Chapter 62
Had they already squandered all the stolen funds? How could they possibly burn through such an enormous fortune so quickly?
Evelyn drew a sharp breath before answering the vibrating phone.
Before she could utter a word, Victoria's shrill voice pierced through the receiver. "Evelyn! Is the Cerebra System something my father developed with you? Hand it over immediately!"
Her voice cracked with terror, thick with unshed tears.
Something inside Evelyn shattered.
"How dare you call me, Victoria? Your uncle stole my father's money! Do you realize that's a federal offense? The authorities are already building a case against him!"
"What does that have to do with me? I didn't take a single cent! Just give me the Cerebra System! Tonight! You must deliver it tonight!" Victoria's hysteria escalated with each word.
Evelyn's forehead creased as chaotic background noises filtered through the line.
"Where exactly are you, Victoria?"
The response came between gut-wrenching sobs. "Help me, Evelyn! I'm at the Golden Phoenix Casino with Julian... They've taken him hostage... If you don't bring Dad's program, they'll sever his finger!"
"A casino? You're gambling?"
Evelyn's complexion drained of color.
She never suspected Julian had gambling tendencies!
"Stop interrogating me! Just bring the damn program and save him! Do you want Julian to become disabled? Don't you still care about him?" Victoria shrieked.
Evelyn had already grabbed her coat when Victoria's words froze her mid-step.
"Spare me the theatrics! Even if he were the last man on earth, I wouldn't spare Julian Whitmore a second glance! He got himself detained over gambling debts, didn't he? Why don't you bail him out? Your uncle embezzled hundreds of millions from my father - surely Julian's losses can't compare!"
She strode toward the bathroom, her mind reeling. Cold water might clear this fog of disbelief.
"My uncle never shared a penny with me!" Victoria wailed desperately. "They only want the program! You're the one who told everyone Julian had it! Why spread lies if you never intended to give it to him? This was your scheme all along, wasn't it?"
Evelyn hadn't anticipated Vincent moving this swiftly.
Though Julian was despicable, he remained Dominic Blackwood's nephew.
Vincent proved more merciless than she'd imagined!
"They're holding him over gambling debts, correct? Let me reconstruct this - someone inquired about the program, he falsely claimed ownership to secure credit, and now finds himself ensnared..."
The entire scenario crystallized in Evelyn's mind.
Had Julian not boasted about possessing the program, why would anyone extend him gambling funds?
Without gambling, how could this predicament have arisen?
This disaster was entirely of his own making!
"So you admit this was deliberate! You're utterly heartless, Evelyn Thorne! He treated you so well during your relationship! All his affection was wasted on you!" Victoria lashed out.
"Treated me well? While dating me, he was carrying on his sordid affair with you... They're merely taking a finger, not throwing him to piranhas. Save your dramatics for when it's actually warranted!" Evelyn retorted icily before terminating the call.
Her phone lit up again within sixty seconds.
This time, Julian's name flashed across the screen.
Evelyn's jaw tightened before she accepted the call.
She wouldn't soften, but hearing his desperate pleas held a certain appeal.
"Evelyn... Evelyn! Save me! If you don't... I'll be maimed for life! You never gave me the program... Never!"
Julian's voice trembled with raw panic as his captors restrained him.
"Why claim ownership of something you never possessed? You've reaped what you sowed, Julian Whitmore! I can't help you!" Evelyn moved to disconnect.
"Evelyn! It's my uncle! Uncle Dominic orchestrated this!" Julian suddenly screamed. "No one else would dare harm me! Please intercede with him... I'm begging you!"
Evelyn froze.
This wasn't Vincent's doing?
She suddenly recalled Dominic dispatching his security team to investigate her abduction in Ravenswood's outskirts.