Chapter 5

The party officially began as the first dishes were served.

Whenever Sophia spoke to him, Ethan's eyes would always drift past her and land on me, intentionally or not.

Sophia definitely noticed, but she maintained that flawless smile, acting like everything was perfectly normal.

When the third dish was served, Ethan suddenly turned to me and asked, "Ms. Hart, where do you live in Kingsford?"

Sophia's hand froze in mid-air as she was about to grab some food.

"Northgate," I kind of mumbled.

"No way," Ethan said. "I live in Northgate, too."

Emily kicked me under the table.

Ethan kept going, "Maybe we can grab a coffee sometime."

"You must be really busy, Mr. Blackwood," I said. "I heard you recently took over the company. You probably have a ton on your plate."

"No matter how busy I am, I still need to eat and drink coffee," Ethan replied.

Sophia set down her fork and dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "Ethan, don't scare Ms. Hart," she said with a gentle smile. "Staring at her like that is making her uncomfortable."

Ethan looked away and took a sip of his wine. He didn't say anything back to Sophia, nor did he apologize.

Emily leaned in and whispered, "Evelyn, he's even more intense than you said. Are you sure this is the same cold, emotionless husband who disappeared for three years?"

Ex-husband, I mentally corrected her.

After the party, William invited everyone to stay for coffee and some live music. I made up an excuse about not feeling well and slipped out early.

As I reached the door, I heard footsteps behind me again. This time, they were even faster than before.

"Ms. Hart." Ethan came after me. This time, he had something extra in his hands, a deep blue velvet box. "I brought this back from overseas.

"A set of antique piano strings. I was originally planning to give it to Reed as a gift for our first meeting."

He handed me the box, his eyes locked on my face. "Now that I know you're Reed, it works out perfectly."

Antique piano strings. These weren't merely valuable. There were fewer than ten sets in existence, each with its own traceable history. Getting hold of one meant Ethan must have put in a ton of effort and research.

I looked down at the box. "Mr. Blackwood, do you know who I am?"

He frowned slightly. "You're Reed."

"I mean, do you know my full name?" I pressed.

"Ms. Hart," he replied. "Mr. Stone only introduced you by your last name."

I smiled. "My name is Evelyn Hart."

Ethan's expression didn't change. The name didn't ring any bells for him; he didn't recognize it at all.

He had no idea that this name had once been on his marriage certificate, the divorce agreement he'd recently signed, and all those holiday cards he never bothered to open over the past three years.

"Nice name," Ethan said.

I pushed the velvet box back to him. "It's way too much. I can't accept it."

"It's a gift for our first meeting. No strings attached," he added.

"I know. But I don't take gifts from strangers," I replied.

Ethan stood there, holding the box, the night breeze lifting the hair from his forehead. His face was calm, but his eyes were bright. "So, when do we stop being strangers?"

I looked at him for a couple of seconds. "Mr. Blackwood."

"Yeah?" he pressed.

I said, "Ms. Lane over there doesn't look too happy."

Ethan didn't glance back. "She's got nothing to do with me."

"You showed up together," I pointed out.

"Showing up together doesn't mean there's anything between us. My mom set us up," he replied.

I didn't want to get into it with him anymore. "Goodnight, Mr. Blackwood."

I got into the car.

As the car pulled away from the Stone family's gate, I caught a glimpse of Ethan in the rearview mirror, still standing on the steps, holding that blue box.

That night, Emily called and went off for a full forty minutes; she spent the first thirty tearing into Ethan, and then switched gears to roast Sophia for the last ten.

"Evelyn, you have no idea, after you left, Sophia looked like she'd swallowed a live frog. Ethan went after you, and she sat there, sipping her drink, putting on that fake smile for everyone who tried to talk to her," Emily said.

"And then?" I asked.

"Then Ethan came back, and she went over to him, saying, 'Ethan, you've had too much to drink. Let me take you home.' But Ethan said, 'No need,' and left her standing there. He left alone," Emily added.