Chapter 471

Just forty-eight hours ago, Evelyn Carter's journey from Fairhaven to Crestview had been filled with joy. Now, a storm cloud darkened her expression, her lips pressed into a thin, unyielding line.

Back at the Monarch Grand Hotel, Evelyn locked herself in her office, undisturbed by Theodore. She scoured every available record related to Camille Kingsley's infamous scandal.

Lillian Hartwell's words echoed in her mind. The Monarch Group's charity gala had been Camille's darkest hour—yet also the moment she grew closer to Harrison Kingsley. Back then, Monarch Group wasn't the empire it was today. People relied on magazines and newspapers for entertainment news. When the scandal broke, Harrison had gone to extreme lengths to suppress it. Rumor had it he bought and destroyed every magazine subscription in the country that dared mention it. Journalists who reported on it faced swift retribution.

But the foreign press had been present that night.

Someone had captured the entire ordeal on film and uploaded it to an overseas website. Though Harrison had managed to get the video removed, fragments of it still lingered online.

Evelyn exhaled sharply, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she searched.

Within minutes, she found it—a grainy, decades-old recording of the gala, long buried.

The footage showed Camille at her most vulnerable, hunched over, trembling violently. Her face was ghostly pale.

She was breaking.

The harsh spotlight above her mercilessly illuminated her despair. The jeers and laughter from the audience crashed over her like waves, threatening to drown what little composure she had left.

Then—a tall, broad-shouldered figure stormed onto the stage.

Even from the back, Evelyn recognized Harrison Kingsley.

Without hesitation, he removed his jacket and knelt before Camille, draping it over her shoulders to shield her.

The room fell silent.

The video ended abruptly.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, shoulders slumping as she stared blankly at the screen.

Had this moment been what won Camille's heart?

Maybe my father wrote the playbook on winning women over.

Her phone buzzed.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Evelyn answered. "What is it, Theo?"

"Ms. Carter, Julian Montgomery has arrived with his sister to see you."

The weight of Camille's past pressed down on her, and the last thing Evelyn wanted was to entertain the Montgomerys. But Theo mentioned Isabelle had come to apologize.

Perhaps watching Isabelle squirm would lift her spirits.

It would be like watching a slapstick comedy.

When Evelyn reached the reception room, Theo approached with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Carter. I didn’t realize Nathan was with them. He’s inside too."

Evelyn arched a brow. "Why didn’t you throw him out?"

Theo winced. "My apologies. He wasn’t there when I escorted them in. By the time I returned, he was already lounging on the sofa with coffee."

Evelyn smirked. "Never mind. You wouldn’t stand a chance against him anyway."

With a tilt of her chin, she signaled Theo to open the door.

The moment it swung open, Evelyn strode in, her stilettos clicking sharply against the marble floor. The sleek black blazer draped over her shoulders accentuated her commanding presence.

"Evelyn." Julian stood abruptly, his throat dry.

She was breathtaking as always—her bold, confident aura impossible to ignore.

Once again, she stole his breath away.

Nathan glanced up, his pulse quickening.

His heart hammered against his ribs.

Hiding behind Julian, Isabelle clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she glared at Evelyn’s haughty expression.

"Oh, what a lovely gathering," Evelyn drawled, shrugging off her blazer. Theo caught it effortlessly.

She turned to Nathan with a mocking smile. "What an exemplary boyfriend you are, Nathan. Here to support Ms. Montgomery in her time of need?"

Boyfriend? Nathan’s jaw tightened at her sly grin.

She was still hitting below the belt.

But this was Evelyn—no longer the naive woman he once knew. He had to accept her sharp edges, even when they cut deep.

Isabelle, thrilled by the misunderstanding, hurried to Nathan’s side with a pitiful expression.

"Evelyn, I admit I was blind before, but you might need glasses too."

Nathan remained impassive, though his gaze betrayed something deeper. "No boyfriend here. Just your ex-husband. Being your husband was exhausting enough. I don’t have the energy to be anyone else’s."

Isabelle froze.

Nathan had made his stance clear before, but she’d refused to accept it.

Now, he’d publicly humiliated her in front of Evelyn.

"I am here to support someone," Nathan continued, cheeks burning as he lifted his coffee mug. "But it’s not Ms. Montgomery."

He took a sip, scalding his tongue but forcing it down anyway.

He’d had these thoughts before.

But saying them aloud? That was new.

Evelyn frowned.

If not Isabelle, then who?

Julian?

Still a roundabout way to side with her.