Chapter 226 I Only Want to Do It for Her
The celebs and reporters around were all like, 'Whoa, did you see that?' when they spotted Evelyn.
"Eiss, my bad, I didn't know you were waiting for me," Evelyn said, a bit flustered, her usually cool face turning a little red.
Eiss, rocking her shades and a friendly smile, replied, "No biggie, you've been busy all night."
Then she threw an arm around Evelyn's shoulder like they were besties and grinned at the reporters, "Hey, snap a few pics of us together, will ya?"
Evelyn's eyes went wide.
Everyone was stunned. 'The always distant and quirky fashion queen Eiss is actually so hyped about taking a pic with someone? This Evelyn must be something special, drawing in fans left and right!'
Debra and Jessica looked like they just bit into a lemon, especially Jessica, who was left standing there, feeling the burn of humiliation from head to toe.
'Why are all these big shots all over her? I just don't get it!' Jessica fumed.
Evelyn and Eiss posed for a photo, and even though Evelyn tried to keep her cool, she was buzzing inside. The face she lost earlier was kind of restored now.
After the photo op, Evelyn and Eiss found a quiet spot to chat.
"Eiss, I really appreciate what you did back there," Evelyn said sincerely. "As you saw tonight, I ran into some trouble. Taking a photo with me is like a stamp of approval and helps me get some of my dignity back."
"Ms. Taylor."
"I get it, I'm the event organizer, so you helping me also makes the event look good," Evelyn smiled knowingly. "But still, I'm super grateful."
"No, Ms. Taylor. My help isn't about our work relationship."
Eiss looked at her with a kind, almost motherly gaze. "It's because of your brother, Mr. Landon Taylor. He asked me to look out for you and make sure you're okay at this event."
Evelyn's eyes flashed with surprise!
'Landon's always got my back, always worried I'll get bullied. Even if he can't be here, he makes sure I'm taken care of. But Eiss's feelings for Landon are beyond friends! Landon, you know Eiss has a thing for you, yet you still use her. That's not cool!' Evelyn thought.
"Ms. Taylor, I know Ada canceled her deal with you, which hit you hard," Eiss said, adjusting her sunglasses, her face turning serious. "I've known Ada for years, and we're tight. I'll talk to her about the wedding planning rights and see if I can help you out more."
"No, no, no!" Evelyn waved her hands frantically. "You've already done so much! I'd feel way too indebted if you helped more!"
"Afraid of owing me a favor, Ms. Taylor?"
Eiss gently patted her shoulder, her voice soft. "Don't sweat it. I'm doing this because I want to, not because I expect anything back. You know how much I like your brother, right?" Evelyn bit her lip and nodded vigorously.
"You're Mr. Taylor's favorite sister, a big deal to him. Anyone he cares about, I care about too. I've been into him for ten years, never asking for anything back. As long as he lets me keep liking him, I'm good."
When Eiss mentioned Landon, her eyes lit up with pure love.
Evelyn was left speechless, wondering what kind of magic Landon had to make Eiss so head over heels.
Outside, Edward was chain-smoking in the smoking area, but it didn't help with the heavy stuff weighing on his mind.
Seeing the auction was about to kick off, he dragged his heavy mood and slowly made his way to the venue.
Edward, tall and brooding, walked from one end of the corridor.
At the other end, Gilbert was heading his way.
They stopped in front of the venue.
Their eyes locked, and it felt like an invisible showdown, tension crackling in the air.
Edward looked at Gilbert with a cold, unreadable expression.
Gilbert adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Edward, what a coincidence. Here to do some charity work too?"
Edward's eyes were calm, his lips curling into a slow smirk. "I'm not as generous as you. I'm just here to help her."
The "her" he meant was obviously Evelyn.
Gilbert's smile froze, his fingers clenching tightly.
The main event of the night, the charity auction, finally kicked off.
There were two ways to join in: donate items or bid on them.
All the money raised would go to a national charity fund, everything above board, no shady deals.
This was the fifteenth year "MINT" held this charity gig, and everyone was buzzing about whether KS WORLD would break the donation record this year.
Edward and Gilbert walked in, causing a bit of a stir.
But tonight was Evelyn's night, and they didn't want to steal her thunder, so they quietly took seats in the back row.
Meanwhile, Evelyn, clueless that Gilbert was there too, sat up front with Eiss, chatting away.
Jessica, sitting far from them, watched with envy and anger.
The auction began.
The host pulled off the red cloth covering the glass display case, revealing the first auction item. "This piece is from Mrs. Alexander's private collection, a necklace with five square-cut emeralds and diamonds! Super rare and precious!"
Everyone gasped in awe!
The first item was a big deal, giving Evelyn's charity event a huge boost!
Evelyn was secretly surprised, quickly scanning the room for Gilbert.
She soon spotted his handsome face in the corner.
Gilbert caught her surprised look, smiled slightly, and gave her a discreet wave.
Evelyn smiled and waved back.
Little did they know, Edward saw the whole thing.
Edward stared hard at Evelyn's smiling face, feeling a burning anger in his throat, and the number plate in his hand was getting all bent out of shape from his grip.
