Chapter 16

Evelyn lowered her head, beads of sweat forming at her temples.

"Mr. Sullivan, after Ms. Sullivan left the villa, the cameras only caught her disappearing at the southern intersection..."

"Useless!"

Ethan slammed the file onto the desk. The pen clattered to the floor, ink splattering across the tiles.

At 3 AM, the lock of the Northville Villa clicked softly.

Evelyn staggered through the door, her vision blurring. She braced herself against the wall, but her legs gave out at the entryway—

A strong arm caught her.

"Who—"

She strained to see, but only recognized the familiar scent of sandalwood.

Before darkness swallowed her, a whisper brushed her ear: "Still so stubborn."

Sunlight stabbed at her eyes.

Evelyn bolted upright, pain lancing through her abdomen. The bandages wrapped around her waist were too precise for an amateur.

The aroma of chicken soup drifted from the kitchen.

She slid a dagger from under the pillow and crept toward the sound barefoot.

"Awake?"

Daniel turned with a steaming bowl—only to freeze as cold steel pressed against his throat.

"Explain." Her voice was sharper than the blade.

"Your script from last week." He raised a leather portfolio with his left hand. "Found you bleeding out by coincidence." Leaning closer, he added, "If I wanted you dead, I'd have finished the job last night."

The dagger clattered to the floor.

The doorbell shattered the silence.

Daniel checked the monitor and smirked. "Guess who?"

Ethan's fist grazed Daniel's cheek before smashing into the doorframe.

"Evelyn!"

At the dining table, she calmly stirred her soup. The bandages peeking from her pajama collar made Ethan's pupils contract.

"Trespassing, Mr. Sullivan?"

"You vanished for five days to shack up with him?" He overturned the bowl. Scalding broth splashed her hand. "Does the Sterling family know you're seducing a married man?"

Daniel seized his collar. "She almost died—"

"Daniel!" Evelyn snapped. "Leave."

Once the door closed, she opened the TV cabinet drawer.

"Five million." She slid a black card across the table. "Civil Affairs Bureau. Nine AM tomorrow."

Ethan laughed.

He picked up the card and tapped it against her cheek. "Payment for services rendered?" His fingers dug into her chin. "Everywhere he touched you—it's filthy."

"Then divorce me."

"Never." He loosened his tie with a savage smile. "You'll keep the Sullivan name while I destroy the Sterlings."

The slammed door shattered the hallway mirror.

Evelyn gripped the table as blood bloomed through her bandages, staining the soup crimson.

Tension choked the MY conference room.

"While you were playing hide-and-seek, White Group terminated our contract!" Tyler hurled documents onto the table. "This is your crisis management?"

Evelyn pressed the remote. The screen showed Vincent White escorting his secretary into a hotel.

"Since you're so eager, Tyler, why don't you offer yourself next time?" Her glacial gaze swept the room. "Anyone forcing female colleagues to entertain clients—" A pen impaled the oak table. "—ends up like this."

After the meeting, she detained Simon.

"You and Tyler seem close lately." She twisted her wedding ring. "Heard your niece lost three million in Macau again?"

Simon's smile froze.

That night, a tall silhouette waited at her gate.

Ethan flicked the black card between his fingers. "Daniel's card. Password's your birthday."

He snapped it in half.

"Pity." Evelyn stepped over the fragments. "Could've bought your freedom."