The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving

Caught off guard, Evelyn flinched and quickly stepped aside.

Behind her, a girl's anxious voice rang out. "I'm so sorry, miss! My drone seems to be malfunctioning, and I lost control of it. Are you hurt?"

Evelyn turned around and saw a girl who appeared to be around 14 or 15 years old. She was dressed in a hospital gown, guilt written all over her delicate, doll- like features.

Evelyn shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I don't know what happened just now. It suddenly stopped responding properly."

Glancing at the hovering drone, Evelyn handed the dessert box she was holding to the girl. "Mind if I take a look?"

The girl was surprised. "Not at all!"

She took the dessert box from Evelyn, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the cookies inside.

Evelyn powered off the drone and inspected it briefly. "Looks like a flight system failure. That's why it's unable to follow the preset flight path. It could be a gyroscope or sensor calibration issue."

The girl stared at her in admiration. "Miss, you're amazing!"

Evelyn made a few quick adjustments and handed the drone back to its owner. "It should be much better now. Go ahead and try it."

The girl tested the drone. Sure enough, the flight was now smooth and stable.

"Fiona Holt!"

A man's anxious voice called from behind. Evelyn turned around and saw Jason rushing toward them. He was clearly panicked from searching for someone.

Fiona instinctively hid behind Evelyn.

When Jason reached them, he was briefly taken aback at the sight of Evelyn. "Ms. Reed?"

Evelyn asked, "And you're her..."

"I'm her brother," Jason explained, glancing at the girl and breathing a sigh of relief. "Her name is Fiona. She's sick and shouldn't be running around like this. I've been looking for her everywhere. Thank you."

Evelyn shook her head. "It's fine."

Jason noticed that Evelyn showed no intention of continuing the conversation. Her demeanor remained polite yet distant.

He pursed his lips, momentarily at a loss for words.noveldrama

"Miss, are you and my brother friends?"

Upon hearing the word "friends", Evelyn instinctively frowned.

It was far from it. If anything, their relationship could be best described as mutual dislike.

Jason seemed to understand what she was thinking. After a slight pause, he finally said, "We've known each other for a long time."

Fiona cast a knowing glance at Jason. For some reason, he seemed a little awkward in front of this lady.

"Miss, can I follow you on Instagram?" Fiona had taken an instant liking to Evelyn. First impressions mattered to her, and Evelyn was so cool! She even understood sophisticated things like drones.

Evelyn hesitated. Jason noticed her discomfort and said, "It's okay. If it's inconvenient, then..."

"It's fine. I'll scan your code." Seeing Fiona's sincerity, Evelyn didn't have the heart to reject her.

Fiona beamed with joy. "Thank you for helping me fix my drone. Can I treat you to a meal some other day?"

Evelyn smiled faintly. "It was nothing."

Her gaze fell on the cookies in Fiona's arms. "I made those myself. If you like cookies, try these."

Fiona's delight grew. "Thank you, miss!"

Evelyn nodded politely at Jason and was about to leave.

For some reason, he suddenly blurted, "Shall I give you a ride?"

Evelyn paused, finding his behavior out of the ordinary. "It's fine. Thanks for offering."

Watching Evelyn walk away, Jason didn't withdraw his gaze for a long time.

He had once believed Evelyn to be someone who constantly sought Lucas' favor.

He thought she appeared gentle and accommodating, no matter how poorly she was treated. She had never once lost her temper.

But she was different now.

She was still composed, yet unmistakably distant. It was as if she truly disliked him.

"Jason?" Fiona poked her brother's arm, her eyes full of suspicion. "Why were you staring at her like that?"

Jason snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Send me her profile."

When Evelyn got home, she happened to see Jason's follow request.

In the past, both Mason and Jason had looked down on her. Naturally, they wouldn't have bothered saving her number.

Could something be up?

Evelyn didn't think much of it. She accepted the follow request, then went to take a shower.