Chapter 597
No.1
...
Morning mist clung to the hotel alley when a janitor spotted a suspicious white bundle by the dumpster.
"What the hell?"
The moment he touched it, the bundle twitched.
"Help!" The janitor scrambled backward.
By the time paramedics arrived, Xavier was barely conscious.
Medical reports showed extensive soft tissue damage and minor internal bleeding.
"Tough bastard," Evelyn murmured over the chart.
She couldn't decide if his thick fat layer saved him or if Alexander had shown mercy.
The project team retreated urgently to Kingsbury.
No.2
Xavier remained comatose during transfer. Local police found no leads.
Security footage had mysteriously vanished.
The victim gave evasive answers.
"Just...got jumped by masked men," Xavier stammered.
The final blow came when Roman got promoted during Xavier's recovery.
Evelyn's new department occupied the adjacent office. Winston Strauss' interview teaser kept trending.
"Uncle Lee! That traitor's rising!" Xavier's wounds throbbed with rage.
He'd guarded his hospital room like a fortress, blocking Roman from contacting the Sullivans.
Yet the underling had climbed the corporate ladder unnoticed.
Now with Evelyn's backing, controlling him became impossible.
No.3
"Utter incompetence." Hugo Lee's face darkened.
Their perfect scheme lay in ruins.
Using Roman to frame Evelyn should've killed two birds with one stone.
Instead, the prey became the hunter.
Stranger still, the missing CCTV footage left Xavier too scared to press charges.
"Could that woman...have powerful backing?"
"Already checked." Hugo sneered. "The Kingsleys discarded her years ago."
He'd investigated the fire incident thoroughly.
After Evelyn's hospitalization, no Kingsley ever inquired about her.
If she truly mattered, why would they abandon her to obscurity?
No.4
Outside the hospital window, dusk deepened.
Hugo missed the blinking red light hidden in the shadows.
The news of Evelyn Sinclair's survival struck Hugo Lee like a thunderbolt.
He had secretly investigated her whereabouts.
At age ten, Evelyn was hospitalized for mutism before vanishing without a trace. The Kingsleys never publicly announced adopting a daughter, and Alexander Kingsley gave no indication either.
Melissa Lee personally confirmed Isabella Winslow had never mentioned Evelyn's existence.
"Just have someone eliminate her," Xavier Stapleton hissed through gritted teeth.
Hugo sneered. "You think the police are decorations? Roman Young would suspect you first."
"Then we take him out too!" Xavier's eyes gleamed with malice.
"Idiot!" Hugo slammed the table. "Do you want the whole world to know his identity?"
No.5
Xavier immediately fell silent.
Hugo narrowed his eyes. "Stay out of this. I'll handle it."
......
Alexander hadn't appeared since beating Xavier that night.
Yet Evelyn kept waking abruptly in the darkness.
She'd listen intently, but her empty apartment echoed only with her own breathing.
A self-deprecating smile touched her lips.
Alexander, raised in luxury, could never endure her ordinary life.
His kindness toward her had always been as fleeting as a night-blooming flower.
"Miss Sinclair, we need to move your interview to the hotel," the HR manager apologized. "The conference room requires sudden renovations."
No.6
Evelyn nodded without reaction.
The arrangement felt suspicious.
"Let me accompany you," Roman fretted. "Xavier's been giving you strange looks lately."
"He wouldn't dare." Evelyn sounded certain.
Hugo wouldn't risk Xavier acting recklessly now.
The next day, Evelyn completed her hotel interview smoothly.
As she exited the room, a man suddenly bumped into her.
Someone pushed her from behind.
Instinctively, she raised her laptop against her chest.
"My apologies!" The man bowed repeatedly.
No.7
Evelyn recognized him as today's rejected candidate.
Her gaze swept the hallway—the pusher had vanished.
"Actually, I waited specifically to see you." The man hurried after her.
"Can I help you?"
Evelyn Sinclair instantly noticed the man's breathing growing closer behind her.
She quickened her pace, but he matched her step for step.