After days of relentless storms, the wind and rain finally began to subside with the break of dawn. The raging tempest mellowed into a continuous drizzle.
A faint rustling echoed in her ears. Evelyn slowly opened her heavy eyelids and weakly raised a hand to rub her still-dizzy head, using the other to prop herself up.
As the scene before her came into focus, her hazy eyes gradually cleared…
Elegant yet opulent decor, tall floor-to-ceiling windows, heavy dark curtains layered with light gauze, and finely crafted, expensive ornaments…
This wasn't her room!
This was… Lincoln's Tranquil Haven villa!
Images from the past couple of days flashed through her mind, allowing her to quickly piece together where she was. And then it hit her—
This wasn't a dream.
She had really come back—to seven years ago.
"Miss Evelyn, you're awake?"
A gentle voice came from the side. Evelyn turned her head instinctively.
She was greeted by Diana's kind and familiar smile. The woman was holding a neatly folded set of clothes.
"Good morning… What time is it now?"
Evelyn looked slightly dazed. Snapping out of it, she slowly lifted the quilt and got out of bed. Her voice came out hoarse and dry.
Seeing this, Diana hurried forward, placed the clothes on the bench at the foot of the bed, and went to support her.
"Careful. You had a high fever all night—it only broke at dawn. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Does your wound hurt?"
Evelyn shook her head, pressing her palms against the mattress behind her. She looked at Diana gratefully.
"I'm feeling much better now. You've been the one taking care of me, haven't you? Thank you…"
"There's no need to thank me, Miss Evelyn. You're still quite weak. Don't push yourself. It's just past eight o'clock now. Don't worry—VP Lincoln said you're still officially on leave.
Diana gave her a concerned glance.
"I'm fine, really. I feel a lot better now. What's the situation outside?"
Evelyn asked as she slowly stood up.
"The rain lightened around dawn. Let me help you wash up and get changed. Then we'll get you something to eat—you must be hungry."
Evelyn paused, and Lincoln's calm, detached face flashed through her mind.
Once she was finished freshening up, Diana brought her a fresh outfit and a new phone—the screen still had its factory protective film.
"Your old phone's probably beyond repair. The Vice President already transferred your SIM card to this one."
Evelyn blinked, remembering how she had accidentally broken her phone. That explained why it had been so quiet the past two days—she hadn't been in touch with anyone.
She hesitated for a moment, then took the phone and powered it on. As she scanned through it quickly, she noticed everything in her contact list looked complete, except…
Why had the contact previously labeled "Evil Boss" been changed to "Lincoln"?
And the first entry in the call log… was a call to Lincoln?
Did Lincoln change it himself?
Judging from the situation… that was almost certainly the case.
Her expression subtly shifted, an awkward glimmer flickering in her eyes. She glanced at Diana, who didn't seem to notice. Then she changed clothes and headed downstairs.
The moment Evelyn stepped out of the room, her phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and her expression shifted again. She immediately answered the call.
"Gordon…"
"Hello? Miss Evelyn? Thank goodness you finally answered. The Chairman's condition is worsening…"
Evelyn hurried toward the Harrison Clan villa, her steps quickening as she approached the staircase leading to the second floor. Just as she reached the top, she saw the doctor leaving, with Gordon following closely behind, a deeply worried look on his face.
"Gordon!"
Evelyn took a few large strides toward him. "How is Grandpa?"
"Evelyn..."
Gordon's eyes flickered with a brief flash of relief upon seeing her. He had thought she wouldn't return.
"He's just stabilized. The doctor said his condition hasn't stabilized yet, and we need to keep observing him."
Evelyn pushed open the door and walked into the room. Upon seeing the elderly, plump figure lying unconscious on the bed, her heart tightened. Her eyes darkened as she asked, "Why did this happen so suddenly? Wasn't his condition stable just a few days ago?"
"His condition was good a few days ago, but… something happened last night," Gordon replied, his voice tinged with concern. "The night before last, he wasn't feeling well, but it wasn't serious. However, when we tried to reach you on the phone, we couldn't get through. Then last night, Pandora had a huge argument with him when she came back. After that, he collapsed…"
Pandora.
At the mention of this name, a cold gleam appeared in Evelyn's eyes.
If it weren't for that woman, Chloe wouldn't have so easily taken over HC.Co and brought down the Harrison Clan!
Evelyn still couldn't understand why Pandora, who was supposed to be part of the Harrison Clan, would help Chloe undermine them.
The previous head of the Harrison Clan had been a notorious playboy, having a daughter, Pandora, with his mistress when he was nearly fifty. He had pampered her, even giving her one-third of the shares in HC.Co that Norman held. Now, she was one of the vice presidents of HC.Co.
Pandora and the current president of HC.Co, Lester, were siblings, though they had more than twenty years between them. If it weren't for their shared family name, people might have thought Pandora was Lester's daughter. The two siblings had always been at odds. Lester found her difficult to deal with, but Pandora was a determined woman and had long since rebelled against him.
Evelyn had heard of their conflict, but she had never paid attention to HC.Co's internal affairs and didn't know the exact cause of the rift.
"Do they know when he'll wake up?"
Evelyn took a deep breath, forcing down the anger rising within her. She asked again, her voice steady.
"Probably not until afternoon… Evelyn, about your engagement with Joseph…"
Gordon's voice was hesitant, his face showing more concern than usual.
"I'll explain things clearly to Grandpa," Evelyn said calmly, adjusting the blanket over Lester. "I won't hold onto this engagement anymore. Wait until he wakes up before you call for me."
Not holding onto it anymore?
Does this mean she's calling off the marriage with the James family?
But now, HC.Co's situation was dire. Pandora was responsible for the Southeast Asia projects, but there had been a mistake with the materials used, and the products were now defective. The production line had been shut down, and they were facing a large compensation fee. Meanwhile, HC.Co's funds were already tied up in the Southcrest Project, and they couldn't afford to pay this huge sum. If they didn't manage to secure more funds, they'd either have to abandon the Southcrest Project or risk a serious financial crisis.
If Evelyn went through with her engagement to Joseph, then Hua Da could likely provide extra funding for the Southcrest Project. This would allow HC.Co to allocate more funds to cover the Southeast Asia losses. The marriage would strengthen their position to secure the Southcrest Project from the government.
Moreover, hadn't Evelyn always wanted to marry Joseph?
She had even told Lord James that she wanted to marry him as soon as possible…
Why the change now?
Gordon's mind raced with confusion, but then he remembered what happened at the engagement party. His expression grew darker.
Joseph didn't seem too thrilled about the engagement. Otherwise, he wouldn't have…