Chapter 86

Evelyn's cheeks were damp. Though the water had been warm, an icy chill crept down her spine.

"Bianca! What the hell are you doing?" Tristan sprang up instantly, seizing Bianca's wrist and yanking her backward.

"Tristan! Don't interfere! I'm putting this bitch in her place tonight!" Bianca's eyes burned crimson, her shrill voice cutting through the private dining room.

"Have you completely lost your senses?" Tristan thundered.

Never before had Tristan publicly reprimanded Bianca. Rage boiled in her veins as she wrenched her arm free, lunging toward Evelyn again.

Splash!

A wave of crimson juice drenched Bianca's face.

Evelyn slammed the empty glass onto the table, meeting Bianca's dripping gaze with icy composure. "If you're going to attack someone, at least make sure you can handle the consequences."

The room plunged into stunned silence, all eyes locked on the two women.

Evelyn merely sported damp strands clinging to her face, while Bianca was a spectacle - her designer dress ruined, hair plastered with sticky watermelon juice, mascara bleeding down her cheeks.

The once-polished socialite now resembled a drowned raccoon.

"Enjoy your meal. I'm leaving." Evelyn blotted her face with a napkin before striding toward the exit.

Bianca moved to follow, but Tristan blocked her path.

"Bianca, haven't you humiliated yourself enough?"

"Of course you'd take her side!" Bianca shoved against his chest, hot tears spilling over. "You think I'm embarrassing you?"

The truth burned in her chest - Dominic had waited outside Clara's shabby apartment all night in the pouring rain. Even with fever wracking his body, he'd refused medical care. The man Bianca worshipped like a god was being treated like dirt by Evelyn, and the injustice was unbearable.

"Listen to me." Tristan gripped her shoulders, voice dropping to a murmur only she could hear. "The Bianca I know fights with strategy, not tantrums. Remember what I taught you about handling adversaries?"

His words momentarily stilled her tears. Dominic rejected her, and now even Tristan seemed ashamed of her. The loneliness was suffocating.

"I'm trying to protect you," Tristan insisted, steering her toward the restroom. "Emotional outbursts always backfire. We'll discuss this properly later."

As the Chamberlain siblings disappeared, executives from Thornfield Industries and Veritas Capital exchanged uneasy glances.

"What was that about?" a Veritas VP whispered to his Thornfield counterpart.

"Don't ask me," the Thornfield exec muttered. "The Thornes keep their family drama locked up tighter than corporate secrets."

"This could complicate our merger..."

"Relax," the Veritas COO interjected. "Mr. Chamberlain personally oversees this deal. He won't let personal matters interfere."

The Thornfield team exhaled collectively. "Thank God for that."

Outside, Evelyn gasped as winter's bite pierced through her damp blouse. Raindrops began pelting the pavement, each cold sting mirroring the ache in her chest. The storm was coming - she could feel it in the charged air, in the way her wet hair clung to her neck like accusing fingers.

By midnight, the drizzle would become a deluge, but for now, Evelyn stood motionless, letting the first icy drops mingle with the salt on her cheeks.