Chapter 286

The morning sunlight streamed through Evelyn Sinclair's penthouse windows as she sipped her espresso, scrolling through her phone with practiced disinterest. That was, until a particular notification made her nearly choke on her drink.

"Victoria Hayes just posted a new story," murmured Lillian Graves, Evelyn's ever-efficient assistant, placing a fresh stack of scripts on the marble counter. "Shall I—"

"No need." Evelyn's manicured finger hovered over the screen. "Let's see what our dear secretary has to share today."

The video loaded, showing Victoria twirling in a designer dress outside Nathan Blackwood's corporate headquarters. The caption read: Late nights at the office never looked this good.

Evelyn's grip tightened around her phone. "How... predictable."

Lillian cleared her throat. "Ms. Sinclair, your meeting with Preston Whitmore starts in—"

"Cancel it." Evelyn stood abruptly, her silk robe fluttering behind her. "I need to pay Nathan a visit."

Nathan's office smelled of sandalwood and power—a combination Evelyn had grown intimately familiar with over the past months. She didn't bother knocking.

"Nathan, darling," she purred, striding past his startled assistant. "We need to talk about your... staffing choices."

Nathan looked up from his documents, his storm-gray eyes unreadable. "Evelyn. To what do I owe this interruption?"

She dropped her phone onto his desk, Victoria's smug face frozen mid-laugh on the screen. "Care to explain why your secretary thinks she's auditioning for the role of Mrs. Blackwood?"

A muscle twitched in Nathan's jaw. "Victoria's social media habits aren't my concern."

"Really?" Evelyn leaned forward, bracing her hands on his desk. "Because last I checked, sleeping with the boss was company business."

The air between them crackled. Nathan's gaze dropped to her lips for a fraction of a second before he schooled his expression. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Evelyn."

She straightened with a laugh. "Oh sweetheart, this isn't jealousy." Her smile turned razor-sharp. "This is me giving you fair warning—clean up your mess before I do it for you."

As she turned to leave, Nathan's voice stopped her at the door. "You forget—I don't respond well to threats."

Evelyn glanced over her shoulder, her eyes gleaming with challenge. "And you forget—I always follow through."

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Nathan alone with the echo of her perfume and the undeniable truth: Evelyn Sinclair never bluffed.

Somewhere across town, Victoria Hayes shivered despite the afternoon heat. The game was afoot—and the stakes had just gotten dangerously personal.

Karma always comes full circle. Who could have imagined that Penelope would weave such an intricate web of deception? At first, she might have reveled in the sweet taste of revenge, but she never anticipated her own children would become entangled in her schemes. Her grand design had crumbled into scandal, leaving her drowning in the unbearable weight of truth. Now, she had no choice but to clean up the mess—before her lies were exposed for all to see.

The Blackwood family quickly grasped the heart of the matter. Penelope’s vendetta was tied to the unthinkable—the switching of children.

Evelyn, however, had no time for idle gossip. She was far too entertained watching the drama unfold, her sharp tongue ready with biting commentary.

Caleb Moore glared at Penelope with barely restrained fury, but she refused to meet his gaze, her head bowed in shame. She wanted to whisk her daughter away, but no one was willing to play along. Trapped, she had no choice but to face him. Yet, even in desperation, her mind raced for an escape.

"No, my child. It's... it's that my daughter isn't worthy of you. I realize now there was never anything between you two. No relationship, no obligation. Everything I said earlier was just a scheme against Lucas."

As she spoke, her words gained a twisted logic, and to her own horror, she even began to laugh—a hollow, manic sound.

To onlookers, it was nothing short of bizarre. They knew Lucas had been manipulated, but no one expected Penelope to casually admit it—just to sever any perceived connection between Caleb and Luna.

She had lost all sense of priority.

Was she out of her mind?

Even Lucas, usually so detached, let out a bitter chuckle. In his mother’s eyes, it didn’t matter if he had been used.

She had lost it. The shock must have shattered her. As long as the truth remained buried, nothing else mattered. After all, this was a secret so dark, so damning—no one else knew. If she never acknowledged Caleb as her son, she could take this secret to her grave. That way, she wouldn’t have to face the consequences of her own selfishness.

Watching the manic glint in Penelope’s eyes, Evelyn nearly told her the truth: the secret wasn’t as safe as she thought. In fact, Evelyn was tempted to shout it from the rooftops.

If Penelope hadn’t been so obsessed with destroying Lucas, she wouldn’t have drawn so much attention. Evelyn wouldn’t have dug deeper. She wouldn’t have uncovered the truth.

The thought spurred Evelyn into action. Instinctively, she turned to Nathan.

Somehow, he had become her first choice for solving problems.

"Do you think Mrs. Reed seems... guilty?" she asked, testing the waters.

