Chapter 189

The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Evelyn Sinclair's penthouse, casting golden streaks across the marble floors. She sipped her lavender-infused tea, scrolling through her phone absentmindedly—until a particular headline made her nearly choke on her drink.

"Nathan Blackwood Spotted Leaving Hotel with Mystery Woman—Who Is She?"

Evelyn's fingers tightened around her phone. Again? She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to stay calm. But then—her mind buzzed.

A whisper of thought, sharp and unmistakable, slithered into her consciousness.

"If only they knew the truth—that Nathan was just meeting his sister Sophia for brunch. But let the tabloids speculate. The more they focus on fake scandals, the less they dig into my secrets."

Evelyn froze. That wasn’t her thought.

She blinked, glancing around the empty room. No one was there. Yet the voice—smug, feminine—lingered like perfume.

Then it clicked.

Victoria Hayes.

Her assistant, Lillian Graves, had mentioned Victoria’s lunch meeting at the same hotel. And now, somehow, Evelyn was hearing her private musings.

A slow smirk curled her lips.

Oh, this could be fun.

She focused harder, tuning into the mental frequency like adjusting a radio.

"Honestly, if Evelyn knew half the things I’ve done to sabotage her meetings with Preston Whitmore, she’d fire me on the spot. But she’s too trusting. Too naïve."

Evelyn’s teacup clattered against the saucer.

Sabotage?

Her pulse spiked. All those canceled appointments, the "miscommunications" with the director—Victoria had orchestrated them?

Another thought slithered in, dripping with disdain.

"And Nathan? Please. He’s only with her for the PR boost. Once his family approves of his real choice—Margaret’s favorite, Cassandra—Evelyn will be yesterday’s news."

Evelyn’s nails dug into her palms.

Cassandra?

A memory flashed—Nathan’s guarded expression when his childhood friend’s name came up. Now it made sense.

But before she could dissect further, the connection snapped. The mental static cleared, leaving only the hum of the air conditioner.

Evelyn leaned back, mind racing.

She had a new advantage. And if Victoria thought she was playing chess while Evelyn played checkers?

Time to flip the board.

The moment Evelyn and Cassandra took their seats, the entire table braced for tension. Everyone held their breath, anticipating an explosive confrontation.

Eavesdroppers from nearby tables leaned in discreetly, hungry for drama.

But to their disappointment, neither Nathan nor Evelyn reacted as expected. It was as if Cassandra’s presence meant nothing—just another face in the crowd.

Yet, the silence felt ominous. Like the eerie stillness before a storm.

No one at the table spoke, the air thick with unspoken tension. Some guests secretly relished the discomfort, hoping for chaos. Others fidgeted, unsure how to break the ice. Should they continue discussing Nathan’s wedding plans? Or acknowledge Cassandra’s sudden return? Either topic risked disaster.

Then, the servers arrived with the food, their bustling movements shattering the awkward pause.

As dishes were laid out, Daniel seized the moment. He struck up a lively conversation with Marcus and Vivian about the gourmet spread, skillfully steering the mood away from the brewing storm.

Daniel had taken a liking to Evelyn, and he wasn’t about to let her suffer in silence. Marcus and Vivian, who had warmed up to her earlier, played along effortlessly.

Soon, Beatrice and Lucas joined in, sharing an old story about Marcus. Once, after upsetting Vivian, he had gone all out—hiring eight chefs to help him prepare her favorite dishes as an apology.

Marcus chuckled, pride lacing his voice. "A man’s greatest dowry is humility and cooking skills. When it comes to spoiling a wife, none of you can top me."

Nathan’s gaze flicked up, intrigued. Is that how you cherish someone?

His eyes then drifted to Evelyn, who was mechanically sipping her soup, oblivious to the crab legs right in front of her—her favorite.

Clearly, she was too engrossed in the gossip to care about food.

Suppressing a sigh, Nathan reached for a crab leg. The table froze.

Everyone knew Nathan had a mild seafood allergy. He never touched it.

But then—gasps.

They watched, stunned, as Nathan gloved up, expertly cracked the shell, and extracted the tender meat. He placed it on Evelyn’s plate, even mixing the dipping sauce just how she liked it.

The room held its breath.

Was this a peace offering? A silent declaration?

Or was Nathan Blackwood, the man who never looked back, finally showing his hand?

The movements were executed with deliberate slowness and effortless elegance, as if he'd spent a lifetime tending to the woman beside him.

Evelyn had been stealing glances at the scene unfolding before her, and when she caught sight of it, her eyes stung with unshed tears. How could Nathan dote on another woman—right in front of her, no less?

As Nathan and Evelyn's most devoted shipper, Lillian's eyes widened in shock. She immediately leaned in, whispering urgently into Evelyn's ear, "He's only doing this to provoke you!"

