Chapter 167

Evelyn Thorne must have been truly remarkable to have remained married to Dominic Blackwood for over four years.

Zoe Montgomery had heard whispers about her while studying abroad.

Evelyn had also been a student of Professor Sebastian Whitmore, publishing several groundbreaking papers.

Yet, after graduation, Evelyn seemed to vanish from the medical world.

She never joined any prestigious hospitals or entered the industry.

How far could theoretical knowledge take her without hands-on experience?

Otherwise, why would Dominic entrust her with Sophia’s treatment?

As evening fell, Clara Thorne glanced at the two children before her. "Why aren’t you two eating?"

Lily Thorne puffed her cheeks. "When is Mommy coming back?"

Clara sighed. "She’ll return once she finishes her work. I can’t say exactly when."

Lily’s voice trembled. "Is she helping Sophia?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Don’t worry, Sophia will be fine."

Beside her, Henry Thorne scowled. "Sophia… bad woman!"

Clara’s brows furrowed. "What do you mean? You were the one who brought her home. Why say that now?"

His tiny fists clenched. "She’s with Dominic!"

Clara hadn’t expected him to know.

"Henry, these are grown-up matters. You don’t need to worry. Sophia isn’t as clever as you or Lily. What could she possibly do wrong? And even if she did, it’s Dominic’s fault." Clara couldn’t bring herself to blame Sophia.

To her, Sophia was still a child in mind.

Henry’s guilt deepened.

If he had known about Dominic’s past with his mother and his twisted connection to Sophia, he would never have brought her home.

Mom must be heartbroken.

When she returned, he would apologize.

At eight sharp, Dominic’s phone rang.

"Mr. Blackwood, we’ve located the hacker!" The voice on the other end was frantic. "The digital trail leads to your nephew, Julian Whitmore!"

Dominic froze.

Since when was Julian a hacker?

"Sir, we triple-checked the data. The IP address traces back to the Blackwood family’s old estate."

Dominic’s knuckles whitened, his eyes darkening with lethal intent.

The Rolls-Royce shot out of the driveway like an arrow.

Ten minutes later, it screeched to a halt outside the ancestral home.

Dominic stormed inside, his voice thunderous. "Where is Julian Whitmore?!"

Gregory and Beatrice Blackwood rushed to their son’s side.

Julian, hearing the commotion, bolted from his room.

"Uncle, you were looking for me?" His voice was weary. Forced into a divorce, he’d spent days drowning in video games.

A sickening crack echoed through the hall.

Dominic’s fist connected with Julian’s jaw, sending his phone clattering to the floor.

"You attacked Willowbrook Academy? How dare you!" Dominic’s roar shook the walls. "Hand Sophia over! If she’s harmed, I’ll make sure you rot in an unmarked grave!"

Julian staggered back, stunned.

"Dominic, have you lost your mind? Julian’s useless—he can’t even code!" Gregory grabbed Dominic’s arm, panic flaring.

Dominic ordered Julian’s devices seized for forensic analysis.

Two hours later, the verdict was in.

"Uncle, I swear, my phone was hacked! It’s always with me… except two days ago, when a little girl borrowed it!" Julian’s voice cracked. "She couldn’t have been older than five. There’s no way she planted malware, right?"