Chapter 108

The audacity of Vanessa's request made Evelyn's blood boil.

"Me? A bridesmaid? When I'm already Alexander's wife?"

The sheer absurdity of it all nearly made her laugh out loud.

Across the room, Richard finally lowered his newspaper with deliberate slowness.

His jaw tightened as he studied his daughter.

He had practically groveled to get her back into this house, yet she carried herself like she owned the place.

As if that wasn't enough, Horizon Enterprises had just suffered devastating contract losses.

The timing was too perfect to be coincidence.

Titan Capital Group's fingerprints were all over this corporate sabotage.

Richard's fingers curled into fists against the mahogany desk.

"That public spectacle of yours," he hissed, "confessing your feelings like some lovesick schoolgirl—you've made us a laughingstock!"

The contracts had vanished within days of Evelyn's emotional outburst.

Alexander Whitmore wasn't just displeased—he was dismantling Richard's empire brick by brick.

"You're a liability," Richard spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Useless. Worse than useless—you're actively destroying this family!"

Evelyn met his glare without flinching.

The air between them crackled with unspoken threats.

Richard's next words came out in a dangerous whisper.

"When, Evelyn, will you stop being the architect of your own ruin?"

Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed ominously.

The game had changed.

And Evelyn wasn't about to lose.

The housekeeper emerged with a silver tray of steaming dishes just as the tension between them thickened. Evelyn casually strolled to the dining table and settled into her chair with deliberate grace.

"I've made myself perfectly clear," she said, lifting her chin. "I intend to be Alexander's wife. He's the only man I'll ever love, and I refuse to settle for anyone else."

Richard scoffed, his lips curling in derision. "Alexander? Marry you? Have you lost your mind? The man wouldn’t stoop so low—not when even his own nephew discarded you."

Evelyn’s fingers tightened around her fork, but her voice remained steady. "Let me correct you. I ended things with Ethan. I called off the engagement. He didn’t reject me—I walked away."

She set her fork down with a quiet clink. "And secondly, don’t measure Alexander by your own petty standards. You’ve never seen my worth, but he does. He knows exactly what I bring to the table."

Richard rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "Still delusional, I see. You really believe a man like him would ever marry you?"

Evelyn leaned forward, her gaze sharpening. "What if he does?"

The challenge hung in the air.

Richard barked out a laugh. "Then I’ll cut off my own head and let you kick it down the street like a damned soccer ball!"

Evelyn wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. What would I want with your head? It’s hardly a prize. Pick something else."

Evelyn casually spooned some broth into her porcelain bowl and took a delicate sip, her expression unreadable.

The rich flavor warmed her from within, comforting yet deceptive in its simplicity.

Across the table, Richard exchanged a knowing glance with Margaret. "Would you look at that? Our little girl's grown quite bold," he muttered under his breath.

Evelyn's silver spoon clinked against the fine china as she set it down. "What's the matter? Suddenly too cowardly to take my wager?"

Her frosty gaze swept across the dining room, lingering on each family member's face. "Hawthorne Estate belongs to me. When I marry Alexander, you'll all vacate the premises immediately."

The ancestral home had stood for generations, its walls whispering stories of the Hayes family legacy.

On his deathbed, William Hayes had divided his empire - half his shares to Evelyn, the remainder to her brother Oliver.

The estate itself was meant to be jointly inherited, but fate intervened before the paperwork could be finalized.

Vanessa, having been excluded from the will entirely, had manipulated Richard into transferring the deed to her name out of some twisted sense of compensation.

The irony wasn't lost on Evelyn. Eight hundred million dollars worth of family history, now belonging to a woman with no Hayes blood in her veins.

It equaled nearly her entire inheritance.

Evelyn's fingers tightened around her napkin. "Well? Do we have a deal?" Her voice cut through the tension like shards of ice. "Or are you all as spineless as I remember?"

Richard's expression turned stormy at Evelyn's bold demand. "You're overreaching, aren't you? The audacity to claim the entire Hawthorne Estate and think you can cast us out? After everything we've done for you!"

"This estate was our birthright from Grandfather William," Evelyn countered coldly. "Yet you handed it to Vanessa without a second thought. If anyone should fear a ghostly reckoning, it's you—betraying your own blood for an outsider."

His jaw clenched. "Even if you have a claim, it's only to half! Or do you intend to steal your brother Oliver's inheritance too?"

The air between them crackled with tension, the weight of generations pressing down. Evelyn didn't flinch. "Justice isn't measured in halves, Father. And I won't settle for less than what's owed."

Richard's grip tightened on the armrest, veins standing out like cords. "You'll regret this."

A humorless smile touched her lips. "No. But you will."