Chapter 47 Aren’t You Afraid?
When he heard that, Zaid wasn’t happy at all.
Finished
If he went into the house to bake the birthday cake, he would miss his chance to show off in front of everyone.
After spending so much money on gifts, how could he parade his generosity if he was stuck in the kitchen?
So he gave a dry laugh and said, “Why don’t you let Yvonne do it? She makes great cakes.”
Just as he said this, Yvonne stepped down from the car.
Her face showed a hint of awkwardness. She walked up to Zaid and whispered, “Honey, did you forget I’m hurt? I can’t even knead the dough.”
She really wanted to help Bill, but she truly wasn’t able to.
Zaid felt even more awkward.
At that moment, Irene stepped forward.
She rolled up her sleeves as she walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll do it. My baking is really good. Yvonne only picked up a little from me.”
With someone volunteering, Zaid couldn’t be happier.
He quickly joined in, praising her, “Exactly! Irene’s cakes are the best. Dad, your birthday cake has to be perfect.”
But all he got in return was a sharp warning glance from Bill.
Asking Zaid to make the cake wasn’t really about the cake at all.
Bill knew his son far too well.
All the noise Zaid was making was just an excuse to show off.
Bill had always been an upright man, and it pained him to realize his son turned out this way.
By now, Zaid was too old to discipline, so the only thing left was to send him away for small
tasks.
Since Irene had already stepped up, Bill knew there was no stopping it.
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He simply thanked her politely and shifted the focus elsewhere.
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Bill reached out and gave Evelyn’s shoulder a gentle pat, his face full of pride. “Haven’t seen you in a semester. You’ve grown even prettier. I heard you started your internship at Brookhaven Hospital; is that true?”
“Yes, I asked for it myself,” Evelyn replied.
“Good,” Bill said, raising his thumb in approval. “Soldiers fight on the front lines, but doctors and nurses are the strongest support behind them. I’m proud you understand that.”
Most people living in Brookhaven Quarters were retired veterans. Many had been wounded and treated at Brookhaven Hospital, so they knew well how tough the conditions there could be.
Evelyn had chosen to go on her own, and that spoke volumes about her character.
Everyone felt moved. One after another, they praised her with genuine admiration.
The crowd’s praise rolled in like a wave, and it completely drowned out Zaid’s attempt to stand in the spotlight.
Sure, people had shown plenty of material gifts to honor their old man, but Evelyn’s words about values and sacrifice hit on something much deeper. That kind of spirit wasn’t something you could find everywhere.
Zaid, however, didn’t like it one bit.
Even though Evelyn was his daughter, it still bothered him that she stole his thunder.
Evelyn caught the flicker of displeasure on his face.
So, while everyone was still showering her with compliments, she quickly shifted the credit to him.
“My dad taught me all of that,” she said with a bright smile. “He always told me that young people shouldn’t just focus on building up our country-we should also stand behind the men and women who defend it. Soldiers fight on the front lines, and it’s our duty to back them up at home. Dad always said Grandpa’s generation of soldiers worked harder than anyone, and he’s admired that his whole life. He never got the chance to serve himself, but now that I’m studying medicine, I can stand shoulder to shoulder with the military. For him, that’s like seeing one of his biggest dreams come true.”
In just a few words, she managed to praise both Zaid and the old veterans.
But most of the spotlight now turned back to Zaid.
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Finished
The men around them clapped him on the back, one after another, praising him for raising such a thoughtful daughter.
Zaid soaked it all in, his chest puffed with pride.
He was so pleased, he barely knew what was going on anymore.
Only Yvonne, sitting quietly at the side, stayed sharp.
She had been married to Zaid for years and knew him inside and out.
He wasn’t the type to come up with noble words like that. A pig could fly if that were true.
Clearly, Evelyn had said it to please him.
That little brat, Yvonne thought bitterly.
She was getting more dangerous by the day. To take a situation like this and twist it back to her advantage-well, that was no small skill.
After watching the scene for a while, Yvonne finally turned away, heading inside the house. She sat down in the parlor, cracking a pistachio between her teeth.
The men outside could keep bragging; she wasn’t interested.
Not while Alice was still missing. She just couldn’t lift her spirits.
It didn’t take long before Bill noticed, too.
He didn’t like Alice much, but he cared enough to ask. “Where is Alice?” he asked gruffly.
Evelyn answered honestly, “She ran away.”
Bill froze, shocked.
“Ran away?”
Without caring about the other guests, he grabbed Evelyn by the arm and pulled her straight into the bedroom.
He locked the door behind them and lowered his voice, “What do you mean, ran away? Why didn’t your parents bring her back? Like her or not, she’s still part of the family. If something happens to her out there, what will people think?”
Evelyn told the whole story to Bill, holding nothing back.
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Every detail, every moment she had experienced, she laid out for her grandfather.
Facing the man who loved her most, she couldn’t lie.
And besides-she would need his help later.
Letting him support her while keeping him in the dark didn’t sit right with her.
By the time she finished, Bill was trembling in rage.
What he had just heard left him shaken to the core.
He grabbed Evelyn’s wrist tightly.
Bill didn’t ask why Alice had done it or curse the cruelty of those people.
He only asked one question, “Why didn’t you come to me? Weren’t you afraid?”
Even he would have been terrified in her place.
His first thought was not anger-it was fear for her safety.
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“I’m okay,” Evelyn said softly, squeezing his hand in return. She smiled at him and said, “I knew you’d worry. That’s why I didn’t tell you then.”
She feared that his concern would cloud his judgement, pushing him to confront Yvonne too soon, ruining everything.
If the plan was exposed early, the most important part could never succeed.
So she had kept it all inside-until now.
Now that the time was right, she could finally tell Bill.
“I’ll take it from here. Leave it to me,” Bill said firmly, already pushing himself up as if to
storm out.
Evelyn quickly tugged his arm. “Grandpa, if you handle it now, all you’ll do is get into a shouting match. Dad wouldn’t divorce Yvonne-just dealing with her family making a scene would wear you down. It’s your birthday today. Shouldn’t we try to enjoy it?”
She winked at him playfully.
Bill paused, then caught on.
“So
you have a plan?”
At last, he’d asked the right question.
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Finished
“Yes,” Evelyn said with a brighter smile. “I’ll need a little help from you-but not now. Let’s wait until the party is over. Birthdays are meant to be joyful.”
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Reborn for Love and Revenge
