Chapter 1383

No.1

"She's riding with me." Alexander yanked the car door open.

The butler remained unflappable. "The master prepared documents for Miss Sinclair to review during the ride."

Evelyn seized the chance to bow. "Please thank Mr. Sullivan for me."

Without a backward glance, she climbed into the Sullivan family car.

In the rearview mirror, Alexander's figure grew smaller until it vanished into the night.

......

The butler remained silent until they reached her apartment complex. "The master said you may take the documents home."

No.2

Evelyn thanked him and worked through the night to finish her article.

At dawn, her doorbell rang.

The security monitor showed Ethan fidgeting outside.

"Yes?" she asked warily.

"Miss Sinclair!" He lowered his voice. "I came secretly."

Evelyn opened the door cautiously.

Ethan's eyes were red-rimmed. "Lord Alex waited for you all day. He postponed important meetings and is still working now."

No.3

"And?" She arched a brow.

"Please come back!" His voice cracked. "He hasn't slept properly since you left. Last time he was hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer—"

"Stop." Evelyn massaged her temples. "He's a grown man."

"But I'm his personal assistant!" Ethan said indignantly.

She moved to shut the door.

"Are you still upset about Isabella?" He braced against the door. "Nothing happened between them!"

"Noted." Her face remained blank.

No.4

Ethan suddenly raised his voice. "Do you have any idea what Lord Alex has done for you?"

Evelyn didn't want to listen.

But Ethan's booming voice penetrated the door.

"Miss Sinclair, do you really think you could've handled Ryan Holt alone? Without Lord Alex pulling strings behind the scenes, those vultures would've devoured you alive!"

Her fingers twitched.

"Explain."

Ethan spilled everything in one breath.

No.5

"Lord Alex's team dug up all of Ryan's dirty secrets! The studios wanted to protect him until Lord Alex personally intervened! Every endorsement deal? Canceled after his calls!"

"Even Isabella Winslow—Lord Alex had no proof she was involved, yet he forced her to apologize to you!"

His voice grew louder with each word.

"After everything he's done for you, you parade around with Julian Ashford like—"

Evelyn's grip on the doorknob turned white-knuckled.

"Enough!"

The Kingsleys' so-called kindness was her deepest wound.

No.6

No matter how well they'd treated her, whispers of "repaying debts with favors" had followed her for years.

She didn't understand.

Why did everyone act like she'd won some grand prize?

They called her lucky.

Blessed.

As if losing her parents had been some clever trade for becoming the future Mrs. Kingsley.

But the ones who paid the ultimate price were her family.

No.7

The dead carried no weight.

Even the most tragic tales faded with time.

Her parents had been her entire world—to others, just gossip over afternoon tea.

Now even their memory had become a weapon against her.

Isabella did it.

Melissa did it.