Chapter 336

"Invite us out for dinner?" Rosalind Baskins gasped, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

Evelyn Carter's face darkened at the unexpected proposal, her pulse quickening with concern. She brushed past Oliver Whitmore without hesitation, rushing into Blackwood Manor as the chef tried desperately to follow.

Rosalind caught Oliver's wrist, her lips curling into a knowing smirk. "Oliver, what's gotten into you today? You're shaking like a leaf."

Oliver jerked his arm free. "It's nothing. I should leave."

Rosalind stepped into his path, blocking the exit. "Not so fast. Let's wait here a moment."

Oliver's eyes darted nervously toward the house again, his fingers twitching at his sides.

Rosalind didn't miss a single tell. With years of combat training, her instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong.

Without warning, she executed a perfect takedown, pinning him to the gravel driveway.

Evelyn burst into the grand foyer just as Victoria Dawson's persistent knocking echoed through the marble halls.

"Liam, darling, open up! It's Victoria! Liam—" The blonde's saccharine voice carried as she continued rapping on the study door. "Please, we need to talk!"

Evelyn's gaze snapped to the antique grandfather clock. 2:07 PM. Lunch hour had long passed.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Evelyn found Victoria draped in a scandalously sheer lace dress, her barely-there lingerie leaving nothing to the imagination.

"What the hell are you doing?" Evelyn demanded, her voice trembling with barely contained rage.

Victoria froze mid-knock before turning slowly, her expression shifting from surprise to cold calculation.

Adjusting her plunging neckline with deliberate slowness, Victoria countered, "What are you doing here? Weren't you—"

Evelyn's eyes narrowed to slits. "Weren't I what?"

Victoria's mouth snapped shut.

Evelyn's laugh was razor-sharp. "Oh, did you think I'd be rotting in Julian Whitmore's basement by now?"

Victoria forced a smile and retrieved her designer clutch from the floor. With practiced nonchalance, she pulled out her phone and dialed.

When the call went unanswered, she frowned. "Where could Julian be?"

Evelyn remained stone-faced. "Probably bleeding out in his penthouse. But you—why are you dressed like a high-end escort at Blackwood Manor?"

Victoria shrugged. "This was always meant to be our marital home. Liam designed every detail for me. Even the security code is my birthday."

The word "marital" twisted like a knife in Evelyn's chest.

Liam had indeed decorated this estate to Victoria's tastes—the very reason Evelyn had fallen in love with it.

Evelyn advanced on her rival.

At that moment, Ryan Sullivan arrived with two armed guards. Reaching the second-floor landing, they found Evelyn already confronting the intruder.

"Ms. Carter! You're back?"

Evelyn gave a curt nod. "Obviously."

After brief greetings, Ryan fixed Victoria with a withering glare. "Ms. Dawson, explain your presence."

Victoria adjusted her dress with false modesty. "I'm here to see Liam."

Ryan's voice turned glacial. "Mr. Blackwood expelled you from this property. Have you no shame?"

Victoria's jaw clenched. "I need to speak with him."

"Mr. Blackwood has made his position clear. We'll escort you out. Now." Ryan signaled his men.

Frustration boiling over, Victoria turned back to the study door and resumed pounding. "Liam! It's me! We grew up together—have you forgotten all our memories? How can you treat me this way?"

Ryan nodded to his subordinates, who seized Victoria's arms, dragging her toward the grand staircase.

Victoria thrashed violently. "Unhand me! Do you know who I am?"

Ryan followed them downstairs to deal with the disturbance.

In that moment, icy dread flooded Evelyn's veins.

She'd never imagined Victoria would dare bribe household staff to infiltrate Blackwood Manor.