Chapter 340

The metallic clang echoed through the room as Richard sent the basin flying across the floor.

His pulse hammered in his ears. The ridiculous wig he’d been forced to wear tumbled off with the impact, landing in a tangled mess at his feet.

Fury burned through him.

"Oliver, I am your father! Is this the kind of respect your mother taught you?" Richard's voice was sharp, each word laced with barely contained rage.

Oliver squared his shoulders, defiance flashing in his eyes. "Lies! Mom’s not even here—she hasn’t been for days. This is all me!"

He jabbed a finger at Richard. "A real man controls himself. If you can’t do that, you’re no better than an animal."

News of the confrontation at the Hawthorne Estate spread like wildfire within the hour.

Humiliation scorched Richard’s skin. To be publicly berated by his own son—it was unbearable.

But Oliver wasn’t finished.

From somewhere behind him, he produced a plunger, brandishing it like a weapon. "Move it, old man. You’re turning this place into a haunted house just standing there."

He planted himself firmly in the doorway, blocking Richard’s path.

"What about your precious Vanessa? Or that mistress of yours?" Oliver sneered. "If you love them so much, why are you here?"

The words struck like a whip.

Richard’s jaw clenched.

This wasn’t just defiance—it was war.

"I'm your father! This is my home! You think you can just throw me out?" Richard's face twisted in outrage, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"Your home?" Oliver scoffed, crossing his arms with deliberate nonchalance. "Didn't Grandfather divide this estate between Evelyn and me?"

He tilted his head, feigning deep thought. "Besides, the deed is in Evelyn's name now. So tell me, what claim do you really have?"

Richard's throat tightened. He had miscalculated—revealed too much, too soon.

Done with the conversation, Oliver slammed the door shut with a resounding crash.

Meanwhile, in the dining room, Alexander meticulously cut his steak into bite-sized pieces, offering them to Evelyn.

Her lips curved into a soft smile as warmth bloomed in her chest. Playfully, she speared a piece and lifted it toward him.

Without hesitation, Alexander leaned in, accepting the morsel from her fork. Then, with affectionate familiarity, he brushed his nose against hers.

Margaret watched, stunned. The intimacy between them was unexpected—yet undeniably genuine.

A strange mix of shock and relief settled over her.

She had doubted this marriage from the start, especially knowing Evelyn had spent seven relentless years chasing after Ethan.

Margaret had always assumed Alexander was merely a consolation prize—a second choice.

But now, witnessing the tenderness between them, she wasn't so sure.

The revelation hit Margaret like a tidal wave.

All these years, she'd believed Evelyn had married Alexander out of spite toward Ethan.

But the scene unfolding before her made Margaret question everything.

As the dinner plates were cleared, Margaret found her voice.

"Evelyn, darling," she said, gripping her daughter's hand. "This injustice won't stand. I'll make certain you get what's rightfully yours."

Evelyn's lips curved into a sardonic smile. "And how exactly do you propose to do that, Mother?"

Margaret's eyes hardened like diamonds. "I'm divorcing Richard! Horizon Enterprises wouldn't exist without my family's investments. If that bastard thinks he can treat us this way, he's about to learn a brutal lesson."

The implications were staggering - asset division would send shockwaves through Horizon's boardrooms.

Margaret had hesitated at first, but the image of Richard's betrayal burned through her doubts.

Her thoughts turned venomous. "Why should I endure this humiliation? Richard and Evelyn Sinclair plotted to switch babies, forcing me to raise their bastard. What kind of monster does that?"

Her voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "Every cent he spent on that woman came from our joint accounts. I'll hire the fiercest lawyers to claw back every penny!"

She turned her gaze toward Vanessa. "And those shares I so generously gifted her? They'll be returned - with interest."

The dining room seemed to hold its breath as Margaret's declaration hung in the air.

Evelyn watched her mother with new respect, realizing the sleeping lioness had finally awakened.

The game had changed.

And Richard Hayes would soon discover just how badly he'd miscalculated.

The words hung in the air like a blade poised to fall.

Eleanor's grip on her teacup tightened, her knuckles turning white. The delicate porcelain trembled slightly, betraying the storm beneath her composed exterior.

Vanessa stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat. The accusation was a slap—one she hadn't seen coming.

Ethan Caldwell's expression darkened, his jaw clenching. He had always been a man who thrived on control, but this—this was slipping through his fingers.

"You've raised her for years," Evelyn Carter said quietly, her voice steady despite the tension thickening the room. "Are you truly willing to throw that all away?"

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Vanessa's mind raced. Every memory, every calculated move—had it all been for nothing?

Across the room, Alexander Whitmore watched, his gaze unreadable. He had seen this coming long before anyone else.

Eleanor finally set her cup down with a soft clink.

The sound was deafening.

Vanessa swallowed hard.

This wasn't just a question.

It was a reckoning.

Secret Longing: A Second Chance After the Fall (Evelyn) novel