There was still no news of her. She had asked Glenn about it earlier, but he had been evasive. She hadn''t pushed. She knew that being impatient would only add to his anxiety, and he was already more desperate to find Theresa than anyone.


    Linda and Tabitha then helped her choose jewelry and n her makeup for the date. It was her first real date, and as everything fell into ce, a strange, fluttering feeling settled in her stomach. She couldn''t quite name it, but it was a mixture of


    anticipation and a dreamlike sense of unreality.


    The moonlight was bright, casting a silver sheen over the ground.


    The next day, Evangeline got dressed, did her makeup, and headed out. When she arrived at the office, Theo''s eyes nearly popped out of his head. She usually wore minimal makeup to work, buttely, rushing to and from the factory, she had skipped it altogether. He had gotten used to seeing her looking tired and disheveled. The sudden transformation was stunning.


    He had never realized just how beautiful she could be. *No wonder Glenn is so crazy about her,* he thought.


    He sauntered over, trying to sound casual. "Got a date today?"


    Evangeline nodded.


    "With that Mr. Lockridge guy?" Theo pressed.


    "Mmm-hmm," she confirmed. "I''ll be leaving an hour early tonight, Director Shaw. I''ll have to leave the rest to you."


    Work had stabilized. UME''s sales in the low-end market had teaued after their initial boom, and the most critical phase of the factory setup wasplete. There wasn''t much left for Theo to handle, but he still felt a pang of disappointment.


    It looked like Glenn didn''t stand a


    chance. When he first heard Evangeline had a boyfriend, he thought she might have poor taste and that Glenn could still win her


    But after observing Einnup close, he had to admit the man was wless-handsome, intelligent, and capable. Even if Glenn were here, he wouldn''t be able topete. The fight was already lost.


    "Well, have a good time," Theo said, abandoning any thought of ying matchmaker.


    Evangeline thanked him.


    That afternoon, she left early for the restaurant she had chosen, located on the outskirts of the city. With Soren''s engagement approaching, the gossip mills were churning again, constantlyparing her to Poppy. Someone had snapped a photo of her looking exhausted a the factory, and it was now circting online next to a


    factoring


    morous picture of Poppy,


    at


    apanied by cruelmentary.


    Some said she had let herself go after leaving Soren, that she was a wreck.


    The rumors were everywhere, even popping up in thements section of financial.news sites. Soren hade eventually had the posts taken down probably to avoid any association with her so close to his engagement, or perhaps because he thought theparison was demeaning to Poppy.


    Still, whenever she went out, she could feel the whispers and pointing fingers of those who recognized her. She didn''t really care-she had endured far worse-but she still preferred to avoid crowded ces. If she couldn''t win, she could at least hide.


    She was driving down a deserted stretch of road when two figures suddenly darted out in front of her car.


    She mmed on the brakes.


    The car screeched to a halt, but one of the figures still copsed to the ground. The other one immediately started banging on her window.


    "Hey! What the hell are you doing? Don''t you know how to drive?" the person yelled, their voice muffled but furious through the ss.


    Evangeline''s heart was still pounding. She gripped the steering wheel, her mind aplete nk. It had all happened so fast, she wasn''t even sure if she had actually hit anyone.