Sheffield leaned in towards her seductively. "Your sidekick has noticed me already. Followed everywhere by your bodyguards, aren't you? Isn't it annoying? Don't you want to be free; do whatever you want even if it is just for two days?"
It sounded tempting, and he had a point, but Evelyn had no choice. This was her life. She had been living like this since the day Carlos knew she was his daughter.
Sheffield didn't let go of her hand. "Your bodyguard is coming. Let's go! Run! I'll take you to the Elephant Valley."
Evelyn turned to look at Tayson. He was running towards them.
Subconsciously, she started running alongside Sheffield, her black curls billowing gracefully about her shoulders in the wind.
Sheffield turned to see if Tayson was catching up with them, but his gaze fell on Evelyn and he realized how beautiful she was at that moment. He couldn't take his eyes off her.
He was attracted to her the instant he had laid eyes on her. Earlier, he had the impression that she was a proud and distant beauty. But now, it was a different kind of beauty; she was unrestrained and moved with panache.
Whatever kind of beauty it was, Sheffield was dazzled.
They came to the sightseeing car he had chartered. He hopped in first and held out his right hand to her.
Before getting in the car, Evelyn turned to Tayson, who was still running and was less than ten meters away from them. "Go back," she said to him.
Tayson stopped and watched Evelyn take Sheffield's hand and get into the sightseeing car.
As the car drove off, he wasn't sure if he should report it to Carlos. In the end, he decided to report it to Debbie. He took out his phone to call her. But then, he got a text message from Evelyn. "Don't tell my parents. I'll be back soon."
Tayson knew that they were heading for Elephant Valley. He could keep this from Carlos. He could also leave her be. But not today. He couldn't help worrying. The man she was with was as helpless as a punching bag.
He couldn't leave her unprotected. So, Tayson chartered another car and followed them to Elephant Valley.
Sheffield carefully buckled Evelyn up. Assured that she was safe, he looked into her pretty eyes and asked with a tilted head, "I'm Sheffield Tang. What's your name?"
Evelyn looked straight back at him and replied, "You brought me with you, and you don't even know who I am? You are reckless to say the least."
Sheffield shrugged. "You're too beautiful. Whenever I see you, my legs drag me towards you, and my brain stops working. I can't help it. Did you cast a spell on me?"
He wasn't lying. He knew that he was acting too forward. But he couldn't suppress his feelings for her. He wanted to be close to her.
"So, it's my fault now?" Too many men had pursued her. Sheffield's words sounded cliche to Evelyn. But somehow, when he said it, her heart fluttered. To hide her emotions, she made sure to sound as aloof as ever.
Sheffield grinned. "Of course not. I just want to know your name."
"Your opening was too old and boring." Sheffield was handsome and mischievous and many girls obsessed over guys like him. But she was not a little girl anymore, so she didn't really fancy him.
Sheffield was frustrated. 'She isn't acting distant. She IS distant.'
"Women usually tell me their names as soon as they meet me. I've never had to ask. You are the only woman whose name I have asked," he remarked, looking at her earnestly.
Evelyn averted her eyes from him. "I don't care."
He frowned. "Fine. Did you bring a mosquito repellent?" he asked, changing the topic. She was wearing pants and sneakers. When she sat in the car seat, her ruby anklet was exposed.
"What do I need that for?" she asked.
"To apply on your shoes to keep the snakes or leeches away."
The thought of those slimy reptiles made Evelyn's hair stand on end. She had only brought her backpack with her, and within it were a few packs of wet napkins.
With a conspiratorial smile, Sheffield pulled out something from his pocket and showed it to her. "I haven't applied it either. Let's do it together."
Evelyn looked at the object. It was a bottle of mosquito repellent. "Um. No, thanks," she declined. "I will buy one when we get there." She had almost consented to his offer. But on second thought, they were not close enough to share anything with each other yet.
Sheffield didn't reply. He bent down to grab her foot. All of a sudden, the car turned abruptly. Caught off guard, he was thrust into Evelyn's arms.
She was so soft. He could have stayed in her arms forever.
But in a heartbeat, he realized that the sudden impact from him had pushed her away from her seat.
The either side of the car only had an iron chain. Nothing else. No doors. Next to the narrow road was a steep hill. By the time he realized what was happening, the upper part of Evelyn's body had fallen outside the car. If she fell, she would hit the hard rocks on the road.
He stood up swiftly, grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
He was so terrified that he accidently exerted too much strength when he pulled her in. Her head bumped into his chest, and it hurt.
She winced as she rubbed her forehead. She hadn't expected his chest to be so sturdy.
"Are you okay?" he asked tenderly, apparently worried.
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."
The driver realized what had happened, and slowed down.
Sheffield wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but when the car slowed down, he decided to let it go.
Evelyn calmed down. He lifted her foot and put it on his lap. "I'll apply the mosquito repellent for you."
"I…I can do it myself."
She tried to pull her leg away, but Sheffield grabbed her ankle to stop her. "The road is narrow and the turns are sharp around this area. Sit tight. I'll do it."
Evelyn didn't object this time. She watched as he opened the bottle and applied some repellent on her shoe.
She couldn't help thinking, 'He is so careful. Is he as meticulous as this during a surgery?'
"Evelina," she said out of the blue.
"What?" Sheffield looked at her and continued to apply the repellent on her other shoe.
"My name is Evelina." Yes, she lied.
'I'm sorry, Sheffield.'
There were too many awful people in her life. They approached her with diverse purposes. In the end, they all belonged to the same kind—the ones who wanted to hurt her.
She had learned this the hard way. Kidnapping, threats, blackmail, murder. She had experienced them all.
