Chapter 49 Reunion

Vivian looked at Evelyn, who was solely focused on getting discharged, and repeatedly asked her, "Are you sure you're okay? Is there anywhere that still hurts? Can you really be discharged now?"

Evelyn nodded heavily, "I'm really fine."

Vivian double-checked again and even went to inquire with the attending doctor before proceeding with the discharge procedures for Evelyn. However, as soon as they stepped outside, they bumped into Charles once again. This scene seemed too familiar.

But this time, Vivian didn't need to look up to know who it was. In such a short time, she had memorized not only his appearance but also his scent, and upon realizing this, Vivian felt both terrified and indescribably happy.

Vivian helped her up and asked, "What's the rush?"

Before Vivian could react, the passing nurses and patients began pointing and gossiping. Someone even took out their phone and snapped a picture, causing Vivian to feel like her tension had snapped as well.

"Why are they taking pictures? What's there to capture?" Vivian wanted to say something more, but Charles playfully interrupted her, covering his mouth, and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at how cute you are," Charles said, using those words for the first time. Vivian's cheeks instantly turned red, and in his soft laughter, she ran away.

When Charles entered the room, Evelyn was lying on the bed, looking at a magazine without lifting her head. "Did you flirt with her again?"

Charles smiled and didn't say anything. He placed the bought food in front of her and asked, "Do you want to eat?"

Evelyn finally put down the magazine and turned to look at him. "Let's eat out later."

"Can you leave the hospital now?" Charles asked.

"Yeah, thank you," she responded. Of course, she knew that Charles didn't only come to the hospital for Vivian; he also thought the media was blowing things out of proportion. That's why he blocked Aron from visiting alone. This helped alleviate the scandal.

"If you really want to express your gratitude, then I won't hold back," Charles said.

"Have you ever held back?" Evelyn retorted.

This time, Charles truly smiled. Evelyn had known all along; she really was perceptive. But why couldn't she see clearly when it came to her own affairs? Perhaps she had encountered someone she couldn't easily understand or move on from.

"Don't push too hard, and although she seems proactive in everything she does, she's also easily discouraged due to lack of confidence," Evelyn couldn't help but kindly remind him.

At this moment, Charles no longer played dumb. "Am I not clear enough?"

"What do you think? The sense of security is crucial for girls," Evelyn said, surprising herself with her own words. She had never thought about whether she had a sense of security.

Charles seemed to understand something from her tone and withdrew his smile. He silently took a glance at her and asked, "From personal experience?"

Evelyn found this person truly unlikeable. How could he see through things but not speak up? Didn't he understand such reasoning? She just glared at him, picked up the magazine again, and ignored him.

This was the first time Charles saw Evelyn so animated. She was no longer as calm and aloof as when they first met. It seemed that Vivian's presence here wasn't in vain. Charles couldn't help but burst out laughing.

When Vivian entered the room, she saw this scene. The light in her eyes dimmed slowly, and she walked straight to Evelyn. "Evelyn, the paperwork is done. We can leave now."

Charles also stood up and said, "Let's go, I'll take you."

Evelyn knew that Vivian must have misunderstood something, but at this moment she just wanted to add fuel to the fire. She nodded and smiled, saying, "Sure, I appreciate your help."

Charles looked at her smile, truly sinister and terrifying. Indeed, this was the true nature of the scheming Evelyn.

The three of them sat together, feeling truly awkward. Evelyn occasionally glanced at Charles through the rearview mirror and had a strong intuition that he would be Vivian's reliance in the future. It wasn't until much later, when Evelyn stood at their wedding venue, that she marveled at how accurate her prediction had been.

"Please drop me off at the intersection near my office." Evelyn felt that work was still important, especially when experiencing disappointment in love. She couldn't afford to slack off at work. After getting out of the car, Evelyn dialed Antonio's number and he immediately came downstairs to pick her up.

Frowning, Antonio asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to be at the office? Don't you want to take a break?"

Evelyn took off her oversized black sunglasses. Today, she was wearing a navy coat. As soon as she entered the office, she took it off and held it in her hand. She turned her head to look at Antonio and replied, "If I keep resting like this, I'll turn moldy."

"Adrian is worried about you and has cancelled all of his work for the next month because you're back in the hospital. If you come here now, you'll just sit and have coffee. What else can you do?" Antonio said.

"I remember reading a script before, a modern play. Who was cast as the male lead?" Evelyn ignored him and asked.

"Are you referring to 'Shall I Compare You To A Spring Day'? The male lead is Alan. This play isn't very good though; it's too different from 'Heroine' and it's a TV drama. If you're considering trying television, there's a good costume drama that's popular right now, based on a game adaptation. Since you've recently become a spokesperson for games, it suits you better," Antonio suggested.

