Chapter 5

Evelyn's POV

"I was worried Edward might arrive too late and miss the engagement ceremony," Mia said. "Fortunately, something came up with Arthur and delayed things a little, so we were all here in time to get started."

Everyone in the banquet hall could tell she was simply making excuses for Arthur's absence.

Her gaze eventually settled on me. She paused, taking in my outfit.

"Where did you get those clothes?"

My breath caught.

"I accidentally got my own clothes wet and couldn't find anything else to change into. Then I happened to run into Edward, and he was kind enough to lend me something to wear..."

I found myself rushing to explain.

I never would have imagined that one day I'd be describing Edward as kind.

Mia laughed, her eyes narrowing into cheerful crescents.

"They look lovely on you! Come on, Edward. Don't be so stingy. Just let her keep the dress. We're practically one family already."

Edward repeated her last words, his tone carrying a hint of something I couldn't quite decipher.

"One family?"

I knew exactly where I stood. I was the Sterling family's adopted daughter, an outsider who would never truly belong to them. No matter how long I'd lived under their roof, that had never changed.

Mia hadn't been back for very long. She probably hadn't heard the rumors surrounding Arthur and me.

Edward, on the other hand, knew better.

After all, in the eyes of many people, I was a rival for Arthur's affections.

Mia seemed to pay no attention to Edward's remark. Her eyes were still fixed on my outfit.

"Now that I think about it, isn't this dress supposed to come with a matching top?"

She turned toward Edward.

"You're really that stingy? You won't even let her have the complete set? And that shirt looks familiar. Don't you own one just like it?"

I quickly interrupted before she could say anything more.

"Anyway, thank you so much for lending me these clothes, Edward. I'll have everything washed and return it as soon as possible."

I spoke sincerely, deliberately keeping my eyes away from the shirt. I wanted to put an end to the subject before Mia started wondering why I was wearing a man's dress shirt.

Edward answered without hesitation.

"The day after tomorrow, then."

I had no response.

The engagement ceremony continued as planned.

A series of photographs of Arthur and Mia appeared on the large screen.

Each picture captured a moment of genuine happiness, the kind that couldn't be staged. Admiring murmurs rippled through the guests.

My attention had begun to wander when I suddenly felt a light pinch against my palm.

I startled and quickly looked down.

Nobody was close enough to have touched me.

Nobody except Edward.

Sitting right beside me, he was casually playing with his own palm.

I inwardly groaned.

This ridiculous connection never seemed to pick an appropriate moment.

Keeping my voice low, I muttered, "Aren't you a little old for childish tricks like that? What a strange habit."

Edward leaned back in his chair, a lazy smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"There's something you don't know about me. I have quite a few unusual habits."

He paused.

"For instance..."

He lifted his hand and began tapping two fingers against the table in a slow, steady rhythm. Then he held his hand suspended in the air, as though he were about to rest it on his knee.

My breath caught.

With our strange connection, the moment his hand touched his knee, I'd feel it too.

He was deliberately trying to tease me.

Embarrassment and panic washed over me. I pressed my lower lip between my teeth, every muscle in my body tensing.

Edward chuckled softly at my reaction and finally lowered his hand.

"Here's some advice. If you're going to stare at someone, try not to make it so obvious. Especially when that someone is a man."

His gaze lingered on my lips, amusement coloring his voice.

"And be gentle with that lip of yours. Remember, I feel the pain, too."

I shot him an irritated glare, my face burning.

The ceremony eventually reached its highlight.

Beatrice took a dark velvet box from her assistant and opened it to reveal the engagement gift prepared for Mia: a magnificent gemstone necklace.

She then explained the necklace's history to the guests.

It had been passed down through three generations of the Sterling family. Beatrice herself had worn it in her wedding photographs, and today she was passing it on to Mia.

"I couldn't wait any longer," Beatrice announced. "We'll arrange something else for the actual wedding. Arthur, why don't you help Mia put it on?"

Arthur took the necklace and carefully fastened it around Mia's neck.

It fit her perfectly.

I lowered my head and continued eating, pretending the entire presentation had nothing to do with me.

Compliments and admiration filled the room, but Mia turned toward me with an expectant smile.

"Evelyn, isn't it beautiful?"

I looked up and took a proper look at the necklace.

"It's beautiful," I replied.

My voice was steady, and I meant what I said.

I was the Sterling family's adopted daughter. A necklace like that had never been something I could inherit. It wasn't a matter of whether I deserved it. I had simply never been part of the line it was meant to pass through.

Calling it beautiful was the only appropriate response.

Mrs. Hartwell smiled and remarked that Mia and I were barely a year apart in age. Now that we'd soon be part of the same family, she was sure we'd have plenty in common and lots to talk about.

I returned her smile politely.

Mia and I couldn't have been more different.

She was a Hartwell heiress, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, accustomed to having everything handed to her. I was the adopted daughter, an outsider who was constantly reminded of where she stood.

We wouldn't even be living together, so the assumption made little sense to begin with.

As for finding things to talk about, there was probably only one subject we had in common.

Arthur.

Would that be what our conversations eventually came down to?

Edward's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"That's true. Your tastes really are remarkably similar."

He delivered the remark casually, as though he were commenting on the weather.

Then he paused, giving me a look heavy with unspoken meaning.

My heart jumped into my throat.

What exactly is this man trying to do?