Late spring in Northshore City, and the afternoon sun made everything feel sluggish and drowsy.
After the morning meeting with Tom Jacobs and Sasha Quinn, Evan had been crystal clear: don't show that detailed proposal to anyone else. He waved goodbye to Lana at the front desk and slipped out of the office.
First stop—the hospital. His father, Frank Carter, was still unconscious, but the doctor had good news. Frank's condition had stabilized. He just hadn't woken up yet because of exhaustion and stress. With proper rest, he should regain consciousness within three days. Evan thanked the doctor, stayed with his father for a while, and when his mother Kelly arrived, he quietly left the hospital.
Watching the sun dip lower in the sky, Evan pulled out his phone and texted Emily Warren:
"Hey gorgeous, you free? Let's grab dinner."
Emily's reply came back almost instantly, like she'd been staring at her phone:
"Okay."
Evan scratched his head. Were people always this decisive now? He hadn't even mentioned when or where, and she'd already agreed.
Sure enough, his phone buzzed again:
"Time? Place?"
"5:30 PM, The Riverside Room. I'll make the reservation—just give them my name when you get there."
Another concise reply: "Okay."
That evening, Evan sat alone in the private dining room for a solid half hour before Emily finally showed up.
The moment he saw her makeup, his mood sank. He'd said 5:30. He'd been on time. And this girl waltzed in at 6:00, leaving him waiting for thirty minutes. No way was he letting this slide.
But before Evan could say anything, Emily beat him to it. She marched straight up to him, planted one hand on the table, leaned forward, and glared down at him. "Is this how you normally invite people out?"
From his seated position, Evan had to look up at Emily's beautiful face, which held a hint of anger. Then his gaze leveled out, and he found himself staring at the very noticeable curves practically in his face. Damn, he thought. I didn't realize she was that well-endowed.
Emily seemed to catch where his eyes had wandered. Her face flushed red. She stepped back, yanked out the chair across from him, and sat down. Then she launched into an explanation for her lateness that nearly made Evan die laughing.
The short version: Emily's mother, like many traditional moms, desperately wanted her daughter to settle down. Emily hadn't dated anyone in the year since graduation, which had her mother worried sick. And when Emily came back to Northfield City yesterday without properly explaining why she'd quit her job in Harborview City, her mother's suspicions went into overdrive. So today, when she saw Evan's overly familiar text on Emily's phone, her brain instantly constructed an entire romance novel—Emily giving up her career to move back for her secret boyfriend, Evan being an old classmate, the two of them rekindling an old flame, and so on. No matter how Emily tried to explain, her mother wouldn't believe her.
Evan struggled not to laugh. "So your mom thought her sweet daughter was sneaking out for a secret date with her lover tonight?"
Emily frowned slightly, gritting her teeth. "It's all your fault! If you're going to invite someone to dinner, can't you be a little more professional about it?"
The smile bloomed on Evan's face again. "Come on, that's cold! I thought we were friends. How was I supposed to know your mom would mistake me for your boyfriend? I'm innocent here."
Emily glared at him, pouting. The irritation in her expression melted into something sadder, more desolate. "Whatever. Forget it. I'm used to it. So what's this actually about? Just tell me."
The moment they shifted to business, Evan's expression turned serious. He straightened up in his chair.
"Remember what we talked about yesterday?"
"The assistant thing?"
"Exactly."
Evan grinned. "Well, I've got my company now. So, Miss Walker, when do you start?"
Emily paused for a moment, then shook her head with a sigh. "Evan, you know I was kidding back then. But congrats on getting your company—you should be able to make the games you want now. I'm just... I'm probably done with game-related work."
Evan felt a headache coming on again. Everyone always said that when people transmigrated, they just had to give a mighty roar, show some charisma, and talented people would flock to them and pledge loyalty. So why was it so damn hard for him to recruit just one person?
"Miss Walker—Emily—I really, seriously need a reliable systems designer right now. You're the only one I know! You're my lifeline here!"
Evan's words were half-genuine, half-exaggeration. He genuinely needed a systems designer, but it wasn't like Emily was his only option. After all, he was technically the boss and had hiring authority. Since the formal approach wasn't working, maybe a guilt trip would.
But no matter what Evan tried—soft pleading, hard persuasion—Emily wouldn't budge. Frustrated, he finally gave up, and the dinner ended with both of them in sour moods.
Evan called the waiter over to pay the bill, and they walked out together. A cold wind hit him, clearing his slightly tipsy head. He was just about to say goodbye when Emily's expression twisted.
"Mom?"
Evan looked over. A car was parked at the curb in front of the restaurant, window rolled down. The woman in the driver's seat was well-maintained, with features that shared about seventy percent resemblance to Emily—she must've been quite a beauty in her youth.
When she saw Evan and Emily emerge from the restaurant, the woman's face lit up. She opened the door and walked straight toward them.
Evan glanced at Emily's stricken expression, then at her mother approaching with undisguised satisfaction in her eyes as she looked at him. A brilliant idea sparked in his mind.
He bumped Emily's shoulder.
"Didn't expect your mom to follow you, huh?"
Emily nodded.
"Want her to stop nagging and hovering over you in the future?"
Emily whipped her head around. "How?"
Evan turned to her with a smile. "Watch me. Just don't mess this up."
He walked straight up to Emily's mother, smiling warmly, head held high, chest out, trying to show his best side. Before he even reached her, he extended his hand.
"Good evening, ma'am. Are you here to pick up Emily?"
Emily's mother's smile widened even more.
"Yes, yes! I hope I didn't interrupt anything. If you two want to spend more time together, that's fine—I can head home. I just came to check because I was worried."
Evan's smile deepened.
"Not at all, ma'am. Actually, I was just trying to convince Emily to come work at my company. Maybe you could take her home and help me persuade her?"
"Work at your company?"
"Here's the thing—I actually reserved a position for Emily. We had an agreement that once my company got going, she'd come help me out. Now I'm finally up and running, and I really need someone reliable like Emily, someone I know and trust. But she doesn't want to do it anymore. I don't know what I did wrong. Could you help me convince her?"
Behind him, Emily nearly fainted. What was all this? Evan hadn't explicitly stated their relationship, but Emily knew her mother's overactive imagination had already constructed another hundred-thousand-word saga in her head. She felt utterly helpless.
Evan felt pretty smug inside. Technically, he hadn't lied. He and Emily had made an agreement, and she had backed out. As for anything beyond that... well, he'd let Emily's mother fill in the blanks herself.
And just as he expected, Emily's mother looked at him like he was already her son-in-law. She warmly took his hand.
"Young—"
Evan smoothly interjected: "Evan. You can call me Evan."
Emily's mother nodded. "Evan, I understand Emily's personality. Please be patient with her. I'll definitely talk to her when we get home. Will she start at your place tomorrow?"
Evan's face lit up. "That would be absolutely wonderful! It's a deal!"
After that, Evan left his phone number and the company address. Watching the despairing Emily get dragged away by her mother, Evan gave himself a mental thumbs-up. Now everything's in place!
On the outside, though, he put on a reluctant, longing expression—scoring even more points in Emily's mother's eyes.
Evan shook his head as they drove off. This girl Emily's been lucky enough not to have run into any emotional scammers since childhood.
Reach 300 powerstones for extra chapter.