Chapter 438

"The money came from Anthony Taylor."

Vivian Dempsey let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you'd sacrificed your dignity for me. That would've been unforgivable."

"Don't be ridiculous. You've helped me so much—it's my turn now."

Vivian quickly bounced back, grinning. "Evelyn, I can't repay you right away, but at least let me treat you to dinner as thanks."

"Sure. Send me the address." Evelyn wanted to see how she was holding up.

Vivian chose an upscale private dining establishment.

The moment Evelyn stepped inside, the place felt eerily familiar.

Wasn’t this where Alexander Hamilton nearly drowned that lecherous old man in the koi pond last time?

"Evelyn! Over here!" Vivian peeked out from behind a decorative screen, waving enthusiastically.

Evelyn took her seat. "Why pick somewhere so far?"

Vivian's eyes were still red, her cheeks thinner than before, but her smile remained bright. "Only the best for you. Too bad I couldn’t get a private room."

The restaurant had limited seating daily, so securing a window table was already lucky.

"The main hall is fine. We can watch the fish," Evelyn said.

Vivian’s eyes suddenly welled up. "You’re too good to me... By the way, I missed your call earlier because I was visiting Dad’s old friends. All those so-called brothers are avoiding me now."

Evelyn handed her a tissue. "People show their true colors in tough times. Don’t take it to heart."

"I don’t care." Vivian wiped her tears, then remembered something. "Oh, I saw the transfer records—the second payment came from the Anderson family company. Did Alexander give you any trouble?"

"I didn’t see him. But he’s no longer managing the Anderson company. He returned control."

Vivian’s eyes widened. "He just walked away?"

"It makes sense." Evelyn flipped through the menu. "The Andersons have nothing to do with him now."

Vivian frowned. "But it’s so sudden. With Mrs. Anderson hospitalized and Mr. Anderson caring for her, who’s running the company?"

"I’m considering hiring a professional manager, but finding someone reliable isn’t easy." Evelyn sighed.

Vivian forgot her own troubles in concern. "What about you? Are you taking over?"

"I’ll have to try." Evelyn gave a wry smile. "I can’t just take the money and walk away."

"But you’re a doctor! You don’t know the first thing about running a company!"

"Which means I’ll have to learn from scratch." Evelyn rubbed her temples. "Hopefully, I’ll find some competent executives. Want to help?"

"No way!" Vivian waved her hands frantically. "I’d just make things worse. You know me."

Evelyn looked at her. "The Dempsey family depends on you now."

Vivian nodded seriously. "I know. I’m already learning. If I actually become some business whiz, I’ll help you. If not..."

"Do your best." Evelyn didn’t want to pressure her.

Vivian suddenly laughed. "If we both run our companies into the ground, you can go back to being a doctor, and I’ll be your chauffeur for free meals."

"Deal."

Evelyn had just smiled when her gaze caught a figure beyond the screen. Her expression froze.

Vivian followed her line of sight. "What’s wrong? Oh my god—is that Alexander and that scheming Annabelle?! Why are they together again?!"