TTYF 08

Chapter 08

Evelyn visited Dylan in the hospital as Daphne had requested, and that encounter gradually turned her into the bridge connecting the two of them.

But there was something even more important.

The Everdear Department Store will eventually shut down.

It wasn’t because sales were poor or because customers stopped coming.

A massive fire would break out due to an explosion of unknown origin, resulting in a large number of casualties.

Among those who died in the incident was Noel, Dylan’s secretary. Her death would drag Dylan’s reputation back into the spotlight once more.

First he had supposedly gotten his business partner killed, and now even his own secretary had died under his watch.

With tragedy compounded by rumors, Dylan would be driven into a corner.

Even if he never becomes involved with Daphne, Dylan could still end up in danger.

Of course, Daphne played the largest role in his death, but this incident was another major tragedy. The seeds of disaster had to be uprooted before they could grow.

That was why Evelyn came to see Dylan immediately.

She wanted no one to get hurt if possible.

And she wanted to save Dylan.

Since she couldn’t give him the answer he wanted, she had to make that clear as well.

After hearing Evelyn’s rejection, Dylan let out a cold, mocking laugh.

“Judging by the nonsense you’re spouting, Primrose must still be managing somehow. Well, no matter what, it’s still a prestigious family. This much isn’t enough to bring it down.”

“No, things are quite bad. I heard you cut off every source of funding for the businesses my father was running.”

Thanks to that, Isaac had been running around desperately searching for investors.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten to constantly pressure Evelyn in the meantime.

The memory of his angry voice from outside her bedroom door made her chuckle involuntarily.

“Honestly, if my father could solve this problem by kissing your feet, he’d probably do it.”

“Then why are you rejecting my proposal?”

“Because the state of the business is my father’s problem, not mine.”

It felt strange saying those words for the first time.

The problems of her family had always been her problems as well.

A bitter taste lingered in her mouth.

Wiping the smile from her face, Evelyn spoke.

“I came to talk about the department store you’re opening in Monders.”

“…What?”

Dylan frowned immediately, but Evelyn continued calmly.

“I know you’re capable, but you need to give it up. Selling it again is the simplest option and would minimize your losses. Fortunately, everyone’s eyeing your department store right now, so there should be plenty of buyers—”

“Enough.”

Bang!

Dylan slammed his palm against the table.

Had the person in front of him been anyone other than Evelyn—a woman he could probably subdue with one hand—it would have been his fist rather than his palm striking the table.

His face twisted into a fierce scowl.

“I’m letting you talk because I thought you were going to cancel the marriage proposal. But this? Who the hell do you think you are to say something like that to me?”

“It’s difficult to explain. But it’s true.”

Evelyn hesitated.

Should she tell him that his department store would suffer a devastating fire in the future?

If he knew the cause beforehand, perhaps he could prevent it.

The problem was that Evelyn herself didn’t know the cause.

There were too many possibilities.

The Everdear Department Store had been built to be as extravagant as possible, utilizing every modern technology available.

In the novel, newspapers had published lengthy articles estimating the astronomical amount of money poured into the project, noting that even the chandelier illuminating the main hall used more than thirty electric bulbs.

A building like that had countless potential accident risks.

And the fire hasn’t even happened yet. The department store hasn’t opened.

Would he even believe her?

She didn’t mind being thought insane.

But if he refused to believe her entirely…

Bang!

At that moment, the door burst open without so much as a knock.

It was Noel.

Her face pale, she rushed into the room.

“My apologies, sir! We need to move up the schedule for Monders by twenty minutes! A tenant has just announced they’re withdrawing from the department store—”

“What?”

Dylan shot to his feet.

The department store building itself had already been completed for quite some time.

The only thing left was securing the brands that would occupy it.

And the brands planning to enter Everdear were among the finest luxury names available.

If even one of them pulled out, the losses would be considerable.

If Noel was telling the truth, then he certainly didn’t have time to sit around drinking tea.

He immediately prepared to send Evelyn away.

Whatever she knew about the department store, it was probably related to Primrose’s financial troubles.

There was no reason to waste any more time on her.

“You should leave now. We’ll discuss this another time. Tell the employee who escorted you in to schedule an appointment and—”

“No. Let me come with you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Who do you think you are?”

Dylan snapped.

He didn’t even have the patience to maintain basic courtesy.

In fact, he didn’t want to.

Every conversation with this stubborn woman filled him with inexplicable irritation.

Which was only natural.

Evelyn was the very person who had ruined the plans he’d devoted everything to.

And now she was spewing more nonsense.

Turning away as though he didn’t even want to look at her anymore, he spat out his words.

“I already know you’re out of your mind. If you’re crazy, then go home and lock yourself away quietly.”

“I already did that.”

“…What?”

For a brief moment, surprise flashed across Dylan’s face.

Evelyn remained calm.

“I want to help you. Let me come.”

Her violet eyes stared directly into his.

Something about those clear eyes made Dylan frown.

By his principles, bringing an outsider like Evelyn into his workplace was absurd.

Especially when a business crisis was unfolding.

But…

Dylan ran the calculations through his head.

“Boss, what are you doing?! We need to leave immediately!”

“…Damn it. I know that, so shut up.”

The calculations were finished.

Dylan looked Evelyn up and down before speaking.

“You can come with me. But there’s one condition. If you can’t agree, you’re staying behind.”

“Fine. What is it?”

“You follow my lead. No matter what.”

A short while later, a carriage departed from Everdear’s headquarters.

* * *

Hudson Redding, Director of Everdear Department Store, suddenly recalled a passage from an ecology book he had read recently.

“When fighting, a rabbit can strike a male opponent’s face up to five times per second.”

At the time, he had thought it was rather impressive.

That was before discovering that a human heart could feel like it was beating five times per second when under extreme stress.

No, at this rate, wasn’t his beating ten times a second?

Hudson glared resentfully at the clock whose hands seemed frozen in place.

Then he leaned toward his coworker and whispered tearfully,

“Emma, when exactly is the boss supposed to get here?”

“A telegram just arrived saying he left… He should be here within thirty minutes, so please stop panicking…”

Emma’s voice was just as tearful.

Normally the two bickered constantly.

But at this moment, they had become so emotionally dependent on one another that they would rather die than be left alone.

The two exchanged looks, silently shedding invisible tears.

Boss, I resent you for sending me to a place like this! Sob!

Me too… sniff…

The reason they were cornered was simple.

One of the brands scheduled to finalize its department store contract today had suddenly announced its withdrawal.

“I can’t believe our brand is being subjected to treatment this disgraceful!”

“If my master hears about this, he’ll certainly cut all business ties with Everdear!”

The two people seated across from Hudson and Emma openly displayed their displeasure.

The meaning was crystal clear.

This was a crisis.