"I'll think about it. Show me both scripts," Evelyn said.

Antonio couldn't believe that Evelyn accepted his opinion so easily. Her illness really frightened him.

Suddenly, Evelyn thought of something, "Is that person still in prison?"

As soon as Antonio heard "that person," he knew who Evelyn was referring to. "No, he's not. It seems like he was sent abroad. Anyway, don't dwell on these things; you've done everything you could in all these years. Don't burden yourself anymore."

Evelyn nodded and said, "Give me the scripts."

After Antonio left, Evelyn still couldn't resist thinking about these messy matters. Now she understood why, it must have been Étienne's doing. These days, she had wondered if she had been too ruthless, but whenever she thought of that night, her emotions couldn't calm down.

Leo had taken Étienne back to France, and when he returned, the people on the estate were stunned. In such a short period of time, Étienne seemed as if there was no life left in him, like a wilted flower. Étienne's deep slumber continued, making everyone doubt if he would ever wake up again.

Sidney calmly watched him, unsure whether to feel happy or sad.

The most furious among them was undoubtedly Jason. He was perfectly fine before going to the United States, yet Leo brought him back in this state. Jason called for Leo, wanting to know what had happened. "I want to know what exactly happened," he demanded.

"It's business-related," Leo replied, hiding the truth. He knew that with Jason's personality, if he found out about Evelyn's existence, she would have no chance of survival. After the night in the rain, Leo understood that his actions could potentially harm Étienne.

Jason naturally didn't believe him. "Business? Since when did he take business matters so seriously?"

Leo realized the importance of his answer and couldn't help but sweat nervously. He tried his best to act naturally, saying, "I'm not sure about that. But Master has been dedicated to business in recent years. Otherwise, he wouldn't have easily removed the Menier family from power."

Jason didn't inquire further and simply nodded. "Alright, I understand."

Leo narrowly escaped a disaster and secretly felt relieved.

When Leo turned to leave, Jason halted him with a shout, "You two have grown up together, and you've taken care of him all these years."

Leo smiled and shook his head before stepping back. He knew exactly what that statement meant. It had been too many years, and he truly didn't know which side he stood on anymore. But they were like father and son, and no matter how much they clashed, it was only temporary. The thought eased his mind a little.

Standing outside Étienne's room, Leo found Sophie silently standing by the bed. Even after six years had passed, she still loved Étienne. This reunion could be seen as either another test or the continuation of fate. However, Leo instantly thought, "What does this have to do with me? Everything is unrelated to me," and this thought couldn't be clearer.

After a moment's consideration, Leo decided to enter the room. "You should go and rest. I'll take care of him."

Sophie looked up, seeing Leo, and forced a bitter smile while shaking her head. "Étienne, did you go back to find her?" Her expression was weak and filled with resignation.

Leo couldn't bear to look at her. "I have no comment. I'm sorry."

In fact, that was his answer, and Sophie understood it perfectly. However, seeing him return in such a wounded state, she couldn't help but encourage herself in her heart. "Perhaps there's still a chance. Why can't it be worth waiting for her?"

When Étienne finally woke up, a week had already passed. Opening his heavy eyelids, he looked at the familiar scene, knowing that he had returned and that everything was not a dream but real. Evelyn had said that she didn't love him, that she had never loved him.

Looking at Sophie, who was still kneeling by his bed, everything became undeniably real.

Sophie opened her eyes under his gaze and looked at the awakened Étienne. She could hardly believe it, as if she didn't dare to.

With a determined blink of his eyes, he realized it was indeed real. "Are you awake? How do you feel? I'll call the doctor," Sophie anxiously stood up.

Étienne only now realized that the person from his memories had returned to reality, and it felt just like this - no hatred, no love, just a calmness, devoid of any emotions.

After resting for a few days, Étienne felt much better. Jason sat on the couch, looking at Étienne. "No need to work so hard, the business will never be finished."

Étienne looked at him with a somewhat paternal demeanor, not wanting to say anything else in his heart, just quietly sipping his coffee.

Jason continued, "Rest well, and if you take this opportunity, I will hand over the Chevalier Group to you."

"Remember, you're not my only son, and if I give it to you, someone will be dissatisfied," Étienne said the words he had heard his father say to him so many times before. Besides, he had no interest in the Chevalier Group himself.

Jason didn't expect Étienne to say this, although surprised, he knew it was something he must face. Sidney also had a son, but the Chevalier Group only had one. His selfishness was obvious, which was why Sidney felt cold-hearted. However, some things couldn't be compensated for by just one Chevalier Group.

"I don't want the Chevalier Group," Étienne calmly stated, as if he were saying, "I don't want breakfast."