Chapter 305

The private room door swung open, revealing Richard and Margaret already standing to greet them. Alexander's unexpected presence earned only a fleeting glance from Evelyn.

She'd anticipated this.

Tonight's dinner was nothing but a carefully orchestrated peace offering—Richard and Margaret using Oliver as their golden ticket to mend bridges.

"Evelyn! There you are." Margaret's smile was all practiced warmth as she waved for menus. "Let's order immediately, shall we?"

Evelyn scanned the selections with deliberate slowness, choosing three dishes before sliding the menu toward Alexander without meeting his eyes. Her indifference toward her parents was palpable, her attention laser-focused on Oliver instead.

She grilled him about university, his latest flings, his terrible taste in music. Alexander observed in silence, the ghost of amusement playing on his lips whenever Evelyn made Oliver groan with her teasing.

On Oliver's third desperate glance toward Richard, the older man finally elbowed Margaret with visible reluctance.

"Evelyn," Margaret began, fingers twisting her napkin. "We...wanted to apologize. Properly. We realize now how unfairly we treated you." A strained pause. "Can we just...pretend tonight is normal? Like a real family dinner?"

Evelyn appeared not to hear Margaret's plea, turning instead to Oliver. "You lost your phone? Are you sure it wasn’t taken from home?"

"Home?" Oliver's brows knitted together. "I’ve turned the entire house upside down. Who would take it?"

Then, realization flashed across his face. "Vanessa?"

"Evelyn, please," Margaret begged, her voice trembling. "I’m trying to fix things between us. Won’t you at least acknowledge me?"

Evelyn remained indifferent, swiping through her phone before thrusting it toward Oliver.

"Three days ago, I received a text from your number," she said coldly. "It asked me to meet at the Maple Leaf Café on the west side. When I arrived, Vanessa was the one waiting inside."

Oliver took the phone, his eyes scanning the screen.

It was undeniably his number.

"But why would Vanessa steal my phone?" he muttered, confusion lacing his words.

Even Margaret had gone quiet now, her earlier apology abandoned.

"When I walked into that café, I was ambushed," Evelyn continued, her voice sharp. "What do you think she wanted with your phone? She used it to set a trap—to get me alone so her hired thugs could grab me."

The air in the room grew thick with tension, every face reflecting a different emotion.

Richard's brows knitted together in disapproval. "Evelyn, enough with these baseless claims. This isn't a joking matter! Why would Vanessa ever do such a thing? What possible motive could she have?"

"Every time I speak up, you dismiss me as spouting nonsense. Fine. If you refuse to listen, there's no point in me staying for this dinner!" Evelyn retorted sharply, grabbing Alexander's arm as she made to storm out.

Margaret swiftly blocked her path. "Evelyn, wait! Let's discuss this properly."

She shot Richard a chastising glare. "Will you let your daughter explain herself?"

Margaret had long suspected Richard favored Vanessa over his own family, but now she was certain—his protectiveness toward Vanessa surpassed even his concern for his own wife.

"Evelyn, if Vanessa planned the kidnapping, why was she taken too?" Margaret asked, confusion lacing her voice.

"Because the kidnappers couldn’t tell us apart, so they took both of us to be safe," Evelyn clarified.

Richard scoffed, his expression dripping with derision.

"Listen to this—she claims Vanessa masterminded the abduction, yet insists the kidnappers didn’t recognize her. How does that even—"

His words were cut off as Alexander's phone buzzed loudly on the table. The screen lit up with an unknown number. A heavy silence descended as Evelyn's breath hitched.

Margaret's grip on Evelyn's shoulder tightened. "Answer it."

Alexander swiped to accept the call, putting it on speaker. A distorted voice crackled through:

"Still doubting her story, Mr. Hayes? Maybe this will convince you."

A blood-curdling scream pierced the air—Vanessa's voice, raw with terror. Then, the line went dead.

Evelyn's face drained of color. Richard staggered back as if struck.

The grandfather clock in the hallway ticked ominously, each second stretching into eternity.

Margaret was the first to break the silence. "Now do you believe her?"

Richard opened his mouth, but no words came out. His hands trembled visibly.

Alexander's jaw clenched. "We need to call the police. Now."

Evelyn shook her head violently. "No! They said they'd kill her if we involved authorities."

A porcelain vase shattered in the hallway—Vanessa's favorite, the one she'd brought back from Italy last summer. The sound seemed to snap Richard out of his daze.

His voice was barely a whisper when he finally spoke:

"What have I done?"

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm was coming.

"Contradictory? If Vanessa hired the kidnappers, how could they not recognize her and end up kidnapping her too?"

Evelyn scoffed, her fingers tightening around her glass. "The men Vanessa hired were Damian’s crew. Damian gave the orders, but his thugs carried out the abduction. They wouldn’t have known us apart. Isn’t that obvious?"

Richard’s expression darkened. "That makes even less sense. How could Vanessa possibly be connected to Damian?"

His voice dripped with skepticism. "Three years ago, you and Damian worked together to kidnap Vanessa. If there’s any connection, it should be between you and him."

Evelyn’s patience snapped. The glass in her hand shattered against the marble floor, shards scattering like broken trust.

"I’ve told you a thousand times—that entire incident was Vanessa’s setup!" Her voice trembled with frustration. "Richard, are you deliberately misunderstanding me? Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. I’ll find the evidence myself and clear my name."

She pushed back her chair, the legs scraping sharply against the floor. But before she could storm out, Margaret’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist with surprising strength.

"Evelyn," her mother said firmly, "the food hasn’t even been served. Sit down. You’re not leaving this table."

The tension in the room thickened, heavy as the silence before a storm.

Secret Longing: A Love Reborn After Betrayal (Evelyn) novel