A spark of realization flickered in Evelyn's gaze. Of course. That had to be it. Everyone knew Cassandra had schemed her way into marrying Nathan. There was no way he genuinely cared for a woman who had manipulated him!

Meanwhile, the others exchanged bewildered glances. Flaunting affection wasn't Nathan's style at all.

They couldn't wrap their heads around the idea that Nathan actually cherished his wife. Yet ever since their arrival, one unbelievable thing after another had happened.

Of course, Evelyn remained blissfully unaware that Nathan's actions had unintentionally stirred a storm of emotions among the onlookers.

Completely engrossed in her gossip, Evelyn didn’t even notice Nathan meticulously peeling crab meat for her. Absentmindedly, she ate while her attention remained glued to the scandalous whispers.

What fascinated Evelyn the most after meeting Cassandra was—why had she broken up with Nathan in the first place? Cassandra always seemed to harbor lingering feelings for him, making Evelyn wonder if some hidden struggle had forced her hand.

Nathan, however, couldn’t care less about the past. He saw no point in dredging up old wounds.

Unfortunately for him, Evelyn adored gossip too much. So despite his disinterest, he found himself listening—and learning the truth.

Huh? Did I read that wrong? Evelyn’s sudden thought piqued Nathan’s curiosity, despite his initial indifference.

Her mental commentary continued. I thought this would be some tragic love story. I was even prepared for the classic tropes—terminal illness, a devastating accident, or amnesia. But turns out, her reason for leaving is almost identical to Claire’s—she wanted a higher status. Who would’ve thought even a man like Nathan could be reduced to a rebound?

Nathan froze at the revelation.

Evelyn’s inner monologue carried on. So, her attempt to marry a foreign aristocrat failed. Despite years of effort, he never wanted her. And when she saw Nathan’s rising success, she couldn’t take it anymore. After consulting her family, she finally decided to return and chase after him again.

A subtle shift crossed Nathan’s expression. So that’s how it was. Not that it surprised him—such things were common in his circles. Even knowing he’d been treated as a backup plan didn’t bother him. Others’ opinions had never mattered to him.

If anything, he was amused by the gossip about himself.

After all, Evelyn still assumed he and Cassandra would reconcile—despite him already saying he had moved on.

This had nothing to do with Evelyn. Cassandra never believed him. Instead, she often assumed his words were laced with hidden meanings.

Thus, he thought that since Evelyn had learned Cassandra's intentions were far from pure, she would stop entertaining those absurd fantasies.

How could she do this? Damn it! This is infuriating! Evelyn's furious thoughts suddenly flooded Nathan's mind.

Her heated tone caught Nathan off guard, but he quickly composed himself, a smirk playing on his lips. I'm not even upset, yet Evelyn is fuming on my behalf?

If this is how things stand, how are we ever going to finalize the divorce? Evelyn's panicked internal monologue left Nathan utterly speechless, and it showed no signs of stopping. Originally, I thought I could help reunite them. Now, I can't just stand by and watch Nathan dive headfirst into disaster, can I? But if he doesn't take the plunge, won't my divorce be delayed indefinitely? I've been trapped in this marriage for ages, still waiting for that alimony to find myself a fresh-faced, sculpted young man! Cassandra, you absolute fool! Why can't you just love him properly? You two are supposed to overcome obstacles for love! The way you're handling this is ruining everything for me!

The guests continued their lighthearted chatter while discreetly observing Nathan's unusual behavior of tending to his wife.

Suddenly, they noticed Nathan's brow furrow. He set down the half-peeled crab leg in his hand, removed his gloves, and began eating his own meal in silence, his mood visibly darkened.

The onlookers assumed it was because of Cassandra. After all, Evelyn had been quietly enjoying her food, and moments earlier, someone had asked Cassandra how she'd fared during her years abroad.

Cassandra had replied vaguely, "I managed well."

After speaking, Cassandra caught Nathan's reaction and immediately felt a surge of triumph. I knew it! He still cares about me.

Right then, she noticed Evelyn turn toward her with a disapproving glare and nearly couldn't contain her glee.

"You spent years in a sanatorium. How could you possibly be 'fine'? We're all old friends here, Cassandra. There's no need to hide the truth. Otherwise, certain people might keep dredging up the past to slander you!" Lillian interjected sharply.

"Lillian, don't—" Cassandra feigned distress, attempting to cut her off.

But Lillian barreled on, "Cassandra made me swear never to reveal this to anyone all these years. But today, I can't stay silent any longer. The reason she left back then was because she fell gravely ill. Uncertain of her future and unwilling to burden anyone, she secretly went abroad for treatment."