Chapter 297

Nathaniel sat upright, fingers interlaced and resting on his crossed knee. The gesture signaled his shift into serious mode. "Before answering that, may I ask you a few questions, Miss Evelyn?" His tone was deliberately measured.

"Go ahead."

"Two nights ago, were you by the Yonde River embankment?"

"I was." Evelyn nodded.

"And your reason for being there? Perhaps needing fresh air to clear your mind?"

"What does my mood have to do with this case?" Her brows knitted together.

A shadow flickered across Samuel's eyes. "Trust me, it's relevant. Please answer truthfully without evasion."

Evelyn struggled to articulate the tangled emotions from that night. The memory felt like grasping at smoke.

"I needed distraction. The river seemed peaceful."

Samuel's lips curved knowingly. "Amelia returned from abroad that evening. Your husband Nathaniel arranged an entire garden of flowers at Silver Moon Estate to welcome her. While that gesture between old friends might seem innocent, you happened to witness it, didn't you?"

Nathaniel's grip tightened around his glass, his gaze laser-focused on Evelyn's reaction.

The image flashed before her - pink tulips carpeting the estate grounds, Amelia emerging from an oversized gift box to throw herself into Nathaniel's arms. Unbidden, her expression darkened.

"Speechless, Miss Evelyn? Or unwilling to admit you saw your husband's romantic display for another woman?" Samuel's velvet voice carried steel beneath.

Evelyn felt twin pairs of eyes dissecting her - Samuel's clinical observation and Nathaniel's burning intensity. She drew a steadying breath.

"Correct. I saw everything you described. What of it?"

Samuel's congenial mask slipped as he stood abruptly. "From that moment, Amelia became your enemy. Consumed by jealousy, you hired someone to attack her. The riverbank meeting? You paid fifteen thousand dors to your accomplice. Later, you provided Amelia's hospital details so he could finish the job. Am I painting an accurate picture?"

Evelyn's lips parted in shock. "That's absurd! I've neither the means nor motive for such cruelty. I've never even met Daniel Carter! Without concrete evidence, this isn't an interrogation - it's coercion!"

"Patience, Miss Evelyn. We're just beginning." Samuel signaled his assistant, who handed him a smartphone.

"Recall the influencer who illegally parked on the embankment's tactile paving? Her livestream accidentally captured your meeting with the perpetrator. The proof lies here - shall we watch your lies unravel together?"