Back in their room, Alice’s whole attitude changed.
She quickly apologized to Evelyn about the missing money incident earlier and hoped Evelyn would forgive her.
Since Alice was smiling and apologetic, Evelyn didn’t make a fuss and let it go.
But that was it.
She had no interest in chatting.
Pretending to be close now? It was far too late for that.
Evelyn wasn’t going to fall for fake kindness again.
“Evelyn, about you and Seth … ” Alice started carefully.
Evelyn’s expression darkened right away. “Why are you bringing him up? We’re over. I know he likes you, and honestly, I hope you two work out. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
But Alice didn’t think that was enough.
She was planning to end up with Seth anyway.
But before that, she still wanted to get her hands on the inheritance.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let Evelyn date Seth in the first place.
“You might’ve got it wrong,” Alice said, trying to explain. “Seth only comes to me to ask how to treat you better. He just wants to make you happy.”
She even brought up their upcoming graduation. “He told me he’s trying to get a job near where you’ll be working, just so he can drive you around.”
No, thanks.
If that ever happened, Evelyn would rather choose to provide support in the mountains.
“I’ve already dumped him. I like Philip now. If you and Seth aren’t together, just forget what I said. I honestly think you two are a good match. But don’t ever use him to disgust me again, or I won’t be this nice.”
Her voice was calm, but her eyes turned icy. Alice shrank back.
For a second, she felt like a demon had stepped into the room.
Alice didn’t speak again. She curled up on her bed like a quiet bunny.
But it was all for show. A bunny with poison was still deadly.
Evelyn knew not to let her guard down. Still, she was sure Alice wouldn’t try anything else tonight.
And thanks to that, she finally got a decent night’s rest.
But the next morning on campus, another issue came straight to her.
It was Seth.
Under Alice’s orders, he pulled out all the stops to win Evelyn back.
He even showed up early with cottage cheese, waiting outside her classroom.
Evelyn didn’t even glance at him. She headed for Hannah instead.
Seth ran after her, holding the cottage cheese. “Evelyn, I got this just for you. Give it a try. You’ll love it.”
“How sweet of you,” Evelyn said with a sweet smile.
He flinched. That smile had something dark behind it, and it made him uneasy.
And he was right.
Still smiling, Evelyn took the container from him and popped the lid.
Smack!
She then dumped it right on his head.
His neatly styled hair was instantly ruined. The cottage cheese oozed down his face and soaked into his shirt. He looked disgraceful.
Even though class hadn’t started yet, many students were already there.
Some even looked like they were dying for a camera to catch the moment.
The usually gentle Evelyn had snapped.
What a scene!
“Oh, by the way, I hate cottage cheese. Don’t try winning me over with Alice’s favorites. It’s gross. Eat it yourself.”
Then, she grabbed the stunned Hannah and found a seat far away from Seth.
She didn’t want to be near him.
Seth was fuming, nearly ready to march over and slap Evelyn.
But then, he remembered what Alice told him to do. He had no choice but to hold back and leave.
He’d put up with anything for Alice’s sake. That was the only way to be with her.
When Alice showed up later, her face said it all that she knew exactly what went down.
After she made a fool of herself with Evelyn last night, Seth had also ended up embarrassed.
Evelyn had turned into a brick wall they couldn’t get past.
It just didn’t seem real.
Alice was fuming inside, but she kept a lid on it.
She picked a seat at the front, making sure only her back was facing Evelyn—no way was she letting Evelyn catch a glimpse of her emotions.
But honestly, Evelyn didn’t even glance in Alice’s direction.
Why should she waste time on someone who grossed her out? She didn’t need that kind of negativity.
Once class ended, Evelyn slipped out the back and made her way to the shabby eatery outside the campus.
She was there to drop off the lunch boxes and get back Philip’s medal.
It was small, but it felt heavy in her hand.
That medal was earned through Philip’s hard work. It meant a lot.
“Your boyfriend must be impressive. My husband saw this last night and said it’s worth something,” the owner said with a grin.
Impressive didn’t even cut it. One day, Philip was going to be the commander-in-chief.
For once, Evelyn felt proud hearing someone compliment him.
“He puts in a lot of effort,” she said modestly.
The owner chuckled. “Well, better return it to him fast. Don’t lose it!”
Evelyn nodded. “Yeah.”
She left the eatery and walked straight toward the training ground.
Graduation was approaching, and the military students weren’t taking it easy. If anything, they were pushing harder.
After all, once they were assigned to bases, things would only get tougher. The current training was just a warm-up.
When Evelyn got there, Philip’s squad was doing laps.
They looked sharp in formation, all in sync with their matching gear.
It wasn’t hard to spot Philip in the group.
He always stood out like he was made to shine.
“Philip!” Evelyn called out with a wave.
Right away, someone started teasing, “Boss, a pretty girl is looking for you!”
“Hey, isn’t that the girl who kissed him yesterday? Are they a couple now?”
Philip ordered, “Quade, Quincy, three extra laps. The rest of you, take a break.”
The two guys groaned, accusing him of payback.
But Philip didn’t react and just walked toward Evelyn.
His face was sweaty from training. But somehow, it made him look more attractive.
“What brings you here?” he asked, frowning slightly.
What’s wrong with coming now?
Evelyn was puzzled. Before she could ask, he raised his arms to block the sun from her face. “Come on, let’s talk in the shade.”