Chapter 74

[Third-Person’s POV]

There were a number of things Alexander couldn’t even begin to fathom the second Evelyn had entered the dining room. Why on earth her gaze had locked on to Michael for an overly suspicious amount of time? And why the hell had she proceeded to give him, what he considered to be, a star-struck smile?

Her face practically lit up as though she’d just come across an old friend she hadn’t seen in years.

It sent a storm of feelings through him—none of which he knew how to process or deal with.

Confusion. Suspicion. Panic. Frustration. Anger.

When he turned his head to glance at his Stepbrother, he half expected Michael to give his usual pompous sneer. However, upon seeing Evelyn standing across the other side of the table, his expression turned to mirror her own of excited disbelief.

What the fuck is going on??

How on earth did Evelyn know who Michael was?

It wasn’t as though they could have been old classmates in school. Evelyn had been homeschooled and Michael spent most of his childhood in boarding schools across the country. The chance of either of them meeting at some social gathering wasn’t likely either.

Obviously, they’d met somewhere outside of the house. Like everyone else, Michael hadn’t been included in the wedding guest list. But, there again, where did Evelyn go when she wasn’t tending to the greenhouse and her tea blends?

“We met at the market,” Evelyn said.

Oh, for Christ’s sake! What the hell were the chances of that?!

He made sure to hide his tremulous emotions behind his usual stoic mask. The last thing he needed was for Michael to catch on to the fact that he was bothered by this entire interaction. He’d become utterly insufferable.

Michael would wear that usual, taunting smirk on his face, as if he knew all the world’s darkest secrets. I was like the two were polar opposites in every way. Growing up, Alexander kept his resolve in place at all times, whereas Michael would run around obnoxious and wearing that devilish expression on his face.

It came as no surprise when they’d receive phone calls from their school, complaining that Micahel had apparently brought another student to tears over his monstrous behavior.

Caroline never did anything to reprimand her son.

She merely pushed the blame onto someone else. She had single-handedly created the psycho that was now sitting across the table from Alexander’s wife.

All Alexander could do was remain quiet and carefully observe the interaction that was unfolding in front of him. Anytime Evelyn said something to Michael, he watched with heavy intent as to how his younger brother would respond.

Most of the time, Michael would smile—not his usual disturbing grin—but a real, genuine smile that brought out the glimmer in his eyes.

Alexander felt nauseated with every giggle Evelyn would give back. How could someone as intelligent and observant as her, fall for Michael’s bullshit?

Based on Evelyn’s questions about Michael’s so-called work, it was clear to Alexander that their accidental run-in had been drastically understated. For her to know anything about what Michael was working on meant that the two of them had a real conversation.

Although dinner went on in complete silence, it was his inner voice that Alexander was in a full-out war with. He kept arguing against the inner thoughts that were trying to drive his comprehension of the situation around him.

The way Michael was speaking to Evelyn—the way he was looking at her, he didn’t like any of it.

He couldn’t determine if seeing Michael having a normal conversation with his wife was a reassuring thing or something else entirely...

The fact that Michael was actually acting like a proper gentleman only told him one thing.

It was all because of Evelyn. Michael must have a thing for her. Whatever the hell happened on their little market outing had clearly left an impression on him.

Alexander knew little of his brother’s romantic ventures, and truthfully, he preferred it that way. Any woman who was willing to give Michael a chance was either equally as insane as him or possessed poor judgment of character.

Watching Evelyn practically fawn over Michael’s words made him feel ill.

“Michael, would you mind telling me about your current work?”

Alexander’s blood curdled at the sight of Michael’s mouth curling into a predatory-like smirk.

“Of course. But only if you tell me about your new tea mixture,” he responded.

Oh, fuck no. Absolutely not. Whatever the hell is going on here, I’m about to end it for good.

A vicious feeling tore through Alexander like a flaming blade, slicing through his resolve. Jealousy. He hadn’t felt it this bad since Rena.

Losing her left him in such a distraught mental state, he was convinced he’d never recover from it. Alexander vowed to himself that he would never let another person make him feel so horrible and worthless again.

If Evelyn thought that she was going to slink off with Michael after this ridiculous ‘sibling reunion’ dinner, then she was in for a wake-up call.

“I’m afraid that Michael doesn’t have time to go wandering around with you after this,” Alexander said coldly. “Caroline made it rather clear on the phone that his presence back home is required elsewhere.”

He would have been lying if he hadn’t said that he enjoyed the angered look that crossed Michael’s face.

That smug bastard needs to be taken down a few pegs.

Alexander glanced over at his wife to find her slightly disappointed but this sudden piece of news. Her feeling anything toward his brother only spurred his anger.

Of course, Michael had been quick to brush off the matter regarding Caroline and her plans. It was obvious that he wanted to spend more time with Evelyn. Michael took the opportunity to strike him back where it hurt. He had a knack for making Alexander appear like the villain in every scenario.

What the Alpha hadn’t anticipated was for Evelyn to speak out.

“Michael, if that’s true, then you should head back to your pack so you can meet these ladies your mother has reached out to,” she said softly.

The energy in the room was utterly electrical. All it took was one sharp word to bring the whole room crashing down.

Michael rolled his gaze from Evelyn back to Alexander, giving him a pointed look. “It truly astounds me that someone like you managed to tie down someone like her,” he hissed.

He tossed his napkin on the table and pushed his chair back. The two of them watched Michael storm out of the dining room, leaving them once more in silence.

“Motherfucker,” he muttered under his breath.

“Alexander.” Evelyn’s voice broke through his mental haze. He felt the soft touch of her hand graze over his arm. “Look at me.”

He tore his gaze up from the table to find her beseeching gaze.

“Whatever thoughts you have right now, they’re wrong,” she told him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do not have any sort of feelings for Michael,” she announced firmly.

Alexander went still in his chair. His mouth fell into a straight line while he searched for his next words. How had she known that these were the thoughts that had been flying through his head? He knew she was highly observant.

Alexander rested his hand over hers and slowly nodded. He wanted to believe her. He really, really did.