Chapter 238

Evelyn hesitated, her fingers curling slightly in confusion.

After a brief pause, she wrapped her arms around Alexander’s toned waist, rose onto her toes, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

He stiffened in surprise. Before he could deepen the contact, she had already pulled away.

Her wide, innocent eyes met his, shimmering with curiosity. "Did that help?"

Alexander’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. He caught Evelyn’s wrist and guided her back against the doorframe.

Closing the distance between them, he caged her in, tilting her chin up with one hand.

She bit her lower lip, her pulse fluttering wildly.

The raw, masculine energy radiating from Alexander sent her heart into a frenzy, pounding so hard she feared it might escape her chest.

"That was a good start," he murmured, his voice rough with desire. "But you can do better."

The moment his mouth claimed hers, Evelyn was lost.

He took her right there—against the door, on the sofa, in the—

The moon cast silver reflections across the ocean waves outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Sleep was impossible tonight.

Alexander's possessive energy knew no bounds.

Evelyn had just stepped out of the shower, yet within hours she was drenched again as if she'd never left the steaming water.

Their final night at the coastal resort burned into her memory.

Alexander took her relentlessly, moving between the bed, the balcony, and finally the marble bathroom counter until dawn's first light painted the horizon.

On the private jet returning to Cresthaven, Evelyn slept like the dead.

Alexander watched her peaceful expression with undisguised adoration. He signaled the flight attendant for a cashmere blanket and carefully tucked it around her shoulders.

Vanessa sat several rows back, her manicured nails digging into the armrests.

Ethan hadn't returned to their suite last night. When his phone went straight to voicemail, she'd discovered he'd chartered a helicopter back to the city at midnight.

With nothing keeping her at the resort, Vanessa had booked the first available flight.

Her blood ran cold when she recognized Alexander's distinctive profile boarding the same aircraft.

Vanessa couldn't stand watching Alexander fuss over Evelyn like that!

Ethan had abandoned her without a second thought. How could the woman he'd married so casually now become her elder? It made her blood boil.

The injustice burned in Vanessa's chest. Why did Evelyn always get everything? Why did everyone's attention gravitate toward her?

First Richard kept pressuring her to transfer the ancestral home to Evelyn. Now even Ethan barely glanced her way.

This was unacceptable!

Alexander had returned to Cresthaven ahead of schedule for a crucial client meeting. The moment they landed, he'd rushed off to his appointment.

Their driver dropped Evelyn at Willowbrook Apartments. She'd barely settled in when her phone vibrated with an incoming call.

"Evelyn, you're back from your trip?" Richard's voice carried forced cheerfulness. "The paperwork for Hawthorne Estate is ready. When can you come sign the transfer documents?"

Evelyn's lips twisted into a bitter smile.

How ironic. When she'd begged for what was rightfully hers, he'd refused. Now that she'd stopped caring, he couldn't wait to hand it over.

The phone grew heavy in her hand as Richard continued listing the documents she needed to review. Each word dripped with the desperation of a man who'd realized too late which daughter actually mattered.

Outside her window, twilight painted the city in hues of violet and gold. The same colors that once reminded her of hope now only emphasized how much had changed.

She interrupted his rambling. "I'll think about it."

The stunned silence on the other end was more satisfying than any agreement could ever be.

Let him wait.

After everything, he deserved to taste uncertainty for once.

The offer meant nothing to me now. He was trying to buy my compliance with empty gestures.

Vanessa's voice was icy. "I only wanted the ancestral home because I was a Hayes. But I'm not part of this family anymore. Keep it for yourself."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Richard's voice cracked with desperation. "You will always be my daughter. How can you say you're not a Hayes? Evelyn, enough of this stubbornness. Must I beg you?"

At his age, he shouldn’t have been groveling to a woman half his years.

Yet here he was, swallowing his pride, pleading with me as if I held his fate in my hands.

"Your mother misses you," he added softly, a calculated move. "She hasn’t stopped talking about you."

Horizon Enterprises was crumbling.

The end of the year should have been their most profitable season. Instead, their sales had plummeted to a ten-year low.

The shareholders were restless, their dissatisfaction a noose tightening around Richard’s neck.

If this continued, Horizon wouldn’t survive the new year.

The market was ruthless.

And so was I.

Alexander executed everything with precision, leaving no evidence behind.

Yet Richard knew.

The anomalies this year—they all pointed back to him.

There was no doubt in Richard’s mind.

The timing, the patterns, the subtle disruptions—they all bore Alexander’s signature.

Too calculated.

Too deliberate.

Richard picked up his phone, his grip tightening.

He needed answers.

And he would get them—one way or another.

The call connected after two rings.

Alexander’s voice was smooth, controlled.

"Richard. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Richard didn’t waste time.

"Cut the pleasantries. We need to talk."

A pause.

Then, amusement laced Alexander’s tone.

"About?"

Richard’s jaw clenched.

"You know exactly what."

Silence stretched between them.

Then Alexander exhaled, the sound almost weary.

"Fine. But not over the phone."

Richard’s lips thinned.

"Name the place."

Alexander’s answer came without hesitation.

"Eclipse Lounge. Midnight."

Richard ended the call.

Midnight.

Where secrets thrived.

And truths unraveled.

He would be there.

And this time, Alexander wouldn’t walk away without giving him the answers he demanded.