Chapter 917

Evelyn Sinclair froze at the question. Going public?

She hadn't prepared herself for this.

A few seconds passed before she met his gaze.

"Not yet," she said carefully. "We should wait a little longer."

Their relationship wasn't stable enough. The moment it became public, chaos would erupt—not just in their social circles, but in the stock market too. The fallout would be massive, and she wasn't ready to handle it.

Besides, rushing into this wasn't worth the risk.

Preston Sinclair studied her troubled expression before chuckling softly. His voice was warm, laced with amusement.

"Fine. I can be patient," he conceded. "But on one condition."

Evelyn lifted a brow. His gaze darkened slightly as he paused.

"Once you're discharged, don't go back to Sterling Manor. Move out."

She stared at him, silent.

Preston sighed, his lips curving into a helpless smile. "Give your boyfriend a chance to take care of you. If I send you home late, William might come after me with a knife."

Evelyn hesitated. He had a point. She'd misjudged him—this wasn't the cold, calculating Preston she'd once known.

"Fine," she agreed. "I'll tell my family. But we're not living together."

The air between them turned thick. Preston's fingers brushed through her hair, his smile deepening.

"Whatever you want."

For now, getting her out of Sterling Manor was enough.

Upstairs, the penthouse had a small kitchen. Preston insisted on cooking, and Evelyn couldn't talk him out of it.

She frowned. Why do men always want to cook? Is takeout not good enough?

Still, it was better than sitting in awkward silence.

Her phone buzzed—a message from Bennett. He was downstairs.

Minutes later, he arrived, carrying a stack of files.

Evelyn eyed them warily.

Bennett set them down with a grin, wiping his palms on his pants. "Alexander Sterling thought you'd get bored during your recovery, so he sent these over to keep you busy. How's your foot?"

Her lips twitched.

"Better. Is my brother that busy?"

In the past, Grant—no, Alexander—would have let her slack off without a second thought.

Bennett nodded solemnly.

"Extremely busy. He's dating."

Evelyn exhaled sharply.

She understood exactly what that meant.

The pile of documents made her head throb. She tapped her chin, considering.

"Is my place ready?"

Bennett nodded. "All your apartments are in prime locations. We've pre-screened high-quality tenants—want to review their profiles?"

Evelyn shook her head. "No need. They won't be staying long anyway. Just move my things to Highland Estates and leave the rest."

Bennett agreed, though he didn't get it. Evelyn had more money than she could spend—why bother renting out properties?

For people like her, extra homes were just status symbols.

No matter how he looked at it, the logic escaped him.