Chapter 578

Evelyn looked completely bewildered. "Who's Cassandra? I've never even heard of her!"

"Wasn't she the one who trained you in medicine?"

"Absolutely not!"

Many powerful figures had sought Cassandra's expertise, but the elusive physician remained untraceable. Instead, they turned their attention to hunting down her rumored apprentice.

Dominic was beginning to suspect Evelyn's medical skills might rival—or even surpass—those of Cassandra's supposed protégé.

He had truly struck gold.

By the time the chaos settled, night had already fallen. At some point, Nathaniel had slipped into the kitchen and returned with dinner.

"Ms. Carter, why don't you stay and eat before you leave?"

Evelyn instinctively wanted to refuse, but then she remembered she still had matters to discuss with Dominic.

As a patient, Dominic's diet was restricted—he could only manage a bowl of broth. The rest of the meal, however, was left to Evelyn.

Despite having been half-dead hours earlier, Dominic now sat upright in bed.

"Nathaniel, change the sheets," Dominic ordered.

Nathaniel nodded, fetching fresh linens and helping Dominic settle back against the pillows.

Evelyn set down her fork, her tone sharpening. "The fire at the Bennett Villa—was that your doing?"

Dominic froze, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Leaning back against the headboard, he pressed his tongue against his cheek, exuding a mix of amusement and menace. "Curiosity killed the cat, Evelyn."

After several encounters, Evelyn had learned to read Dominic well.

She knew that when he responded like that, it was his way of tacitly admitting the truth.

Her mind raced, piecing together the events.

Dominic must have infiltrated the Bennett Villa that night, setting the blaze that devastated the Bennett family. As he tried to escape, someone from the household had discovered him, resulting in the knife wound to his abdomen. The news had been buzzing with reports of the Powell and Bennett families battling over a prime plot of land in the eastern suburbs. Now, it all made sense.

She stared at him in disbelief.

"All this for a piece of land? How could you be so reckless with lives?"

If he hadn't been caught, the entire Bennett family could have perished in the fire. Worse, Dominic had deliberately disabled the estate's fire safety system to ensure maximum destruction.

She hadn't realized just how cold-blooded he could be.

Dominic smirked. "Is this really news to you? My methods have never been clean. You've always known that, haven't you?"

With that, he suddenly yanked Evelyn forward, pulling her face inches from his.

His voice dropped to a rough whisper. "So tell me—why did you save a monster like me? I gave you the chance that night. Why didn't you take the dagger and finish me off, hmm?"

Their eyes locked. His were bloodshot, the scent of iron still clinging to him.

Even though he'd eaten, his face remained ghostly pale.

Despite his threatening demeanor, Evelyn knew better than anyone—Dominic was nothing more than a paper tiger right now.

She thought he was ruthless, treating human life as if it were worthless.

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, Nathaniel burst in from outside.

"Mr. Reginald Powell and Mr. Sebastian Powell are on their way here!"

Without hesitation, Nathaniel pulled Evelyn into the bathroom and shut the door behind them.

The moment they hid, the bedroom door swung open.

Through the thin bathroom door, Evelyn could hear the voices outside.

Reginald stood with one hand behind his back, radiating superiority as he looked at Dominic, who lounged against the bed.

"The Bennett family has withdrawn from the eastern suburbs bid. You handled this well," Reginald remarked.

Dominic's expression remained indifferent, only a flicker of mockery crossing his face.

Sebastian's voice followed, laced with disapproval. "Dominic, our father is here, and you're just lying there? Is this how you show respect?"