บท 35: CHAPTER 35: A Thrilling Turn

　　The doorbell's shrill ring echoed through the apartment, sending a jolt through me. My fingers hovered over the lip gloss applicator, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I knew exactly who it was.

　　Anger bubbled alongside a surge of unwelcome excitement. It was infuriating how easily his presence could disrupt me, how the mere sound of the doorbell could transform me from Evie, a struggling writer forced to take a nine-to-five job, into Ava, the object of Alexander Westcott's complicated affections.

　　Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus. This was a game, a performance. I needed to stop reading meanings into any kind of gestures that he showed. Alexander was simply being a gentleman, and tonight he would be escorting 'Ava' to a family dinner. Any lingering feelings he might have harbored for her surely vanished with his memories. That had to be why he didn't want to revisit the issue of the kiss.