"Yeah," Evelyn whispered, lowering her voice, "Ms. Sampson seems to be playing matchmaker with you and Ms. Jarvis, but Ms. Jarvis mentioned she isn't interested in you."
Gabriel's expression cooled, "What are you trying to tell me?"
Evelyn was taken aback, shaking her head quickly, "I didn't mean anything by it."
Gabriel's gaze was steady and sharp, "Evelyn, don't take Old Mr. Quintin's whimsical thoughts too seriously. I'm ten years your senior, and it's just not in the cards for us."
Evelyn's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she bit her lip and asked softly, "Are you worried I might not be Old Mr. Quintin's biological granddaughter?"
Gabriel's tone was chilly, "That's irrelevant. Whether you are Old Mr. Quintin's granddaughter or not, it won't change the fact that we won't be together."
Stung by his blunt words, Evelyn's face turned even redder. She feigned indifference, "I never took Old Mr. Quintin's words to heart. I've always seen you more like a brother."
With a slight nod, Gabriel turned and walked away.
Evelyn approached the railing, overlooking the bustling night scene of J City, feeling a void inside her.
She had always been beautiful, with no shortage of admirers. Although her family wasn't wealthy, she had always held herself with pride.
Her first boyfriend had been Lynn, from a family of academics; both his parents were university professors, and he himself was a graduate student at a prestigious college, with a promising future ahead.
Back then, her friends had been envious of her relationship.
But it wasn't until she came here that she realized how ordinary she was. Even Lynn, hailed as a heartthrob by her friends, couldn't hold a candle to the people here.
Without her identity as Old Mr. Quintin's granddaughter, she felt she had nothing at all.
Returning to the lounge area, Evelyn found that Estelle and Magdalen were already there.
Estelle handed her a slice of cake, "Eat something."
Evelyn, feeling down, managed a weak smile, "Thank you, Estelle."
Magdalen leaned in, "A friend of Estelle's is a friend of ours. We don't play favorites here. Make yourself comfortable, and let's hang out more often. You'll fit in in no time."
Evelyn nodded absently, "Sure."
Suddenly, Carson called out, "Ladies, what's the chat about? Come join us for a game of cards."
Carson beckoned to Marina, "Where else are you off to? Come join me."
Marina boasted, "I don't need a strategist to play cards."
Carson, hand in his pocket, chuckled, "I need the moral support."
In front of everyone, Marina didn't argue and took a seat beside him.
Josiah leaned toward Amiee, grinning, "Honey, let's win everyone's contributions tonight, what do you say?"
Amiee's eyebrows arched lightly, "That won't do. Winnings are winnings, and contributions are separate."
The group erupted in laughter.
With so many people playing, they decided to go with the simplest and most straightforward game.
In the first round, Magdalen dealt the cards, and it looked like she had a good hand, immediately tossing in two chips.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Thank you for the updates....
May we have updates please....
I wanted to see Gab courting Sylvia..probably that is yet to come. Please keep updating...thank you...
Maybe Gabriel can have someone at the Citadel check the whereabouts of Evelyn's boyfriend, whom she followed there in the 1st place to get information about her adoptive family and her biological family as well. The sooner she's gone the better. Thanks for the updates....
.........still hoping to see updates...
Awaiting more updates.......
Helllooooooo...
Yes, can't wait to see how gab is going to win over Sylvia. Please share updates...
Waiting patiently for the updates, thank you....
Thank you for the updates, this is so exciting now that Sylvia is connecting with her family....