The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving

Evelyn caught a faint trace of a familiar scent in the air. Weak and disoriented, she lifted her head only to be met with Lucas' dark eyes.

His expression was almost devoid of any emotion.

Yet, his gaze carried a weight that made Evelyn feel utterly exposed-like he could see right through her.

It was as if he thought she had orchestrated this on purpose.

"Sorry," Evelyn murmured through clenched teeth as she struggled to get up. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Pain overwhelmed her, leaving her limbs increasingly weak.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Lucas asked, his tone indifferent and distant, as though he was nothing more than a bystander.

Evelyn sensed the change in the way people were looking at her.

It was as though she was deliberately putting on a show by choosing the most powerful man present.

"Ms. Reed, his girlfriend is right here. Are you incapable of standing on your own?" Mason sneered, his tone laced with mockery.

Tiffany watched Evelyn with a calm expression. She was neither angry nor upset, as if she was simply watching a joke unfold.

Jason, however, frowned. Unlike the others, he noticed that Evelyn really didn't look well.

Just as he was about to speak, Mason suddenly gasped. "Tiffany, were you scalded?"

The room fell silent.

At that moment, Evelyn felt someone pushing at her lower back and forcing her away. She barely managed to steady herself against the table to avoid falling.

Lucas had already turned his attention to Tiffany, his brows furrowing. "You got scalded?"

Tiffany raised her hand, revealing a red mark on her fair skin. She cast a fleeting glance at Evelyn and said lightly, "It's not a big deal. I'm not someone who makes a mountain out of a molehill."noveldrama

Evelyn noticed the look of concern on Lucas' face-concern that wasn't meant for her.

She calmly withdrew her gaze, gritting her teeth to keep herself from collapsing. "Are you really not feeling well?" At some point, Jason had come up to her, a complex expression on his face. "Do you need help—"

Evelyn didn't manage to hear the rest. Her vision darkened, and her legs gave way.

"Evelyn!"

Several voices rang in her ears, but she couldn't tell who was calling out to her before she lost consciousness.

Sebastian moved first. He caught her before she hit the floor, his expression grim as he carried her out of the room.

The situation quickly descended into chaos.

Jason pulled back the hand that he had almost used to support Evelyn.

Lucas' gaze lingered on the door for a long time. A trace of deep contemplation flickered across his otherwise cold, sharp features.

Tiffany noticed his distraction and hesitated for a moment.

Understanding dawned on her. Evelyn's public display of affection was nothing but a blatant attempt to expose their marriage. Lucas must have been taken aback by her audacity.

"What's she playing at?" Mason frowned. "Throwing herself at him in front of Tiffany?"

"I bet she faked passing out. Lucas ignored her, and she couldn't back down. Look! After pretending to faint, Sebastian had panicked. She's one scheming woman." Mason scoffed with disdain.

Tiffany remained silent. Mason's words indeed made some sense.

Evelyn had wanted to kill two birds with one stone. But instead of Lucas, it was Sebastian who took the bait.

Jason, however, was lost in his own thoughts. He suddenly said, "She wasn't faking it."

His words caught Tiffany's and Mason's attention.

Even Lucas' gaze shifted slightly in his direction.

Meeting Lucas' questioning gaze, Jason recalled Evelyn's words to him outside the restroom earlier. She had said, "I don't like you." Since then, Jason has felt inexplicably irritated.

"I ran into her outside about half an hour ago. She already looked unwell then. She's probably sick."

Tiffany's expression darkened.

Mason looked a little embarrassed but quickly retorted, "Out of all the people

here, why did she have to fall right into Lucas' arms?"

"Jason, what's wrong with you? Why are you defending Evelyn?"

Jason looked at Lucas with an unreadable expression and simply replied, "I'm just stating the facts."

Apart from his initial subtle reaction, Lucas showed no further emotion.

He didn't appear the least bit worried about Evelyn.

His only focus was on Tiffany. "Does it still hurt?"

Tiffany could feel his concern and smiled slightly. "It's better now."

Jason suddenly frowned. A strange, inexplicable unease settled in his chest.

Sebastian carried Evelyn straight to the hospital's emergency department.

Her temperature had already spiked to 102.6°F. When she finally awoke, Sebastian was beside her, working on his laptop.

"You're awake now?"

Sebastian set his work aside. "I had the doctors run a full blood test on you. Several indicators came back abnormal. What's going on with your health?"

Evelyn tensed but quickly realized that Sebastian's expression didn't seem unusual. That meant nothing suspicious had been detected. "I'm fine. I just caught a cold, and the fever got worse."

Sebastian studied her pale face, torn between worry and frustration. "You really think that man was worth throwing away three years of your life?"