Chapter 400

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Alexander Hamilton's slender fingers swiped across the screen, decisively ending the call before dragging the number into his blacklist.

"Someone irrelevant." His voice was feather-light as he handed the phone back to her. "Don't bother with them in the future."

Evelyn Carter studied his cold profile. "You're ruthless."

"I despise deceit the most." A shadow flickered in his eyes.

...

Alexander left soon after.

Evelyn mechanically swallowed a few bites of food before sinking into dreamless darkness.

When she opened her eyes again, the heavy night outside the window disoriented her. Her phone screen showed 3:17 AM.

The mountain night was nothing like the city.

No neon intrusion, no roar of traffic—just pure darkness and silence. She pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window, and the damp night wind carried a fine mist of rain against her face.

Amid the earthy scent of soil and greenery lingered a faint trace of tobacco.

"...I've revised the proposal. Send it to all departments by nine tomorrow."

"...Postpone the meeting to one in the morning."

"...Oh, and pick out a laptop suitable for a college girl. Get everything Emily needs for school. Don't mention it was my idea."

The low voice came from the adjacent balcony, accompanied by the rustling of papers.

The call lasted nearly forty minutes.

Occasionally, there were stifled coughs. Whether from the mountain chill or the cigarette glowing between his fingers, she couldn't tell.

Evelyn hugged her arms and sneezed.

"Evelyn?" His voice tensed abruptly.

"Yeah."

"Why are you awake?"

"Had enough sleep." She turned toward the sound. "You haven't slept at all?"

Alexander quickly stubbed out his cigarette and turned away from the wind, taking a deep breath.

"It's cold out here." His voice carried a hint of apology. "Did I wake you?"

"The soundproofing is good." Evelyn gazed at the distant mountain silhouettes. "Maybe it's the aftereffects of night shifts. Back when I had early rounds after overnight duty, I had to get up by five to prep for ward checks."

The watch face glowed faintly in the dark. "You can still sleep for two more hours."

"What about you?" she suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Shuttling between the UK and here, handling hospital matters... Do you leave company business for the middle of the night?" Her tone was calm.

Alexander's breath hitched.

He couldn't tell if this was concern or if he was reading too much into it.

"Emily Zade is quite capable." He changed the subject. "I'm promoting her to VP next month."

Evelyn gave a soft "Mm."

Just then, the landline in his room rang sharply.

"Room service." Before she could speak, Alexander explained. "I just ordered it."