Chapter 4 The CEO: A Lies-shrouded Reunion
A flicker of confusion crossed Evelyn Ross's mind, but she quickly wiped the sweat from her palms on her clothes and tentatively shook hands with Finn MacLeod, pulling back her hand swiftly.
The brief contact made her heart race even faster.
Could it be... am I actually acting like a lovesick fool? she wondered to herself.
Although Finn was strikingly handsome, she had long since become disillusioned with men, and had met no shortage of good-looking ones, such as that Dylan...
Three years ago, after being pushed overboard by Clara Sinclair, she had floated at sea for half a day before finally being rescued by a small yacht. The young man who saved her came from an illustrious family; she only knew him as "Dylan," and his demeanor and appearance were in no way inferior to Finn MacLeod's...
Thinking of Dylan, Evelyn was momentarily distracted, but she remembered the interview only lasted three minutes and quickly brought her thoughts back on track.
"Mr. MacLeod, I heard your sudden entry into Crist City three years ago was because—"
"May I ask Miss Hall a question?"
The deep, magnetic voice made Evelyn start. This is the first time I've interviewed him—why does his voice sound so familiar?
"Hmm? Of course." She stared blankly at Finn and nodded.
"What were you doing three years ago, Miss Hall?"
Evelyn's heart tightened. Why is he asking about that all of a sudden?
"Three years ago..."
She hesitated to speak, but the floodgates of memory suddenly burst open. Recalling the events of that year, her face gradually paled.
Three years ago...
Three years ago, she had still been Evelyn Ross, whose grandfather was Edward Sinclair, head of the Sinclair family. At that time, she was still with Liam Hayes.
But it was also three years ago that she had been robbed of her virginity by a strange man on a cruise ship, then pushed overboard by her cousin Clara Sinclair...
Finn's gaze bore into her face like a blade, as if he wanted to see through her very soul.
Evelyn clenched her fists, struggling to reply calmly: "I was just a junior in college back then."
After falling overboard, Dylan had saved her and helped her return to Crist City under the new identity of "Skylar Hall." Coincidentally, in the background Dylan had fabricated for her, she had indeed been a junior three years ago, matching her real academic progress.
If not for the incident on the cruise ship, she would have graduated smoothly—what kind of life would she be living now?
Bitterness and humiliation welled up in her heart, but after all these years, she had learned to feign nonchalance—at least on the surface.
Finn nodded slightly, his gaze falling on her necklace.
"Miss Hall's necklace is very unique. May I take a look?"
Evelyn froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course."
She generously took off the necklace and handed it to the stern-faced Mr. MacLeod, though a sense of unease grew in her heart. *He doesn't seem like the type to make small talk. First he asked about three years ago, now he wants to see my necklace...
Could his sudden arrangement of this interview, and these questions, really be related to that night on the cruise ship?*
She desperately didn't want to remember that night, but now she had to force herself to do so. The man who had slept with her had been sent by Clara when he had been wounded and was being hunted. Later, she speculated that perhaps the man had been secretly brought to the cruise ship by Clara, and when his whereabouts were discovered, an attempt was made to silence him.
But what did all this have to do with the high and mighty Mr. MacLeod?
She thought she might be overthinking it. Maybe he just didn't want to answer her questions and was trying to change the subject.
"Very special." Finn's voice interrupted her thoughts. He played with the pendant in his hand, then looked up at her. "May I ask where you bought it, Miss Hall?"
Evelyn tensed again, but still smiled and replied, "I bought it at a street stall."
This necklace had been lost by that strange man back then. She had originally kept it as a clue to report to the police. Later, she had given up the idea of reporting it, but still wore it—simply to remind herself of that humiliation every day and never trust anyone again. Naturally, she could not tell Finn the real reason.
He handed the necklace back, his eyes scrutinizing her intently.
Evelyn put the necklace back on, and considering time was limited, decided to ask a different question.
"Mr. MacLeod, it's said you and Miss Miller are about to be engaged. What do you think of aristocratic families arranging marriages?"
Finn was silent for a moment, then replied in a tone devoid of emotion: "Arranged marriages are common in large families. Personal feelings aren't a priority."
His implication was that he accepted the engagement. Evelyn considered this an important piece of information. Just as she was about to press for details about the engagement, she saw Finn pick up a folder.
His assistant entered the room and approached her.
"Miss Hall, time's up. I'll escort you out."
"...Already?"
Though reluctant, seeing that Finn had already bowed his head to read the file, she could only sigh, stand up, and follow the assistant out.
Once Evelyn had left the room, Finn put down the folder and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. He had already confirmed that the necklace was the one he had lost three years ago, and the fact that this journalist named Skylar Hall claimed to have bought it at a street stall was clearly a lie.
What is she hiding? He gazed out at the view of Crist City, and memories of three years ago came flooding back.
That year, he was invited to the engagement party of Liam Hayes and Clara Sinclair. After drinking two glasses of wine, he realized it had a sedative in it and left the ballroom in a hurry, only to be ambushed and stabbed in the shoulder. He flees in disarray into an empty room, when a girl pushes open the door. In order not to be discovered, he is forced to have carnal relations with the girl.
In the second half of the night, his subordinates had arrived in a speedboat in time, but the situation had been too urgent to take the girl with them, so he had had to leave the cruise ship first. He had intended to send someone to pick her up the next day, but had never seen her again—she had vanished without a trace. For three years, he had searched everywhere to no avail.
What made him even more uneasy was that the lost necklace was of great significance. He had always feared it would fall into the wrong hands, never expecting to see it on this female journalist.
*Could she really be the girl he had been searching for these three years?
And yet, the girl in his memory had skin as fair as snow, smooth and delicate as silk in the moonlight, and those misty eyes that, whenever he thought of them, sent indescribable ripples through his heart. The thin, dark-haired journalist before him still did not match that image.
But then he remembered the feeling of shaking her hand—he had not felt repulsed. After all, except for the girl on the cruise ship, he still could not stand physical contact with any woman.
*Did this journalist wear the necklace on purpose when meeting him, or was it an accident? What secret is she hiding so carefully?
Finn was full of questions, but was in no hurry to retrieve the necklace. From now on, the woman's every move would be under his surveillance. If she had any ulterior motives, he could afford to wait and see.
After a moment's thought, he called his assistant.
"Investigate that journalist from Starburst Media and send me all her background information," he said, then added after a pause, "Make it quick."
"Yes, CEO."
Evelyn stumbled out of the private room, still feeling dazed from the tension. The oppressive aura of Finn MacLeod had been almost suffocating.
She gasped for breath, her heart still pounding violently, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Oh no, I haven't taken my medication today.
She rummaged through her bag, only to realize she had forgotten to bring a water bottle, and sighed in frustration. Fortunately, the restroom was just to her right, and she hurried in, clutching her chest.
Evelyn took out her heart medication from her bag, popped a pill into her mouth, and splashed some cold water from the sink to swallow it. The accident of falling overboard three years ago had damaged multiple organs; with Dylan's help, she had gradually recovered, but her heart had been left with a chronic condition.
She needed surgery to fully recover, but the problem was the high cost—she simply could not afford it. The longer the surgery was delayed, the greater the risk, which was why she was so desperate to make money.
Thinking of this, Evelyn sighed again.
After taking the medicine, she rested for a while longer before leaving the restroom to meet up with Baron Klein.
But just as she reached the corridor, a sharp shout came from behind her:
"You—Starburst Media journalist, stop right there!"