Chapter 421

Nathaniel claimed she hadn't given her full effort in the initial draft she'd sent him. Determined to prove him wrong, Evelyn poured every last drop of creativity into this new design, completing it just before his scheduled return. With the final drawing emailed, she leaned back, awaiting his response.

"This has to be perfect," she reassured herself. The weight of the project lifted from her shoulders, leaving room for much-needed relaxation.

She reached for her phone, intending to lose herself in a mobile game. But the date on the screen caught her eye - today marked the final day of her three-month arrangement with Nathaniel.

"Three months already?" The realization startled her. Their relationship had evolved so much since that first contractual meeting.

Strangely, what she'd once counted down to now filled her with reluctance. During Nathaniel's two-week business trip, their nightly video calls had become something she secretly anticipated. Hearing his voice, seeing his face before bed - these small moments had carved a space in her routine she didn't want to lose.

"Maybe... just maybe we could make this real when he returns," she mused, cheeks warming at the thought. The unfamiliar flutter in her chest confirmed it - she missed him.

Her fingers hovered over the messaging app, tempted to check in. But a notification badge demanding attention derailed her plan. The profile picture - an overly posed selfie of Cassandra - made her sigh.

Evelyn tapped the thread with mild curiosity. The messages, each more venomous than the last, spanned weeks. Cassandra's digital tantrum began the day her family was evicted from the Whitmore estate, escalating with time.

Normally, Evelyn dismissed these rants as background noise. Today, with time to spare and closure needed, she decided to face the storm head-on.

The Whitmore mansion loomed before her, its familiarity now foreign after months away. The door swung open to reveal Cassandra, face obscured by a skincare mask that did little to soften her expression.

"Well, if it isn't the prodigal daughter," Cassandra sneered, peeling off the mask. "Did the Graysons finally see through you? Or are you here to gloat about stealing my life?"

Evelyn remained unshaken. "I'm only here to reclaim what's mine."

Cassandra's face twisted. "Yours? Don't make me laugh. Everything in this house belongs to me now. Those pathetic keepsakes in the attic? Gone. Thrown out like the trash they were."

She stepped closer, venom dripping from every word. "Father raised you, fed you, and how do you repay him? By abandoning us the second a richer family came along. Nathaniel should have been mine! You're nothing but a scheming, ungrateful-"

"Enough." Evelyn's voice cut through the tirade. "I didn't come for a lecture. Just the truth." Her gaze never wavered as she delivered her final blow. "Starting with who really belongs here."