Chapter 166

Elsewhere...

Evelyn Whitmore set down her phone with a satisfied sigh, pulling up a chair at the lavish dining table. Her stomach growled loudly - she hadn't eaten since breakfast.

The dinner arrangements she'd just discussed with Lucas Sinclair weren't actually her idea. Cassandra Blackwood had been listening in on the call, pressing her ear against the phone. The moment Nathaniel Grayson accepted the invitation, Cassandra had urgently whispered instructions to book the hotel venue. Evelyn saw no reason to object and relayed the details accordingly.

Just as Evelyn picked up her fork, Cassandra snatched it from her hand.

"On your feet! Who said you could sit and eat?" Cassandra sneered.

Evelyn's eyebrows knitted together. "I solved your problem. Don't I deserve a meal?"

Cassandra's lip curled in disdain. "What problem? Nathaniel didn't come back for lunch with me, did he? Sure, you arranged dinner, but that doesn't make up for this wasted meal!"

Evelyn gestured at the extravagant spread. "You ordered enough for ten people. You can't possibly finish all this alone."

"I'll take the leftovers home if I have to," Cassandra snapped. "This food isn't for peasants like you. Do you even know what fine dining is? The Wild Bites would be insulted if they knew their cuisine was being wasted on some backwater hick!"

A cold smirk crossed Evelyn's face as she stood. "Fine. I'm leaving."

Cassandra's eyes flashed with rage. "Leaving? Where do you think you're going?"

"I took the afternoon off, remember? I'm going home to rest."

"That permission is revoked! Evelyn Whitmore, don't you dare— Evelyn!" Cassandra shrieked as Evelyn walked away without looking back.

Just as Cassandra moved to physically stop her, her phone rang. The caller ID showed her mother, Victoria Blackwood. She couldn't ignore it.

"Mom?" Cassandra answered through gritted teeth.

"Cassandra, how did the Newmoon Group meeting go?" Victoria's anxious voice came through the line.

Glaring at Evelyn's retreating figure, Cassandra replied, "Practically settled. But I've got another issue now. Come to The Wild Bites immediately. I ordered too much food!"

"The Wild Bites? Why would you dine somewhere so expensive?"

"Ugh! It's all Evelyn's fault! Just get here and I'll explain. And don't tell Daddy!" Cassandra hissed.

"Alright, I'm on my way," Victoria agreed.

Twenty minutes later, Victoria swept into the restaurant.

"Cassandra, what happened? Tell me everything," she demanded as she sat down.

Over the next several minutes, Cassandra recounted every detail - from her first encounter with Nathaniel to the dinner she'd arranged at the hotel that very evening.

Victoria practically glowed with excitement. "Brilliant move booking the hotel! This is your golden opportunity to become Nathaniel Grayson's woman!"