Chapter 18 The Unspeakable Secret

The presentation was held as scheduled the next morning. Due to the effective secrecy of the research and development, Menier side believed they had a surefire victory and completely disregarded Étienne's team. Seeing Benny, a new face, made them even more dismissive.
Only two companies made it to the final round of competition. Originally, a draw would decide who would present their new product first, but Menier volunteered, eager to go first. Étienne saw the reason behind this guy's confidence.
It turned out that he wasn't blindly arrogant. In a short period of time, he had actually improved the high-priced system they had bought back.
Étienne looked at Benny, who remained calm as usual. After all, Benny was a few years older, and now he seemed particularly composed. Étienne had some hidden worries since he could only provide simple explanations during the presentation, so he entrusted the key points to Benny.
Shortly after the presentation began, the video being played encountered a problem. Étienne knew that this wasn't a simple accident at a time like this. Amidst the whispers of the audience, he calmly walked over and took out a backup. Thankfully, he had prepared in advance.
Benny looked at Étienne. He wasn't a fool either; he had prepared a backup. His thoroughness impressed the other company as well. Working so meticulously at such a young age, their respect for him increased. Moreover, in this situation, encountering a problem with the video should have flustered him. They could see he had prepared and not left anything to chance.
"Next, our company's programmers will provide further explanations for everyone," Étienne said.
Benny proceeded to attentively give a detailed explanation. It was indeed much more powerful than the Menier Group and had a more comprehensive approach. Menier was now truly panicked.
He never expected that he fell into the trap set by the other side. The so-called most powerful system was a complete deception. He regretted spending so much money on such an inferior system.
The final result is still pending, and both Benny and Étienne, along with everyone else, are waiting. But it should be obvious. Étienne thought of something and said, "Jett, after you go back, resign from the technology development department."
"Sir, are you serious?" Leo and everyone else looked surprised at Étienne. One of technicians Jett doesn't seem like the kind of person who could do such a thing.
"Just as you all think."
This time, Benny also patted Étienne on the shoulder to show admiration.
Étienne had a calm expression, "You may not be as good as him in programming, but it doesn't mean your judgment is inferior to his. How about it? Will you work with me or not?"
"You're too shrewd, so I can't work with you. If I make a mistake, you'll figure it out at once," Benny said.
"Do you think I will?" Étienne asked back.
Étienne believed that someone like Benny, who prioritized ideals over material possessions, would never make such a mistake. He felt that he must have him on his side. Otherwise, it would be a huge loss. But those are stories for later; what matters now is the current business plan.
Evelyn woke up early and got ready. She went downstairs and took a stroll. William had already sent over some pricey branded clothes for her. Evelyn didn't think too much about it; she just put them on, as it wasn't a big deal.
After breakfast, Mary wanted to go to the flower garden, and Evelyn followed along. The vast fields of flowers were truly beautiful. Since coming here, Evelyn had been amazed. The purple lavender had been well-arranged, and it was the flowering season. Blooming like a sea, walking among them made her feel extremely happy and relaxed.
Seeing Mary fertilizing and pruning, Evelyn picked up some tools from the ground and joined in. Mary initially didn't agree no matter what, but Evelyn insisted and said she could do it. That's when Mary patiently taught her.
The two of them worked in this flower field for a few hours before heading back.
Mary couldn't help but think of the many women who had come and gone around Mr. Chevalier for a long time. Compared to them, she liked Miss Bennett by her side even more. Despite not talking much, she was always humble and seemed hard to approach. But once you spend time with her, she is genuinely kind and easy-going.
Evelyn saw a middle-aged man not far away leading a few horses and immediately knew that he must be Mary's husband. It had been a long time since she rode a horse, and seeing them reminded her of her desire to try again. So, she asked Mary, who nodded and took her to choose a horse.
Evelyn couldn't help but feel excited as she watched the horses being led.
One of the white horses caught Evelyn's attention among the herd, standing out with its beautiful coat.
Mary's husband had heard from his wife beforehand that Mr. Chevalier had brought a female companion with him, so he assumed this must be her. "Miss, do you like this one? She has a particularly gentle temperament. Would you like to give her a try?" he said, leading the horse over to Evelyn.
Evelyn used to be skilled in horseback riding, but it had been a while and she wondered if she had become rusty. Once she mounted the horse, she realized she still had it and rode around.
As soon as the demonstration was over, William hurriedly drove to the farm, parked the car in the garage, and called Mary to confirm Evelyn's location. As he was approaching; in the distance, he saw a person on the horse.
Étienne thought he must be seeing things. "Sophie? Has Sophie come back?!" This thought brought a rush of emotions flooding in.
The farm had been built for her, as she had wanted a beautiful farm with flower fields, a villa, and a greenhouse, and he had fulfilled all her wishes. They used to be so carefree together, but how did everything change?
Étienne had thought he had forgotten all about these things, the emotions that he had struggled to let go of. Yet now they surged back at this moment.
In a treacherous affair, the one who falls in love first becomes the loser. This was the lesson Étienne learned after Sophie's departure. It was cruel and resolute.
