Chapter 83

It was Adrian.

He handed Evelyn a steaming cup of chamomile tea. "Mrs. Blackwood, you should rest. General Blackwood mentioned he might be working late tonight."

Evelyn accepted the ceramic mug, her fingers brushing against the warmth. A pang of disappointment twisted in her chest. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Of course."

She stared at the swirling steam before asking, "How did you know I was still up?"

Adrian shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't spying, I swear. The General noticed your lights were still on from his office. He asked me to check on you."

Evelyn's breath caught. She stepped back from the balcony railing. "Liam can see my apartment from his office?"

Wiping his brow, Adrian explained, "The military headquarters has a direct line of sight to the officer's quarters. When every other window went dark hours ago..." He trailed off meaningfully.

A small smile tugged at Evelyn's lips. The thought of Liam watching over her sent warmth through her body that rivaled the tea. She clutched the mug tighter, torn between wanting him home and knowing his work was important.

"Adrian," she ventured carefully, "what exactly is keeping Liam so busy?"

The lieutenant hesitated. "The training exercises were canceled due to... complications. And Ms. Dawson caused another incident that required damage control."

At Victoria's name, Evelyn's grip tightened on the mug.

She couldn't understand why Liam continued cleaning up after that woman's messes. The leniency bordered on indulgence.

Adrian continued cautiously, "There are details I can't share, Mrs. Blackwood. But between the canceled drills and the Azurium crisis..." He rubbed his temples. "Just yesterday, Ms. Dawson contaminated an entire batch. Eighty million dollars' worth, ruined in seconds."

Evelyn's eyebrows shot up.

"We managed to secure replacement materials," Adrian continued, "but they arrived pre-contaminated. Now the entire research team is working around the clock trying to purify it. If they can't..." He shook his head. "We'll have to purchase more or send it overseas for processing. General Blackwood—"

"Wait." Evelyn downed the rest of her tea in one gulp. Setting the mug down with a clink, she grabbed a sweater from the back of a chair.

Adrian blinked. "Mrs. Blackwood?"

"I know how to purify Azurium." She shrugged into the sweater and flipped off the lights. "Take me to the lab."

Adrian scrambled after her as she marched toward the door. "With all due respect, our top scientists have been working on this for a week. How could you—"

Evelyn cut him off with a determined stride. "I don't know how I know. But when you described the problem, the solution just... appeared in my mind." She turned fierce eyes on him. "Don't you think it's worth trying?"

Adrian remembered the poisoning incident months ago - how Evelyn had improvised an antidote when trained medics froze. Even Dr. Reynolds had been impressed by her instincts.

Without another word, he followed her to the car. As they sped toward military headquarters, Evelyn stared out the window, her mind racing with chemical equations she couldn't possibly know.

But one thought burned brighter than all others: Tonight, she would lift this burden from Liam's shoulders. Whatever the cost.