chapter 08
Evelyn visits Dylan in the hospital as Daphne requested, and through that, she gradually becomes a bridge connecting the two of them.
But there was something far more important than that.
‘Everdare Department Store will eventually end up closing.’
It wasn’t because sales were poor or because people didn’t visit.
It was due to a massive fire caused by an unexplained explosion, resulting in a large number of casualties.
Among those who died in the incident was Dylan’s secretary, Noel. Because of this, negative rumors about Dylan once again came under public scrutiny.
First, he was said to have killed his business partner—and now, his own secretary.
With bad luck stacking on top of scandalous rumors, Dylan was pushed into a corner.
‘Even if it’s not connected to Daphne, Dylan could still be in danger.’
Of course, Daphne plays the biggest role in his downfall, but this incident is also a major tragedy. Any seed of danger must be eliminated early.
That was why Evelyn came to meet Dylan immediately.
She wanted, if possible, to prevent anyone from getting hurt—and to save Dylan.
Since she couldn’t give him the answer he wanted, she needed to make that clear as well.
At Evelyn’s refusal, Dylan let out a cold sneer.
“From the nonsense you’re spouting, it seems Primrose is still holding up. Well, I suppose even a noble house is only worth this much.”
“No, the situation is actually very bad. I heard you cut off all funding sources for my father’s business.”
Because of that, Isaac was running around desperately searching for investors.
And in between all that, he also made sure not to neglect pressuring Evelyn.
Remembering the voice that had been shouting beyond her door, Evelyn couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“My father would probably kiss your feet if that would solve this problem.”
“Then why are you refusing my request?”
“Because business matters are my father’s issue, not mine.”
Saying something like that felt strange.
Normally, her family’s problems were also her own.
Her mouth felt bitter. Evelyn erased her faint smile and spoke again.
“I came to talk about the department store that will open soon in Monders.”
“…What?”
Dylan frowned for a moment, but Evelyn’s tone didn’t waver.
“I know you’re capable, but you should give it up. Selling it is the simplest option with the least loss. Fortunately, many people are already interested in your department store, so there will be buyers—”
“Enough.”
Bang!
Dylan slammed his hand on the table. If the person in front of him hadn’t been Evelyn—someone he could subdue with one hand—it would have been a fist instead.
A growl-like voice leaked from his sharply furrowed face.
“I let you talk because I thought you might say you were canceling the engagement, and now what? Who gave you the right to say something like that to me?”
“It’s hard to explain. But it’s the truth.”
Evelyn hesitated briefly. Should she tell him that his department store would later be destroyed in a fire?
If he could prepare in advance, it would be ideal—but she had no concrete knowledge of the cause.
In fact, there were too many possible causes. Everdare Department Store had been built using every advanced technology of the era, in an excessively extravagant way.
Even the chandeliers alone reportedly used more than thirty light bulbs, and newspapers had once run major articles estimating the enormous cost poured into the building.
With something like that, there were countless possibilities for accidents.
‘And it hasn’t even opened yet.’
Would he even believe it if she told him?
It didn’t matter if he thought she was crazy—but if he refused to believe it entirely…
Bang!
At that moment, the door opened without a knock.
It was Noel. Pale-faced, he rushed into the room.
“Excuse me, sir! We need to move up the schedule for Monders in 20 minutes! There’s been a cancellation from one of the department store tenants—”
“What?”
Dylan stood up abruptly, frowning.
The building had already been completed long ago.
Only tenant contracts remained, and they were all top-tier luxury brands.
If even one canceled, the damage would be significant.
If Noel’s words were true, there was no time to sit and talk here. He immediately tried to send Evelyn away.
Whatever she knew about the department store, it was likely tied to Primrose’s troubles anyway. There was no need to waste time on it.
“You should leave. We’ll talk about this later—tell the staff who escorted you to arrange a meeting—”
“No, let me come with you.”
“What did you say?”
Dylan snapped sharply.
He didn’t even have the time—or desire—to maintain basic courtesy. Every time he dealt with this unpredictable woman, irritation rose inside him for no clear reason.
But in truth, it was natural. Evelyn was the one who had disrupted everything he had carefully planned and was now spouting nonsense on top of it.
He turned away as if unwilling to deal with her further.
“I already know you’re not in your right mind. If you’re insane, go home and stay there quietly.”
“I already did.”
“…What?”
For a moment Dylan’s expression stiffened, shaken—but Evelyn remained calm.
“I want to help you. Let me come with you.”
Her violet eyes looked straight at him. At that clear gaze, Dylan frowned.
By his principles, bringing an outsider like Evelyn into the workplace was unacceptable—especially in a situation where business issues had already arisen.
But…
Dylan mentally weighed the situation.
“Sir, what are you doing? We need to leave immediately!”
“…Damn it. I know that already, shut up.”
The calculation was over.
Dylan looked Evelyn up and down, then spoke.
“You can come. But you must agree to one condition. If you can’t, I can’t take you.”
“Alright. What is it?”
“You must cooperate with everything I say.”
Shortly after, a carriage left the Everdare headquarters.
The head of Everdare Department Store, Hudson Redding, suddenly recalled a line from a book he had read recently:
“A rabbit, when fighting, can strike a male’s face up to five times per second.”
At the time, he had thought it was impressive.
That was before he realized his own heart could beat five times per second from anxiety.
No—maybe even ten.
Hudson stared resentfully at the unmoving clock hand, then whispered tearfully to his coworker beside him.
“Emma… when is the boss coming?”
“A telegram just arrived saying they’ve departed… They should be here within thirty minutes, so don’t rush…”
Emma’s voice was equally tearful.
Normally, they argued all the time—but now they were so united they would have preferred death over separation. They exchanged looks, silently shedding invisible tears.
‘I hate the boss for sending me here… sob!’
‘Me too… sob…’
The reason for their distress was simple.
A brand scheduled to sign a contract with the department store today had suddenly announced its cancellation.
“Our brand is not something that should be treated this poorly. This is unbelievable!”
“If our director hears about this, we will definitely cut all ties with Everdare.”
The two representatives across from Hudson and Emma spoke with clear displeasure.
And the meaning was obvious.
A crisis.
