Chapter 1002

No.1

Her expression remained unreadable.

"Thank you for the interview, Mr. Kingsley." She inclined her head slightly. "I wish you happiness."

Turning to leave, she found her arm seized again.

"Just like that?" Disbelief colored his voice. "What game are you playing now, Evelyn?"

She turned back with a flawless smile.

"The interview," she said softly, "is over."

Alexander's pupils dilated.

No.2

Suddenly, he realized—this Evelyn felt different.

The girl who once gazed at him with adoration now looked at him like a stranger.

The realization tightened his chest.

"Evelyn," he ground out her name, "you think this act will make me notice you?"

She freed herself effortlessly.

"You flatter yourself." She stepped back politely. "I'm simply doing my job."

Her spine remained straight as she walked away.

No.3

Alexander stood frozen, watching her disappear around the stairwell corner.

An unsettling sensation crept over him—as though something vital was slipping through his fingers.

Evelyn Sinclair's fingertips trembled slightly.

She stared into Alexander Kingsley's eyes, waiting for the answer that would crush him.

If he dared admit it.

She would humiliate this arrogant man in court.

"Did Isabella send you?" Alexander suddenly closed the distance between them.

No.4

Before Evelyn could react, he seized her wrist and yanked her against his unyielding chest.

"Don't move," he growled.

A camera flash briefly illuminated the stairwell.

Alexander moved swiftly, pulling her into the hallway and slamming the fire door shut.

Evelyn's face pressed against his chest, his familiar cold cologne filling her senses.

"Your doing?" He threw her onto the bed the moment they entered the room.

His icy gaze raked over her. "I warned you not to scheme for public recognition."

No.5

His grip on her jaw made her wince.

Evelyn suddenly laughed. "You overestimate yourself, Lord Alex."

Once, she might have hoped. But now...

"You and I are nothing to each other."

Alexander released her and adjusted his cuffs with deliberate calm.

"Remember those words."

He pulled a black card from his wallet and tossed it onto the bed.

No.6

"Behave before Grandfather's birthday banquet."

Evelyn eyed the card with bitter amusement.

She flicked it away. "Is this hush money?"

Alexander's expression darkened. He threw a blue velvet box at her.

The True Love logo burned her eyes.

Inside lay a multicolored diamond dragonfly brooch, its facets gleaming coldly under the lights.

"Like it?" His tone dripped sarcasm.

No.7

Evelyn lifted the brooch, its sharp edges digging into her palm.

"Did you buy this..." she asked softly, "with Isabella's butterfly brooch?"

Alexander frowned. "What difference does it make?"

Evelyn doubled over with laughter.

Tears welled in her eyes before she tossed the brooch back into the box.

"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Alex."