Chapter 495

"Thank you."

Theodore Winslow tilted his head curiously. "What made you suddenly decide to go hiking?"

Nathan Blackwood adjusted his cufflinks with practiced ease. "I make this trip annually."

When Nathan was eighteen, he'd spent a summer volunteering at Mount Evercrest National Park. Those two months as a junior ranger had been his escape from the suffocating expectations of the Blackwood dynasty.

Life had been beautifully simple then. Wake at dawn. Patrol the trails with Ranger Frank. Rescue stranded tourists. Document potential hazards. No board meetings. No corporate politics. Just the crisp mountain air and the quiet companionship of nature.

It remained one of the few genuinely peaceful periods in his otherwise turbulent life. Even now, as CEO of Blackwood Industries, he secretly funded the park's conservation efforts - a fact known only to him and his former captain.

"Mr. Blackwood! Did you see Isabella Wang's wedding coverage?" His assistant's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Madam Evelyn's design was extraordinary! Who would've thought the bride would agree to black roses?"

A faint smile touched Nathan's lips. "She's not an ordinary woman. She's Evelyn Carter." His voice softened. "She always finds a way."

Meanwhile, Lawrence Pembroke returned from Europe after his humiliating defeat. The prestigious position at Blackwood Industries' legal department had slipped through his fingers due to Nathan and Reginald Blackwood's interference.

The usually unflappable attorney had tasted bitter failure for the first time. He'd barely stepped through his penthouse doors when Theodore confronted him.

"Well, well." Lawrence's lips curled in derision. "If it isn't Evelyn Carter's lapdog. Shouldn't you be fetching her coffee instead of lurking in my home?"

Theodore's jaw tightened. "Don't you owe me an explanation?"

"Explanation?" Lawrence's composure cracked. "Watch your tone, little brother. I'm still your elder."

"First Penelope Whitmore. Now Cassandra Blackwood." Theodore's hands clenched into fists. "You've made quite the career out of betraying those who helped us."

"Lawrence!"

"I know you're obsessed with elevating the Pembroke name. But not like this!" Theodore's voice shook with barely contained fury. "Without the Kingsleys, we'd be nothing! How can you conspire against Madam Evelyn after everything?"

"For this family!" Lawrence exploded. "Must we grovel at the Kingsleys' feet forever? Just because they threw us some crumbs decades ago? You're content being their pet, but Gregory and I have greater ambitions!"

The words hung between them like a slap. Before Lawrence could react, Theodore's fist connected with his jaw.

The impact sent Lawrence staggering back. In twenty-eight years, Theodore had never raised a hand against his brother. The man he'd once idolized now filled him with nothing but disgust.

Lawrence retaliated with a wild swing, but Theodore - a black belt in taekwondo - easily overpowered his older sibling. Within moments, he had Lawrence pinned, pounding his brother's back into the marble floor.

"Stop this instant!"

Their parents and Gregory came rushing downstairs, horrified at the scene unfolding in their foyer. The usually elegant penthouse now bore witness to the Pembroke brothers' shattered relationship.