Chapter 977

Evelyn had completely lost her appetite after everything that had happened.

She turned her head toward Harrison. "Let's go. I'm not hungry anymore."

Harrison immediately stood up to settle the bill.

Evelyn and Nathan locked eyes in a silent battle of wills, neither willing to back down first. It felt like an intense staring contest.

Eventually, Nathan lowered his gaze first. When he met Evelyn's gentle yet icy stare, an indescribable ache twisted in his chest.

The pain was sharp and bitter.

If Nathan were truly ruthless, he had countless underhanded methods to take her away and keep her hidden - ensuring Evelyn would only ever see him for the rest of her life.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Nathan had suppressed these dark thoughts through countless sleepless nights.

He kept wondering why Evelyn chose Preston over him.

Perhaps deep down, Nathan already knew the answer - because Preston would never resort to such dark, despicable tactics.

Preston loved her openly, unafraid of the shadows.

Nathan's usually cold, hard expression crumbled. His eyes reddened slightly as his face tightened with emotion.

He felt both resentful and wronged.

His Adam's apple bobbed visibly.

In the end, Nathan was the first to break the silence with an apology. He shouldn't have said those things to her.

'How could I stoop so low just to get attention from someone as wonderful as Evelyn? It's childish and ridiculous,' Nathan thought.

Evelyn was thoroughly confused by Nathan's erratic behavior.

One moment he provoked her, the next he apologized. 'Is he bipolar or something?' she wondered.

Nathan pressed his lips together before speaking in a deep voice. "Jealousy overwhelmed me. Seeing you with another man... I lost control. That was my fault."

Evelyn frowned. 'Definitely bipolar,' she concluded.

Nathan watched her carefully, a rare bitterness touching his lips. "But you promised we could be friends, yet you won't even share a meal with me. You broke your word first."

Evelyn found herself speechless. The man before her, usually as fierce as a panther, now resembled nothing more than a wounded puppy. "Mr. Blackwood, you were clearly intimidating my guest. Don't think I didn't notice."

'Does he think I'm blind?' she thought.

Nathan's voice dropped lower. "I wasn't. I simply asked him to introduce himself." Evelyn nearly rolled her eyes.

'Introduce himself? Typical CEO behavior. I'm a CEO too, but clearly not as dramatic as Nathan.'

"If he's upset, I'll go apologize?" Nathan offered, his tone suddenly patient and coaxing.

"No need. You'd probably scare him to death," Evelyn replied coldly.

Nathan chuckled softly. He lowered his gaze slightly, watching her quietly. "I know I upset you. I'm trying to control my emotions. Don't worry - I would never hurt you, nor would I intentionally target him."

Nathan wouldn't stoop to intentionally harming Preston. That would be beneath him.

Seeing Nathan's changed attitude, Evelyn thought he'd finally come to his senses. Reflecting on her earlier behavior, she realized she'd been unreasonable too.

She shared some blame in this situation.

"Good. Remember what you said."

Evelyn pursed her lips and turned to leave. Suddenly, Nathan caught her wrist - his grip warm yet tense.

"Evelyn... we're still friends, right?"

This was the only concession he could make.

Nathan couldn't bear losing his place by Evelyn's side.

The difference between "friend" and "boyfriend" was just one syllable.

Nathan was nothing if not patient - and extremely confident.

Evelyn sensed something inexplicably off about Nathan's mood.

This wasn't his usual reaction.

But Evelyn didn't have time to analyze it deeply. "Right. Friends," she answered perfunctorily.