Knowing what Terilynn meant, Dixon cast a glance at the silent Carlos through the rearview mirror and answered after some hesitation, "Yes."
Terilynn covered her mouth in shock. So her sister and Sheffield had known each other for a long time. What was worse, he was the guy who got her pregnant. In a hurry, she took out her phone and shot a message to Joshua. "Sheffield and my sister are old friends, huh?"
But Joshua didn't answer her. 'He might be at work, ' she thought.
"Dixon…" Carlos called out. He wanted the younger man to stand by for orders.
But his voice trailed off as he saw Evelyn kissing Sheffield. The moment seemed to go on forever. The smile on her face widened.
Carlos changed the order he was going to give.
It was not until Evelyn pressed Sheffield against the car to wipe away the smears of lipstick from his face that Carlos said to Dixon, "Drive."
Dixon turned around and caught a glimpse of Carlos, his expressionless boss. He wondered what was going through the man's mind. So he wasn't going to clean the young doctor's clock this time?
The Emperor slowly glided away like a phantom, like it was never there in the first place.
Carlos stared out the window. "Don't tell your sister we went anywhere," he told Terilynn.
"What? Why?" Terilynn asked in confusion.
Carlos didn't answer her.
Terilynn thought for a while and said tentatively, "Dad, Evelyn is a lot happier with Sheffield than she is with Calvert. You can see it in her eyes, on her face. Stop butting into their love life. Just leave them alone."
"Humph!" With a snort, Carlos said coldly, "I can't just sit back and do nothing. That man is dangerous, and there's a reason he tries to make time with my daughter. I won't let her be hurt again!"
Terilynn chose to shut up and leave it alone.
Sheffield took Evelyn to the most happening place in Y City. He found a parking spot, albeit a few blocks from where he wanted to be.
He grabbed her hand and led her along the busy street. "Hungry?" he asked in a soft voice.
"A little."
He let go of her hand and took something from his pocket. He unwrapped and held it close to her lips. "Come on, open up."
It was a preserved plum. It was her favorite snack, so he always had a bag around somewhere.
Evelyn shook her head. "I've eaten too many of those today. How about something else?" The preserved plums were delicious, but there was only so much she could stand.
No matter how much she liked it, she had to think of her health. It might taste incredible, but all that sugar couldn't be good for people.
Stunned, Sheffield nodded and said, "I think you're right. Too much of anything is bad for you." Then he popped the candy in his own mouth.
He grabbed her hand again and guided her closer to his side. "There's a street lined with nothing but snack shops. You should see it: snack stands on both sides of the street, and restaurants behind those. Let's get some sweets and then eat a proper meal. What do you think?"
"Okay." She had never been here before, so she didn't know where to go. She could only follow him.
He had good taste. During her trip, the snacks he bought for her were delicious. She really wanted to try foods that she had never eaten before.
The streets here were choked with people. This was really a popular spot, and everyone had the same idea as they did. Afraid of losing her, Sheffield held her hand tightly as he bought her some red bean pancakes, dragon's beard candy, and egg tarts.
When they walked out of the snack street, they came to a central square. Evelyn, a red bean pancake in hand, happened to notice that her shoelaces had come untied. She called out to Sheffield. "Hold up a minute. Here."
Evelyn held out the red bean pancake, intending for him to take it from her.
"What's wrong? You don't like it?"
"No, it's not that. I need to tie my shoes." Evelyn lowered her gaze to look at her feet.
"Oh, I see." Instead of taking the red bean pancake from her, he dropped her hand, knelt down, and grabbed her shoelaces.
Seeing him carefully help her with her shoelaces, Evelyn smiled and said, "That's not necessary. I can do it myself."
Without raising his head, Sheffield joked, "The queen can't bow her head, or the crown will fall. You're in good hands."
Smiling under her breath, Evelyn retorted, "Dr. Tang, it means that the queen can't bow to an enemy. It's not about tying a shoe. Are you saying I can't bend down to do anything now?"
"Well…" he said sheepishly. "Just let me help you with things like that. I live to serve, my queen. And I'll make sure you're happy with my service." He suddenly jumped to his feet, pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.
Evelyn cast a burning glance at him and pushed him. "Hey, cut it out! You have some nerve! Want to be taught a lesson?"
"Okay, okay… I was wrong, honey. But if you called me your husband, I wouldn't mind you teaching me a lesson in…"
Sheffield wanted to say, "I wouldn't mind you teaching me a lesson in bed." But he swallowed that last word, afraid that Evelyn would pinch his face hard again.
Not knowing what was on his mind, Evelyn said with a frown, "You're holding me too tight. Let me go. I'm still hungry."
"I want to take you home," Sheffield suddenly whispered in her ear.
"What?" She looked at him, confusion on her face.
"I mean, we go home and do something X-rated."
Evelyn choked on her saliva. "Go away, loser!" Maybe being with him wasn't such a hot idea. She had a hunch that he would get on her nerves so much that she'd become an absolute bitch.
Looking at her blushing face, Sheffield continued with a wicked smile, "Don't be shy, Eve. You should learn from me—be bold and direct. That way you might have the chance to leave more love bites on me."
Evelyn couldn't stand it anymore. He was such an experienced flirt. "Sheffield…"
"Evelyn, look!" Sheffield interrupted and suddenly pointed at the square a short distance away. Was he trying to distract her?
She looked in the direction he was pointing. Some children were playing and a few street vendors were selling their goods. Nothing special. "What?" she asked.
Sheffield whispered to her, "Look at that old lady running the stall. That's so sad!"
One of the street vendors was an old woman selling toys in a stall. She had grey hair and wore a thick coat. To make a living, she had to sell toys—even at night. "Yeah, doesn't look like she has two nickels to rub together," Evelyn nodded.
"Let's give her a leg up."
"How?" 'Buying her toys?' she wondered. But they were not kids.
A smile appeared on his face. He took her arm in his and walked towards the old lady. Pointing at the bubble wands, he asked, "Grandma? How much are these?" Sheffield called the old lady "Grandma" in an enthusiastic tone, as if he were really greeting his own grandmother.
The old woman was elated by his greeting and answered kindly, "Five dollars apiece!"
"Give me…" Sheffield turned around and counted the children behind them before continuing, "Ten of them, please!"
When she saw him counting the children, Evelyn had already guessed what his plan was. "Why ten?" she asked. There were only four children behind them. Even if they gave each of the children two bubble wands, there would be two more left.
Sheffield gave her a mysterious smile. He took out a one-hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to the old woman before replying to Evelyn, "You'll know in a minute."
"Keep the change," he told the old shopkeeper. Her face lit up. That was double the cost of the wands. "Okay. This better be quick," Evelyn said. But inside, she knew why he did that.
She guessed right. After getting the bubble wands, Sheffield gave each of the four kids two.
As for the last two bubble wands, he walked up to Evelyn and swung them in front of her. "Now you have a choice. Which one do you want?" he asked.
'A choice?' Looking at the two bubble wands with cartoon patterns, Evelyn refused resignedly, "No, thanks. I'm not a kid anymore."
