Chapter 57 Who’s the Smart One?
Finished
Austin walked out of the alley, his boots thudding against the ground, now so scuffed with dirt they barely looked like the ones issued to him.
He hadn’t gotten so much as a smile out of Evelyn, and it left him in a sour mood.
At the entrance of the alley, Austin bumped into a man who blocked his way.
His lips were pressed tight, his eyes wide with panic, like a kid caught doing something wrong.
He hadn’t even said a word, and yet his fear showed all over him.
Austin despised men like that.
He had no patience for them. Dropping his voice low, he muttered, “Move.”
Seth was a total pushover. Instinct told him to step aside, but then the memory of what he’d just seen with Evelyn lit a spark of courage inside him. For once, he didn’t back down.
“You and Evelyn seem pretty close, don’t you?” Seth asked, his voice sharp.
The playful grin Austin had flashed earlier, the way he lingered as Evelyn walked away—it was obvious. These two had a thing between them.
Seth’s face burned with anger at the thought.
Seth couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Evelyn had a messy private life behind the scenes.
He thought he was bad, bouncing back and forth between her and Alice.
But Evelyn?
She had a fling with this rough-looking guy in front of him. That made three men.
And who knew how many more were hiding in the shadows?
She was a woman with more men chasing her than he could count.
A total disgrace.
He almost laughed at himself. All that guilt he once felt for tricking her was gone. What a joke. Turns out, Evelyn was the one enjoying it most of all.
“W
7 Who’s the Smart One?
Seth tried again, his tone sharp. “Do you even know who I am to Evelyn?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”
A coward like him. What connection could a guy like him possibly have with Lace?
Finished
With that, he lifted his boot and started to walk off, leaving Seth standing there, stunned.
Why didn’t this man care at all? Why wasn’t he even the slightest bit bothered?
As Austin was about to vanish around the corner, Seth shouted desperately, “I’m Evelyn’s ex- boyfriend! We broke up because she was two–timing me. She’s already got another man now. Don’t be a fool–you’re just the next sucker in line!”
Thud!
The heavy sound rang out, and Seth crashed to the ground.
He clutched his crotch in pain, his face pale as chalk, too weak to even cry out.
Austin slowly pulled his boot back.
The boots were thick and solid, and he had put his full strength into that kick. It was no surprise Seth looked like he was about to pass out.
“Say one more bad word about her,” Austin warned coldly, “and next time the only way you’ll be introduced is as her sister.”
With that, he turned sharply and disappeared around the corner.
Funny enough, Evelyn’s way of handling things always seemed to work.
And thanks to Seth throwing himself in front of him and asking for a beating, Austin’s frustration had finally eased a little.
Still, he almost felt regret–he should’ve roughed the kid up first, then gone for the gut shot.
Next time they crossed paths, he swore, he wouldn’t hold back.
Evelyn knew nothing about this.
She had just finished helping Bill buy his medicine and then saw him off in the guard’s car before heading back to the Schmidt Residence.
2/5
1:19 pm M MA
Chapter 57 Who’s the Smart One?
When she reached the door, Yvonne was about to leave.
Finished
Yvonne was dressed to the nines, her outfit bold and flashy, and a strong whiff of perfume clung to her.
She looked like she was headed somewhere important.
‘Mom, you look beautiful,” Evelyn said with a smile.
Yvonne’s face twitched with unease. “Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”
Evelyn shrugged, her expression soft and harmless, like a bunny. “I mean it. You look great— almost like you’re going on a date.”
Her tone was light and teasing.
But at the doorway, with one hand on her shoes, Yvonne froze.
She was horrified with the comment, flustered even; she turned to confront Evelyn, ready to
irgue.
3ut Evelyn was already halfway up the stairs, not giving her another thought.
Yvonne stood there, rattled. She told herself she was overthinking things.
The girl might get clever now and then, but she couldn’t win every round.
In the end, Yvonne was sure she would be the one left standing.
That thought calmed her down.
She slipped on her strappy high heels and stepped out gracefully.
From her bedroom window, Evelyn watched.
The view stretched all the way down to the end of the lane,
She kept her eyes on Yvonne until she saw her get into a Jetta parked at the corner. Only then did she turn away and head back downstairs.
Evelyn picked up the phone and called her contact in Southdale,
“Nope, that house hasn’t been sold,” the woman reported. “It’s way off in the middle of nowhere, and with me telling folks it’s haunted, who’s going to rent it? Even the neighbors are so spooked they’re talking about selling their house.”
315
8:19 pm MMA
Chapter 57 Who’s the Smart One?
“Thank you,” Evelyn said softly.
Finished
If the house hadn’t been sold, that meant the money Yvonne had spent must’ve come from somewhere else.
Back in her past life, Evelyn had already suspected Yvonne was seeing someone on the side.
Around that same time, Alice had taken Evelyn’s internship spot at City Hospital. But Alice’s poor training nearly cost a patient their life, and the family had caused a huge scene.
Zaid, too worried about his pride, stayed out of it. Bill wanted to stand up for her, so he chose not to step in either.
Yvonne had been begging for help left and right. But then–strangely enough–the whole mess just vanished. Not long after, Alice even landed a promotion.
In her past life, Evelyn had already been trapped in the mess of her married life. She was so overwhelmed that she never had the time or energy to think deeper about Yvonne.
But now, with a clearer mind, she saw things differently.
She suspected Yvonne was having an affair–and not with just anyone. Whoever the man was, he had influence.
That could be the very leverage Evelyn needed to bring Yvonne down.
She sat quietly in the living room, lost in thought, sunlight stretching long across her body like a golden line.
From noon until dusk, she stayed there, mapping out her next moves. Finally, Yvonne returned.
Maybe it was because of what Evelyn had said before she left, but this time she came home carrying groceries, trying to cover her tracks.
As soon as she stepped through the door, Yvonne called out loudly, “Honey, I bought your favorite steak! I’ll cook it for dinner tonight.”
Looking around, she frowned. “Where’s your dad? He isn’t home yet?”
“No, not yet,” Evelyn answered smoothly, playing along.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Yvonne’s eyes. “And here I was, so happy to brag … Forget it, I’ll start cooking.”
She headed to the kitchen, humming as she unpacked the groceries, pleased with herself.
4/5
8:19 pm MMA
Chapter 57 Who’s the Smart One?
Finished
Evelyn had never really stepped into the adult world. Surely she wouldn’t understand.
A housewife rushing straight to the kitchen the moment she came home–who would suspect a thing?
Her cover–up felt flawless.
She even started humming a tune as she slowly worked to prepare ingredients in the kitchen.
What she didn’t know was that Evelyn had already noticed everything the moment she walked in.
Yvonne had left the house wearing sheer nude stockings. She returned bare–legged.
It was obvious where she’d been. The evidence was strong enough, but since Zaid wasn’t home, Evelyn didn’t expose her just yet.
In the battle of wits, who was really the clever one? Yvonne’s conclusion had been far too careless.
48
O
3:19 pm MMA
Reborn for Love and Revenge hat’s it to you?” Austin shot back lazily, not even lifting his eyes to look at Seth.
