I Rejected Being The Investor's Mistress

The phone buzzed again with its familiar vibration.

Evelyn Howard picked it up to find a notification from the clinic reminding her about unpaid bills. She stared at the figures for a while before pressing the phone to her chest and closing her eyes.

The next morning, Evelyn was jolted awake by her alarm. Rubbing her eyes, she reached for her phone and instinctively opened Twitter. As she refreshed her feed, her eyes widened in disbelief.

The trending list was inexplicably empty. Any mention of her was wiped clean from the public space. She tried searching with several keywords but came up empty. Even yesterday's post, which had been retweeted over ten thousand times, now displayed "Content Deleted" when she clicked on it.

Evelyn sat on her bed, stunned for a while. Could Owen Morgan have removed the posts? Unlikely, since he had been the one to create the buzz in the first place. Nothing in his demeanor suggested he would suddenly help clear her reputation.

Could it be... Everett Scott?

Evelyn thought of the man from the car last night, and her grip on the phone tightened. Why would he help her? After all, she had already turned down his proposal. Logically, he should have backed off and kept his distance.

What was his reason for going to such lengths for her?

Though Evelyn couldn't fathom his motives, her fingers were already typing a message of gratitude to Everett.

"Mr. Scott, I appreciate you handling the trending topic."

She believed in acknowledging kindness, no matter the reason behind it.

His reply came swiftly.

"No need to thank me, Ms. Howard. I did it for Clover's sake."

His response gave Evelyn pause. Did he mean he was looking out for Clover, so she wouldn't feel burdened? How could he be so generous? His kindness only intensified her feelings of inadequacy over her small, guilty desires.

Evelyn's phone rang again, the caller ID showing a colleague’s number. She answered to hear Margo Andrews’ urgent voice: "Evelyn, something big has happened!"

Evelyn felt her heart skip a beat. "What happened?"

"I can't explain over the phone; you need to come to the school."

"Alright, I’ll be there right away."

After hanging up, Evelyn took a deep breath and got ready. As long as she wasn’t losing her job, there was a chance to fix things.

Arriving at school, Evelyn pushed the door open to see Margo at her workstation. They had started at the school together and shared a cordial relationship previously. But since Margo expressed jealousy over Owen’s interest in Evelyn, she'd kept her distance.

"Well, look who’s here, our celebrity teacher," Margo drawled as Evelyn entered, a cold smile on her face as she casually tossed Evelyn's lesson plans into the trash.

Though Evelyn had grown accustomed to people’s changing attitudes lately, she couldn't help but be surprised by Margo's sudden shift in behavior.

Suppressing her irritation, Evelyn asked calmly, "What are you doing, Margo?"

With a flick of her hair, Margo smiled sweetly, replying, "The department head reassigned your classes to me, along with this prime desk by the window."

She lazily spun her chair, settling deeper into her smug satisfaction.

"Don’t worry, I didn’t touch your lesson plans. Who knows what secrets might be hidden inside? Wouldn’t want to risk corrupting the students, right?"

Ignoring her sarcasm, Evelyn focused on what mattered. "Did you say the head reassigned my classes?"

"You didn’t know?" Margo feigned shock, covering her mouth in exaggerated surprise. "Well, you've been so busy, you must have missed the announcement."

Evelyn watched her, trying to quell her rising frustration. "Let's stick to the facts."

Margo's grin widened at Evelyn’s calm demeanor.

"The results of this year’s performance ratings were announced. I got a promotion, and you, well—" she drew out the words, a mocking shrug punctuating her statement, "better luck next time."

Evelyn suddenly felt she barely knew her, wondering how people could change so quickly.

"Don’t tell me you think I stole your promotion? Ratings are supposed to reflect merit. You're too busy chasing wealthy suitors to focus on teaching, so who do you have to blame?"

Evelyn stayed silent.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Margo’s voice grew louder, fueled by Evelyn’s stoic response. "You bragged about being pursued by someone affluent daily. Now it’s backfired, you play the victim? Hypocrite!"

Just as Evelyn was about to respond, the department head called her to his office.

