Evadne tossed and turned that night, unable to catch a wink of sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, Thaddeus’ handsome face hijacked her thoughts, making her heart race and her temperature rise. It was as if she could still feel his warm hand gripping her waist tightly, sending her emotions into overdrive.


    Suddenly sitting upright in bed, she was drenched in sweat, her breath ragged and cheeks flushed. They were divorced, yet the man who could still stir such intense emotions inside her was Thaddeus!


    After managing to sna tch about two hours of sleep, Evadne got out of bed and paddled a kayak for an hour to calm her mind.


    Breakfast was prepared by Jason.


    Looking gloomy throughout the meal, she bit into her toast and fried eggs with force and chu gged her coffee.


    “Are you upset about Bess, Ms. Evadne?” Jason, ever the gentleman, gently wiped off crumbs and stains from her fingers.


    “I hate losing.” Evadne replied, her eyes closed, not voicing her real concern – she hated being controlled by Thaddeus, even more!


    “And what about the Glynnis situation?” Jason inquired.


    “Give me some time to think. We need to deal with this before the buzz dies down.” As soon as she finished, her phone lying on the table buzzed. It was Emeric!


    “Emeric, what’s up?” Evadne picked up the call, her voice tense.


    “Hey, chill. I’m still kicking!” Emeric retorted.


    “When are youing home? Your aunts want to throw a party for you.”


    “A party?” Evadne was puzzled.


    “You’re all over the news and TikTok. You’re being called the most beautiful angel, isn’t it?”


    Evadne cringed at the mention of it.


    “They’re really proud of you and want to celebrate.”


    She was still worried about being exposed, and now they wanted to throw a party for her? Ridiculous!


    “I don’t need it. I’m trying to y down the situation. I don’t like being in the spotlight. It attracts trouble.”


    “Ungrateful girl. They miss you every day, and I haven’t seen you in ages. Can’t youe home for a meal?” Emeric sounded disappointed.


    “Alright… I’lle once I’m done with my stuff,” Evadne replied.


    “By the way.” Emeric’s tone turned serious. “Is that debt collector, Elvis, back?”


    “Yes,” Evadne admitted.


    “Hmm, if it weren’t for your brother, I’d have nned a funeral for him.” Emeric was clearly angry. “When youe home, bring him too. If he doesn’t, I’ll disown him. He’s not wee here anymore!”


    After the call ended, Evadne seemed troubled. She reached into Jason’s pocket, grabbed a chocte bar, and took a bite.


    “What’s wrong, Miss?” Jason asked worriedly.


    “Dad wants me to bring Elvis home for dinner.”


    “Ah…” Jason understood the predicament considering Elvis’ personality.


    “Dad’s temper is short, and so is Elvis’. They can’t get along!”


    Evadne savored the chocte, her anxiety slightly pacified. “I know Elvis. He’ll listen to me about everything except meeting Dad. He’s stubborn. I can’t force him. I’ll need to use my wits.”


    After getting ready, Evadne headed to work. As soon as her Bugatti left the hotel, she saw a swarm of reporters outside. Frowning, Evadne had Jason call the front desk for an update.


    “They’re here to interview the ‘angel girl’. I don’t know how they found out she’s our employee, so…”


    Evadne’s eyes darkened. She hated being in the spotlight. “Is there no news left to report that they’re making a big deal out of this?”


    Evadne sighed, “Well, this hype is temporary, and I’ve already asked my brother to downy the news. I’m sure it’ll die down soon. Let’s go through the back door.”


    Once at the back door of the hotel, Evadne asked Jason to park the car. She was ready to take the private elevator to her office on the top floor.


    As she walked, she was scrolling through the hotel’s Twitter feed. She was surprised to see the tidal wave ofments under every post due to the ‘angel girl’ effect.


    “Next time, I’m staying at a K Group hotel! The staff is so professional!”


    “That girl is so pretty… Can we get a clear front-facing picture?”


    “The K Group is trustworthy, unlike the Abernathy Group… When will they give us an exnation about bullying their staff?”


    A sly grin appeared on Evadne’s face. Though she preferred a low profile, she couldn’t deny the free publicity and the benefits it brought to the hotel. But with the Bess situation still unresolved, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy.


    Suddenly, Evadne’s brows furrowed as she sensed a man’s presence behind her, too close forfort. And right at that moment, the guy’s hand was already on her shoulder.


    Evadne’s eyes shot open, and she spun around, throwing the coffee in her hand right in the guy’s face!


    “Aaah!”


    In the next second, she grabbed his firm arm and brought him down to the ground in a sh!


    “Aaah!”


    This burly guy was easily taken down by Evadne.


    “Cr ap…”


    Evadne took a closer look and gasped, “Jareth?! It’s you?!”


    13:30


    “Cough cough…da mn…you’re tough…”


    Jareth was lying on the ground in agony, unsure if he shouldugh or cry. He said, “The charm of a beautiful woman is like honey on a knife’s edge…so dangerous yet so sweet…cough, cough, cough!”


    “Why did you sneak up on me like that? It was a subconscious self-defense move, you didn’t give me any warning and just came close all of a sudden.” Feeling embarra**ed, Evadne squatted down to check his condition. She looked serious, like a professional doctor. Her hands carefully inspected Jareth’s b*dy, showing more skill than even a professional ma**eur.


    Jareth closed his eyes, enjoying the moment, gazing at her intensely. He thought, ‘Thaddeus, you really don’t know how to appreciate what you have! Such a beautiful woman right in front of you, and you don’t appreciate her! Well, don’t me me for seizing the opportunity!’


    “It’s okay, your b*dy’s fine, no fractures.” Evadne breathed a sigh of relief, patting Jareth’s leg. “It’s not that easy to make me feel guilty, you know. Get up.”


    “I want to get up, but I really can’t.” Jareth made a pain-stricken face. “I’m not fractured, but it really hurts, it’s numbing my limbs! Can you help me up? Please!” Feeling a bit awkward, Evadne could only extend her hand to help Jareth up.


    Feeling her b*dy against his, his heart started racing, and he couldn’t help but lean towards her. Usually, it was the girls who approached him, and he had never had an experience like this.


    “Hey, Evadne, we just had a little physical contact, how’d it feel?” Jareth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    “Physical contact? Ha, now I finally know what’s wrong with you, it’s your brain.” Evadne scoffed, “If you had an extra eye, I might have been interested in looking at you more, but as an ordinary man, what’s there to interest me? Besides, it’s not like I haven’t been with men with better bodies than yours…”


    The moment she said these words, she realized something and blushed. The image in her mind was of Thaddeus’ muscr chest and perfect lines. His sweaty b*dy, the ultimate exposure, and the pa**ion…


    They only had one time together, but it was an unforgettable one.


    Jareth knew who she was talking about, and a wave of jealousy washed over him. His eyes showed apetitive desire, and he suddenly pushed Evadne against the wall, his captivating gaze wandering over her face. He slowly approached her, his tone bing deeper. “Who’s better than me? Thaddeus?”


    Jareth looked at her with a smile. “There are a lot of things you haven’t tried with me, how do you know I’m not better than him?”


    This pose was really the stuff of daydreams.