Chapter 25

Esme didn't immediately seek out Cary after making her dramatic exit. Instead, she retreated to a restroom on the building's first floor.

Inside, she hadn't shed any actual tears. Now, she was carefully applying water to her cheeks to mimic tear tracks and irritating her eyes to achieve the right shade of red, crafting a believable look of distress.Once satisfied with her appearance, she entered the Gold Suite.

Cary was already there, greeting her warmly. "Esme,you're here! We've been keeping the food warm for you," he said as she walked in.

That morning, Esme had visited the Morningstar villa to conduct a supposed evaluation of Florrie's eyesight.Cary had quickly spread the word, which had the Aglonard elite humming with the news.

Esme was now seen as a key ally to the Russell family's young heiress.

This had led to an influx of favors and offers from the city's elite, all eager to earn Esme's favor. One of them even proposed leveraging political connections to secure the release of her prospective sister-in-law from incarceration.

Cary,clearly enchanted by Esme's newfound influence,couldn't hide his admiration.

"You shouldn't have waited," Esme said gracefully,settling into her seat beside him. "I wouldn't want to be a bother."

Quick to please, a guest noticed her reddened eyes."Miss Barton, are you alright? Your eyes... you seem upset."

Esme brushed off the concern with a shaky voice. "Oh no,it's nothing at all."

Cary,concerned, took her hand and looked at her intently. "What's wrong, Esme? Did someone upset you today?"

She hesitated, portraying reluctance. "It's really nothing... Not worth mentioning at all."

At that moment, a waiter entered with a fresh plate.The sight of Esme made her exclaim,"Oh my,you're the woman who was mistreated in the lobby earlier,aren't you?"

Esme quickly bowed her head and covered her face with her hands. "You must be confusing me with someone else."

Cary,however,pressed for details. He fixed the waiter with an intense gaze. "Explain what you saw."

The waiter, who had discreetly received a tip from Esme earlier, began a detailed account. She painted a picture where Evelina was the aggressor, publicly shaming a defenseless Esme.

Cary's hand hit the table hard. "Her again? Isn't it enough that she's destroyed my sister's reputation?Now Esme too?"

Esme remained silent, dabbing at her eyes delicately,her lack of response speaking volumes.

Cary's anger surged at the sight of her apparent vulnerability.

"I need to find her, now. Where is she?"

Esme, her voice barely above a whisper, responded,"Forget it, Cary. She's beyond us now, enjoying in the Platinum Suite with some companion."

Her words, gentle yet fraught with insinuation, left a lasting impact.

The murmurs around the table grew. One guest whispered, "Probably some old rich guy, going bald."

Esme's lips curved into a smug grin as the rumors multiplied.

Back in the Platinum Suite-

Caleb was enthusiastically tackling a heap of the restaurant's spiciest offerings. "These are the specialties of the house," he said, glaring playfully at Jasper while stuffing his face. "Evi actually helped craft some of these recipes with the chef. You've got to try them, Jasper. It would be a shame to ignore Evi's hard work."

Spicy food was Jasper's rival.

More than a mere dislike, it was an allergy-chilies could set his entire body aflame with discomfort.

Caleb's encouragement and Evelina's presence pushed Jasper, his jaw tightening as he reluctantly tried the food.

Evelina's patience snapped as she looked at Caleb critically. "Caleb, really? Light dishes, remember?Jasper is dealing with an arm injury, and my back isn't great either. We shouldn't be eating spicy food."

At the mention of her injury, Caleb's playful tone vanished. "Your back is hurt? Show me where."

"Stay seated!" Evelina firmly pushed him down."Please remove these and bring us some less spicy dishes." Turning to Jasper, she quickly fetched a glass of water. "Here, drink this. It might ease the burn."

As their fingers touched briefly over the glass, a subtle electric sensation sparked between them. Evelina quickly withdrew her hand as if burned.

Jasper, clearly shaken, rapidly downed his water and began to cough violently.

Seeing this, Caleb was on the verge of making a cutting remark but hesitated when Evelina extended her hand to comfort Jasper, gently patting his back.

"Take it easy," she murmured soothingly.

Witnessing this tenderness, a wave of jealousy washed over Caleb. He suddenly started to cough excessively himself. "Evi! Something's wrong... check on me too!"

Evelina shot him a skeptical look. "Caleb, you know I'm a doctor, right? Pretending doesn't work with me."

At that moment, Cary stormed into the room.

In his wake, Jasper's guards hurried in after him."We're sorry, sir. He got past us-"