Chapter 10

Evelyn's face turned beet red from embarrassment. "I swear, I never thought about anything like that!"

Alexander gave her a quick, unreadable glance, then reached up to the shelf and pulled down a towel. He draped it over her head. "Dry yourself off."

She grabbed the towel, still flustered, and shot him a glare. "Whether you believe it or not, I seriously wasn't trying to seduce you!"

"Doesn't matter if you were," Alexander said calmly. "Just don't fall for me."

Wow. Could he be more full of himself? Evelyn let out a sarcastic snort.

Sure, he was tall, good-looking, rich, and came from a powerful family... but come on, was she that shallow? With that attitude of his? No way would she fall for a guy like him.

"Relax, that's definitely not gonna happen. But you? Don't go catching feelings for me instead!" she joked, mainly for her own peace of mind.

Alexander didn't reply, just shot her an indifferent look out of the corner of his eye.

Wait—was that a look of disgust?

Evelyn instantly felt deflated. Fine, she admitted, he probably had every reason to look down on her...

"Put this on," Alexander said, handing her a set of pajamas the housekeeper had laid out earlier. Once he saw she was mostly dry, he turned away to give her privacy.

"Don't you dare turn back around!" she warned, shooting him a look. "If you peek, I'm posting it online — ‘Mr. President caught spying on a woman changing clothes!'"

"Please," came his voice, cool and bored. "Not like there's much worth peeking at."

Excuse me?! "Not much worth"... what did that even mean?! Evelyn looked down at herself—okay, maybe she wasn't a Victoria's Secret model, but come on, she had curves in all the right places!

Being called flat-out unattractive like that really struck a nerve, but she couldn't exactly start a fight over it.

And as if he had eyes in the back of his head, the moment she finished changing, Alexander turned around, scooped her up effortlessly, and walked them back to the bedroom.

"Mommy, why were you guys in there so long? Were you and Daddy doing something naughty?" Little Ethan looked at her with the innocent mischief only a kid his age could pull off.

Naughty...?

Evelyn wanted to disappear on the spot. This kid was way too sharp for his age!

Meanwhile, the man who'd just held her in his arms looked completely unfazed. He casually placed her down on the bed and looked at his son. "Less talking, more sleeping."

Ethan obediently lay down in the middle of the bed, then patted the spots on both sides. "Tonight, I want to hold Daddy's hand with one hand and Mommy's with the other!"

At least the little guy didn't suggest she and that man share a bed for real. Evelyn figured she'd count that as a small win.

So, the three of them lay down side by side.The little one drifted off pretty fast, but even in his sleep, his tiny hand was still gripping hers tightly, like he was scared she'd vanish the moment he closed his eyes.

Evelyn had thought she'd toss and turn having to share a bed with a man she barely knew. Turned out, not really. The warmth coming from that kid's small hand made her heart ache in a strange way—just for a second, it felt like she was holding her own baby again, the one who was taken from her right after birth. With that thought in mind and a faint smile on her lips, she soon fell asleep.

It was one of those rare nights without nightmares. When she woke up, the sunlight was already streaming through the windows.

Alexander had gone off to work, and the little guy had been sent to kindergarten. The once lively bedroom was now quiet, just her there.

After a quick wash, she grabbed her crutch and limped her way to the door, planning to take the elevator downstairs.

"Good morning, ma'am!" As soon as she opened the door, the line of maids greeted her in unison, standing straight with hands folded neatly in front of them.

She got a little jump-scare there. What the heck kind of lineup was this first thing in the morning?

"Ma'am, here are fresh clothes for you. Let me help you change," one of them stepped up, already reaching forward.

"No, no, I'm good! I can manage," Evelyn quickly waved her off.

All of them wore the same polished smile, looking like they went through military-grade training. It reminded her way too much of those servants from four years ago at that beachside villa... the ones assigned to watch over her.

Wait—what was she even thinking? If she kept connecting the dots like this, then wouldn't that mysterious man from back then—the one who slept with her but never showed his face—be Mr. President himself? That's just ridiculous.

She shook her head, trying to clear out the absurd thoughts.

Getting dressed in the clothes the maid brought, she was carefully helped into the elevator and taken downstairs.

"Good morning, ma'am," a middle-aged man approached as soon as she stepped out.

"Hi," Evelyn replied, recognizing him as the guy who handed her the contract at the hospital. She still didn't know exactly who he was, but it felt polite to greet him anyway.

"I'm George, the housekeeper. If there's anything you're unsure about, feel free to ask me," he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hawkins. Actually, I do want to ask something," Evelyn said, glancing at him as a question popped into her mind. "What's going on with the little guy's condition?"

"I don't know all the details either," George replied. "But I do know that he hasn't spoken for a year. The day he talked to you—that was the first time he's said anything since then."

"Does that mean I remind him of his mom or something?" Evelyn asked, puzzled.

"I honestly couldn't say," George shook his head.

It looked like he didn't know much more than she did. But looking at how things were, when would she finally be able to help that boy heal his heart? That thought weighed heavily on Evelyn.