How Did You Pull That Off?

Evelyn was utterly stunned by the news that Sebastian Hayes had gone to the orphanage in person. For a brief second, a sliver of suspicion crossed her mind, wondering if he had some hidden agenda.

But her concern for the orphanage and Eleanor Jenkins quickly pushed those doubts aside. After a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Alright. I'm on my way."

Hanging up, she turned to Alexander. "I need to go to the orphanage," she told him.

Alexander nodded calmly. "No rush. Finish your meal. Let Sebastian wait a little; it won't kill him."

Evelyn blinked, surprised. "How did you know Sebastian went himself?" she asked.

A quiet moment passed before understanding dawned. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait... did you arrange this?" she gasped. "Is Sebastian apologizing because of you?"

Alexander simply gave a small, mysterious smile.

Burning with curiosity, Evelyn pressed him. "Alexander, how did you pull that off? Sebastian is the heir to the Hayes family! How did you get him to apologize in person?"

Amusement lit his eyes as he watched her eager face. "You really want to know, don't you?" he teased.

"Absolutely!" Evelyn answered instantly.

He chuckled, but his expression turned serious. "Finish your breakfast first. Then I'll tell you."

Evelyn pouted playfully but obediently went back to eating.

In her haste, she nearly choked on a bite.

Alexander sighed. He wheeled closer and gently patted her back. Then he poured her a glass of water. "Here," he said, his voice laced with concern. "Drink this. Slow down."

Evelyn gratefully took the glass, sipping the water until she caught her breath.

As she set the glass down, a clean handkerchief appeared before her.

"Wipe your mouth," Alexander instructed softly.

Evelyn's heart fluttered as she took the cloth and dabbed her lips. It carried a faint, clean scent that intrigued her.

"First you claim you have no appetite," Alexander teased with a low laugh. "Then you practically swallow your food whole. Anyone would think I starve you."

Evelyn shot him a mock glare. "Well, you're the one who insisted I finish eating first!" she retorted.

Alexander chuckled, a glint of amusement in his gaze. "There's more to the story," he began.

"Sebastian wasn't actually trying to evict the orphanage. He'd already secured a new location for them—a far superior one, with better facilities and equipment. He even established a compensation fund."

Evelyn's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wow. I had no idea he was being so considerate."

"That land on the outskirts?" Alexander continued. "It's part of a massive project Sebastian is leading. Once he acquired it, every greedy developer in the city started circling, hoping for a piece. Sebastian is deeply committed to this project. He wanted everything perfect, with no loose ends. The trouble started when one of his own team members tried to embezzle the orphanage's compensation money. That's what sparked this whole mess."

Evelyn nodded slowly, processing the information. But then she frowned. "Okay, that makes sense. But if it was his subordinate's mistake, why did Sebastian feel he needed to apologize personally?"

Alexander observed her closely. "He owes us an apology, certainly. But he also owes us his thanks. We saved him from a major public relations catastrophe. If word got out that his people were harassing an orphanage, his competitors would have feasted on it. They'd use it to sabotage his entire project."

He let out a derisive snort, his voice dripping with contempt. "Those vultures would love nothing more than to see him fail."