Father's gun

"Was someone trying to set you up or intimidate you?" Archie asked, his voice tense with concern.

"You're mistaken, Archie. It wasn't like that," Evelyn replied, her eyes pleading for him to understand. "Please call your people back; this incident wasn't directed at me. If you check the cam footage again, you'll see the car that sped past me had brake failure. I was just trying to help them. Understand?" Evelyn's voice softened, trying to reassure him.

"Really?" Archie raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident in his expression.

Evelyn nodded firmly, her jaw set in determination. "Absolutely."

Archie's tense shoulders relaxed a fraction. "I'm relieved to hear that. Do you know the people you saved last night?"

"No, I don't," Evelyn replied, shaking her head, her brow furrowed in thought.

Archie lightly tapped her back, avoiding her wounds, and said, "Then stop risking your life for strangers. There are people at home who worry about you."

"Ouch, Archie! I'm injured, you know," Evelyn pouted, her lips curling into a playful grimace.

Archie sighed, a mix of frustration and affection crossing his face as he returned to their breakfast. "Then stop giving me heart attacks over your health. You know I can't handle it."

Evelyn grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I didn't mean to."

Archie was about to feed Evelyn when a call came through, the sharp ring cutting through the morning's quiet. Evelyn took a sip of soup from the spoon before answering her phone on speaker.

"Hello?" she answered, her tone businesslike.

"Good morning, ma'am," Travis's voice came through the speaker, tentative.

"Hmm. Go ahead," Evelyn said, taking the bowl from Archie and motioning for him to continue his breakfast.

"Ma'am, are you coming to the office today?" her secretary, Travis, asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Before Evelyn could respond, Archie interjected irritably, "No, and I already informed you about that." His frustration was palpable, his voice a low growl.

There was a brief silence before Travis hurriedly said, "Yes, sir, we received that message. But we just got a bouquet with no sender's name, only a note thanking ma'am, and a parcel containing a gun and a cellphone."

"A gun?" Archie looked sharply at Evelyn, his eyes wide with alarm.

Evelyn's eyes narrowed before realization dawned. "Oh, stop! Before you jump to conclusions, Archie, I gave those people my gun for protection and my cellphone to contact me, just in case. I didn't think they'd find me this quickly. That's impressive."

"That suggests they're not ordinary people. They're influential," Archie said, his tone grim and his face shadowed with worry.

"Even so, I didn't offend them. I helped them, so they're indebted to me," Evelyn said, her voice steady but a flicker of unease in her eyes.

"What if this was a setup to uncover your true-" Before Archie could continue, Evelyn placed her hand over his mouth, her eyes darting to the phone on speaker.

Archie looked confused until Evelyn gestured at the phone on speaker. He nodded in understanding, a silent communication passing between them.

"Travis, please secure my belongings at the office. I'll collect them the day after tomorrow," Evelyn instructed, her voice authoritative.

"Yes, ma'am," Travis replied before hanging up.

"Your temper could get us in trouble," Evelyn said as she returned to her seat, a slight edge to her voice.

"And your recklessness will give me a heart attack," Archie countered, his eyes softening as he looked at her.

"Aren't you used to it by now?" Evelyn shrugged nonchalantly, trying to lighten the mood.

Archie shook his head, a reluctant smile playing on his lips. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"Exactly," Evelyn said, her tone teasing but her eyes serious.

"Don't you think you went too far to save a stranger? You didn't have to give them your gun. That revealed your background," Archie said seriously, his concern evident.

"It would have been worse if they were shot after I saved them. The bouquet confirms they're alive and that my efforts weren't in vain," Evelyn said proudly, a hint of defiance in her voice.

"But that was your father's gun, the one you always carry," Archie said gravely, his eyes boring into hers.