The Day Our Promise Breaks

Evelyn was really in a pickle over this whole situation. She still hadn't come up with a surefire way to get Rosa to stop arranging blind dates for her without stepping on her toes. "And as for me, I guess you've heard the rumors flying around," Brooks said, his voice cool and collected.

"Uh-huh." Evelyn couldn't help but clear her throat a bit. Even though she wasn't part of the Capital's high society, she'd caught wind of some gossip about Brooks.

Brooks was the same age as Charles, the eldest grandson of the Robinson family, which rivaled the Jenkins family. He's also 28 and equally impressive, but Brooks had zero interest in women, unlike Charles, who had made his relationship with Dahlia public back in their college days. On the other hand, Brooks never seemed to have any women around him, leading to rumors that he might prefer men. People even speculated about every guy he was seen with, trying to figure out who he might fancy.

She hadn't been curious before, but now that Brooks brought it up, the nosy part of her wondered who caught his eye. She turned to Brooks, her curiosity written all over her face.

"I'm not into men," Brooks said, a hint of exasperation in his eyes. Seeing Evelyn's surprised look, he added calmly, "There's someone I've been fond of for a long time."

As he talked about this person, his eyes softened, giving Evelyn the fleeting feeling that maybe, just maybe, it was her. But she quickly dismissed the thought. How long had they known each other, really?

Brooks continued, "I'm waiting for her, but my grandfather believes the rumors, too. I need someone to keep my family off my back, and you need someone to keep Rosa at bay. We'd make perfect partners."

It made sense. He had someone he'd been smitten with for years, so he wasn't about to fall for someone else. She wasn't looking for love so she wouldn't get tangled up with him either. They wouldn't be a problem for each other. "Alright," Evelyn agreed after weighing her options.

With their plan set, Evelyn opened the car door to step out. "Goodbye, Mr. Brooks."

"You're still calling me Mr. Brooks?" Brooks asked, his hand resting on the steering wheel as he looked at her.

Halfway out of the car, Evelyn met his gaze. Under his gentle look, she hesitated but finally managed to say, "Brooks."

They were not all that familiar, so the change in how she addressed him made her ears burn. Worried he might notice, she quickly shut the car door.noveldrama

Brooks rolled down the window. "I'll wait for you to go in."

Evelyn wanted to mention that this

was the Jenkins residence, and it was perfectly safe, but his gaze stopped her. She nodded, acknowledging the manners he'd

been taught over the years.

Not wasting any more time, she headed inside. Brooks stayed in the car, watching her until she vanished from view, then drove off.

Evelyn made her way through the garden towards Rosa's place. Asz she passed a decorative rockery, a tall figure emerged from the shadows, blocking her path. It was Charles.

Evelyn tried to ignore him, attempting to walk past. But Charles' large hand suddenly clamped around her wrist, almost crushing it.

"Charles, let go!" Evelyn yelled, her

voice sharp with pain. She didn't bother keeping her voice down. Just moments ago, she'd seen several servants bustling around the garden when she was seeing Brooksoff.