Chapter 822

A towering figure like Preston sounded like a husband reprimanding his mistress. The entire situation felt unbearably awkward!

Evelyn inhaled sharply. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she denied it. "I wasn't laughing—"

Yet her grin stretched so wide it nearly split her face.

Preston moved to a nearby seat. "Mind if I join you?"

He wanted to stay close to Evelyn, yet feared intruding on private conversations. Such consideration made him effortlessly pleasant company.

Vivian flushed slightly, waving her hands. "Of course not, Mr. Sinclair. And thank you for earlier..."

Thanks to that shocking auction bid, everyone now recognized Preston Sinclair.

Adrian glanced between Preston and Evelyn before sighing and turning to Vivian. "No need to thank him. He did it for Evelyn's sake."

Preston hadn't intervened for their benefit. So the shameless Adrian refused to feel grateful.

Evelyn rolled her eyes at Adrian before smiling at Vivian. "Who knew this season's show would be so eventful?"

Given their minimal on-screen interaction, no one would've guessed Vivian and Adrian were dating off-camera. Vivian smiled awkwardly while Adrian remained unfiltered.

"Definitely eventful! Though shame you missed most of it. Heard you left because Xavier pissed you off?" Of all topics, Adrian had to dredge up unpleasant memories.

Evelyn pressed her lips together, shooting him a frosty glare.

Had they not survived that deserted island together, Evelyn wouldn't tolerate Adrian's tactlessness. He always knew which buttons to push.

"Hmph! As if I have time for petty drama. My company has major deals awaiting my attention!" Adrian smirked knowingly.

Vivian interjected, "Actually, we planned to tell friends later since we haven't been dating long. If anything changes—"

Her cautious, sensible nature resonated with Evelyn.

Adrian cut in. "I wanted to announce it day one! Stop worrying—we're forever material!" The solemnity in his gaze convinced Evelyn of his sincerity.

Watching them, Evelyn felt both touched and inexplicably wistful. Beside her, Preston handed her a honeyed lemonade.

Evelyn eyed him suspiciously. Preston's lips quirked. "It's sweetened."

Not sour then.

She accepted the glass but didn't drink, turning back to the couple. "So when did this start?"

Adrian glanced at Vivian. "Can I tell?"

After receiving her reluctant nod, he grinned. "I started pursuing her the first day on set—"

Evelyn's jaw nearly hit the floor.

This outing kept delivering surprises.

"Of course, Vivian ignored me. Even reported me for harassment—"

Preston coughed into his fist, clearly amused.

Exchanging glances with Preston, Evelyn realized their journey couldn't have been smooth.

Vivian huffed before explaining, "He's... remarkable. Makes me breakfast daily. When Tristan harassed me, Adrian was first to intervene. Always considers my feelings. Before filming ended, I knew—I couldn't stop thinking about him. So we got together!"

It sounded recklessly impulsive. Most would reconsider post-filming. Not Vivian.

She knew he'd never break her heart.