Alexander's eyes held Evelyn's, reflecting the depth of his feelings.

He had been pouring all his charm into his gaze, an intensity that could set the air on fire. He held his breath, waiting for her answer.

But Evelyn, utterly oblivious to his amorous intentions, was bursting with her own news. She was desperate to share.

"Alexander!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. "I'm cleared! I never plagiarized Julian Thorne! He released his design after mine and manipulated the timestamp to make it seem like I copied him!"

Her eyes sparkled with victory as she threw her arms around his neck. The words spilled out in a joyful rush. "I'm so happy, Alexander! Everyone online believes me now! I can keep designing!"

Alexander, already briefed on the good news during the drive back, feigned surprise perfectly. "Really?" he asked, a wide smile spreading across his face.

He gently cupped her cheek, his touch tender. "That's wonderful, Evelyn," he said warmly. "You've been through so much lately. But how did you manage to prove your innocence so quickly?"

Evelyn beamed, her chest swelling with pride. "Luckily, I'm always very meticulous with my work," she explained. "I embed a hidden signature in all my design drafts."

She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I never thought Julian would be so careless! He not only stole my design, but he didn't even remove my signature! That was the key evidence that saved me."

Alexander chuckled. "He probably just did a quick copy-paste and changed a few insignificant details."

"Exactly!" Evelyn agreed, then her expression turned thoughtful. "But I couldn't have done it without that hacker who helped me find the most crucial proof."

She pulled out her phone, a hint of disappointment on her face. "I wanted to thank them properly. But right after I posted the screen recording, they deleted their account. I didn't even get a chance to contact them."

Alexander's assistant, standing nearby, shifted uncomfortably. He mumbled, "Actually, about that person..."

Alexander abruptly cleared his throat.

The assistant, realizing his mistake, instantly clamped his mouth shut.

He was still green. He was terrible at keeping secrets.

He had almost given his boss away.

Noticing Alexander's cough, Evelyn gently patted his back. "Would you like some water?"

Alexander covered his mouth with his hand. "I'm alright, thank you."

His cough had been a deliberate signal to his talkative assistant.

Evelyn turned back to the assistant, her curiosity returning. "What were you about to say? What about that person?"

Maintaining a perfectly neutral expression, the assistant replied smoothly, "It was just a thought. Since they're a hacker, they undoubtedly value their privacy. Revealing their identity could be dangerous for them. It's probably best not to dig too deep. We wouldn't want to cause any problems."

Evelyn considered this for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That's a good point."

After a brief pause, Alexander interjected playfully, "We can discuss all this later, but perhaps you should get off my lap now? Should we go inside?"

Evelyn froze, momentarily confused before understanding dawned.

She had been so caught up in her excitement that she hadn't even realized Alexander had settled her onto his lap.

They had an audience!