Chapter 16 Putting on a Show

Before long, Ian found himself sinking back into Evelyn's gentle care. But whenever he finally had time to rest, Sophia would still surface in his thoughts. One memory after another played in his mind. Evelyn was gentle and considerate, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the feeling he'd once had with Sophia. Sophia would sulk, rely on him, cling to him, and act spoiled. More than that, the two of them had always had endless things to talk about. Evelyn was different. She was gentle and attentive, but she only ever followed his lead, carefully catering to his moods. She never understood what he was really saying, never grasped the documents he worked on, and didn't even know what a bidding proposal was. Once, she'd even used an important bid document as a placemat. A dull, indescribable frustration settled in his chest. While he was troubled, Evelyn was doing everything she could to please him. She'd finally managed to drive Sophia out of the picture. Now that