Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"My lady, Lord Ethan, has sent you a goodbye gift." Eli raised her head and then looked at Hannah's smirk as if the woman was looking down on her and her face instantly turned darker.

She was about to open her mouth and admonish the snake but Evan held her hands.

She shook her head slightly confusing Eli but the smirk on the face of Hannah grew wider.

So, she was right. Evan did know about her yet she was acting to be innocent. Now it would be more fun to deal with her.

"This is a gift from our brother. No matter who delivered it. We should respect his feelings.

Or the situation would worsen, Eli." Evan still smiled at Hannah, feigning ignorance though she continued to look at both of them with challenging eyes.

Eli stared back at Evan with a lot of questions in her eyes but when she met the clear and calm eyes of Evan, she sighed.

She had no idea what Evan was thinking and doing but she knew that Evan knew what Hannah was trying to do.

"Alright, I will trust you this time." she nodded her head and took the file from the hands of Hannah and without looking at it, she nodded back.

"Eli, since you have got a goodbye gift from your brother. Would it not be right that you will bid goodbye to him before leaving?`` Just as Eli was going to pass the file to the maid to keep it in the carriage, Evan held her hand and looked at her meaningfully while saying those words.

Eli raised a brow but nodded her head when Hannah frowned.

"That.. that would not be needed. I understand that you are getting late.

I will pass my good wishes to my master. You can leave if you want to." a hint of panic could be seen on her face that she tried very hard to hide.

She was there to ruin their relationship but what if Ethan asked her to stay if she went to meet him. She would even notice that Ethan was hurt and did not want to let her go.

The misunderstandings, she had worked so hard on, would be cleared so easily.

"I think I can manage being a bit late. I am going to rest in an inn anyway." Eli shrugged her shoulders as she walked past Hannah while holding hands of Evan who smirked back at Hannah and winked before going further.

She had played this game so many times with Olivia since she had come here. If it was about acting, Evan was sure no one could beat her.

She felt hurried steps behind her and did not need to turn to look at the pale face of Hannah. She could already imagine how tense the maid would be.

"Are you sure about it?" Eli whispered back when Evan stopped murmuring into her ears when Eli nodded her head with confidence.

"Trust me, I know what I am doing. And you would be able to see results instantly." Eli took a deep breath and nodded.

They both continued to walk towards the room of Ethan who knew that they were coming. Though he was not able to listen to what they were talking about, he had seen Evan looking at his window and smiling and then saying something to Eli who nodded her head and then they walked in.

He had an anxious look on his face. He stood up and paced in his room but then he stood in front of a mirror and adjusted his clothes.

He took some deep breaths and then walked and sat on his office table and opened the first file he saw.

He behaved as if he was busy reading the file when the door was knocked.

"Come in." he said in a busy tone though his heart was hammering hard in his chest. This moment would decide if he was going to improve his relationship with Eli or it was going to fall apart completely.

He heard the sound of footsteps and took a deep breath before raising his head and looking at them.

"Oh, you are here!" he tried to feign surprise when Evan chuckled with mirth in his eyes and he coughed to clear his throat.

"Mm, i wanted to bid goodbye. I thought you would not want to meet me, so i did not disturb you before but i was surprised to receive this file from you.

As far as i remember this is father's welcome gift to you, am i right?" Eli walked towards the seat and sat on it without asking.

She looked at the file he was working on and was taken aback for a second.

She muffled her laughter as she realized Evan was right.

Ethan saw her strange behavior but his attention was taken away by her words.

He nodded his head slightly.

"I was never busy with you. But I think you have always forgotten about me. But it is okay.

Yes, my father gave it to me. So, I have the right to decide what I want to do with it. So, take it. I am not taking someone else's property to give it to you." he spoke in a cold voice as if he did not care about her when her eyes softened.

She placed her hands on his and then leaned closer,

"Brother, I am relieved to know that you care about me. Even now, you are trying to be cold and busy but the while you are reading, you are holding it wrong!" huh! He looked down to see that the file was upside down and his cheeks burned.

He closed the file abruptly and looked away to hide his embarrassment when she laughed loudly this time.

"I never knew that a simple person like you can have a tsundere attitude. Oh my, but I must say that I am highly disappointed with my father. I thought he had given you a palace as a gift but this is a small house in the dark alley."