Chapter 686

The lunch was excruciatingly awkward.

Evelyn deftly placed a napkin under her bowl. "This way it won't burn your hands."

Alexander mimicked her gesture, finally sitting upright, though the flimsy plastic stool made him visibly uncomfortable. Thank heavens he'd worn casual clothes today—his tailored suits would've been ruined.

Noticing their struggle, the shop owner tossed another portion of rice noodles into the boiling pot and hauled over a folding table. "Tourists, huh? Could've asked for a proper table earlier."

They sighed in relief, replying in unison, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." The man returned to his stove, stirring the noodles while making conversation. "Lots of visitors lately, but rarely see anyone as tall as you. Here to check out properties?"

Alexander seized the opening. "Heard about the villa development. Thought we'd take a look."

"Take my advice," the owner lowered his voice conspiratorially. "This place has bad energy. If you're buying a home for newlyweds, pick somewhere luckier."

Alexander shot a glance at Evelyn, relieved to find her expression unchanged. "We're not house-hunting for marriage."

"Honeymooning then?" The man eyed their matching sweatshirts. "Scenery here's perfect for couples."

"Not that either," Alexander cleared his throat. "We're not... together."

The owner chuckled. "Dressed like twins but not a couple?"

Only then did Evelyn notice their nearly identical outfits. Yesterday at the wholesale market, they'd only cared about comfort—never anticipating accidental coordination.

Yet Alexander kept chatting amiably. "You and your wife seem happy."

"Making do," the man said modestly, though crow's feet appeared at his eyes. "Plenty of prettier, gentler women out there, but she's the one for me."

"Is your wife not here today?"

"She woke at 2 AM to simmer lamb offal soup. Went home to nap at noon." His tone dripped with tenderness.

"Two o'clock?!" Alexander gaped.

"That's nothing," the owner shrugged. "The bun shop next door kneads dough at that hour daily. We've got it easy—usually start at four."

Alexander's worldview shattered again.

Dusk approached as they walked back to the hotel. Evelyn quickened her pace while Alexander followed silently, bags in hand.

After a long silence, he murmured, "How ordinary people suffer."

Remembering his former privileged life, he scoffed self-deprecatingly. "No wonder you despised who I was. Even I can't stand that version now."

Evelyn replied evenly, "Understanding common struggles already makes you superior to Leonard Laurent's ilk."

"Did you think of people as statistics?" She arched a brow. "That poverty stems from laziness?"

"Not exactly." He met her gaze frankly. "But I credited all success to myself. Only now do I see the truth—my greatest advantage was being born a Hamilton."

"How does it feel?" Evelyn asked suddenly. "Falling from the clouds. Do you miss it?"

Alexander tensed. "You promised not to send me away."

"Just curious." Her tone remained neutral.

That simple response warmed his chest. Once, he'd been invisible to her—like air.

Now, at last, she was seeing him again.