Chapter 261

Nathan had long been aware of the deep business ties between Monarch Group and Whitmore Enterprises, with their leaders sharing a friendship spanning two decades.

Did that mean Evelyn and Alexander had known each other since childhood?

Their intimate familiarity spoke volumes, as if no one else existed in their private world. Childhood sweethearts, perhaps?

Oliver sighed with visible envy. "Not surprising. Ms. Evelyn comes from extraordinary lineage - Harrison Kingsley's treasured daughter, a rare jewel beyond most men's reach."

"Just look at her suitors. Theodore Winslow, youngest son of Walter Pembroke? Barely qualified to carry her handbag."

The secretary's gaze flickered sympathetically toward his employer. Even as president of Blackwood Industries and soon-to-be vice chairman, Nathan's greatest claim to fame remained being Evelyn Kingsley's husband.

The revelation would undoubtedly turn every eligible bachelor in Crestview green with envy.

Nathan's chiseled jaw tightened visibly, veins protruding at his temples. His fist clenched against the wall as dark thoughts swirled.

Alexander Whitmore? Theodore Winslow? Was his wife collecting admirers like trophies?

"Oliver," he rasped, massaging his temple, "fetch my medication."

Under cover of darkness, a jade-green Rolls-Royce glided to a stop before an abandoned structure on Crestview's western outskirts.

This derelict building, acquired by Monarch Group years ago, concealed a damp basement perfect for... private conversations. Harrison Kingsley's foresight about the area's development had made the purchase strategic.

The musty air inside reeked of mildew as Evelyn entered alongside Sebastian. A rat scurried past her stilettos without eliciting so much as a flinch - her time with Doctors Without Borders had hardened her to worse conditions.

In the flickering light hung Dominic Reeves, his swollen face purple from prolonged inversion. At the Kingsleys' arrival, he writhed like a hooked fish, tears and mucus streaking his battered features.

"Mercy, Ms. Kingsley! I'll do anything! Just let me live!"

Evelyn's lips curled. The man who'd attacked her with such bravado had lasted barely three days before breaking.

Sebastian moved forward instinctively, only for Evelyn to block him with an outstretched arm. "We agreed this was mine to handle."

With visible effort, her brother stepped back.

Evelyn's stiletto connected sharply with Dominic's shoulder, sending him swinging violently. He retched, barely keeping his stomach contents down.

"I didn't know it was you! Victoria Sterling manipulated me! I'll confess everything!"

"Then answer this," Evelyn's voice turned glacial. "As Victoria's lover in Silvercrest... did she ever bear a child?"