Chapter 486

The doorbell of Mooncrest Manor rang sharply at seven in the morning, shattering the peaceful dawn.

Evelyn stumbled out of bed, her silk pajamas rumpled from sleep, and padded barefoot toward the entrance.

The security screen showed Sophie Mercer's familiar face, prompting Evelyn to immediately unlock the door.

Sophie had married Adrian Vaughn just weeks ago and left for an extended European honeymoon.

She'd specifically mentioned taking a full month's vacation across the Mediterranean.

Why was she back after barely fifteen days?

"You look exhausted, Evelyn," Sophie remarked as she breezed in, arms laden with designer shopping bags from Paris.

"I'm managing. Already back at work," Evelyn replied, eyeing the premature return. "What happened to your grand tour?"

Sophie's face darkened as she tossed her Chanel purse onto the sofa. "Absolute disaster! We were supposed to be relaxing in Santorini, but Adrian's phone never stops ringing with business calls. I swear, I'm considering annulment."

Evelyn poured them both coffee, the rich aroma filling the kitchen. "Don't be dramatic. He just took over Vanguard Holdings. Transition periods are always chaotic."

"That's no excuse!" Sophie huffed, stirring her coffee violently. "If he were more competent, he wouldn't be drowning in work constantly." She took a sip, then sighed. "Sometimes I envy how effortlessly you handle everything..."

"Effortless?" Evelyn laughed bitterly, joining her at the island. "I pull all-nighters weekly. When Michael and I launched Apex Innovations, we routinely worked until sunrise. The kids barely saw me those first two years."

Sophie's shoulders relaxed slightly at the perspective.

"Thanks for that. Adrian says I'm being unreasonable. Maybe I am... just a little."

Evelyn's cup froze midway to her lips. "He actually said that?"

"Worse." Sophie's voice cracked. "He said I contribute nothing yet constantly interrupt his work. Then he held you up as some paragon - raising twins while running a company, suggesting I learn from your example." A single tear tracked her perfectly contoured cheek.

Evelyn inhaled sharply.

Adrian had crossed a line.

"To be fair... I provoked him first," Sophie admitted, cheeks puffing. "I mentioned how Dominic Blackwood always seems available for impromptu dinners without work interruptions..."

"Appearances deceive," Evelyn countered. "Dominic has an entire wing converted to offices at Blackwood Estate. When major deals close, he disappears there for days."

Sophie's perfectly arched brows shot up. "Seriously?"

Evelyn nodded. "No one inherits success, Sophie. Even with generational wealth, sustaining it requires constant effort."

"I suppose..." Sophie glanced upstairs. "Are Lily and Henry still asleep? Don't they have school?"

As Sophie headed upstairs, Evelyn's phone vibrated with an unknown caller ID.

She hesitated for three rings before answering.

Meanwhile, Dominic Blackwood paced St. Elizabeth Medical Center's administrative office, having kept the entire records staff awake all night.

The director had repeatedly suggested Dominic return home, promising to call with any findings about Evelyn Thorne's medical history.

But Dominic refused to leave without answers.

At dawn, he personally stormed the archives - a cavernous space housing decades of patient records.

The maternity files from five years ago should have been straightforward to locate.

Yet twelve staff members combing through the system found no trace of Evelyn's records.

Under Dominic's watchful eye, they initiated a second search.

An hour later, the lead archivist approached nervously. "Mr. Blackwood, we've confirmed twice - there are no records for Miss Thorne here."

Dominic's jaw tightened, suspicion coiling in his gut.

"Perhaps you're mistaken about the hospital?" the director ventured. "If the procedure occurred here, we'd absolutely have documentation."

Dominic's head of security interjected sharply, "I personally brought her to this facility. There's no error."

The director paled. "Medical records don't simply vanish, Mr. Blackwood. The system has redundancies upon redundancies."

Dominic's phone buzzed with an incoming call as the implications settled like ice in his veins.