Poppy, unaware of his difort, opened the food containers one by one. "Soren, you need to eat."


    The smell of the food hit him, and a wave of nausea rolled through his stomach. The chefs at the Fawkes Enterprises cafeteria were top-tier, but right now, the aroma made him want to gag. His face paled, and Poppy finally noticed something was wrong.


    "Soren, what is it?" she asked, reaching out to touch his forehead. "You''re burning up! Are you sick? I''ll take you to the hospital."


    At the word "sick," Soren froze. He couldn''t help but remember that for years, if he so much as coughed, Evangeline would treat it like a national emergency, hovering over him 24/7. She was always so concerned about his health. Even though she was angry with him now, surely if she knew he was sick, she wouldn''t ignore him.


    He remained still.


    "I''ll call Liam," Poppy said, pulling out her phone.


    "Don''t," Soren said, his voice raspy. "I''ll have Gregory take meter. You should go home and get some rest."


    The dismissal in his tone was unmistakable. Poppy froze. "Soren..."


    He waved a hand dismissively. "Taking care of me is my assistant''s job, not yours."


    The words hung in the air, a clear boundary drawn. Poppy knew his temper; there was no point in arguing.


    After she left, Soren pulled out his phone to message Evangeline. The message failed to send, a red exmation mark appearing next to it.


    *She''s angry?*


    Soren frowned, then it dawned on him. She was probably furious. He was supposed to go get her after he sent Poppy home, but between the exhaustion and the sleeping pills, he''d identally passed out. She must have been waiting for him all night.


    A strange, twisted sense of satisfaction bloomed in his chest. If she was angry, it meant she still cared.


    He dialed her number. The first call went unanswered. The second, too. On the third try, she finally picked up.


    Evangeline had been in a strategy meeting with Theo and the sales manager, her phone on silent. It wasn''t until the meeting ended and she was walking out that she felt the persistent vibration in her pocket. Seeing it was Soren, she answered.


    "I''llpile a document for Gregory with a list of potential maintenance issues at the vi," she said, getting straight to the point. "You should have him do a full inspection." She was busy and didn''t want to be bothered with these trivialities anymore.


    She had gotten used to her fragmented sleep schedule over the years, but since starting her new job, she had been trying to get a full night''s rest. Last night''s interruption had thrown her off, and she''d been yawning all morning. Another one escaped her now.


    Soren heard the yawn. *She was up all night waiting for me.* He''d never thought much of it before, but now, a flicker of guilt pricked at him.


    After a few seconds of silence, he asked in a low voice, "Evangeline, are you angry with me?"