I Refuse To Sign The Papers

Alexander's entire demeanor transformed in an instant.

His grip on Evelyn's hand tightened to a painful degree.

His eyes darkened, burning with an intense, possessive fire.

"I will never agree to a divorce," he stated, his voice a low, dangerous command.

A sharp jolt of pain shot up Evelyn's arm.

"Alexander! You're hurting me!" she cried out.

He released her immediately, his expression shifting to one of instant concern.

"Damn it, Evelyn, I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

He carefully took her wrist, his eyes widening at the sight of the red marks his fingers had left.

A profound wave of regret washed over him.

"I didn't mean to," he repeated, his voice thick with genuine remorse. "I lost control."

Seeing the raw, serious emotion in his eyes, Evelyn felt a pang of sympathy for him.

She forced a playful smile onto her face, trying to break the heavy atmosphere.

"Alexander, relax," she teased lightly. "It was just a joke! Why so intense?"

Some of the tension finally drained from his shoulders.

"Thank God it was a joke," he breathed, relief evident in his voice.

He looked up at her, his gaze pleading and vulnerable.

"But promise me something?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Please, never say that word again. I might actually believe you."

Evelyn saw a flicker of genuine fear in his eyes, and her heart clenched.

This side of him was so unexpectedly endearing.

It was a stark contrast to the cold, controlled man who had faced down Sebastian earlier.

"Okay, okay," she conceded with a soft smile. "I won't mention it again."

Internally, she sighed. He can be so childlike sometimes. Probably a result of all those years of emotional neglect in that icy family of his.

The thought made her want to wrap him in a hug and shower him with the affection he'd been denied.

Soon after, the orphanage situation was fully resolved.

Eleanor, the children, and the staff were all settled into the new facility Sebastian had provided.

The substantial compensation funds were securely transferred to the orphanage's account.

With that weight lifted, Evelyn felt she could finally return to a sense of normalcy.

She went back to work, ready to focus on her projects.

But stepping into the office building, she immediately felt the weight of stares.

She knew that even though her name had been cleared online, office gossip was a different beast.

She decided to keep her head down and ignore the whispers.

"Evelyn!"

A voice cut through the quiet hallway, causing her to frown.

She turned to see a vaguely familiar woman hurrying toward her.

It was Penelope Vance, one of Genevieve's most sycophantic followers.

"What is it?" Evelyn asked, her tone cool and detached.

Penelope stopped in front of her, wringing her hands nervously.

She opened her mouth but no sound came out, clearly struggling.

"If you have nothing to say, I have work to do," Evelyn stated flatly, turning to leave.

"Wait, please!" Penelope blurted out, grabbing Evelyn's arm desperately. "Evelyn, I... I want to apologize."

Evelyn was taken aback. "Apologize? For what?"

Noticing the growing audience of curious colleagues, Penelope quickly pulled Evelyn into a more private alcove.

"Evelyn, I saw those horrible rumors about you online," Penelope began, her face flushed with shame. "I got caught up in the moment and said some terrible things about you with the others online."

She took a shaky breath. "But I never truly believed them. When you released the evidence proving your innocence, I realized how wrong I was. I'm so sorry for my behavior."

Seeming to realize how weak her explanation sounded, Penelope rushed to add, "If you're still angry, please let me make it up to you. Lunch is on me! Or if you need anything at all, just ask. I'm here to help."