The head was blunt, mentioning complaints about her teaching attitude and advising her to rectify it. Evelyn, seeking clarity, pressed for specifics, but he remained vague, suggesting she reflect on her conduct.

Reflect on what, exactly?

Having worked there for three years with stellar evaluations, twice awarded 'Most Liked by Students,’ and consistently leading her class to top three in English, Evelyn knew her teaching was not the issue.

Leaving the head’s office, she stood in the hallway, letting the cold air quell her anger. Upon returning to the office, she paused outside the door, overhearing laughter from within.

Margo's voice was unmistakably the loudest.

"I used to defend her against those rumors about flirting with students' parents, but yesterday I saw it with my own eyes. She just flung herself into that parent’s arms. How desperate can she be?"

Evelyn stood, her hand hovering over the doorknob, listening.

Another colleague chimed in, "Be careful, she might sue for defamation."

"Defamation? Everything I said was witnessed by plenty. Just ask Margo," she taunted.

Margo remained silent.

"Really? Which parent?" someone questioned.

"That kid Clover's uncle. Handsome, obviously wealthy. He's not interested in her; it's just her acting like a lovestruck fool."

Margo lowered her voice just enough for the eavesdropping Evelyn to hear.

"She’s dreaming of being his girlfriend, without realizing how out of her league she is."

Laughter erupted.

Evelyn took a deep breath and entered the office.

The laughter ceased abruptly.

Margo glanced up with a smirk still frozen on her lips.

Just as Evelyn was about to speak—

"You're lying!" a young voice rang out.

Evelyn turned to see Clover Scott standing at the doorway, her face a mix of anger and tears, her doe-like eyes wide with indignation.

Ignoring Evelyn, Clover barged into the office, standing protectively before her favorite teacher like a fierce little kitten.

"Miss Evelyn hasn’t done anything wrong! You can’t just make things up!"

Margo was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"My, my, Clover, you sure know a lot of big words for such a little girl. Who taught you that?"

She shot Evelyn a mocking glance.

Clover’s face reddened with emotion, her chin raised defiantly. "You’re the bad guys!"

Another colleague, seeing the scene, attempted to intervene, gently tugging Clover’s sleeve. "Clover, this isn’t something for kids to be involved in. Go back to class."

Clover shook them off. "Not leaving until you stop saying bad things about Miss Evelyn!"

Margo snorted, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Miss Howard sure knows how to win people over. Even got the kids wrapped around her finger."

Clover trembled with rage, tears brimming but refusing to fall.

Evelyn stepped forward, cradling the young girl.

"Enough, Margo." Her voice carried a rare chill.

"If you want to keep your job, watch your mouth in front of students."

Margo rolled her eyes, pointedly turning away.

Kneeling, Evelyn gently wiped Clover’s tears, softening her tone. "Listen, Clover, if we get upset over a few mean words, aren’t we just giving them exactly what they want? You’re too smart for that, right?"

Clover sniffled, nodding vigorously.

A colleague stepped in to ease the tension. "Let’s all calm down, okay?"

"This isn’t the place for a spectacle."

Margo chuckled, pretending to immerse herself in lesson planning.

Clover’s anger eventually ebbed, but her resolve remained.

"Why do they say such things when they don’t even know you, Miss Evelyn?"

The March breeze seeped through the hallway, its chill contrasting with the warmth in Clover’s words, words that unexpectedly stung Evelyn’s nose.

Evelyn ruffled the young girl's hair. "Because they don’t understand me, and that’s why they speak wrongly. But you stood up for me because you do understand, and that’s incredibly brave of you. Thank you, Clover."

Clover’s eyes sparkled with pride.

"Does that make me a brave child?"

"Absolutely." Evelyn affirmed with sincerity, "You’re the bravest little warrior."

Clover beamed, throwing her arms around Evelyn, burying her face in her warmth.

"Don’t worry, Miss Evelyn. I’ll find someone to stand up for you!"

Without waiting for a response, Clover scurried away.

Back in her classroom, she discreetly retrieved her smartwatch, sending a voice message to the top contact on her list.

"Uncle Everett! Come quick! Some meanies are picking on Miss Evelyn!"