Chapter 46

I hang up my date outfit on the back of my office door as soon as I get to the Alpha's mansion that morning. I brought it with me, so that I don't have to go home to change, because obviously I can't risk Marcus knowing where I live.

He could put things together too quickly if he really starts looking into who owns the villa, and even him knowing where the villa is would put too many other people at risk. Kent especially. I can't risk that.

I'm a little insecure about my outfit choice, which is unlike me. I shuffled through two or three options last night before settling on this one, and it's not like I have a ton of date material in my closet right now, anyway.

Yes, I get a pretty good salary here at the mansion, and I will admit that I do love to shop for clothes. It just hasn't occurred to me lately to pick up any date-worthy clothes. I never anticipated I'd be going on a date anytime soon, particularly not a date with Marcus.

But I do have some options in my wardrobe, mainly dresses I picked up for after-hours events at the Alpha's mansion. For my date with Marcus, I finally settled on a "LBD" – an A-line little black dress that looks like something out of a 1950's fashion magazine.

It looks lovely against my red curls, I think as I smooth out the skirt, admiring it where it hangs on my door. My pearls would look great with it, but I can't risk Marcus recognizing them from having worn them to Daisy's wedding, so I picked up a dark green pendant and matching earrings after work one day.

At least they really enhance the color of my new eyes, I reflect. Honestly, I'm growing really fond of my new look. The bouncy red curls and the glittering green eyes are never something I would have chosen for myself, but now that I have them, I find I've become partial to them.

Maybe I'll even keep them, after this is all over. If this is ever all over, I sigh. I flick on my computer and start typing up my notes from yesterday.

I do love my new life, and I think I'd like to keep it, even if I do resolve all of these things with Charles and my family. It would be nice to be able to use my real name, though, and my real backstory.

It would be nice to get my medical license reinstated for real, instead of using a fabricated one that Andrea somehow magicked up for me. I've never asked how she managed that – a big part of me suspects that I don't even want to know.

It would just be nice to not have to hide anymore. It would be nice to go on this date with Marcus as Nicole, not Evelyn. It would be nice to be able to talk to him freely about myself – my real self, my whole self.

But I can't do that, at least not yet, so I'll have to make the best of what I have to work with. I'll keep very hush-hush about my supposed background in the Australian bush, for example, and try to focus more on the here and now.

I'll tell him some of what I know – whatever I can get away with talking about without giving away who I am, or how I know things that I shouldn't.

I'll just have to be careful, and I'll have the best time I can, I decide. If nothing else, it'll be nice to be out on a real date, with a man I genuinely like and want to get to know better. It won't be perfect, but it'll be better than nothing.

Despite myself, I'm really looking forward to it.

"You really do look beautiful," Marcus says again as he pulls out my chair at the wine bar he's taken me to for after-show drinks. I smile at him widely. The ballet – Sleeping Beauty, one of my favorites – was excellent, and I'm excited to talk it over with him.

We order drinks and spend a good half an hour discussing the ballet. Marcus is intelligent, sensitive, and thoughtful, able to converse fluently about the show without coming across as a know-it-all or overbearing. He listens to my opinions and responds to them with genuine enthusiasm.

The whole evening is reminding me of why I started to fall in love with him in the first place. Maybe I shouldn't resist it any further. It's not ideal to fall in love with Marcus as Evelyn, and he might never forgive me when he finds out the truth, but maybe it's a risk I should take.

Maybe.

Eventually, our talk turns to Marcus's father, and we agree again that his mother needs to be more sensitive and understanding of her husband's health, and the position she puts him in when she pushes him to do things beyond his limits.

"I don't think it's that she doesn't care about my father," Marcus sighs as he sips his wine, absentmindedly swirling it in its glass as he admires its rich, red hue. "Rather the opposite, in fact."

"You think that she's in denial?" I ask sympathetically.

"I do," he says. "My father has always been so strong, the rock of our family. And my mother loves him desperately. I think she just doesn't want to see how unwell he's become, because if she faces that, she has to face the reality that she may lose him someday."

I nod in understanding.

"I've seen that before," I say. "It's very common. But it is so important for her to understand and get on board, or she's going to accidentally make her worst nightmares come true. She'll lose her husband sooner than she should have, and when she realizes that, she'll never forgive herself."

"Indeed," Marcus says. "Don't worry, Evelyn. I'm taking care of it."

I reach out a hand and lay it on top of his, squeezing gently.

"I know you are," I say.

"And Charles," Marcus says, his expression darkening. "He's certainly not helping matters. I think he's pushing my father on purpose, and egging my mother on. I'm starting to wonder about his motives."

This is exactly the kind of opening I've been looking for. I can't give too much away, but I have to try to warn Marcus, at least a little bit. Put him on his guard. Still, I hesitate before speaking.

"I've observed something similar in Charles," I say at last. "I'm growing concerned that he might be…pushing your father too hard. I, too, have started to wonder about his motivations."

"At least it's not just me," Marcus says, setting down his glass and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I've told your father my suspicions,," I say. "We need proof before we can do anything more about him. But I'm taking care of it. I could use your help, though. The more people I can trust to help me look after your father and his welfare, the better. And there is something else…"

Marcus patiently waits for me to continue, still looking angry, but not at me.

"I've overheard a few things," I say. "Not intentionally. I overheard an argument between your siblings – they were in Claire's office, and didn't realize I was walking down the hall to my own office at the same time."

"What did they say?" Marcus asks. His voice is deathly quiet.

"Let's just say…" I trail off, then take the plunge. "I think you should watch your back, Marcus."