Chapter 373

The third day of May, clear skies.

The elite business figures of City A finished their breakfast and gathered punctually at 8:50 AM in the courtyard of Mount Pilatus.

"Mr. Valdemar, where is the young lady you were holding yesterday?"

Isabella Langley immediately spotted Sebastian Valdemar's aloof figure and instinctively smoothed her carefully styled curls. Today, she had deliberately chosen a pure white lace dress, her makeup flawlessly understated.

Sebastian didn’t even glance her way. "She left."

"What girl?"

Several ears perked up. Not everyone had been present when Scarlett Galatea made her appearance the day before.

"Someone unimportant."

Sebastian shut down all further probing with that single sentence. Isabella’s nails dug into her palms, while Evelyn Roland, standing in the shadows, watched with deepening intensity.

Isabella’s words might have seemed harmless on the surface, but each one carried a hidden sting.

"Time to depart."

The group smoothly shifted the topic.

Frustrated by her failed scheme, Isabella clenched her teeth, though she couldn’t help but feel relieved that Scarlett wasn’t here.

Inside the ancient temple, incense smoke curled through the air.

Having arranged things in advance, their arrival didn’t disrupt the temple’s usual order. Monks carried out their duties, and devotees took turns offering incense.

When it was Evelyn’s turn, she calmly accepted the incense sticks.

The moment she turned—

Snap.

The incense in the burner broke without warning.

"Oh my!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Dozens before her had offered incense without incident—why did this happen now?

Yet Evelyn didn’t so much as frown.

She calmly removed the broken incense, relit it, and placed it back. Just as the crowd began to relax—

"It broke again!"

"This is terribly unlucky!"

The whispers grew louder, and many eyes turned accusatory.

"Amitabha."

A novice monk stepped forward to restore order.

Evelyn stared at the broken incense, something dark swirling in her gaze. The tycoons grew visibly impatient as she remained motionless.

"Miss Roland, don’t hold everyone up!"

Sebastian’s icy glance silenced the speaker instantly, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.