Finn watched her go inside before pulling out his phone again. The post he had been looking at was already gone.


    Minutes earlier, a video had been circting like wildfire through their social circles. The timestamp showed it was from that evening. In the grainy footage, Soren and Evangeline stood side by side in a hospital corridor, their postures intimate, their gazes intertwined. The final scene was a snippet of their conversation.


    "Spend the night with me," Soren''s cold voicemanded.


    "Fine," Evangeline replied without hesitation.


    The video had clearly been edited to enhance the audio. Despite the blurry visuals, their words were crystal clear. Immediately following the video was a screenshot of a bank transaction: a nine-figure sum.


    Just the video and the transaction slip. No exnation was given, but it left plenty of room for imagination. The person who posted it clearly didn''t intend for it to cause a massive scandal, deleting it after only five minutes before it could generate too much buzz.


    Finn let out a small, humorlessugh.


    Just as he''d suspected. The post was meant for his eyes only. A rather pathetic attempt to drive a wedge between him and Evangeline.


    The next day, Evangeline still hadn''t heard from Glenn. A knot of worry tightened in her stomach, but she did her best to push it aside and focus on the new factory project.


    That evening, she found herself staring at her chat window with Finn. She mulled over how to start the conversation. Although they hadn''t talked much in the past two days, they usually found a few minutes to chat amidst their busy schedules, with Finn almost always initiating. He would send her photos of little flowers he''d spotted on the roadside, or a cat stretchingzily on the hood of his car. Sometimes he''d ask how she was doing or discuss their ns for a date.


    But today, his chat window was eerily silent. She wasn''t sure if he was still angry.


    After a moment''s thought, she typed out a tentative message: *My car seems to be acting up. Could you pick me up today?*


    Less than five secondster, a reply came back: *Wait for me at the office.*


    A few minutes passed.


    *Come downstairs.*


    Evangeline walked out of the building to see Finn''s shy red convertible parked at the curb. He was leaning against the door, his elbow resting on the frame, and gave her a small wave.


    She got in the car. He looked to be in a much better mood than yesterday, but he was so good at hiding his true feelings that she couldn''t be certain.


    "Finn, what cotogne are you wearing? It smells amazing," she said, leaning closer in a tant attempt to tter him. "Are you wearing makeup today? You look extra handsome mean you''re always handsome, but today you''re just... exceptionally handsome." She looked him up and down, her praise flowing effortlessly. It was a skill she''d honed over the years.


    As she finished, she saw the corner of Finn''s lips twitch into a smile. Encouraged, she pressed on, taking his hand and blinking hereves Irinocently. "Finn, did I do something wrong? You seem so unhappy to see me."


    At the sight of her almost fawning expression, Finn''s breath hitched. "Unhappy?" he echoed. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "What are you talking about, beautiful? The fact that you actually reached out to me today has me over the moon."


    ***