Sheffield put on a playful smile and continued to provoke Calvert. "Come on! Hit me! It's even more fun because you know you can't take me down, but I know that you want to! I can see it in your eyes! Go on! Hit me!"
Evelyn sighed, bringing her palm to her face and shaking her head.
Calvert grunted angrily, as he raised his fist and took a swing at Sheffield. Now, had this been any other day, Sheffield would have easily dodged him with a simple sidestep, but instead, he deliberately allowed Calvert's fist to land on his face.
The muffled sound of the strike drew Evelyn's attention as she raised her head abruptly.
Evelyn panicked when she saw Sheffield's face jerk because of the forceful punch. She rushed to him in an instant and stood beside him. "What the hell are you doing, Calvert? What's wrong with you?"
'And what was Sheffield doing? Isn't he supposed to be good at fighting? Why did he let Calvert punch him?' she wondered.
Sheffield cast a defiant glance at the angry Calvert, temporarily revealing the cunning smirk he had hidden from Evelyn. He turned to her with a pitiful look while covering his face with his hand. "Ouch... It hurts!"
Sheffield was well-versed in the game. He knew that women were soft-hearted creatures who couldn't refuse candy to a crying baby. Evelyn was no exception. Although sometimes she seemed to be cold on the surface, deep down she was a kind and affectionate person.
Last time when Sheffield hurt Calvert, Evelyn chose to care about the one who was hurt.
Evelyn's facial expression soured and she coldly said, "I think you should leave, Mr. Ji."
Moreover, Sheffield added more fuel to the fire. "Evelyn, today is your birthday. How could he punch me in front of you? Shame on him!"
Evelyn blew on his wound and said, "I'll have someone bring some ice cubes here."
"Evelyn, it's not as serious as you think. He's just faking it!" Calvert pulled the woman aside before she could fetch the servant. 'I can't believe this! My fist barely grazed his cheek, let alone hurt him!' Calvert sulked.
Evelyn broke free from his grip and yelled at him, "What? You come to my home and you can't even show me an ounce of respect? Once again, please leave my room, Mr. Ji!"
Her words infuriated Calvert, but since this was the Huo family's residence, he had to suppress his anger. Lowering his head in disappointment, he walked out of the closet with Evelyn.
As soon as they left, the painful look on Sheffield's face completely disappeared. He sneered at the door. 'You thought you could mess with me? You have no idea who you're going up against, Calvert.'
A sly smile crept up his face. Although the pain from the punch wasn't even enough to warrant an immediate reaction, Sheffield was going to make Calvert pay for it later.
In less than one minute, Evelyn came back and stood before Sheffield. She looked at him expressionlessly and asked, "Was it fun?"
Sheffield realized that she already knew that he was just pretending. With a cheeky grin, he pulled the woman into his arms and said, "Honey, I just can't stand him following you all the time. This is your room and only I should be allowed to come in here. Why did you let him in?"
"Oh, I see. So, it's my fault?"
"No, no, no! It's my fault!" He quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Evelyn didn't know what to do with him anymore. She pushed him and said, "We've been in my room for a long time. We should go downstairs and join the others."
"Evelyn," he called out.
She turned around and said nothing.
Sheffield took out something from his pocket and handed it to her. "It's your birthday gift from me."
Evelyn cast a glance at the gift in her hand. It was a first-class flight ticket to the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The departure time was on the afternoon of the day after tomorrow.
The servants were already clearing the dinner table when the two of them came downstairs. Their faces conveyed mixed expressions when they saw the young couple together.
Savannah was the first to bid farewell. "Evelyn, I have to leave now. I've just received a call from Dollie," she said.
Evelyn crouched in front of her wheelchair and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay. I'll call you tomorrow. We'll talk then."
"It was great to see you. You must be tired now. Have a good rest." Savannah hugged her.
"Thanks. Go home safely!"
The Huo family had someone drive Savannah home.
After whispering something to Joshua, Sheffield said to the Huo family, "Grandma Miranda, Mr. and Mrs. Huo, Evelyn, Terilynn, and Matthew, thank you for your hospitality. It's getting late now, so we won't bother you. We should get going soon."
Joshua echoed, "Thank you for your hospitality. Dinner was wonderful. I had a good time today."
Sheffield rolled his eyes at his friend. Of course, Joshua had a good time. After all, no other man was pestering Terilynn and he had the whole night to talk with her. However, Sheffield's romantic moment was foiled by a third wheel. He wanted to have some privacy in Evelyn's room, but Calvert had to ruin everything.
Debbie said politely, "Well, since it's already quite late, why don't you stay here and leave tomorrow morning?"
Both men wanted to nod their heads but they couldn't! Despite the temptation, Sheffield had to refuse. "Thank you, Mrs. Huo. Don't worry about us. I'll go back with Joshua."
Carlos, on the other hand, rolled his eyes at him. He surely knew what was on the young doctor's mind.
Even if every fiber of Sheffield's being wanted to stay back, he wouldn't dare to cross Carlos.
When they walked outside, Carlos had arranged for someone to drive them home because they had drunk quite a lot of red wine.
In the parking lot
A man with long, straight legs scuttled over to Sheffield, who was about to get in the car, and called out, "Mr. Tang?"
His tone was polite yet distant.
Sheffield closed the door and turned around. "What's up, Matthew?"
Matthew frowned and said, "Don't call me like that. We are not that close."
Not knowing how to respond, Sheffield shook his head, at a loss for words. 'Like father, like son. They are both cold-hearted. Fine!' "Mr. Huo, what can I do for you?"
"I'd like to talk to you about something over coffee or perhaps lunch?"
Sheffield stood up straight, taken by surprise. 'He wants to talk to me?' "Sure, feel free to get in touch whenever you want to," he said, smiling at Matthew.
"Thanks." Matthew turned around and left without another word.
Once the cars transporting Joshua and Sheffield left the manor, Evelyn went back inside.
Now that all the other guests had left, Calvert had no other reason to stay back any longer. He too bid farewell to the Huos and left soon after.
On his way back, Calvert leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to get some rest. Suddenly, the chauffeur stepped on the brakes, throwing Calvert forward as his forehead hit the back of the front seat.
"What the heck? Keep your eyes on the road!"
"Excuse me, Mr. Ji. I'm sorry, but there's a car blocking our path," said the chauffeur.
Calvert looked at the car and saw Sheffield come out of it.
As their eyes met in the darkness, Calvert suddenly had a bad feeling. "Reverse the car. Turn around and leave."
The chauffeur looked in the rearview mirror and awkwardly said, "There's another car behind us."
The muscles on his face twitched, but Calvert didn't say anything.
Sheffield casually lit a cigarette, knocked on Calvert's window in the back seat and handed another cigarette to Joshua, who had just gotten out of the car.
Calvert rolled down the window, staring at the two men smoking and asked, "Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Fan?"
Taking a drag on his cigarette, Joshua nodded at him. "Yes. I have something to discuss with you. Why don't you come out and have a talk with us?"
After hesitating for a while, Calvert opened the door and got out of the car.
Sheffield and Joshua exchanged an understanding look with each other as they both took off their coats and started rolling up their sleeves, without uttering a word.
Calvert understood what that meant and he tried to get back in the car, but Sheffield reacted fast and shut the door in a jiffy.