Left In The Dust, Now I Shine Again

A month went by, and Evelyn still hadn't seen Kellan even once.

Rumors flew around that Kellan was already at death's door, and that his new wife would end up a widow.

Evelyn paid no attention to the gossip. Right then, she sat in the presidential suite of the Prime Hotel, the most exclusive place in all of the city.

The meek act she had kept up around the Bensons was gone. Her face now looked sharp and in control.

Behind her, Sean Cooper, her most trusted subordinate, held out a classified dossier.

Dressed all in black, he didn't bother hiding his anger. "Boss, after everything the Bensons put you through, why would you lower yourself by marrying into the Miller family?"

Evelyn slowly swirled the red wine in her glass while the city lights glowed through the windows.

"Eight years ago, there was a massacre that took out my mentor and everyone he trained. The trail went cold right here. Only one family in town has the reach to shut down my entire network—the Millers."

She finished her glass in one go before continuing, her voice turning cold and firm, "The only way to find out what really happened is to get inside the Miller family. Once I know the truth, I have no plans to stay married to Kellan."

It was late when Evelyn finally returned to a villa, where she had been staying since the wedding.

She opened the bedroom door and stopped short.

Steam rolled out of the half-open bathroom. A man walked out, bare-chested, a black robe hanging loose around him.

He was very lean, but there was nothing weak or sickly about him. His body looked tight and well-defined. His face was stunning, yet carried a cold menace that made it hard to hold his gaze.

Their eyes met, and Kellan's brow furrowed as he studied her with icy scrutiny.

"You're the Benson girl they married off to me?"

Evelyn quickly hid the sharpness in her expression and slipped back into the meek, timid role everyone expected. "Yes."

Kellan snorted and walked past her to the sofa. He sat, picked up a glass—fluid, controlled. "Do you know I'm dying?"

Half his face stayed hidden in the dim light, making his expression impossible to read.

Evelyn measured her words. "I only heard you've been unwell."

"Unwell?" Kellan repeated, as if she had said something funny. "Come here."

Evelyn walked over obediently and stopped in front of him.

The next second, he snatched her wrist and yanked her onto his lap.

A surprised breath escaped her as she landed against him. His cold fingers closed around her chin in a firm grip.

"You were willing to marry a dying man. What did the Bensons promise you? Or are you after something else?"

He was so close that she could smell the faint medicinal bitterness under the rich wine on his breath.

The reports had described Evelyn as timid and compliant, the type who let her feelings for a man control everything. Yet the fear on her face didn't match the steady heartbeat he could feel against him.

Evelyn tensed a little. Kellan was much sharper—and far more dangerous—than the rumors made him sound.

Instead of pulling back, she slid both arms around his neck. Her voice came out soft, with a hint of challenge underneath. "You're overthinking it. I married you to do my duty as your wife. And maybe… give you a child."

"A child?" The amusement disappeared from Kellan's face, and his grip on her waist tightened suddenly.

Evelyn kept her expression calm even as he leaned in closer, stopping just short of her lips.

"You want me to put a baby in you so you'll have a claim on my inheritance when I die?" His voice dropped to a low, rough murmur. "Quite ambitious."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Evelyn lifted her head and met his eyes directly.

Kellan studied her face for a moment before asking quietly, "How exactly do you plan to fulfill your duties as my wife?"

His gaze turned predatory, like a wolf sizing up its prey.

Sensing the danger, Evelyn tried to pull away.

Before she could move, he wrapped an arm around her and pinned her to the bed.

The air between them grew heavy and intimate.

Only then did she realize he meant to follow through, and her whole body went stiff. She had taken the act too far.

Just as she wondered whether she should knock the supposedly sick man out, he stopped abruptly. He let her go and stood up, all interest gone.

"My health isn't the best. I'm afraid I won't be able to satisfy you."

He picked up his wineglass and walked out of the bedroom without looking back, his manner distant and cool. The door slammed shut behind him.

Evelyn let out a long breath and sank back against the bed. That was close—his presence almost made her drop her act.

......

The next morning, Evelyn and Kellan sat across from each other at the dining table.

He had changed into an impeccably tailored suit. He still looked pale, but there was no hiding the natural authority of a man used to being obeyed.

Evelyn ate quietly for a while before mentioning casually, "My sister Jessica and Simon are having their engagement party today. I'll be going later."

Kellan's hand paused while turning a page of the newspaper.

Evelyn glanced up. "Will you come?"

As her husband, Kellan would normally be expected to go with her to an engagement party that connected the Benson and Elliott families. He didn't look up. "The butler's got a gift. The driver will take you."

The message was clear—he wasn't going.

Evelyn looked down, hiding her contempt. Of course not—a dying man wouldn't show up at such a public event.

"All right."