Chapter 105
Bianca was utterly speechless.
She had spent the entire morning mentally preparing herself, determined not to feel a shred of jealousy when she saw Evelyn with Dominic.
Yet, the moment she laid eyes on them, her carefully constructed defenses crumbled.
The pain was unbearable.
Without another word, Bianca turned and fled the banquet hall.
From a distance, Tristan watched as his sister was once again dismissed by Dominic.
What stung more was that it happened in their own home.
Tristan would be lying if he said it didn’t hurt.
He would also be lying if he claimed it wasn’t humiliating.
A decade of Bianca’s youth, wasted on Dominic.
Tristan clenched his fists.
He wanted Dominic to pay.
After lunch, Dominic retreated to the guest room to rest.
Evelyn wasn’t supposed to arrive yet.
Hadn’t she claimed she was comfortable with Tristan?
Was she lying to him?
Dominic didn’t bother lying down.
He wasn’t sleepy—just avoiding the crowd.
Instead, he sent a quick text to his bodyguard.
Call me when Evelyn arrives.
After setting his phone aside, he pulled a book from the nearby shelf.
Around four in the afternoon, hushed voices drifted in from outside the door.
“Do you know Evelyn Thorne?”
“Of course! That’s the woman Young Master Tristan is obsessed with!”
“Exactly. He just ordered me to prepare women’s essentials and deliver them to his room. Looks like she’s staying the night.”
“When it comes to seduction, Young Master Tristan never fails. Want to know his secret?”
“What is it?”
“He has a way of making women obey him. By—”
The voices abruptly lowered, then faded as footsteps retreated.
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
He strode toward the door—just as his phone rang.
He turned back and answered.
“Mr. Blackwood, Evelyn’s here. Tristan met her at the entrance. He’s taking her to the south wing now,” the bodyguard reported.
“Follow her.”
“Sir, the Chamberlain family’s guards are blocking the south wing. Outsiders aren’t permitted. I asked around—that’s where Tristan’s father resides.”
Dominic hung up.
He scrolled through his contacts and dialed Evelyn’s number.
“Evelyn, my father prefers silence. Loud noises trigger his migraines,” Tristan explained as they walked.
Evelyn nodded. “I’ll mute my phone.”
“No need. There’s no signal here anyway. The entire area is shielded.”
Evelyn blinked. “His condition is that severe?”
Tristan sighed. “We’ve consulted countless specialists. Nothing worked. Isolation is the only relief.”
“Then why host a birthday party?”
Tristan chuckled. “He didn’t always despise crowds. Before his illness, he thrived in them.”
Evelyn’s fingers twisted nervously.
“Why does your father want to see me alone?”
Tristan gave her a reassuring smile. “Relax. He just wants to talk.”
Dinner came and went with no sign of Evelyn or Tristan.
Dominic had called repeatedly—no answer.
Not from Evelyn.
Not from Tristan.
His chest tightened.
Without hesitation, he stormed out of the banquet hall and headed straight for the south wing.