The CEO's Secret Obsession

[Carter Mansion—Evelyn’s Room] 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Evelyn sat on the edge of her bed long after the call ended with her phone still in her hands and the screen dimming slowly.

Her heart wasn’t racing with panic but there was a heavy knot of worry sitting right under her ribs.

Alexander was going out of the city to deal with sabotage and with Jack’s mess all by himself.

Just then, her door burst open without a single knock but Evelyn didn’t even flinch because only one person entered rooms like she paid rent there.

Patricia.

She strode in with a packet of chips under her arm and a water bottle in the other hand.

"Alright," she announced, plopping onto the bed dramatically, "tell me why your face looks like a rejected tomato."

Evelyn blinked. "A what?"

"A rejected tomato," Patricia repeated seriously. "The kind grocery vendors throw away because it’s soft, squishy and stressed. You look like that."

Despite her mood, Evelyn laughed under her breath. "I am just worried."

Patricia tore open the chips. "About the wedding? About how I will steal all the attention at your reception with my superior dancing skills?"

"No—" Evelyn sighed. "About Alexander."

Patricia froze mid-bite. "What happened to Mr. Handsome Hunk?"

Evelyn shook her head quickly. "No one. He just had to leave for Heinberg with Lucas. Something about the project and it’s something serious."

Patricia narrowed her eyes. "Serious like ’business serious’ or serious like ’Jack’s-brain-damaged-planning serious’?"

"Second one," Evelyn muttered.

Patricia stuffed three chips in her mouth at once. "Ah yes. Disaster Serious."

Evelyn tried not to smile but then the worry crept back, soft but persistent. "I don’t like that he rushed out like that. He sounded tense."

Patricia eyed her. "Tense like a man whose little brother is slowly morphing into a comic-book villain?"

When Evelyn rolled her eyes, she shrugged, "What? Jack is giving off suspicious vibes. Like he is about to release bees into a kindergarten."

Evelyn pressed her lips together. "That is oddly specific."

Patricia reached over and squeezed Evelyn’s knee. "Hey, he is fine. Alexander is literally the most capable man I have seen and I have watched enough men fail at putting together IKEA furniture to know what competence looks like."

Evelyn laughed again and the knot in her chest loosened slightly.

"And Lucas is with him," Patricia added. "Yes, he is chaotic but he is loyal and sometimes accidentally smart but still smart."

Evelyn exhaled, softer this time. "I just—I didn’t like how he said goodbye. He kept saying ’Don’t worry’ but his voice—"

"Sounded like he was already imagining twenty worst-case scenarios?" Patricia finished.

Evelyn nodded helplessly.

Patricia shuffled closer, bumping their shoulders. "Look, babe. You are engaged to the man—"

"We aren’t engaged."

"—emotionally engaged," Patricia corrected. "Which is even worse."

Evelyn rolled her eyes.

Patricia continued anyway. "You should be worried. That’s how love works but don’t torture yourself. He will call you and then you can melt into a puddle again and I will pretend not to vomit from the sweetness."

Evelyn felt her cheeks warm. "I don’t melt."

"You do," Patricia said. "Your face turns pink and your voice goes soft-soft like a malfunctioning kitten."

Evelyn threw a cushion at her but Patricia caught it and continued eating chips without missing a beat.

Silence fell but comfortable this time.

Then Evelyn whispered, almost to herself— "I just want him to come back safe."

Patricia’s voice softened too. "He will. That man would survive a zombie apocalypse and look good doing it."

Evelyn let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and for the first time since the phone call, she actually felt like she could breathe.

Patricia glanced at her sideways. "Now, should I distract you? Should we stalk his old photos? Or should we look at wedding decor ideas? Ooh—Should we pick honeymoon destinations?"

Evelyn buried her face in her hands. "Oh God."

Patricia grinned wickedly. "Take that as a yes."

The tension finally cracked and was replaced by something warm.

Outside, the night settled around the mansion and inside, Evelyn held her phone a little closer, hoping it would buzz with his name soon.

...

[Reid Enterprise—Jack’s Office]

Jack had barely stepped into his office when his phone began vibrating nonstop.

It was an unknown number. He ignored it at first but when it kept ringing again and again, he finally answered with irritation.

"What?" he snapped.

A shaky voice stammered on the other end, "Mr. Reid—w-we have a problem."

Jack froze when the recognition hit him immediately. It was the senior project overseer from the Heinberg site.

The same man he had paid to quietly alter a few construction steps—just enough for the inspectors to think something was off.

"What problem?" Jack snapped, keeping his voice low.

The man swallowed audibly. "Your brother—Alexander—he is coming here today. He said he wants to investigate the site personally."

Jack’s blood ran cold.

"What? Why?" he hissed.

"Because he doesn’t believe the violations are real. He is calling every team head, every foreman. If he discovers the adjustments we made—"

Jack’s pulse spiked so hard his hands shook.

"Listen to me," Jack cut him off. "You will not say a single word. Not to Alexander not to anyone. Do you hear me?"

"But sir, if he finds out—"

"He won’t," Jack insisted with his voice sharp but trembling. "Just stay quiet. Undo whatever you can and act clueless. And don’t—don’t take my name."

The man whimpered, "I shouldn’t have done this. I have a family—"

"And I paid you very well," Jack snapped. "Now shut up and fix it."

He hung up before the man could spiral more.

For a long moment, Jack just stood there, staring at the wall, breathing like he’d run a marathon.

This wasn’t part of the plan. Alexander wasn’t supposed to go to Heinberg, he wasn’t supposed to take anything seriously and he wasn’t supposed to investigate.

Jack dragged both hands through his hair. "Shit—shit—shit."

He needed help but not the right kind. He didn’t want to confess.

He needed someone who would protect him, cover for him, as always.

He then dialed Olivia.

....