Evelyn walked down the stairs with a dazed expression, feeling somewhat exhausted as she sank into the sofa.  

“Evelyn!” 

A voice, tinged with excitement, came from behind.  

This voice! 

Evelyn froze for a moment, a dark glint flashing in her eyes. Her hands, resting at her sides, quietly balled into fists.  

A scent of perfume wafted over, and a coffee-colored figure stopped right in front of her.  

“Evelyn! Are you okay? Where have you been these past few days? I've been trying to reach you, but I couldn't get through!”  

The delicate face that suddenly appeared before her was one Evelyn could never forget. 

Melody! 

One of her best friends in her past life!  

They had been childhood companions, never separated from elementary school through to high school. They skipped classes together, traveled together, and even ended up in the police station together.  

Such a bond...  

Evelyn had never doubted Melody's loyalty. But who would have thought that the person who ultimately stabbed her in the back countless times would be this gentle and charming Melody?  

Melody had long since betrayed her. She had become Chloe’s sharpest weapon to deal with her.  

Evelyn lowered her gaze to the hand resting on her shoulder, the pain from her back wound making her furrow her brows. She silently stared at the woman in front of her… 

“If you move your hand off her shoulder, she might feel a bit better!”  

At that moment, a disdainful voice cut through the tension.  

Evelyn paused and looked up, and a seductive, alluring face entered her view— 

Unlike Melody's petite and delicate frame, the woman before her had a mature, enchanting look. She was tall, dressed in a tight red dress, with large waves of hair casually draped over her shoulders. Her small face was carefully made up, exuding charm and sensuality.  

Her name suited her well—Fiona!  

Seeing the glance Evelyn gave her, Fiona smiled back, her eyes filled with concern. 

That captivating smile met Evelyn’s gaze, but Evelyn’s eyes suddenly became hot with tears, her throat tightening with a pang of sadness.  

She could finally see Fiona again!  

Was this a sign of favor from the heavens?  

In her past life, Fiona had been ahead of her, and her departure had been so sudden and tragic. She had left only a letter before cutting her wrist’s artery. 

That night, Evelyn had rushed to the hospital, desperately holding Fiona, who was covered in blood, but she couldn't save her. Since then, Evelyn had been consumed with guilt, wondering if she had acted faster, perhaps Fiona wouldn't have died… 

And how could all of this not be tied to that woman, Chloe?  

Evelyn took a deep breath, lowering her eyelids to hide the darkness and coldness that surged in her eyes...

“Evelyn! How are you? As soon as I heard about you, I rushed over here. I’ve been so worried about you! Joseph is despicable, how could he do that to you?” 

Noticing Evelyn's coldness towards her, Melody anxiously looked at Evelyn, her tone full of concern.  

Evelyn calmly brushed off the hand that Melody had placed on her shoulder, her brows slightly furrowed. Without looking at her, she said flatly, “I’m fine.”  

Fiona glanced at Melody, but said nothing. She casually crossed her arms and leaned against the back of the sofa.  

“How could you be fine? Look at you, your face is so pale. Anyone who went through something like this would be furious. But I heard he eventually came around and even apologized, saying he’d gotten carried away with the joy of it all... I think he still has feelings for you. He’s just angry that you didn’t follow his plans, all things considered. Everything was fine, but you went and became Lincoln's secretary!”  

Melody’s voice was filled with dissatisfaction, but her eyes sparkled with a strange, unsettling light.

Evelyn hadn’t forgotten—  

In her past life, Melody had often told her that Lincoln was a tyrant, ruling by force and doing as he pleased. She had blamed Evelyn’s position as Lincoln’s secretary for tarnishing her reputation and causing all the misunderstandings with Joseph. So, she harbored a deep resentment towards Lincoln.  

Adding to this, with Melody’s subtle instigation, Evelyn had been completely defenseless. Step by step, Chloe had meticulously set traps for her, and in the end, Evelyn was left with no escape, her reputation ruined.  

“I actually think it’s great. A position like that is hard to reach for anyone else!” 

Fiona shrugged dismissively, clearly annoyed by Melody’s overly dramatic behavior. 

Evelyn had a big heart for men. Seeing such a delicate woman made her want to protect her, but seriously, Melody was a woman too, wasn’t she?  

Couldn't she have even a little bit of a woman's sharp sixth sense?  

At this thought, Fiona shot Evelyn a look of exasperation.  

“Great? It’s obvious he’s using Norman to pressure her. It sounds good, calling her a secretary, but isn’t she just a runner for him? It’s not even close to Norman’s standard! She’s on-call 24/7! Didn’t you see how unhappy Evelyn is?”  

Melody complained, acting as though she was only looking out for Evelyn, as she reached out and grabbed Evelyn’s hand.  

“Obeying orders is a soldier’s duty. I don’t mind.”  

Evelyn subtly pulled her hand back, lifting her gaze to look at Fiona. Just then, her phone in her pocket buzzed. She took it out to check—  

A familiar number… it seemed like... the landline from the Tranquil Haven villa?

She furrowed her brows, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked toward the corridor, answering the phone as she went.  

“Hello?” 

A calm voice came through, and on the other end, Diana’s anxious, helpless voice quickly followed: “Hello? Is this Miss Evelyn…? Could you please come back to Tranquil Haven? Young Glen has been asking for you ever since he woke up, and he’s been crying for almost an hour… The vice president hasn’t answered the phone, probably in a meeting...”  

However, before Diana could finish, Evelyn vaguely heard the sound of something being thrown, followed by Glen crying out for his mom…  

Evelyn couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. But as Glen Norman’s soft, innocent face flashed in her mind, her heart softened. After a brief pause, she replied, “I’ll come over right now.”  

...  

Turning back to the living room, Evelyn looked at Fiona apologetically. “Fiona, you guys can head back. I need to step out for a moment.”  

At these words, Fiona couldn’t help but be a little surprised…  

She sensitively noticed the change in Evelyn’s attitude towards her and the coldness toward Melody. That indifferent, emotionless gaze…  

“Evelyn, you…”  

Before Melody could react to what Evelyn had said, she stared at Evelyn in shock. In the past, Evelyn had always been the one to protect her, hadn’t she?  

Why did it feel like something was off now…?  

“Alright, you take care. I’ll contact you another day.”  

Fiona gave a quick glance at Melody, whose expression had turned sour, and responded. 

Evelyn nodded and was about to turn to leave when Fiona took a couple of steps forward and lowered her voice, speaking quietly in Evelyn’s ear, “If Joseph can treat you like that, you need to be more careful…”  

Evelyn froze for a moment, her gaze meeting Fiona’s clear eyes. The cold light in those eyes made Fiona tense up, thinking that Evelyn might believe she had ulterior motives. Fiona could only manage a faint, bitter smile at the corner of her lips.