Chapter 229

The morning sunlight streamed through Evelyn Sinclair's penthouse windows as she absentmindedly stirred her coffee. Her phone buzzed with notifications, but her attention was elsewhere—specifically, on the mental monologue of her assistant Lillian Graves, who stood just three feet away arranging files.

"Oh my god, did you see Nathan Blackwood's latest Instagram story? That man could melt glaciers with that smile. And the way he looked at Evelyn during last night's gala—"

Evelyn's spoon clattered against her porcelain cup. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on Lillian's thoughts again, but this mind-reading curse of hers had other plans.

"Everything alright, Ms. Sinclair?" Lillian asked, her professional demeanor belying the hurricane of gossip swirling in her mind.

"Please don't tell me she heard me thinking about her boyfriend. Wait—are they even official? The tabloids say—"

"Perfectly fine," Evelyn interrupted with forced calm. "Just... remembered I have that meeting with Preston Whitmore at noon."

Lillian nodded, but her mental commentary continued unabated. "That director's such a creep. Always 'accidentally' brushing against actresses. Though I'd kill to know what really happened between him and Seraphina Delacroix last—"

Evelyn stood abruptly. "I need air."

The elevator ride down gave her no reprieve. A delivery man's thoughts about his cheating girlfriend. The doorman's mental calculations of his gambling debts. And then—

"Evelyn looks exhausted. Probably another fight with Nathan. Wonder if it's about that Victoria Hayes woman..."

She spun around to find Marcus Donovan, Julian Blackwood's smarmy agent, smirking at her from the opposite corner of the elevator. His surface thoughts were bad enough, but Evelyn knew the real dirt lay deeper—the kind of secrets that could topple empires.

The doors opened to the lobby. Marcus tipped an imaginary hat. "Lovely weather for scandals, isn't it, Ms. Sinclair?"

As Evelyn stepped into the sunlight, her phone buzzed with a text from Nathan: We need to talk about last night.

Her stomach dropped. Because pulsing beneath that simple message, she could already hear the unspoken thought—the one that had kept her awake until dawn.

She knows.

The Blackwood family couldn’t comprehend why Evelyn would react that way, but from their perspective, it seemed as though she was so exasperated that laughter was her only escape.

Meanwhile, Daniel’s revelation sent shockwaves through the crowd. All eyes turned to Mason, their gazes laced with suspicion and disbelief.

“Seriously? He’s the infamous school bully?”

“But he doesn’t look the part.”

A few of their former high school classmates were present, and memories of Mason’s past behavior resurfaced.

Victor exhaled in relief. He had initially feared Daniel had uncovered something far more damning—only to realize he had merely recognized Mason as the boy he’d once beaten up in high school.

“What nonsense!” Sophia snapped, her voice sharp with indignation. How could her boyfriend possibly be such a vile person? “You must have him confused with someone else.”

“Ms. Reed, your boyfriend’s name is Mason Wright, correct? Has he ever had plastic surgery?”

Sophia stiffened. It was true—Mason had undergone cosmetic procedures. She’d seen his old photos, but he’d claimed it was due to a car accident.

“Back then, he tormented a classmate, and I punched him in the face. After that, he was expelled and fled abroad to get his face fixed,” Daniel said coldly, his glare piercing through Mason. “I’m stunned you’d dare show your face here again.”

Never in his life had Daniel despised someone this much. His fists remained clenched, his body coiled like a predator ready to strike.

By then, Nathan’s friends had also gathered around.

“That’s the bully? Damn, he’s got some nerve showing up here,” Marcus muttered under his breath.

“Even if he is, why attack him now? Daniel’s a cop—this isn’t like him,” Lucas pointed out, frowning.

“Maybe he was worried Amelia would panic if she saw him?” Vivian suggested, though she sounded uncertain.

“Then he should’ve handled it discreetly,” Grayson retorted, exasperated.

Beatrice remained silent, but she, too, thought Daniel had acted rashly.

At that moment, Nathan realized something was off.

Knowing Daniel’s temperament, if he’d discovered Amelia’s affair with Mason, his first instinct would’ve been to confront her for answers. Only after that would violence even cross his mind.

Yet Daniel’s immediate reaction had been pure, unbridled rage—exactly like their last high school fight. Back then, Daniel had found out Mason had trapped Amelia with malicious intent. Enraged, he’d beaten Mason beyond recognition.

Now, history was repeating itself.

Nathan’s thoughts raced as the pieces fell into place.

The Blackwoods, unable to contain their curiosity, closed in around Nathan and Evelyn.

“Nathan, what the hell is Daniel thinking?” Julian blurted out.

Nathan didn’t need to answer—Evelyn’s internal monologue said it all.

Typical. Even the most unfortunate souls have kinder hearts than this. But then again, can you blame Daniel? Amelia’s whole act is ridiculously misleading. In high school, she played the innocent victim while secretly pining for Mason. The surveillance footage we later showed Daniel only reinforced his misconceptions.

The Blackwoods exchanged glances. What surveillance footage?

Nathan suddenly recalled the videos—the way Mason always seemed to drag a reluctant Amelia, her head bowed, her body stiff with resistance. To any outsider, it would look like coercion.

An impartial observer might assume Mason had blackmailed her, that she was trapped in a situation she couldn’t escape. Her struggles and pained expressions were real—but not for the reasons everyone believed.

The truth? Amelia wanted Mason. She just didn’t want the guilt of cheating on Daniel. Her internal conflict was genuine, but so was her desire.

And now, the Blackwoods finally understood.

Nathan sighed.

“People like her… they endure under the guise of decency, appearing as innocent victims,” he murmured. “Why didn’t she just tell him the truth?”

The Blackwoods mentally cursed. It all made sense. Amelia’s weak-willed nature made her easy to manipulate. Was it any wonder Daniel had misread the situation?

Nathan suspected Daniel had assumed Mason held some leverage over Amelia—compromising photos, perhaps—which explained her compliance.

But now, everything was clear.

And the worst part?

Nathan wondered if Amelia had ever truly loved Daniel at all.