Chapter 115

"Do you remember that guaranteed admission spot to Peking University back in high school?" Simon Stapleton lowered his voice, a hint of smugness in his tone. "Evelyn could never outscore me, so she resorted to dirty tricks."

Annabelle Taylor raised an eyebrow. "What did she do?"

"Spread rumors that I bullied her best friend." Simon scoffed. "I was memorizing vocabulary even in the bathroom back then. When would I have time for that nonsense?"

"So she wanted to..."

"Exactly. Drag me down so she could take my spot." Simon shrugged. "Too bad for her—I still got into Peking University."

Annabelle mused, "I heard she ended up at Hudson Medical School?"

"Yeah. Played a stupid game, won a stupid prize—" Simon froze mid-sentence.

Evelyn Carter stood before them, holding a bottle of shampoo.

"What a coincidence," she said flatly.

Simon paled. "E-Evelyn? Why are you—"

"Not a coincidence." Evelyn placed the shampoo in her cart. "I followed you here."

Simon instinctively stepped away from Annabelle. "Don’t misunderstand. Jane and I are just friends."

Evelyn’s gaze flickered between them before settling on Annabelle’s arm looped through Simon’s.

"Good friends?" She smirked.

Annabelle yanked her arm back, voice sharp. "I’m pregnant. Is it a crime for him to steady me?"

"Sure." Evelyn turned back to the shelves without another word.

"If you dare breathe a word of this to Alexander—" Annabelle hissed.

Evelyn didn’t look back. "Breathe what?"

"About Simon and me—" Annabelle’s eyes narrowed. "Are you recording this?"

"Not interested." Evelyn’s tone was ice.

Annabelle sneered. "Playing the saint? A divorced woman forcing herself into someone else’s wedding as a bridesmaid—who knows what you’re really after?"

Evelyn picked up a bottle of body wash and dropped it into her cart. "Think whatever you want." She met Annabelle’s glare. "Either way, I’m not the one feeling sick about it."

Simon stood awkwardly between them, suddenly irrelevant.

He knew exactly where he stood—one woman was Mrs. Hamilton, the other was his former classmate who knew all his secrets.

"Evelyn," he forced a smile, "I owe you an apology for neglecting you at the banquet. Let me treat you to dinner sometime."

Annabelle’s face darkened instantly. "Weren’t you just complaining about her ruining your reputation? Now you’re playing nice?"