Chapter 23

"Nathan, have you uncovered the truth?" Leonard Blackwood demanded, his brow furrowed as he comforted his wife.

"I have. The person behind this leak is the newly appointed CEO of Monarch Grand Hotels - Evelyn Carter."

Nathan lowered his gaze, deliberately avoiding the affectionate display between his father and stepmother.

In all his memories, Leonard had never shown such tenderness to his birth mother or himself. Perhaps the man had already forgotten what his first wife even looked like.

"The Kingsleys from Fairhaven?!"

Penelope Whitmore gasped behind her manicured hand. "That's the wealthiest family in Fairhaven! How could Victoria's family possibly offend them?"

"We've had no dealings with the Kingsleys for generations due to an ancestral feud. Harrison Kingsley's great-grandmother swore an oath forbidding any Kingsley from marrying a Blackwood. Violators would be disinherited."

Nathan remained indifferent - the woman he intended to marry was Victoria Sterling, not Evelyn Carter.

Yet his father's words sent an unexpected chill down his spine.

"Oh my God! They're clearly targeting Sterling Enterprises to get to us, especially with Victoria's upcoming marriage to Nathan. How petty!" Penelope crushed her silk handkerchief in her fist.

"Nathan, you must meet Ms. Kingsley tomorrow and put a stop to this attack on the Sterlings. This isn't just their problem anymore - it affects our family's reputation!" Leonard's tone brooked no argument.

"Leonard darling, don't be so harsh with Nathan. He's always been such an obedient boy." Penelope massaged her husband's shoulders, her voice dripping honey.

"I'm only helping the Sterlings for Victoria's sake. It has nothing to do with anyone else... Aunt Penelope."

Nathan's striking eyes turned glacial. Without another word, he turned on his heel.

Penelope's face paled with rage.

She was the chairman's wife, yet Nathan still addressed her as "Aunt." The insult!

"Stop right there! How dare you still call her 'Aunt'? She's your mother now - where are your manners?" Leonard roared, jumping to his feet.

Nathan paused but didn't turn back. "You may have multiple wives, but I only had one mother. Don't push me."

That evening, Sebastian Kingsley visited Evelyn in Crestview. Over dinner, they discussed Vincent Prescott and the Sterling family.

"Father knows your strategy and doesn't object. He only said we shouldn't let them off if the evidence proves their guilt." Sebastian meticulously cut his sister's steak.

"Harrison may be a womanizer, but he's exceptionally capable otherwise." Evelyn chewed her medium-rare steak thoughtfully, her clear eyes narrowing.

"That explains why our three stepmothers remain devoted to him. Aside from his philandering, Father treats all his wives well."

"True. The dead can't speak their grievances - history belongs to the living." Evelyn lowered her lashes, stabbing her fork into the meat.

Sebastian studied his sister's reddening eyes. Gently stroking her hair, he murmured, "I know you don't hate our stepmothers anymore. You just can't move past the injustice to our mother. But Evelyn... have you considered that perhaps Mother would have forgiven Father long ago?"

"How can I not resent him? I'm certain his wives merely tolerate the arrangement. No woman could willingly share her husband—"

Evelyn's breath caught.

She was no different. Despite knowing about Nathan's childhood sweetheart, she'd foolishly given him her heart, only to be discarded.

Harrison might be a womanizer, but he cared for all his women. Nathan had ignored her for three years before ruthlessly breaking her heart repeatedly.

Thirteen years wasted on that heartless man!

"Nathan's been unusually quiet these past two days. He hasn't contacted me," Sebastian remarked, sipping his wine.

"Oh, he's too busy cleaning up his darling's family mess. When would he have time for me?"

Evelyn swirled her wine leisurely, her bright gaze turning predatory.

"Evelyn Carter is too soft. Now it's time for him to meet Evelyn Kingsley."