"He defended you," Kevin said. "Does he have an ulterior motive?"
My heart skipped a beat. Kevin voiced the thing that weighed on my mind.
Ethan's attitude toward me changed so suddenly. It seemed like he had no desire to control or influence my actions at all.
"Don't overthink it," I said, forcing a smile and pretending like I had nothing to worry about. "It's pure business between us. We don't talk about anything besides that. We won't even meet each other except for business matters. He's probably doing all this for the sake of the company."
Lianne and Kevin glanced at each other. They looked like they didn't entirely believe what I said. Even so, they were thoughtful enough not to dwell on the matter. Instead, they started talking about the plans for our brand.
Later on, I became fully focused on making the preparations for my brand and rarely met Ethan. We sometimes bumped into each other at the company. When we did, we simply nodded and went our ways.
I thought that by keeping my distance from him like this, I could avoid unnecessary trouble.
One day, I worked overtime. It was already late, but I stayed at the studio to finish my tasks. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I looked at it to see that it was a call from a stranger.
After a moment of hesitation, I answered the call.
"Hello? Who is this?" I asked.
A hoarse voice that could only belong to a man answered my question. "Is this Evelyn Wiley? I'm Mr. Carlos' friend."
The alarm bells went off in my mind.
Carlos? How did he get my number?
"Is something the matter?" I asked warily.
The man laughed. "What else could it be? Of course, I'm settling the score with you! Do you really think you're safe because Ethan has your back? Listen up! It's not over just yet!"
My grip on my phone tightened. So, that scumbag Carlos still hadn't given up. He even had someone call me to threaten me!
I wasn't really scared of him. After all, he was just a thug, and laws governed this world.
The thing was that I was currently in the middle of designing a new product. This call ruined my pleasant mood, and when a designer's mood was affected, their emotions would show through the product. This might result in the product failing to meet the market's needs.
Carlos was so annoying!
In response to the thug's threatening words, I said, "If Carlos hates me so much, ask him to come see me in person."
My tone was cold as I continued, "It's ridiculous that he asked someone else to confront me when he could've done it himself."
"In person?" The thug laughed scornfully. "Well then, I'm coming!"
He had just finished talking when I heard hurried footsteps coming from behind me. Alarmed, I turned only to find several burly thugs walking over to me.
Oh, shoot!
I glanced around anxiously, panic rising in my chest. The studio was located in a rather secluded area in the suburbs.
It was late. No one would pass by. Even the security had got off work.
Carlos purposely picked this time for his thugs to find me. He really put in a lot of effort to make my life miserable.
My grip on the phone tightened once more as I wracked my brain to come up with a solution at such a critical moment.
Although I once learned a bit of self-defense, there was more than one thug here, and they were all muscular and burly. I wouldn't stand a chance against them.
Therefore, the viable choice was to flee.
My eyes darted to the doors of the studio where several thugs stood. They blocked the entrance so that I couldn't escape.
What if I cried for help? No one could hear me at this hour since there wouldn't be anyone around.
If I called the police, I would probably be beaten to a pulp before the police arrived.
I was in a dilemma, unsure of what to do. It was at this moment that the screeching of tires filled the air. The next thing I knew, I heard a familiar voice saying, "Evelyn! Are you okay?"
I was overjoyed and relieved to hear that voice. Ethan was here!
Was it a coincidence that he arrived just in time?
The sound caught the thugs' attention, and I seized the chance to run to the door and out into the open.
Ethan's sedan was parked not far away from where I was. He had already got out of the car and was rushing over to me.
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