Chapter 81

The moment Evelyn returned from the charity gala, she locked herself in her bedroom and refused to come out. This was highly unusual behavior for the normally composed heiress.

By nightfall, Sebastian and Dominic had arrived at Cliffside Manor to check on their sister. Though Evelyn eventually descended to greet them, her exhaustion was palpable beneath the dim chandelier light.

"Evelyn, we heard what happened at the auction." Sebastian moved swiftly to take his sister's bandaged hand, his fingers tracing the gauze with visible distress. "How's the injury? Did Nathan ensure you received proper medical attention? Is there any infection? Tell me everything."

"I studied emergency medicine at Oxford, Sebastian. I can handle a simple wound." Evelyn withdrew her hand with a tired sigh. "Nathan has enough responsibilities without worrying about such trivial matters."

Dominic's jaw tightened as he paced before the fireplace. "This is unacceptable! If we hadn't run into Aunt Lillian at the estate, we'd never have known those Blackwood vipers attacked you! I'm filing injunctions against Blackwood Industries first thing tomorrow. Sebastian, alert Monarch Group's legal team - we're suing those harpies for defamation and assault!"

"Please, don't." Evelyn leaned weakly against her eldest brother's shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think Blackwood Industries lacks legal counsel? If this escalates, Father will hear of it... and I can't risk that."

Her greatest fear was Harrison discovering the truth about her and Nathan. While her father would never raise a hand to her, the shock might trigger another heart episode. Despite his formidable exterior, Harrison remained a man in his seventies. Evelyn refused to be the cause of his distress.

Yet she wouldn't let Victoria's transgression go unanswered.

Evelyn's fingers brushed the bandage as she remembered the two painstaking days spent repairing the jade bracelet. Fresh tears threatened to spill.

"Donovan is frantic with worry," Sebastian murmured, stroking his sister's raven hair. "He's petitioning for emergency leave from his deployment. And Maxwell..." He checked his platinum watch. "He should be landing at Crestview Airfield within the hour."

Evelyn's cheeks flushed with alarm. "It's merely a scratch! How could you trouble them with this? They hold critical positions with national security implications!" She snatched her phone from the velvet settee and fired off a furious voice message to the Kingsley Intelligence Network group chat.

"If anyone dares return home now, I won't speak to them for an entire year!"

Donovan's reply appeared instantly: [Evie, my leave's already approved.]

"Then unapprove it!" Evelyn's fingers flew across the screen. "Return to your post or I'll formally disown you as my brother! Test me!"

Maxwell remained ominously silent.

Dominic smirked, pointing upward. "I doubt you can stop our human missile. He's probably mid-air right now."

Evelyn pressed her palms to her temples. Maxwell had always been the silent storm among her brothers - unpredictable, intensely private, yet fiercely protective. If present, he'd smother her with attention more than all the others combined.

"Fine! I'll simply pretend he's invisible!" Evelyn huffed, toying with Sebastian's sapphire cufflinks. "Sebastian, could you take me to Fairhaven tomorrow? I need to visit Celestial Atelier."

Meanwhile, at Blackwood Manor...

Eleanor's courageous testimony in Evelyn's defense had ignited a firestorm. The timid girl now found herself trapped in a gilded cage with three furious vipers.

"You stupid, ungrateful child!" Cassandra Blackwood stormed into Eleanor's pastel-hued bedroom, reeking of gin and malice. "Did that Kingsley witch bribe you? Are you her little spy?"

Eleanor shrank against her canopy bed, clutching the limited-edition Regarton teddy bear Evelyn had queued six hours in the rain to procure. "N-no lies... I told truth... Annie nice... You mean!"

Cassandra's perfectly contoured face twisted. "How dare you speak to me like that!" She seized Eleanor's freshly curled hair with talon-like nails. "Who permitted this perm? You know my rules!"

The real source of Cassandra's rage wasn't Victoria's humiliation - it was Julian Montgomery's unexpected attention toward Eleanor after the auction. Seeing Crestview's most eligible bachelor tousle her sister's hair and smile had ignited a jealousy so violent, Cassandra fantasized about shaving Eleanor bald.

"You scheming little bitch!" Cassandra yanked harder, eliciting whimpers. "This wasn't about helping that peasant! You're trying to seduce Julian, aren't you? Playing the innocent to steal what's mine!"