Chapter 77
Evelina, having narrowly escaped one attack, was ready for the next. She quickly grabbed a milk carton from the ground and threw it at the approaching biker's helmet.
The sudden impact startled the rider, causing him to lose control. The motorcycle veered off and slammed into a nearby parked car. The rider was thrown from the bike, landing harshly on the car's hood, setting off its alarm.
Rushing to the scene, Evelina dragged the stunned man from the car, ripped off his helmet, and delivered several forceful punches to his face.
Under the strain, the biker quickly confessed everything he knew.
Before he could tell any names, Cary had already fled the scene, vanishing as swiftly as a cockroach when the lights come on.
Without hesitation, Evelina called the police.
Once she had turned the assailant over to the authorities, she made her way to the security office to review the CCTV footage. She managed to capture the license plate of the first motorcycle and recorded the entire incident. She promptly forwarded the evidence to Lena.
"I expect a name within 24 hours."
Lena replied, "Your Majesty, you're underestimating me. Half a day is more than enough."
Living up to her word, Lena delivered a comprehensive report in just a few hours. The perpetrator was Sebastian Barton.
"That scoundrel had the nerve to harm you?" Lena's fury was evident. "Shall I unleash my wrath, 'your majesty?'"
"There's no need. You're already busy with managing my enterprises," replied Evelina, choosing to deal with the situation herself.
Sebastian thought he was on his way to becoming a "Wall Street titan?" She was determined to see him crumble in that very arena. Sebastian maintained a low profile after his unsuccessful attempt on Evelina's life, choosing to remain mostly indoors.
The police hadn't bothered him. He eventually learned that Cary had been scapegoated for the debacle, which secretly pleased him.
Still, Esme's persistent whining about Evelina being alive irritated him.
"Stop your crying! Do you want your brother to risk his life for nothing? It's merely an apology at a grave.You'll manage."
The loyalty he had once felt towards Esme quickly morphed into regret. He had narrowly escaped trouble this time and decided not to test his luck further.
With a new resolve, he decided to shift his focus back to finance. Murder plots were out;it was time to dive back into the world of stocks.
When he walked onto the tradingfloor the next morning, the chatter was immediate-someone had made a significant impact on the market in his absence.
An unknown trader had recently escalated a modest million to a staggering ten million in a mere couple of days. Their strategy was flawless, marked by perfect timing for buys and sells, resulting in uninterrupted victories.
The talk around the trading floor was that this financial wizard had already left the public trading areas for a secluded VIP suite.
Sebastian fouund it hard to believe. In Aglonard? He doubted that some unknown from this provincial spot could demonstrate such trading skills.
However, by the third and fourth days, this new "stock deity" was still on a winning streak.
Every stock they engaged soared to its trading limit.
Impressed by such expertise, Sebastian was driven to seek this person out.
He managed to learn their exact location after making some inquiries. Carrying a bottle of top-tier scotch and feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension, he knocked on the door.
A female voice responded from within, "The door's open."
He entered to discover the room occupied by a single person: a woman clad in a striking scarlet dress, her identity hidden behind a sophisticated fox mask,with lush dark hair draped over her shoulders.
The room was otherwise unoccupied.
"Um, excuse me. I was looking for the celebrated stock genius-is that person here?" "I wouldn't claim to be a stock genius. But I am the only one present."
Sebastian was oblivious to her true identity, thanks to the voice modulator hidden within her mask.
"Are you the person behind all these strategic moves?" he asked in disbelief. "And you're a woman?"
"Does that come as a surprise?" Evelina responded with a soft chuckle. "If you traveled all this way just to ask such pointless questions, you might as well leave now."
"No, not at all!" Sebastian hastily produced the bottle of scotch he had brought. "I've long admired your work.I merely wanted to show my respect!"
Evelina eyed the bottle and smiled approvingly."That's quite considerate of you."
She then engaged him in effortless conversation.
Sebastian was captivated as they spoke. Her perspectives often mirrored his own, and as their conversation deepened, he felt a kinship with her, as if discovering a kindred spirit within the world of stocks.
Before he departed, he asked her for a few investment tips, eager to leverage her insights for profit. Evelina shared her recommendations candidly.
The following day, acting on her advice, Sebastian executed a swift trade that netted him a substantial sum.
Thrilled by his success, he started making daily visits, each time bringing small gifts that he thought she would enjoy, once even presenting her with a lavish designer purse valued at several thousand dollars.
"Sebby, I consider you one of my own, and yet you continue these formalities?" Evelina said during one visit, her voice still altered by the modulator,sounding confident and controlled.
"You've already won me over. Pampering you is just my way of showing gratitude." He was, after all, relying on her to boost his fortune.
However, one day, as he arrived at her VIP sute with new gifts, he found the room deserted.
A wave of anxiety washed over him. Had the stock goddess disappeared?