Chapter 87

Evelyn’s face was drenched. Even though the water was warm, a cold shiver ran down her spine.

"Bianca! What the hell are you doing?" Tristan sprang to his feet, gripping Bianca’s wrist and yanking her back.

"Tristan! Don’t you dare stop me! I’m going to make her pay tonight!" Bianca’s eyes burned with fury, her shrill voice cutting through the hushed atmosphere of the private dining room.

Tristan’s voice turned icy. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

Bianca had never been publicly scolded by Tristan before. Rage boiled inside her. She shoved his hand away, lunging toward Evelyn again.

Splash!

A wave of crimson juice splattered across Bianca’s face.

Evelyn calmly set the empty glass back on the table, her gaze steady as she took in Bianca’s disheveled appearance. "If you want to mess with me, at least make sure you can handle the consequences."

Silence fell over the room. All eyes flickered between Evelyn and Bianca.

Evelyn had only been splashed with warm water—her face still flawless, if slightly damp.

Bianca, on the other hand, was drenched in sticky watermelon juice, her hair plastered to her cheeks, her once-pristine makeup now a smeared mess.

The contrast was almost comical.

"Enjoy your meal. I’m leaving." Evelyn wiped her face with a napkin, then strode out without another glance.

Bianca tried to chase after her, but Tristan caught her arm.

"Bianca, haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?"

She let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, so now I’m an embarrassment to you? Let go of me!" She wrenched free, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She had just found out that Dominic had waited outside Clara’s run-down apartment all night in the pouring rain. Even with a raging fever, he refused to go to the hospital.

Evelyn was treating the man Bianca worshipped like dirt, and it was more than she could bear.

"Bianca, think. Is this really how you want to handle things?" Tristan’s voice was low, controlled. "I’ve told you before—when dealing with enemies, you have to be smarter than them. Or have you forgotten?"

His words made her pause.

Dominic didn’t love her. And now, even Tristan was looking at her with disappointment.

She felt utterly alone.

"I’m not trying to humiliate you," Tristan said, gripping her hand firmly. "I just don’t want you to regret this later." He pulled her toward the restroom.

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

"What was that about?" someone from Veritas murmured.

"No idea," a Thornfield employee muttered back. "We don’t get involved in her personal life."

"This is… complicated."

"Tell me about it. Do you think this will affect the deal?"

"Probably not. Mr. Chamberlain is personally overseeing this partnership. He won’t let anything derail it," the Veritas representative said.

The Thornfield team exhaled in relief. "Good."

Outside the restaurant, Evelyn froze as the cold night air hit her. The early winter chill seeped into her bones, and with her hair still damp, the wind sent an icy prickle across her scalp.

Then the rain began—soft at first, then heavier, relentless.

Evelyn shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as the downpour soaked through her clothes.

She didn’t move.

She just stood there, letting the rain wash everything away.