Chapter 331

Dominic and Zoe's engagement was just a week away.

As Dominic's ex-wife, Evelyn had no intention of getting involved in his personal affairs.

Mrs. Whitaker brought Sophia home at three in the afternoon after her medical checkup.

Evelyn drove straight to the office.

During the week she was abroad, Thornfield Industries had processed refunds for nearly every customer who returned their products.

The scandal surrounding their product quality had led to the cancellation of all orders placed around the New Year.

The company wasn’t just suffering financial losses from refunds—it was also facing the terrifying reality of having no new orders.

For any business, this was a death sentence.

Without stable funding, Thornfield Industries wouldn’t last long before declaring bankruptcy.

The entire office was drowning in fear, everyone terrified of losing their jobs.

The moment Evelyn stepped into the building, several department heads rushed to her.

"What do we do now, Miss Thorne?"

"The workshop is shut down, and morale is at an all-time low. The employees are panicking!"

"This is all my fault," the head of quality control admitted, his voice thick with guilt. "I overlooked the issue. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be in this mess."

Evelyn studied them for a moment before speaking firmly. "Send everyone home if there’s no urgent work. Their salaries will be paid as usual. The quality team made a mistake, but it’s done. Just don’t let it happen again. If it does, resign."

"But what’s our next move?" the vice president pressed. "We’re the laughingstock of the entire industry!"

Evelyn took a slow sip of water.

A sharp knock interrupted them.

"Miss Thorne," her secretary announced, "Mr. Holloway from Aureate Tech is here to see you."

Evelyn had already warned Vincent to stay away.

Yet here he was, bold as ever.

He must be here to gloat.

"Let him in," she said, then turned to the executives. "For now, focus on stabilizing the team. We’ll reconvene later."

"Yes, Miss Thorne."

They filed out just as Vincent strode in, a smug grin on his face.

Evelyn moved from behind her desk to the couch, gesturing for him to sit.

"You’ve hit a dead end, Evelyn Thorne," Vincent drawled, glancing around her office. "Pity. You barely had six months to rebuild before it all crumbles again."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Vincent," Evelyn replied coolly. "But just like you’ll never get your hands on my father’s Cerebra System, your predictions won’t come true either."

His grin vanished instantly.

"Don’t push me to take drastic measures," he hissed. "Even if you survive this, we’ll still crush you. You won’t last in Eldermere!"

"We’ll see who crumbles first," Evelyn countered, unfazed.

"Do you even realize who you’re up against? Over eighty percent of domestic capital is against you! Are you really this stubborn?" He leaned forward, voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "If your father were alive, he wouldn’t be this reckless!"

Evelyn arched a brow. "Do you know why you’ll always be a vice president? Because you’re nowhere near as smart as I am."

Vincent slammed his glass down, shattering it.

Then he stormed out.

At the same moment, Dominic’s phone rang.

"Mr. Blackwood, come home immediately!" Mrs. Whitaker’s voice trembled with panic. "Sophia’s test results—she’s overdosed on sleeping pills!"

Dominic’s expression darkened. "Who gave her sleeping pills?!"

Mrs. Whitaker clutched the white pill bottle Zoe had handed her. "I’ll explain when you get here," she whispered.