Chapter 187

Evelyn Sullivan had always assumed Ethan Sullivan suffered from severe mysophobia.

That was until the family dinner where she witnessed Old Mrs. Sullivan feeding him with chopsticks still glistening with her saliva.

He ate without flinching.

Meanwhile, the shrimp she'd meticulously picked for him grew cold in his bowl before being dumped into the trash.

Twenty minutes passed before Ethan finished dabbing his mouth with a napkin.

"Can you let go now?" Evelyn shook her numb wrist.

This time, he released her without hesitation.

As the elevator doors closed, she exhaled in relief. She needed to shake off this persistent man—fast.

"Are you alright, Evelyn?" Ryan Paisley approached, his suit sleeves stained with fresh coffee.

Warmth flickered in her chest. "I owe you a dry-cleaning bill. Let me treat you to dinner sometime."

"Then I'm picking the most expensive restaurant." He flashed a grin, his canine teeth peeking through.

Among Ethan's inner circle, Ryan was the only one who never looked down on her. The others maintained polite facades while secretly blaming her for breaking up their golden couple.

"Ryan." Ethan's voice cut through the air like ice. "Finished reviewing the contract?"

The hallway temperature plummeted.

Without turning, Evelyn strode toward the elevator. "Don't let me keep you, Ryan. We'll talk later."

The polished doors reflected Ethan's stormy expression. His knuckles whitened as he watched her retreating figure.

"You two seem close." Ethan's gaze frosted over when he turned.

Ryan straightened his files. "We exchanged pleasantries during my hospital visits."

"Stay away from her."

"But you're already—"

"Our affairs don't concern outsiders." Ethan's jaw tightened in the glass reflection.

In the taxi, Evelyn scrolled through her photos. The latest showed Ethan cornering her in the garage that morning. She needed a fake boyfriend to sever his delusions.

"You're dating?!" Sophia Reynolds sprayed奶茶 across her spreadsheets.

Evelyn handed her a tissue. "Just need someone to play the role."

"So Ethan's really stalking you?" Sophia's eyes gleamed. "I knew that look he gave you meant something!"

"Focus. I need reliable male candidates."

Sophia nibbled her straw. "I know a few, but..." She lowered her voice. "Are you sure this isn't jealousy? After that charity gala where Ethan and Isabella—"

"Stop." Evelyn massaged her throbbing temples. "This is purely strategic."

"Fine." Sophia leaned in conspiratorially. "But before you find a boyfriend, there's something you should know..."