Suddenly, Evelyn sensed that the horse beneath her was becoming restless. It had been a long time since she last rode, and she felt uneasy. She tightened the reins, but the spooked horse, fueled by unknown strength, continued to gallop uncontrollably.
Étienne rushed over and blew a whistle. Unexpectedly, the little white horse obediently carried Evelyn towards Étienne.
Étienne himself was amazed. He never expected that the horse that Sophie had left behind on the farm would still remember his whistle after all these years, even though he had never laid eyes on it again. Now, it was walking toward him upon hearing the whistle.
After getting a clearer view of the person on the horse, Étienne felt a sense of relief. How could he mistake Evelyn for Sophie? There was no hope left.
Evelyn saw the panicked look his face and wondered what was going on. Since coming here, every insecurity and confusion seemed magnified without any limits.
Evelyn, who was already lacking confidence in William, felt even more uneasy when she saw his expression. A woman's intuition was always mysterious.
"You're here? Sorry, I rode your horse," she said.
William mounted the horse and embraced Evelyn, feeling her warmth and presence, which slightly eased his mood. He wanted to confess to her about the horse's origin, but at the same time, he felt that telling Evelyn now would only push her further away. So, he held back and said nothing.
"Let me take you for a ride," William suggested.
"Mary already showed me around," Evelyn replied.
"Can she show you the same things I can?" William smiled, arguing playfully. Seeing her hesitation, he continued, "Come on, it'll be different with me."
She didn't respond and asked, "What do you want to eat for lunch?"
"Anything." For some reason, Evelyn felt that William was different from usual at this moment. It seemed that this place was really extraordinary. If it was so special, why did he bring her here to stay? Evelyn really didn't understand.
Actually, William didn't understand either. He didn't know why he became uncertain after coming here. He thought he had already let go of the past, but it still troubled his emotions. He regretted bringing Evelyn here.
After taking a walk, they returned close to noon. William handed the horse over to Mary. Evelyn asked him some questions about the house design, and as time passed, he reminisced and told her about his original ideas.
"I feel like your family must be involved in renovation," Evelyn said.
"Hearing you say that, my father must be furious. You should at least say that it's an interior design company or an architectural company," William playfully said with anger.
"They are essentially the same," Evelyn replied.
The two of them chatted about different topics, avoiding their true thoughts in their hearts. Mary set up the food, and they ate with seriousness.
"Are you done with your work?" Evelyn asked.
"There are some finishing touches left. Why? Is it really that boring here?" William asked.
"It's fine. I might go back first," Evelyn said.
"Why the rush? Let's go back together. Give me some time," William wanted her to stay a little longer.
No matter how beautiful the scenery was or how much she liked it, Evelyn felt uncomfortable. William thought that he could make her feel happier by bringing her out to relax, but he never expected it would upset her instead. And he really didn't know what went wrong.
The whole afternoon, Evelyn stayed in the study. At first, she just didn't want to awkwardly face William, but then she started flipping through the pile of books and found many interesting ones that she had wanted to buy but didn't or had forgotten about due to her hectic schedules.
She moved a few books and curled up on the sofa, engrossed in her reading.
Seeing that she found joy in the study by herself, William didn't disturb her either. He moved his computer nearby and dealt with some complicated matters. They were each occupied with their own tasks, in perfect harmony. Evelyn felt that it was much better this way without talking.
Not long after, a photo fell out of an old book. It was a picture of William and a girl. The girl had her hair tied in a ponytail, smiling with simplicity and purity. Both of them were young, around eighteen or nineteen years old. They looked like students, earnestly gazing at the camera.
After taking a look, Evelyn placed the photo back. This must be the person in his heart. This farm, the glass conservatory, the flower fields, and perhaps the horse - everything here belonged to that girl. Since he couldn't forget her, then there was no need to force himself to forget, and there was no need to provoke other people.
Evelyn put the books back in their place, except the one with the photo, "A Hundred Years..."
"The Solitude," placed inconspicuously on the desk. Perhaps he searched for it for a long time and couldn't find it. Why did it have to be 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'?
Silently, she returned to the bedroom. She wasn't sure what to make of all this.
William instinctively looked up at the spot where Evelyn had been sitting, only to find it empty now. He didn't know when she had left. With unfinished business at hand, he thought he would find her later.
Evelyn spotted her bag in the couch, her passport and documents still inside. Only the cash was missing, and her credit card wasn't there either. She probably didn't bring them. She searched through William's jacket and found his wallet. She decided to take some cash with her and repay him later.
In the mezzanine, Evelyn found a picture of a girl. It was the same girl from the picture in the study. Evelyn's hands shook as recognition hit her. She hadn't realized how much her hands were trembling. Everything was just as she had suspected.
With the money for the plane ticket, it occurred to her that she was in the outskirts. She took William's car keys, quietly went to the garage, and drove away, her heart in turmoil. Why did she have to run away?
If they couldn't be together, she needed to retreat while she still could. That was Evelyn's only thought at the moment.
After finishing everything, William stood up and went to find Evelyn. But there was no one to be found. As he saw his wallet and the picture, everything became clear to him. But Evelyn was already at the airport by then.