Chapter 209

Evelyn Carter's brows knitted together in irritation. "What is this? Who sent these?"

Natalie Brooks giggled. "Must be another admirer of yours. Do you know how much these must have cost? A courier dropped them off."

The bouquet was enormous—so large that it took both arms to hold it properly. When the delivery man had arrived at Titan Capital Group’s executive floor, whispers had spread instantly.

Even the company’s private chat groups were buzzing with speculation.

Evelyn snatched the small card tucked between the stems.

Her expression darkened the moment she read it.

Without a word, she shredded the card into tiny pieces.

Then, she marched straight to the stairwell, lifted the heavy bouquet, and dumped the lilies unceremoniously into the trash bin.

Just as she turned away, her phone vibrated.

"Evelyn, did you get the lilies I sent?" Richard Hayes' voice was sickeningly cheerful. "Your mother mentioned they were your favorite, so I handpicked the most extravagant arrangement I could find. I even supervised the wrapping myself."

Evelyn stood in the stairwell, the cold wind whipping through her hair like invisible fingers.

Her lips curled into a sneer.

How could Richard think of something so ridiculous? she thought bitterly. What kind of father sends flowers to his estranged daughter like some desperate suitor?

The call had come from Richard’s office line. Evelyn’s voice was icy. "Mr. Hayes, what exactly are you trying to pull?"

Richard’s tone dripped with false warmth. "Sweetheart, I just wanted to make you happy."

He maintained his sickeningly sweet act, undeterred by her sharp words. "Do you like them?"

"Save it," Evelyn snapped. "I hate lilies. And your little performance is pathetic. I’ve already cut ties with the Hayes family. Stop trying to disgust me with this nonsense."

She hung up before he could respond.

On the other end, Richard’s face darkened. He slammed the phone down with enough force to make Margaret flinch.

"Well?" Margaret asked, her voice tight. "What did she say?"

Richard’s jaw clenched. "What do you think? She had the nerve to talk back to me—"

"Disgusting? She actually hung up on me!"

Richard Hayes' chest rose and fell rapidly, his face flushed with anger.

"I'm a powerful man—people grovel at my feet just to get my attention. But her? A nobody junior dares to call me disgusting? For sending her flowers? What the hell is wrong with her?"

Humiliation burned through him. He paced the length of his office like a caged animal, his polished shoes clicking sharply against the marble floor.

"Does she think she’s untouchable just because Alexander Whitmore is backing her? Who does she think she is?"

The memory of Alexander’s chilling words at the Hawthorne Estate dinner still haunted him. Richard had barely slept that night, his mind racing with the terrifying possibility that Alexander might actually move against Horizon Enterprises.

With Alexander’s influence, a single command could bring an empire crashing down. And there would be no shortage of people eager to carry out his orders.

Richard had tried to convince himself he was overreacting—until this morning.

The moment the stock market opened, Horizon Enterprises’ shares plummeted straight to the lower limit. No warning. No explanation.

His gut told him Alexander was behind it.

But despite sending his best investigators to dig into the matter, they found nothing. No trace. No proof.

Just silence.

And that silence was far more terrifying than any direct threat.

To ensure he didn’t make a mistake, Richard sought Margaret’s advice. The suggestion to send flowers had come from her.

It was Margaret who had proposed the floral arrangement.

Margaret revealed that Evelyn had adored gardening as a child, with lilies being her absolute favorite.

The year Evelyn returned to the Hawthorne Estate, her room had a private balcony where she cultivated an entire garden. Every afternoon after school, she would spend hours nurturing them as if they were priceless jewels.

But one evening, Vanessa suddenly broke out in a violent rash, her skin covered in angry red welts. She began babbling incoherently, her breathing labored.

Margaret was horrified when she discovered Vanessa had a severe pollen allergy.

Terrified, Margaret demanded Evelyn remove every single flower from her balcony.

Evelyn’s response was ice-cold. "As long as Vanessa stays out of my room, she won’t have a problem."