Chapter 36

Nathaniel's expression remained unreadable. "It wasn't necessary at first, but I won't tolerate any man getting close to my wife during our marriage." His voice was ice. "Walking past me to kiss another man? That will never happen again."

Evelyn scoffed, turning her gaze to the passing cityscape outside the car window. "That’s rich, coming from you. Weren’t you the one publicly dating another woman?"

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed. "Are you jealous?"

She blinked, lips twitching in disbelief. "Jealous? Us? We’re not even a real couple." Her fingers curled into her palms. "I’m just pissed you kissed me like that—no warning, no nothing. I could barely breathe!"

A smirk tugged at his lips. "If I recall correctly, you didn’t give me a heads-up either when you kissed me the other day."

Evelyn’s cheeks burned. "That was different! Mine was just a peck. I didn’t—"

"Didn’t what?" His tone dripped with amusement.

She clamped her mouth shut, refusing to rise to his bait. "Nothing."

Honestly, she’d rather kiss that mysterious stranger from the bar again—no strings, no complications. But Nathaniel? His influence meant this little stunt would spread like wildfire. Gossip, rumors, unwanted attention—exactly what she didn’t need. Three months. Just three months of keeping her head down, then she’d walk away clean.

Her phone buzzed, shattering her thoughts. Gregory’s name flashed on the screen.

Of course. Cassandra must’ve thrown another tantrum.

She answered, bracing for the storm. His voice crackled through the line, sharp enough to slice steel. "What the hell did you do this time, Evelyn? Get your ass home now and explain yourself!"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not tonight, Dad. I’m exhausted."

"Exhausted from what? Partying? Scandalizing our family name? You’re coming home NOW!"

She hung up, powering off her phone before his next tirade could begin. The car fell silent, save for the faint hum of the engine.

Nathaniel didn’t glance up from his phone, where financial reports glowed on the screen. "Need me to come with you?"

She shook her head. "No. This is my mess. I’ll handle it."

The car pulled up to the Grayson estate. Nathaniel didn’t follow her inside—thankfully. Margaret was home, and the last thing Evelyn needed was another performance of their "perfect marriage."

Upstairs, she booted up her laptop and logged into the game. A private message popped up instantly.

[Ethan Blackwell: (worship emoji) Master! You’re back!]

Ethan—the hacker who’d once crashed Alpha Enterprises’ systems after Rachel scammed him in-game. Ever since Evelyn hacked the AJ League to negotiate with him, he’d been relentless, calling her "Master" despite her protests.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard.

[Jade Rabbit: What do you want?]