Mrs. Winters gave Gladys a meaningful look. “Gladys, Evelyn seems to have had too much to drink. I can’t step away right now—could you help her upstairs to rest?”
Gladys glanced at Evelyn, who was slumped over the table, instantly understanding Mrs. Winters’ intentions. She nodded and went to gently support Evelyn.
“Evelyn, you’re not feeling well. Let me help you upstairs to get some rest.”
Evelyn, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, mumbled, “I want to go home.”
“You’ve had too much—why don’t you stay here tonight?” Gladys coaxed her softly, helping her upstairs and into Eugene’s room.
She even took the extra step of removing Evelyn’s coat.
Half-conscious, Evelyn let herself appear completely drunk, collapsing weakly onto the bed. Only after Gladys closed the door behind her did she open her eyes and quietly undo the last piece of her clothing...
*
As soon as Evelyn was taken upstairs, Mrs. Winters grew visibly restless, glancing at the time with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
No longer in the mood to entertain her guests, she ended the party early and had the staff see everyone out.
Gladys was a little excited herself. “Madame, I’ve left Evelyn for you. My cousin won’t object, will he?”
Mrs. Winters gave a confident smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of everything.”
“When Evelyn wakes up tomorrow, make sure you don’t tell her I was behind all this!”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. You’ll only have her gratitude, not her suspicion.”
“That’s good. After tonight, Evelyn won’t have any choice but to be with my cousin,” Gladys said smugly. “Congratulations in advance, Madame. And don’t forget your promise to me when it’s all settled!”
Mrs. Winters playfully tapped her on the forehead. “How could I possibly forget your reward?”
Gladys glanced at her phone. “My cousin will be home soon. I won’t stick around and get in the way—I’ll head out now.”
Eugene let out a cold laugh. “For me? Or for yourself?”
“Eugene, how can you say that? You’re my own son. Of course I want what’s best for you!” Mrs. Winters insisted.
She quickly softened, smiling. “Alright, let’s not argue about it. I’ll respect your wishes.”
She turned and brought over a bowl of sea cucumber soup. “I spent all afternoon making this—have some.”
“I’ve already eaten,” Eugene replied, not particularly interested.
Mrs. Winters blocked his way, insisting, “It’s just a little something from your mother. You’ve been working so hard lately—this will help you recharge!”
Unwilling to get drawn into another round of nagging, Eugene simply took the bowl and drank it down in one go.
Mrs. Winters watched him closely. When he finished, she did her best to hide her excitement and smiled. “Go upstairs and get some rest. I’ve had the bath drawn for you—take a good soak and get some sleep.”

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Thank you for the updates....
I love it, I love it! Thank you for the updates....
Dear author Lucy, may we please have updates. Thank you....
There's a song currently playing via YouTube and TikToc by LowDii "Touch Me Softly" that makes me think of Norah and Xavier (Gonzalez). Please, I'm looking forward to updates. Thank you for your writing....
May we please have updates. Thank you....
As the plot thicken. Adrian is done for and he can't try to control Norah, so he'd probably tattle to Janice who's gone for two weeks. Thank you soooo much for the updates....
These updates were too funny. Thank you so much for the updates....
I forgot to add Amy to the group of pregnant women,since she was the first. Emily and Sylvia better be careful since pregnancy is in the air....
Wow! This is great, both Estelle and Magdalen are pregnant at the same time and I hope that Xavier is Norah neighbor. Thank you for the updates....
Author Lucy you're a blessing. Thank you so my for the updates. I hope that Norah's neighbor is Xavier she gets her memory back....