Chapter 449

Evelyn's vision swam with fury as the words hit her, her knees nearly buckling beneath her. The white-hot anger burning in her chest wasn't directed at Nathan this time, but at that scheming little viper Isabelle who'd played her daughter Cassandra like a fiddle!

The gallery erupted into chaos as concrete proof was unveiled, transforming Cassandra from victim to orchestrator of the forgery scandal. Journalists scrambled to broadcast the revelation.

[Breaking: Evelyn Carter, Monarch Group heiress, revealed as legendary jeweler Alexa!]

[Beauty fades but talent endures - how many secret identities does the Kingsley heiress possess?]

[Ms. Cassandra Blackwood, third daughter of Leonard Blackwood, dared gift counterfeit jewels to superstar Isabella Wang! The sheer audacity!]

[Investigative report: When will Penelope and her daughter stop their disgraceful antics?]

Cassandra hadn't anticipated being thrust back into the spotlight so soon. Compared to last year's humiliating press conference, this media storm hit with ten times the force.

Penelope saw the situation spiraling and turned on Nathan with venom. "Nathan! As president of Blackwood Industries and Cassandra's brother, how can you stand by while they attack your own sister? I may not be your birth mother, but Cassandra shares your blood! Will you really sacrifice family for some outsider?"

"Outsider?" Nathan's eyes darkened to obsidian. "Who exactly is the outsider here?"

"Who else? That woman clinging to your arm!" Penelope spat.

Nathan's gaze flickered to Evelyn. "She's family."

Evelyn frowned at his sharp profile, thinking the man had clearly lost his mind.

Penelope trembled with rage, bile rising in her throat. "You! You'd abandon all principles for a woman!"

"Better principles sacrificed for love than for greed," Nathan countered icily, withdrawing his phone. "Bring them in."

Evelyn tensed, uncertain of his game.

The doors burst open again. Marcus wheeled in a masked figure whose features remained hidden except for the delicate hands gripping the armrests.

"What are you doing?" Evelyn whispered urgently, fingers clutching Nathan's sleeve.

He turned, something vulnerable flashing in his eyes. "Returning what was stolen from you."

"Stolen?"

The wheelchair occupant lifted shaking hands to remove the disguise, revealing Vivian Prescott's gaunt face.

The crowd murmured in confusion while Cassandra looked as if struck by lightning - her complexion drained of all color, her body rigid with terror.

Evelyn's breath caught as she pieced together Nathan's scheme. Vivian's "vegetative state" after the accident had been an elaborate ruse - a trap laid patiently over months, waiting for Cassandra to stumble into it at her moment of greatest confidence.

The realization hit Evelyn like a thunderbolt. Nathan hadn't just been protecting her - he'd been conducting a masterful revenge plot worthy of the Blackwood name.