No, I never will again."
Evelyn opened her eyes, filled with a bitter smile.
This time, the one being deceitful, was her.