Chapter 4

Evelyn's POV

The next day, Alexander rescheduled my speech training.

He cleared out the small meeting room next to my ward, leaving only the head trustee and my speech therapist.

The draft sat on the desk, alongside a version Alexander had marked with red ink to show me where to pause and breathe.

When I sat down, the first thing I did was look at his phone.

He got the hint. He turned it face down on the desk.

"I'm not taking any calls today," he promised. "I'm staying right here with you."

The way he said it made it sound like he was doing me a massive favor.

I remained silent.

I looked down at the paper. On the first run, I choked halfway through. My tongue felt heavy, completely disconnected from my brain. I knew the next word was legacy, but my lips refused to form the 'L' sound.

Alexander didn't rush me. He just sat there, waiting quietly.

On the second run, I managed to get through most of it.

The therapist nodded encouragingly. "If we keep this level of stability, the Board confirmation is still highly possible."

Possible. That word gave me a tiny spark of hope. My tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

Once the training ended, the therapist and the trustee left the room.

Alexander stayed behind, sliding his chair closer to mine.

I pointed to the sentence where I always got stuck, signaling him to help me practice it again.

Alexander leaned in, breaking the sentence down into single words, teaching me the pronunciation as if I were a child.

I repeated after him.

The first time, the sound broke.

The second time, it was jumbled.

But on the third try, I got it out.

A complete, perfectly clear sentence.

My eyes welled with tears. My fingers pressed into the paper so hard they left indents.

Alexander whispered, "You're going to take your mother's seat, Evelyn. No one can steal it from you."

I opened my mouth, wanting to repeat those words.

But before I could speak, a frantic knocking disrupted us.

Alexander's assistant pushed the door open, his face pale.

"Mr. Sterling, there's an emergency at Pinecrest. It's Allison."

My hand was still resting on the page I had just mastered.

The assistant explained that Allison was supposed to record her video apology today. But she had a breakdown during the recording, knocked over a heavy medicine cart, and injured her head again.

The clinic was demanding Alexander's presence immediately to sign a liability waiver.

Otherwise, Allison's family threatened to sue us for harassment and pressuring a brain-injured patient.

Alexander's face turned incredibly cold.

"Call our lawyers."

But the assistant didn't leave. He lowered his voice. "She keeps screaming your name, sir. She says you're the only one who knows she isn't faking it."

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

Alexander looked back at me, his eyes pleading for understanding.

I pushed the draft toward him. I can still practice. Please stay.

But Alexander was already standing up, grabbing his coat.

"I need to put out this fire, Evelyn. I'll be back as fast as I can to finish practicing with you."

I wanted to tell him not to bother coming back. I wanted to tell him to stay. But both thoughts clashed in my throat, leaving only a broken, choked gasp.

Alexander leaned down and gave me a quick, comforting hug.

"Don't worry. Your board confirmation will happen."

Then, he turned and walked out.

Only after the door clicked shut did I notice his phone, which he had left face down on the table, was buzzing relentlessly. Missed call after missed call from Pinecrest Rehab.

I was left alone in the cold meeting room. I picked up my draft.

But when I tried to read the sentence I had just mastered, my voice cracked. The words were gone.

I opened the shared iCloud folder.

Allison's profile had already updated with a new medical log.

There was no mention of her knocking over a cart. It only said: Alexander Sterling is en route. Therapists and legal counsel are waiting at the entrance.

Beneath that, there was a screenshot.

It was the schedule for my Board confirmation meeting.

Allison had typed in the notes: Evelyn's confirmation can only go smoothly if Alexander settles my case first.

I stared at the schedule, and slowly, I folded my speech draft into a small, tight square.

Alexander didn't return until past midnight.

I was still awake, sitting in the dark with the folded paper on my lap.

The moment he walked in, he started explaining. "Allison's head injury caused a major legal dispute. If I hadn't gone, all our previous progress on her lawsuit would have been thrown out."

I listened quietly, my hand resting on the folded draft.

Very slowly, with immense effort, I asked, "Does... my... confirmation... have to... wait... for her... to finish?"

I had to pause three times just to get those words out.

Alexander fell silent for a long moment.

"Legally, the two cases are linked," he said softly. "But I will handle it, Evelyn. Trust me."

I nodded. Then I placed the folded paper into my bedside drawer.

Alexander reached out to stop me, but the drawer was already shut.