Chapter 390

"Good job, Dominic! Though you could've been quicker." Evelyn arched one perfectly sculpted brow with an amused smirk.

"I was faster this time! Why didn't you ask Maxwell for help? He specializes in these... unconventional operations. You should always delegate to the experts!"

"I contacted Maxwell days ago. He's on a critical mission—I wouldn't dare interrupt."

Evelyn stretched lazily. "Sebastian, darling, you know I'm just as skilled as Maxwell in hacking. You could've uncovered this yesterday."

Sebastian frowned. "Then why didn't you?"

A theatrical yawn. "Oh, I was simply... bored."

Dominic's jaw tightened. So I'm just her errand boy after all.

Evelyn scrolled through the Twitter account, her crimson nails tapping the screen. "Interesting. Vivian Prescott—an investigative journalist with a 'noble pursuit of truth.' Why suddenly shift focus to expose Isabella Wang's wedding details?" Her laugh was ice. "Someone's pulling her strings."

"You think she was bribed?" Sebastian's voice darkened.

"Not just bribed. Hired. Entertainment gossip isn't her beat—this is a targeted attack."

Evelyn's gaze lingered on Vivian's profile photo. "Vivian Prescott... Vivian Prescott..." Suddenly, she gasped. "Vincent Prescott's daughter!"

"Who?" Dominic blinked.

"The disgraced VP of Monarch Grand Hotels? The one you fired and prosecuted?" Sebastian's lips curled.

"Exactly. This is her revenge." Evelyn's memory was flawless—she never forgot a dossier.

Dominic nodded gravely. "Considering you ruined her father's life, she's being remarkably restrained by only attacking your client."

Evelyn's chin lifted. "He embezzled millions. Should I have given him a promotion instead?" Her eyes flashed. "If she were truly filial, she'd visit him in prison rather than harass me. Pathetic."

Theodore entered, his expression stormy. "Ms. Carter, surveillance confirms no outsiders accessed the venue. The leak came from within."

Evelyn studied Vivian's photo—petite, doe-eyed. A predator's smile formed. "Theodore, monitor every male staffer. Especially those who've interacted with her. Report any contact immediately."

"Why just the men?" Dominic protested.

"Because testosterone and treachery go hand in hand," she purred, her divorce having etched cynicism into her bones.

"Not all of us!" the Kingsley brothers chorused.

Theodore raised his hands. "I'm certainly loyal!"

Evelyn waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, I know you're the exceptions." Her stretch was feline. "Still, you're all saints compared to him."

Exhaustion weighed on her. After Dominic's investigation, the brothers retired to guest suites while Evelyn collapsed into her silk sheets.

Then—lightning.

A deafening crack split the night, wrenching her awake.

She never stirred easily, yet tonight, her pulse raced like a hunted thing.

Slipping into a burgundy robe, she padded to the kitchen. Rain lashed the windows as thunder growled.

The water glass trembled in her hand.

Mother used to hold me during storms...

Her mother's whisper haunted her: "It was a night like this when I left that place."

What place?

Another flash—

And there he stood.

Nathan Blackwood, drenched and unmoving, his gaze locked on her window. The storm raged around him, but he remained—a statue carved from regret.