Chapter 201
Contract marriage?!
Harrison's face darkened with fury. His fingers curled into tight fists, barely restraining himself from punching Nathan square in the jaw.
Yet what truly baffled him was his own daughter's incomprehensible actions.
He'd thought Evelyn had reached peak recklessness when she'd secretly gone to warzones, patching up soldiers while dodging bullets and explosions.
But this? Disappearing for three years just to enter a contractual marriage with his sworn enemy's son? Harrison wanted to crack open Evelyn's skull to understand what madness possessed her.
Nathan's breath hitched, his chest constricting painfully. The finality of their separation hit him like a freight train.
Their three-year farce of a marriage would officially end after tomorrow's meeting at City Hall. But Nathan refused to let it end without answers.
"That first meeting three years ago," Nathan demanded, voice rough. "When Grandfather proposed our marriage, why didn't you refuse?"
Evelyn's eyes narrowed into feline slits, glinting with cold amusement. "We're divorced now, Mr. Blackwood. Does it matter? Consider it a whim - a bored heiress playing house when your grandfather offered the opportunity."
"Evelyn!" Nathan's voice cracked. "I deserve the truth."
She sighed dramatically. "Dwelling on the past is pointless. Focus on your future endeavors instead."
Extending her hand with mocking formality, she added, "Next time we meet, we'll be business rivals. Show no mercy, because I certainly won't. Our past... arrangement shouldn't factor into competition."
She'd nearly said "love," but caught herself. There had never been love between them - not from his side, at least.
Nathan stared at her outstretched hand like it was a venomous snake. Taking it would mean truly letting go.
With an indifferent shrug, Evelyn slid into the waiting limousine. As the engine purred to life, she lowered the window one last time.
Nathan's pulse thundered when her gaze met his.
"Nine o'clock tomorrow at City Hall, Mr. Blackwood. Don't be late."
The limousine pulled away, its tires crushing Nathan's heart beneath their weight.
Behind him, Reginald wiped his eyes while Leonard wore a complicated expression.
"Finally realizing her worth after she's gone?" Reginald scoffed at his son. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Both of you discard treasures while clinging to trash."
Leonard clenched his jaw, unable to refute the accusation.
Who could have imagined that the quiet, unassuming caregiver from the countryside - the one who endured three years of humiliation without complaint - was actually Harrison Kingsley's most cherished daughter? The heiress to the Monarch Group empire?