Chapter 461
No.1
His heart clenched like an invisible fist had seized it.
That woman last night... couldn't have been her?
"Alexander?" Madeline Kingsley approached him in the hallway. "Perfect timing. Your grandmother needs to speak with you."
She pulled him to the far end of the corridor.
"It's time to end things with Evelyn." The old woman cut straight to the point.
Alexander's expression remained impassive.
"I've always adored Evelyn. Wanted her as my granddaughter-in-law since she was little." Madeline sighed. "But you're the Kingsley heir now. The family line—"
No.2
"If you truly care for her," Alexander interrupted coldly, "why did you allow Mrs. Wilson to humiliate her in public?"
"I—"
"Would you tolerate that treatment if she were your blood granddaughter?"
Madeline paled.
"I know you still have feelings for her." Her eyes reddened. "But this relationship is impossible... Over my dead body will you two be together!"
"Fine." Alexander turned on his heel and left.
Thirty minutes later, Ethan Miller nearly had a heart attack finding him on the rooftop.
No.3
"Lord Alex! Don't do anything reckless!" He lunged forward in panic.
Alexander sat beyond the railing, silhouette bleak against the skyline.
"Schedule a procedure," he said abruptly.
"What procedure?"
"A vasectomy."
——
After catching up on sleep, Evelyn arranged to meet Julian Ashford at a nearby café.
No.4
She pushed open the door—only to find Mrs. Ashford waiting instead.
"Evelyn, dear." The woman grasped her hand with false sweetness. "About what happened years ago... I owe you an apology."
Evelyn silently withdrew her hand.
"Name your price for compensation." Contempt flickered in Mrs. Ashford's eyes.
"Mother!" Julian appeared suddenly.
He pulled Evelyn away. "We're leaving."
"Stop right there!" Mrs. Ashford snapped. "How dare you associate with this shameless—"
No.5
"Shameless what?" Julian's laugh was icy. "Not good enough for the Ashford fortune?"
He marched out with Evelyn, never looking back.
Around the corner, Evelyn produced the diamond ring.
"Thanks for last night."
Julian didn't take it.
He gazed at her, voice trembling.
"It wasn't an act."
No.6
"Evelyn... I'm truly in love with you."
Sunlight filtered through the trees, fracturing into starlight in his eyes.
Evelyn looked up, meeting Julian's deep gaze.
His eyes were crystal clear, like untouched mountain springs.
She suddenly realized she'd never truly studied them before.
In past encounters, he'd always been the first to look away—as if deliberately avoiding something.
Now she noticed his sharp features, the noble bearing in his brow that rivaled Alexander's.
No.7
"Don't feel obligated, Julian." Evelyn broke the silence first. "Last night was my oversight. I didn't mean to trouble you."
She extended the ring toward him. "If you hadn't saved me that year, I would've frozen to death. How could I repay that debt by burdening you further?"
Julian didn't take it.
His voice was low but firm. "I love you, Evelyn."
The words dropped like a stone into her calm heart.
"When Mrs. Wilson framed you, part of me wished it were true." He stepped closer. "If you'd been carrying my child, I'd never have let you return to Alexander."
Evelyn froze.