Chapter 779
No.1
She regarded him calmly, like a passing stranger.
"Without evidence, your first instinct was my guilt. I don't know why, but 'Evelyn is guilty' is engraved in your bones."
Before he could protest, she added, "I won't accept such love or share such a bed. I can't gamble whether you'd condemn me again next time."
The rest of the ride passed in heavy silence.
Alexander didn't speak again.
His expression darkened, gaze deliberately avoiding Evelyn.
Only when she exited the car did his eyes follow her retreating figure.
No.2
Engraved belief in her guilt...
Had he really been that transparent?
......
At the candlelit restaurant, Isabella Winslow arrived in full glamour.
A dazzling diamond butterfly brooch adorned her collar.
William West traced the wings with his fingers.
He closed his eyes, memorizing each facet.
No.3
"Thank you, Isabella," he murmured, smiling. "For keeping this. It reminds me who stood by me at my lowest."
Isabella ducked her head demurely.
She'd risked stealing the brooch only upon learning of William's return.
Now it proved worthwhile.
Evelyn and Alexander had broken up.
William remained her willing pawn.
"Are you certain they split?" William asked mildly. "I saw her in his car today."
No.4
Isabella's face fell.
"Check your sources," William suggested helpfully. "I need current intel to assist you."
Isabella urgently contacted her mole in the Kingsley household.
When she hung up, her expression turned ashen.
"Disaster! Alexander purged all my people from Royal Gardens! Rumor says he'll propose to Evelyn at the Patriarch's birthday banquet!"
She trembled with rage. "They were supposed to be over!"
"How unfortunate," William remarked calmly. "The banquet is tomorrow."
No.5
"What do I do?" Isabella's eyes welled up. "William, you know I've always loved Alexander..."
"List all your Kingsley connections," William said confidently. "Don't worry. You'll get your happy ending..."
......
The grand eightieth birthday banquet for Patriarch Kingsley filled the Swan Palace with elite guests.
"Alexander," the Patriarch beckoned his grandson mid-conversation. "Where's Evelyn?"
"Sophie needed final tests. Evelyn stayed with her," Alexander explained.
"Why didn't you handle it personally?" the Patriarch chided. "You should've arranged everything and escorted them both. Your parents can manage the guests."
No.6
Alexander stayed silent.
Hosting duties were just an excuse...
Evelyn now barred him from her daily life.
Her attendance tonight was purely for the Patriarch's sake.
But after tonight, she'd return to him...
"Alexander!" Eleanor Kingsley hurried over. "Evelyn's here! Go greet her!"
"Your father and I have everything under control. Go attend to your guests." Eleanor Kingsley was more anxious than her son, her eyes darting toward the entrance.
No.7
"Hurry along!" Patriarch Kingsley waved him off impatiently.
Alexander Kingsley strode down the corridor toward the banquet hall.
Guests had already begun arriving. Crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over the sea of elegant gowns and clinking champagne flutes.
His gaze swept the crowd—then froze on a flash of white silk.
The same designer gown he'd chosen for Evelyn Sinclair at Karl's Boutique in the capital.
Alexander's pulse quickened, his lips curving unconsciously.