Nathan, however, had no patience for subtlety. "Actually," he said bluntly, "I’ve suspected for a while now."

Nathan's voice dropped to a whisper, sending chills down Evelyn's spine. "There might be something... unusual about Lucas and Caleb's pasts."

Evelyn's breath hitched. "What do you mean?"

Nathan's jaw tightened. "We need to dig deeper."

Evelyn could only manage a stunned, "Are you serious?"

Nathan gave a single, decisive nod, effortlessly stealing the scene. Evelyn was left reeling, her mind racing.

Good grief. Nathan's always ten steps ahead. Maybe I should just grab popcorn and watch the drama unfold.

Overhearing the exchange, the Blackwood family exchanged knowing glances. Behind Nathan's back, they rolled their eyes, stifling laughter at his theatrics.

Meanwhile, Caleb was blindsided by Penelope's reasoning. Though he suspected she was just making excuses—looking down on him—he had to admit her tact saved him a headache.

Caleb clenched his fists, forcing his temper down. Marrying Luna would be an insult, not just to himself, but to his pride. He had no intention of binding himself to her.

If he played along with Penelope's narrative, Victor wouldn’t dare pressure him.

"That’s rich," Caleb sneered, all former respect for Penelope evaporating. Her heart twisted, but she swallowed the pain. She was juggling too many fires, and failing at all of them.

"Mom, how could you say that about me?" Luna's voice cracked, her eyes burning with betrayal.

Penelope massaged her temples, the weight of the situation crushing her. She couldn’t explain the mess they were in—not without exposing everything. The frustration, the helplessness—it threatened to suffocate her.

Evelyn bit back a grin.

Hilarious. Luna doesn’t realize Penelope’s trying to save their dignity. If this plan works, even if the truth comes out later, it won’t destroy them. But no, these two idiots are determined to burn their last lifeline. Penelope must be losing her mind.

The Blackwoods were barely containing their amusement. Karma’s a bitch. These two are Penelope’s personal hell.

For Luna, all she heard was her mother declaring her unworthy of Caleb.

No daughter could stomach that. Why wasn’t she good enough for a spoiled brat like Caleb? Worse, she could see he didn’t want her either.

Penelope wasn’t helping—she was sabotaging her. As if she wanted Luna to fail.

The tension thickened, the air crackling with unspoken fury.

And Evelyn?

She was loving every second.

"Enough!" Penelope Collins snapped at Luna Morgan, her voice trembling with barely contained fury.

But Luna, undeterred, shot back, "You can't sabotage my relationship with Caleb just because of your grudge against Adriana! You're willing to ruin my happiness just to settle your own vendetta. How selfish can you be?"

Penelope never expected her daughter to lash out at her so publicly. Her face flushed with anger, yet she found herself speechless, the weight of the accusation pressing down on her.

The gathered crowd, initially there for the spectacle, exchanged shocked glances. While they knew tensions existed between Penelope and Adriana Laurent, none had suspected outright hatred.

Even Adriana looked taken aback, her brows knitting in confusion. Their disagreements had always stemmed from their children's affairs. Back when they were both part of the Bennett family, Adriana, as the heiress, handled external matters, while Penelope managed internal affairs. Their paths rarely crossed, and there had been no direct conflict. So why the animosity?

At that moment, Richard Bennett, who had been standing silently nearby, averted his gaze, discomfort flickering across his features. With Daniel Wright no longer alive, he couldn’t possibly bring up that old matter now.

The Blackwood family stiffened at the revelation, pieces clicking into place. This must have been the reason behind the child swap all those years ago.

Fortunately, Evelyn Sinclair’s sharp observation quickly clarified things.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Back then, the Bennett family had arranged for Daniel to marry Adriana. But Penelope, desperate to have him for herself, drugged him and forced a union, destroying the engagement between him and Adriana. It had been a sudden, underhanded scheme, known only to those directly involved. Hence, Adriana—and everyone else—remained oblivious.

The Blackwoods exchanged stunned glances. What? This was about generational drama?

Evelyn’s thoughts continued. Daniel had been deeply in love with Adriana and vehemently opposed marrying Penelope. But under relentless family pressure, he eventually gave in. Meanwhile, Adriana ended up with Richard. Naturally, Daniel and Penelope’s marriage was fraught with tension, their relationship a battlefield of resentment.

The Blackwoods inwardly winced. No wonder there was so much conflict. Who could accept being trapped in a marriage built on deceit?

Evelyn’s musings didn’t stop there. Penelope had always believed Daniel still pined for Adriana. Since they both worked in the family business, their frequent interactions only fueled Penelope’s paranoia. She became convinced Adriana was seducing Daniel, and her hostility festered over the years, leading to…

The tension in the room thickened, the past’s shadows stretching into the present.