Evelyn waved her hands dismissively, a little too quickly. "That's not it at all. I'm honestly not that interested in gossip."

A sense of helplessness washed over her. It was strange that both Beatrice and Alexander seemed to think she was desperate to know who founded Aethelgard Industries.

Wanting to clear the air immediately, she offered a logical alternative. "Besides, if I was that curious, why would I ask Mrs. Sterling, who barely knows them? I would just ask you directly."

"Ask me? Why?" Alexander felt his heartbeat stutter. Did she suspect something?

She looked at him softly, her voice gentle. "Well, you mentioned your significant debt to Aethelgard Industries. With an amount that large, you must have met the founder. I'd assume they would keep a close eye on you to make sure you hadn't disappeared."

Alexander was rendered speechless, stunned by her straightforward reasoning.

This fabricated debt issue was proving more persistent than he had anticipated.

Anxious not to appear incompetent in her eyes, he quickly spun another tale. "Evelyn, about that debt... I've almost cleared it. There's no need for you to worry anymore."

"So fast? You've settled it?" Evelyn's eyes widened with genuine shock. "Alexander, paying off a hundred million dollars is no small achievement!"

A peculiar sense of pride swelled in his chest.

But why did he feel proud? The debt wasn't even real.

Suppressing the confusing emotion, he insisted, "That's enough talk about that. You should really focus on resting."

Evelyn blinked, her sense of duty returning. "I'm going back to work," she stated firmly. "We might not be drowning in debt anymore, but that doesn't mean we can slack off. Alexander, if you try to stop me again, I'll be truly upset."

Her determination was absolute. Seeing this, Alexander reluctantly conceded. "Alright. Let's get your discharge paperwork sorted first. But if you feel even the slightest bit unwell, you tell me immediately."

If that happened, he would bring her straight back to the hospital. He was resolved not to let her take any unnecessary risks with her health.

Evelyn recognized his protective nature but felt confident in her recovery. Her injuries were, after all, relatively minor.

Finally, she made her way back to the office, ready to resume her responsibilities.

The moment Evelyn stepped back into the office, her colleagues immediately gathered around her.

Their faces were filled with sincere concern. "Evelyn, how are you feeling?"

"Are you okay? What actually happened? Nathanial made it sound quite serious a few days ago."

Evelyn had never disclosed the details of her kidnapping. The police had kept the victim's identity confidential. Naturally, her colleagues assumed she had simply fallen ill.

It seemed Nathanial had likely exaggerated the situation, perhaps because she had successfully secured Beatrice Sterling's important order, highlighting how much he valued the account.

"I'm perfectly fine now, thank you, everyone," Evelyn replied, offering her colleagues a warm, reassuring smile.

"That's a relief to hear."

Suddenly, a sharp, cutting voice sliced through the supportive atmosphere. "Evelyn, isn't it a bit convenient that you landed in the hospital right after securing Mrs. Sterling's order? You didn't do that on purpose, did you? Were you just stalling because you felt overwhelmed by the responsibility?"

Evelyn looked up to see Genevieve smirking at her, eyes narrowed with open suspicion.