Chapter 249
Evelyn Laurent absently fiddled with her seatbelt. "Just get me any random birthday gift."
She turned to face Ethan Sullivan with a serious expression. "We're calling off the engagement eventually anyway. No need to make my brothers hate you more."
The tension at dinner hadn't escaped her notice.
The unspoken hostility between her brothers and Ethan left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Ethan's knuckles whitened around the steering wheel.
A humorless laugh almost escaped him.
"So," his voice turned glacial, "you're saying you don't want my gift?"
Evelyn shrugged. "I don't really care."
Her brothers' gifts already piled up like a mountain at home.
Suddenly remembering something, she added, "Oh, as head of the Sullivan Group, you must be swamped. You should focus on your company."
Ethan's eyes darkened instantly.
He hadn't expected Evelyn to dismiss him so bluntly.
"Evelyn," his voice grew hoarse, "are you pushing me away?"
"Huh?" She blinked in genuine confusion.
The meaning behind his words completely eluded her.
Ethan's fingers tightened until they ached, his chest constricting painfully.
He wanted to say he'd changed his mind about the annulment.
But the words died in his throat.
If he confessed now, this oblivious girl would probably leap from the moving car.
"Listen," he inhaled deeply, "my kindness toward you isn't just for show."
"Celebrating your birthday, preparing gifts—none of this interferes with work."
"My subordinates can handle company matters."
He paused, softening his tone. "I don't... have any special feelings for you."
The moment the lie left his lips, his palms grew damp with nervous sweat.
Evelyn exhaled in visible relief. "Oh thank goodness."
Ethan: "..."
Another arrow pierced his heart.
He finally understood.
This girl's emotional intelligence was catastrophically low.
Once she made up her mind, nothing could change it.
Like that damned annulment decision.
Ethan gritted his teeth.
Conquering this fortress would require a long-term strategy.
He glanced at Evelyn humming cheerfully and sighed inwardly.
Winning her heart might prove harder than negotiating ten international deals.