Chapter 234

Evelyn Sinclair toyed with the greens on her plate, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Doesn't seem like it."

She wasn't stupid. Roman Young's cowering demeanor either marked him as a scapegoat or an exceptional actor.

Either way, Xavier Stapleton was clearly up to no good.

Hugo Lee hadn't transferred her here for a vacation.

Xavier's flattery held traces of sincerity and calculation, but Evelyn couldn't be bothered to decipher it.

She knew one thing—she had to stay sharp.

The situation was obvious. Xavier had the entire department ganging up on Roman, the new hire.

Why would a meek probationary employee warrant such elaborate targeting?

Was this simple workplace bullying, or... was Roman, like her, the real target?

Evelyn found the puzzle intriguing.

"Evelyn, don't let his innocent act fool you. We've all been burned before—that's why we're warning you." Wendy West wore a look of earnest concern.

"Thanks for the heads-up." Evelyn set down her chopsticks. "But I prefer to see things for myself. Excuse me."

...

"See for herself? Does she think we're making this up?" Wendy fumed, immediately rounding up colleagues to ambush Roman after lunch.

"Roman, hand over Evelyn's hard drive. Do you even know who she is?"

Roman hung his head like a chastened child.

"Evelyn is the Crown Prince's woman—his most treasured. Touch her things, and you're out by tomorrow!"

Roman shuddered violently.

The Crown Prince's woman...

...

That afternoon, Evelyn ran into Roman outside the break room.

"E-Evelyn..." His voice trembled as he held out a hard drive. "I'm sorry... I found it on the floor..."

Evelyn took it, running her fingers lightly over the surface.

"Brand new?" she asked abruptly.

Roman paled. "I... I..."

Evelyn sighed. "My drive has a mark. Don't confess to things you didn't do."

She walked away, missing how Roman's fists clenched behind her.

...

Commotion erupted in the office.

Xavier stormed in, dragging Roman by the collar before slamming him onto Evelyn's desk.

Crash!

Glass shards scattered as blood streaked across the surface.

"Xavier!" Evelyn shot to her feet.

Xavier fished out a hard drive from Roman's pocket. "Evelyn, is this yours?"

"No." Evelyn coldly retrieved another drive from her drawer. "I found mine."

Xavier's face froze.

"Just a misunderstanding." He released Roman, then kicked him for good measure.

Roman silently gathered the broken pieces, blood dripping onto Evelyn's desk.

"Go to the hospital." She passed him a trash bin.

"Ow!" Xavier suddenly yelped. "I got cut! Look, Evelyn!"

Evelyn stared.

Was this man mentally deficient?

She briskly cleared her desk. "Xavier, take your meds if you're sick, or grab lunch if you're not. The hospital's always open."

"Now move. You're blocking my light."

Xavier stood rooted, his face cycling through shades of fury.

As the major shareholder's son, when had he ever been treated like this?

Yet he couldn't lay a finger on Evelyn.