Chapter 326
Charles’s breath caught, his eyes darkening with an intensity that shattered his
calm. In those few stunned seconds, Evelyn had already undone the last button of her blouse, ready to slip it off.
Charles moved swiftly, grasping her wrist and pulling her close, his voice a husky whisper, “What are you doing?”
Evelyn’s eyes were frosty as she met his gaze, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “What are you pretending for? You dragged me here with such underhanded tactics. If it wasn’t for this, what were you hoping for, a walk down memory lane?”
Charles was clearly thrown off balance. That wasn’t his intention at all. He couldn’t stand the thought of her with anyone else. For two years, he hadn’t even known if she was alive. Seeing her now, the idea of her being with other men, doing the things they once did together, was unbearable.
The mere thought made him want to eliminate anyone who dared to touch her. She was his, and his alone. If it took some maneuvering to bring her back to him, so be it. Once she was back, there was no way he could resist touching her. But not now.
“Let’s eat first,” Charles murmured.
“You think I can eat with you here?” Evelyn’s smile was even more mocking.
“Do you have a choice?” Charles lowered his gaze, his deep, unfathomable eyes locking onto hers. It was a reminder: he was in control, she was not.
Evelyn bit her lip hard. From the moment she sent that message to Charles, she knew she was cornered.
Charles started to button her blouse back up. She tried to shrug him off, but he held her hand firmly, saying nothing, just meeting her gaze with those deep eyes. Evelyn let go, standing there as Charles carefully buttoned her blouse, then took her hand and led her to the dining table.
Once they reached the table, Evelyn couldn’t stand it any longer. She shook off his hand and picked the seat furthest from the head of the table. As soon as she sat down, Charles chose not to sit in his place but instead sat beside her.
Evelyn pressed her lips together, ultimately saying nothing, and picked up a fork to eat. The past
couple of days, with her mother et
surgery, had left her barely eating. She was starving, but everything tasted like cardboard. She silently and mechanically shovelled food into her mouth.
Charles glanced at her but didn’t eat. Instead, he slipped on some disposable gloves, picked up a shrimp from the table, and started peeling it. It was his first time, and his movements were awkward. After peeling, he placed it in Evelyn’s bowl.
Seeing the shrimp appear in her bowl, Evelyn frowned, picked it up with her fork without a second thought, and tossed it into the trash. The first shrimp was tossed away, and Charles’s expression darkened slightly, the shrimp in his hand getting squashed under his grip.
After a moment, Charles relaxed his hold, tossed the crushed shrimp into the trash, and reached for a third one. With the experience from the first, he peeled the third shrimp quickly. This time, instead of placing it in her bowl, he brought it to her lips.
Evelyn turned her face away defiantly. This kind of intimacy had once been something she dreamed of. Now, all Evelyn felt was resistance.
Charles ignored her defiance, his voice firm, “Eat.”
Evelyn gripped her fork tightly, almost as if she intended to snap it in half. Charles didn’t back down. Evelyn was forced to open her mouth and swallow the shrimp. She barely chewed before swallowing it whole, and the entire shrimp lodged in her throat.