As Soren and Poppy''s engagement date drew closer, Old Mrs. Fawkes was discharged and sent back to the family estate to recuperate. To avoid gossip and any awkward encounters, Evangeline''s visits became less frequent, reced by asional text messages.


    Meanwhile, her investigation into Poppy''s past uncovered several suspicious details from her time abroad. Evangeline devoted part of her energy to digging deeper, hiring people to look into Poppy''s activities overseas.


    With so much happening at once, her free time dwindled, and her sleep schedule was all but nonexistent.


    One evening, she returned from the factory in the countryside, intending to finish her daily report. But the moment she opened herptop, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over her. She sshed her face with cold water and went downstairs to buy a coffee, hoping to push through. When she returned to her office, she found Finn sitting in the chair next to hers.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.


    She had told him she would be busy, so he had been picking her upter andter each night. A quick nce at her phone showed it wasn''t even ten o''clock, much earlier than usual.


    Finn took in her drowsy appearance and pale face, his gazending on the coffee in her hand. He knew exactly what she was nning. She had been running herself ragged for days. Several times on the drive home, she had drifted off to sleep before they even arrived. She neverined, but he could see how exhausted she was. "If you''re tired, you should rest."


    "You''re not a machine. Pushing yourself like this will only make you sick."


    He took the coffee from her hand. "Go home and rest. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."


    Evangeline shook her head. "No, this has to be done tonight. The production line instation starts tomorrow, and the feasibility analysis needs to be ready.


    dyed vel


    Otherwise, everythin


    will be to


    The timeline was already tight. A one-day dy would have a domino effect, costing


    them more money and affecting sales. Her tone was firm.


    Finn saw the stubborn set of her jaw and knew what she was worried about. Instead of arguing, he pulled out a small mirror and held it up to her face Look at yourself. You look terrible."


    Evangeline looked at her reflection and was shocked to see how dull and sallow her skin was. The days spent running around outside had darkened her once-fairplexion, and a startlingly dark set of circles ringed her eyes. She had been so focused on work she hadn''t paid any attention to herself. The sight was jarring.


    Seeing her resolve waver, Finn pressed his advantage. "Just take a ten-minute nap here. You can finish it after."


    She was still hesitant.


    "You''re not in any state to work right now," he added gently. "If you force it, you''re just going to make mistakes."


    That convinced her. He was right. No matter how careful she was, exhaustion made errors inevitable, and an overlooked mistake now could cause huge problemster. "Okay," she agreed, then looked at him. "You should go home. I''ll get a cabter." He had been driving her every day, sometimes waiting with her until the early hours of the morning. He had to be tired too.


    Finn smiled. "What kind of man would I be if I left my girlfriend here alone? Besides, no decent guy would let his girlfriend take a cab home thiste at night."